Sharp LC-65LBU591C Television Review

If you are not super picky about image quality and looking for an entry-level budget 65-inch 4K television, then the Sharp 65" 4K UHD HDR LED Roku Smart TV LC-65LBU591C could fit the bill. There aren't many reviews for this TV, so I rolled the dice and gave it a try. My uses for the TV are quite limited (no 4K content), but I'll share my impressions for everyone out there who may be thinking about this 4K TV (or other similar budget televisions).

Testing with a 1080p Blu-Ray dsic

Visual and Audio Impressions

I'm not a professional calibrator, but I used the Xbox One tools to help calibrate my the TV as best as I can (I post my settings below). There's no wow factor when it comes to image quality. I don't have any 4K content right now. Zero. This means no HDR for me :/ (with HDR comes more colors and improved brightness/darkness/realism which is something I really wanted, but gave up on...). Once I actually have some 4K content then maybe I can test out the TV a bit more. I'm not a videophile, but I have owned a HDTV for probably over 10 years by now and have tried out a few different TVs over that time. As for image quality, it's clearly better than the low-end Haier I tried out a couple of years ago. Looking back at my previous review, I was probably too lenient when it came to the image quality on the Haier...It's really not great, but price is what matters the most sometimes.

The audio is better than I thought, but that's largely because I didn't expect much at all. It's not nearly as bad as I initially feared. Don't get me wrong, it's not great (I'm not an audiophile, but do have tower speakers that I regularly use) but after reading several dozens of reviews about how bad modern flat panel TV speakers are in general, my expectations were rock bottom. A sound bar would certainly sound better, but I personally don't feel rushed to run out and buy one at this point. So your mileage may vary.

Things I Liked/Disliked

Liked:

• 65" Size
• Budget price compared to other mid-tier/high-tier TVs
• Sounds better than I thought
• From over 6ft away 1080p content looks good enough
• From over 6ft away video games look good enough
• Roku pretty good (my first Roku experience)
• 4K resolution, TV tuner

Disliked:

• From 4ft and closer, 1080p content doesn't look good.
• From 4ft and closer video games look pixelated.
• Roku set up process (takes a few minutes to register and create your Roku account before you can even use your TV)

Size over Image Quality

Ultimately, I just decided that a ~40% larger screen (that's how much bigger a 65" TV is vs a 55" TV) was an experience that I wanted over a better looking image; and since I have zero 4K content...I couldn't even enjoy great looking 4K content. In a couple of years 4K content will be readily available, and maybe a couple of years after that an upgrade might be on the horizon. Most of the time bigger is better when it comes to televisions. A 55" television is just too small for most living rooms. Even at 65" it doesn't feel enormous.

In the end, I was ready to sacrifice image quality, for price and size. Sure professional reviews might rate this TV a 5/10 compared to other higher end TVs (and I wouldn't argue it). But for me, it still works well enough; it just doesn't look like complete garbage even if the reviews aren't favourable...But if you are a videophile then stay away! Ultimately, your needs will differ, so you be the judge. The only concern for me now is reliability, so only time will tell.

Sharp 65" 4K LED Television LC-65LBU591C Photos

Trying out some video game testing

A look at the simple Roku remote

My Sharp 65" 4K LED TV (LC-65LBU591C) calibration settings, using the Original Xbox One tools:

• Dynamic contrast: Off
• Backlight: 70
• Brightness: 44
• Contrast: 69
• Sharpness: 25
• Color: 60
• Tint: -2
• Temperature: Warm
• Action smoothing: Off
• Game mode: On