Sharp LC40LE830U Quattron a good deal
I bought one on clearance for $600.
First the pros:
120Hz is fantastic. I love watching movies, and while I know a film’s FPS (24) isn’t as fluid, for some reason the “home video” fluid look that 120Hz is proving isn’t as off-putting as I had originally thought.
LED backlighting – saves 40~50% in energy costs compared to a CCFL-backlit LCD. And should last far longer.
Detail – images are crisp and a number of settings can smooth jagged edges (QuadPixel), add sharpness, clear up DVD compression artifacting (“noise reduction”) to an extent, etc.
Weight – for being 40″, this weighs less than my 32″ CCFL set. 
Price. I wouldn’t pay $1200 for this model, not when one gets stuck pixels out of the box. (But no dead pixels were found, and those typically can’t be fixed.)
digital audio pass-through, to make connecting a Blu-ray player’s own digital output port unnecessary. Especially when one has 3 HDMI devices that would make use of the external Dolby 5.1 receiver!
Cons:
Unlike the composite, VGA, and other inputs, the HDMI ports are put on the left side – making cable organization more difficult, and with cables sticking out beyond the front edge, L-shaped adapters would be needed for ideal organization… unless you like seeing cables everywhere…
Once color is calibrated, everything looks great. Out of the box, depending on mode, there’s a blue tint or a yellow tint. I also found that disabling ‘extended color’ yields a more accurate color gamut, though I won’t deny enabling the extended mode really adds vibrancy to outdoor settings. Skin tones do end up being a tad oversaturated with it enabled, though.
The integrated speakers produce a good range (bass/treble/midtones), but even at top volume it’s fairly quiet.
For an-originally $1200 set, there should be no pixels. Why no QC from the manufacturer? As a customer, I feel less than cozy about this trend.
Angled viewing – straight-on is good, but at steep angles (e.g. 45 degrees) there’s some color fading, but no color-shift is noted. The panel used is probably a VA panel. IPS is best, but I’ve read companies that use TN panels. Definitely wouldn’t pay even $300 for one of those.)
Sadly the unit I bought was the last model available and contains 2 stuck pixels (white, blue-white), for which I am looking at possible options without having to return it as I really do like this model. But only when I use the TV as a monitor do these pixels stand out, and that’s only if I have a dark background. (If companies did their own QC, imagine how much time customers AND stores would save due to less processing costs and time…)
Uneven backlighting – this is inevitable for any TV or monitor, but once you see it, you can’t un-see it. I can handle edge bleed, but the unit I set up has a couple of rounded lit areas toward the left/middle that should remain dark. It’s only noticeable in movies involving outer space or totally dark rooms, but still – the lack of QC at the factory is pretty depressing, and that’s the ultimate point to my gripes about backlighting and stuck pixels. If the company does a good job, the store and customers don’t have to go through extra rigamarole and hassle.
All in all, it’s a good buy for $650 – the competition doesn’t really compare; the features in this model make it too good a value. Just spend time to calibrate it, and if you do see dead pixels or find too much unevenness to the backlighting, weigh the pros and cons of getting an exchange.
Will I buy Sharp again? Probably. Worse brands to exist, but the lack of QC is worrisome.