Sharp 70GK4245K

Is Sharp's 70-inch Tivo beast this year's biggest TV bargain?

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Surely a screen size to price ratio this extreme can't actually be fun to watch, can it? The 70GK4245K, however, doesn't look as though it's going to be just another 'it makes a picture, what more do you want?' budget TV.

For starters, its 4K screen can also take in the Dolby Vision high dynamic range format; its audio system can handle Dolby Atmos tracks; and its already content-loaded Tivo smart system is backed up by the latest Freely platform. Truly, our budget-TV cup runneth over. So long as there's quality to its pictures, of course.

Build quality is pretty flimsy. Its bezel is on-trend thin around three of its sides, though, while the slightly wider bottom edge looks glossy enough to just about persuade you that maybe the TV isn't entirely made of plastic after all.

The LCD panel is a VA model rather than a low-contrast IPS. While there is certainly no evidence of local dimming going on (which we wouldn't expect on such an incredibly affordable TV), there is a global dimming system at work, which Sharp optimistically claims can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. Despite a native 60Hz panel, though, a connected Xbox reveals that the TV can support 120Hz refresh rates - albeit only at 1080p resolution, and without any HDR support. You can retain HDR - including Dolby Vision - with 4K gaming feeds at 60Hz max, though.

The HDMIs support ALLM switching as well as VRR, and input lag in the Game mode is a very snappy 14.8ms.

The GK4245K's Tivo implementation shows no signs of compromise. It runs as slickly and stably as any other version we have seen, and it carries the usual impressive array of apps and sources.