Sanyo DP46848 46" HDTV LCD TV

BUYING THE SET

Note: I also have posted portions of this review on http://www.hdtvsolutions.com under the name "TechGuy". 

I stood in the store for what seemed like hours comparing each set's features and really looking at the picture outputs.  I went home and looked up many models and read hundreds of reviews.  There is a very wide price range for LCD sets and a number of sizes to choose from.  There are different formats and resolutions and connections - all in all, this can be quite disconcerting to people who do not know much about these technologies (like me).  We finally purchased the Sanyo 46" DP46848 from our local Wal-Mart because it was one of the best values we could find without sacrificing picture quality.  We have owned this set and have used it for over a month now.   The box is large, but this set was remarkably light.  Sanyo made the box to open quite easily by sliding two plastic clips on each side of the box and then the entire cardboard covering lifts straight up and off.  Inside the box was the LCD set with the base fully attached, a remote control with rechargeable batteries, and a user's manual.  One person can easily lift this television alone, but it is better with two people because of how awkward large sets can be. 

We setup our new TV stand and quickly began hooking up the set to our SD Satellite DVR.  The picture quality is acceptable with a standard receiver, but we were not that impressed with the video quality.  We hooked up our DVD player and the picture was just okay.  My son said we needed an up-scaling DVD player that outputs 1080p through an HDMI cable.  He ran out and found a player for $69.00 (another story) and an HDMI cable for an additional ($25.00).  We hooked it up and loaded a movie.  We found that when coupled to device that outputs a 1080i or 1080p signal through an HDMI interface, the picture is truly awesome!  The clarity of the movie was spectacular and our movie collection is not even Blu-Ray.

We watched TV through our SD Receiver for three days and then decided that we needed to upgrade to HD service ($10 more per month, plus a renewal of our contract and a fee of $100).  The man came the next day and hooked up a new satellite dish and a new HD dual tuner DVR that outputs a 1080i signal through an HDMI cable (they do not offer 1080p yet).  The picture knocked me out!  The retail stores should be using only HD signals to show off the capabilities of these sets. Watching the news in the morning is like having these people right in your living room.  You can see the small veins in their eyes and every pore on their faces!

PICTURE QUALITY
The whites are white, the blacks are black, and the colors are vivid. Contrast is very good. The brightness level is also very good. The Sanyo has a matte finish screen that does not glare even in brightly lit rooms. This helps the picture to always look bright in any light with no distracting reflections on the screen. The viewing angle is very wide and we can see no change in picture quality from all viewing angles. The user interface is straight forward with no frills. There are minimal user controls, just the basics here. The picture is set almost perfectly from the factory, so there is very little need to make any further adjustments (though we reduced the color intensity somewhat).

There is a power saver feature that sets the brightness to three preset levels: 1) Normal viewing. 2) Low power saver and 3) High power saver. The brightness decreases with each level to save power. The highest power saver is the lowest brightness. In my opinion even the lowest brightness is still brighter than most TV’s; this is the setting we choose.

There are three HDMI inputs comprised of an antenna input, two complete sets of component inputs, and one S-Video input, as well as one set of analog inputs and one set of analog outputs. Other higher priced sets usually have more input/outputs, but this configuration does serve the basic purpose well. On standard definition signals the set does not seem to display the same high-quality picture. This signal processor tends to amplify the lower picture quality, making some areas pixelated or blurry. The stereo sound from the two medium-sized pictures is acceptable for watching broadcast TV, but not powerful enough for movies - get a good surround sound. I have seen HDTV LCD tv's that are priced 2 1/2 times more than the DP46848 that do not have as good or bright a picture. This is a very good value for under $1,000. We are happy with the choice.

Problems: The only "problem" we see is that the tuner can be very slow when changing channels. Also, when switching between picture formats the screen will sometime blank out for several seconds. This can be disconcerting, but it does not affect the function of the set.

SPECIFICATIONS


Description
1080p 46" FULL HDTV
Product Color
Jet Black
Resolution (720P / 1080P)
1920 X 1080 (1080p)
Number of Pixels
2,073,600
Panel refresh rate
60 Hz
Response Time
6.5 ms
Brightness
550 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio (static)
3500:1
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Comb Filter
3D Y/C
NTSC/ATSC/Clear-QAM (combined) Tuner
Yes
Mono/Stereo/Virtual surround
Stereo
MTS/SAP
Yes
Total Power output (RMS Watts)
5 w /ch
Number of on board Speakers
2 (6 x 12 cm)
Sound system
Digital
# Format Modes (Auto ?)
AUTO & MANUAL (w/Tone)
HDMI connections
Yes (3)
CC
NTSC-608, DTV-708
V-chip (RRT5 - V-chip 2.0)
V-Guide w/Parental Control
OSDMenu Language
E / F / S
Sleep Timer
Yes / 3 Hour
Previous Channel
Yes
DVD (Integrated)
No
Component video 1 (HD/SD)
HD
Component video 2 (HD/SD)
HD
HDMI 1 (video)
Video (supports DVI & 1080p)
HDMI 2 (PC / Video)
Video (supports 1080p)
HDMI 3
Video (supports 1080p)
HDMI sidef/front (video)
Side-facing
PC input
No
AV
(480i):S-video,/Composite
Side AV
No
Video and Audio out
Audio L / R
SPDIF out (co-axial)
Co-axial
Operating power consumption (watts)
218
Energy Star Qualified
Yes
RoHs Compliant
Yes
UPC code
0-86483-06971-0
Wall mounting bracket/capability - Specification
VESA 400 x 400
Table top stand
Yes (Detachable)
Owners Manual
Yes E / F / S
Remote Control with Batteries
Yes (Eneloop rechargeables supplied)
Warranty
90 day exchange/1- year Limited
Product Dimensions (with stand) L x W x H Inches
43.9"x 10.7"x 32.9"
Estimated Product Dimensions (no stand) L x W x D Inches
43.9”×6.1”×30”
Estimated Product Weight (w/stand) Pounds
53.8 lbs.
Estimated Product Weight (w/o stand) Pounds
50.8lbs.