Pros & Cons
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- Inexpensive.
- Roku TV features.
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- Slightly skewed colors can't be calibrated.
- Color accuracy varies wildly with panel brightness.
- Mediocre contrast.
Sharp LC-43LB371U Specs
| Black Level | 285.44 |
| Contrast Ratio | 4078:1 |
| HDMI Ports | 3 |
| Input Lag (Game Mode) | 27.6 |
| Panel Type | LED |
| Refresh Rate | 60 |
| Resolution | 1920 by 1080 |
| Screen Brightness | 0.07 |
| Screen Size | 43 |
| Streaming Services | 1 |
| Video Inputs | Composite |
| Video Inputs | HDMI |
| Video Inputs | USB |
Sharp has lagged slightly behind other major HDTV manufacturers in interface design and online features, but that changes with Roku TV. The LB371U series uses Roku's menu system and connected features instead of Sharp's own, which lets the company offer more apps and services in TVs with very low prices. The 43-inch version we reviewed, the LC-43LB371U, retails for just $379.99. You can't expect amazing contrast or color accuracy from such a low-priced display, but the 43LB371U suffers from some picture flaws you won't find in some low-price competitors. If you want a budget-price connected HDTV, consider the Editors' Choice Insignia DR420NA16 or the TCL FS3700 instead.
Design
The 43LB371U is an unassuming HDTV, with its half-inch, glossy black bezel running around the screen distinguished only by a trapezoidal black lip on the bottom edge. The display sits on two V-shaped feet that hold it up securely.
View All An HDMI port, a USB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an optical audio output, and a Reset button sit on the back of the HDTV facing left. Two additional HDMI ports, a composite video input, and an antenna/cable connector face down. A row of square plastic buttons on the left edge of the screen offer basic controls, but you'll want to use the included remote whenever possible.
Like every other Roku TV we've tested, the 43LB371U comes with a simple, capsule-shaped Roku remote instead of the standard button-filled wand most HDTVs use. The remote has a prominent purple direction pad for navigating the Roku TV menu system, plus buttons for Home, Back, Options, Play/Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, Sleep Timer, and Game Mode. The remote also features four Roku TV-typical dedicated media service buttons for Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Rdio, and M-GO. Volume controls and a Mute button sit on the right edge.
Roku TV
As a Roku TV, the 43LB371U relies entirely on Roku's menu system instead of an interface designed by Sharp. Because of this, it's nearly identical to the interfaces we've seen on TCL, Hisense, and Insignia Roku TVs. The Home screen looks like a Roku device's Home screen, but the installed apps and services are bumped down the list to accommodate the HDTV's physical inputs. It's a simple, direct interface that's easy to learn. However, Roku TV severely limits picture settings compared with other menu systems; even brightness and contrast are hidden in the Advanced Picture Settings menu, and you're completely out of luck if you want to granularly calibrate the HDTV's color levels.Nearly the entirety of Roku's Channel Store can be loaded on the 43LB371U, including all of the major streaming media services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, Sling TV, and Twitch. Several thousand channels (Roku's term for apps and services) are available.
You can also control the TV with your smartphone or tablet using the free Roku app for iOS and Android. It lets you use your mobile device as a remote control, or directly stream media from it to the HDTV.
Performance
We test HDTVs using a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a DVDO AVLab 4K test pattern generator, and SpectraCal's CalMAN 5 software. After a basic dark room calibration, the 43LB371U showed a peak brightness of 285.44 cd/m2 and a black level of 0.07 cd/m2 for a 4,078:1 contrast ratio. This is respectable (on par with the TCL 55FS3700, but not quite as good as the Insignia NS-55DR420NA16's 0.06 cd/m2 black level and 4,453:1 contrast ratio), but results in some very skewed color levels as seen in the chart below.