I don't know what happened to Sharp. They absolutely ruled the LCD market at one point. Then Sony started to make some noise; Samsung came in and overtook Sharp and Sony; and now Vizio is drinking everybody's milkshake.
Meanwhile, Sharp is still plugging along, but they've nearly dropped out of sight in the consumer market. Behind the scenes though, they basically OEM the LCD panels for just about everybody, so business-wise, they're doing just fine!
The only LCD televisions that interest me are super-cheap CCFL models with matte screens and local-dimming LED backlit models. Edge-lit LED models are a case of aesthetics going too far and damaging image performance, IMO. And a CCFL model with a glossy screen entirely defeats the purpose of a LCD, IMO, because they can only be used in a pitch black room (lest you be unable to see anything other than your own reflection!) and that means having to turn the light output WAY down - so what's the point? Why not buy a plasma instead?
