HDTV Reviews

If you currently have a conventional TV set with the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio but watch a lot of DVDs, you're probably tired of black spaces above and below the picture wasting much of your TV's screen size whenever you watch the widescreen movies which have become the norm on DVD. The cure for this problem is to get a widescreen TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio. This Toshiba is an excellent 16:9 TV with a very sharp picture. Also important, this is an HDTV set which is ready to display the dramatically improved picture quality characteristic of the new High Definition Television broadcasts to which all networks are rapidly converting and which are now available from most cable and satellite providers. Although this Toshiba's 34" screen may not be as huge as some of the new thinscreen plasma TVs it is still quite large. Furthermore, it's picture quality is equal or superior to plasma TVs and its price is much lower. All things considered if you want a widescreen TV that's ready for HDTV and you don't want to break your budget to get one, this excellent Toshiba set may well be the answer.

I purchased this wonderful Toshiba after many months of research, including consumer reviews as published by National Consumer magazines. Price was a factor which ended up in my eliminating Sony which had previously been my number one choice. Review of repair records then proceeded to eliminate RCA and Zenith. My requirements were simple, a reasonably priced, good reliable 34" HDTV, in 16:9 format with flat screen, 3 S-video and 2 wideband component video inputs to facilitate my progressive scan DVD player, DSS system, cable etc. Hookup was relatively easy, (as I am not an electronics wizard), and with programming of the remote I now have control of all systems thru one device. Dss picture is fantastic, analog is not as definitive but than that is analog, not high definition. DVD qualty is excellent with monster cable connection. This TV is a definite buy, I am very pleased with the performance and the purchase price. ...

Simply the best there is , nothing compares to this , it has everything you could expect.I've investigated and searhed for a new tv. Until I saw this it passed with flying colors,the picture , sound ,sharpness, etc.. look for yourself and compare and you judge . Thank You ! Toshiba !

I researched RPTV's for over a year and my decision ended up coming down 2 RPTV's - the Philips 46PP9302 and the Hitachi 45F500, I looked at a number of manufacturers including Sony, JVC, RCA, Panasonic. My decision to go with the Philips was based on the extra video processing enhancments that come with this TV and the "classy" styling of this unit. As far as the picture quality goes both units provide excellent video but the Philips just seemed to provide a more stunning picture on HDTV and DVD progressive scan. The picture adjustments that can be made to tailor the picture to how "you" want it to look are seemingly endless - each input can be adjusted the way you want it. One other notable thing about the philips is the picture with satelitte - This is one of the few TV's with which the satelitte picture looks even good - and when it comes down to HDTV images it is downright amazing. One thing anyone should consider when buying a RPTV is the ability of the TV to provide some sort of screen protection from phosphor aging as I found out from my research there are some Tv's out there that have only lasted 3-4 years before the black bars wear into the screen. I have found that the 4.3 format is what I am using the most to view programming from satelitte so you get the black bars on either side of the screen so the black bar burn in could be a potential problem. The Philips auto format screen sizing is also one of the best available and not many of the RPTV's I looked at even had anything auto period! - you had to use the remote to fill the screen and the resulting picture was quite unporportional. Another deciding factor with purchasing this TV was the dealer I bought it from offerd me an additional 2 years parts and labor warranty as his comment was " We have very few problems with any of the Philips TV's we sell and that's why we offer the extra 2 years" . On the downside , (if any) this television as with most RPTVS is the viewing angle - it is very location sensitive - you need to view it sitting down and not to far off center - I have found that about 8-12 ft out and no more than 3-6 ft off center on either side is about maximum.
A highly recommemded HDTV RPTV.

Mw

Spectacular picture, spectacular sound, at least when coupled
with high-res DVDs (which is what I bought this for). EGL
delivery service is well worth the extra charge too; in my case
they got a little confused about which of their stations was
closest to me, but I live in the boonies...and they were quick
to correct the problem when I contacted them by phone.

I looked at a lot of different rear projection wide screen tv's and found this to be the best. I opened it up out of the box and it worked great. The horizontal viewing angles are good, however virticaly it is challenaged. The picture changes (dims) if you are standing up. Not bad for the money. It has awesome features and has one of the best picture qualities. I also like the sound. I give it an A+++++++++++++++++

I recently purchased this TV. The picture was awesome while watching regular programming from DirecTV or watching DVDs. The sound was also excellent - the best I've heard from any projection TV without using a Home Theater system. However, I purchased mine as a "factory reconditioned" product which had not been repaired properly and still had a problem when it was shipped to me. I've since returned it to the vendor and am awaiting a credit on my card. Once the credit is received, I plan on purchasing this model once again because it is a great TV. I've compared it to other brands in its price range and also some much higher priced and still prefer this Toshiba. This time, however, I'll purchase through Amazon, brand new, not reconditioned. By the way, the set comes in a big box, which is cut open, removed and then you have a FULLY ASSEMBLED TV which gets plugged in. IT DOES NOT COME IN PIECES. Toshiba is not selling "puzzle piece TVs." The guy who says it comes in pieces is either in need of treatment or has a gripe against Toshiba.

After reading these two reviews, I felt I had to try to set this record straight: I completely agree with the second reviewer. This is an EXCELLENT TV. I had absolutely no problems setting up or using mine and it came completely assembled. As the second reviewer said, all you do is take it out of the box, plug it in and it fired up. Setup involved answering a few on-screen questions and that was it. I too have been impressed with the quality of the picture and feel that I made a smart buy with this TOSHIBA. I think the first reviewer either was taken by the local Rex store or he has this 51" mixed up with some other model. Nothing he described matched my experience with this TV. Believe the second guy....both of us had basically the same results.

We just received this TV from Amazon today. It is incredible!

I purchased this model on low-price guarantee from Best Buy for $1,999 vs. competitor's advertised price, so well-below BB's going rate for the screen. I shopped for about 4 months & compared this model to comparably-priced (MSRP:$3K-$4K) Samsung, Sampo, ViewSonic, Panasonic & Sony(smaller screen size in price range). The Daewoo picture quality in all aspects was superior to the $3.5K & other competitors & equal to many models that were far more expensive. I waited hoping to get it for under $2.5K & was shocked to find it advertised for $2K in 1/04, so took the step with Best Buy due to their service & lower extended warranty price. I installed & completed set-up myself with no problems with a system that includes Direct TV, VCR & DVD recorder. Daewoo instructions for proper satellite & component set-up were precise, easy to follow &, most importantly, accurate. I have not been disappointed in the unit in any way for the dollar spent. It operates quietly & provides wonderful color & picture clarity. The only downside to the unit is that it does not have picture-in-picture, but then very little is available in the entry-level price range that has PIP. I also purchased the companion DP-SP21 speakers, which can be very hard to locate, but I got them from Target at $120 for the pair(well below other advertised prices). They are not high output, but deliver surround-sound quality & no distortion at upper-end volume. All-in-all, a superior unit for the buyer that doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a plasma set-up.

I just bought this Daewoo DP42SM and am amazed at the quality of the picture. Not something I was expecting to find in the Daewoo brand in plasmas. I was lucky enough to see this plasma right next to a Sony and the highly rated Panasonic. I couldn't see much of a difference. It has very good black levels and a wide choice of input options. Also comes with a several sets of cables for connecting components. Has a very nice metal and glass stand, also a futuristc looking remote. Overall, I am in awe of this thing. I did not buy it online, I bought it at my local Fry's. I won't tell you for how much, but I got it for much less than the $2999 list shown here and elsewhere. I can recommend this plamsa very highly. Haven't had it that long (a week), but I hope it will prove to be a good purchase in the long run. Right now, just really loving this thing, what a pleasure to watch TV (I have digital cable from Cox and the picture is excellent) and DVDs (they look great as well).

I looked for about a month trying to decide. Saw some brands I definitely would not be comfortable with, they just had an inferior picture quality in the stores which took them out of the running right off the bat.

What I was looking for was good color reproduction, good black levels, a sharp picture, a silver enclosure and a stand included, and a price around $3000. I was not interested in HDTV (this is EDTV, fine for my needs), nor did I want a built-in tuner since I have digital cable. The Daewoo suprisingly came out on top. Don't overlook this one, you'll save some big bucks by shopping around for this one.

We purchased the TV back in February and had it for about 8 weeks. In late April we started to get red lines from top to bottom about every inch on the screen. We purchased the extended service plan from Best Buy and called them. They sent their service person out and he determined the TV could not be fixed. Best Buy wanted us to deal with Daewoo because of the manfacturers warranty. DO NOT DEAL WITH DAEWOO DIRECTLY, Daewoo will not give you a new replacement unit it is reconditioned.
When I informed Best Buy of Daewoo's replacement policy they picked up the broken TV and replaced it with a new one.
Even though we had this little problem the TV is fantastic and highly recomended. We are very happy with it and you will be too I'm sure......

QUICK SUMMARY: PT-53WX42
If you are looking for a quality widescreen at a reasonable price, this is definitely a model to consider.

As of Feb '03, in my opinion this Pansonic model is the biggest screen with the most quality features for the best price. NOTE: there is a similar model that ends in a "52" instead of a "42"... the biggest difference is that the "52" has the protective screen shield ... but don't let that stop you... many people try to take off screen shields to get rid of the annoying glare and to brighten their widescreen tv's. Also, you can always purchase & install a separate Micro-Perf brand screen shield (90% glare free) down the road.

DETAILED SUMMARY:

I finally decided on this model after several weeks of serious research, including at online and offline at major stores (CC, BB, WM), not-so-big-of-a-name stores, price comparison websites, user opinion websites, consumer reports, home theater forums, etc. I researched TOSHIBA, PANASONIC, RCA, ZENITH, HITACHI, PHILIPS, SAMSUNG, and SHARP... 45"-61" widescreens. Originally I was also comparing the "normal" 4:3 projection screens, but then decided to go wide so that I don't have to purchase another tv in a few years. I also went into the buying scene without an opinion of any particular brand, I already had a mish-mash of these manufacturers in my house so it didn't matter to me what name was on the product... I was looking for quality vs price.

The whole process was challenging, since each store seems to cater to certain brands (they don't admit it though). :) It also makes it hard to compare "features/quality vs. cost" when everybody is throwing different deals at you. The icing on the cake... you read the reviews of products... and you see that some people give certain models horrible reviews, yet others give top notch praise. What is a consumer to do? :) Oh wait... I forgot about the obscene prices certain stores charge for an extended warranty (Visa Gold-Platinum holders: remember that Visa instantly doubles the manufacturers warranty, and sells 3-5 year extended warranty's at a fantastic price, check their website). Also, this tv comes with a little mail-in thing to learn more about extending the manufacturers warranty.

MORE INFO:....
Definitely pick up high quality cables (this goes for any HDTV), and a progressive scan DVD player. And if you like to tweak things, get the AVIA home theater DVD to help you calibrate your tv so you get the best viewing quality out of your set. You'll never want to go to the movie theater again.

That said... this is a great HDTV for the money. I'm not allowed to list the price I paid here, but... to date, I'd say it's one of the top 3 values in the 50-57" range (comparing price vs. screen size vs. features). Until I pickup a 2nd satellite receiver I am unable to take advantage of the Picture-in-Picture and split-screen features... but, even without that perk I have no regrets about owning this widescreen projection tv.

CONS..........
1) From the moment eagleUSA delivery service unpacked this tv I've been impressed. The only thing I would change about it is to make a wider flat-top to put your electronic goodies on. This is a challenge with 95% of widescreens. There is roughly a 6" top flat lip, but only 1/2 of a dvd player can rest on it.... it's a balancing act. So, keep in mind that with any widescreen, you will probably need to have a little table nearby, or be creative and use velcro to secure your devices.

2) The remote is not backlit. However, this is the first universal remote that actually works all my mix-n-match brand goods. A nice suprise indeed, the coffee table looks much less cluttered. If you want a remote that lights up, go buy one. :)

All the best to you in your widescreen shopping experience!

Great tv for a great price!

I've had this set for over a month now and do not regret the purchase. It sells for significantly less than other sets with similar features but is comparable in picture quality. HD source material is outstanding. Even DirecTV source material looks OK - this was a concern before I bought the set. You simply cannot beat this set at the price. It was my understanding that perhaps the reason for a lower price was that this set was not calibrated as extensively as others before shipment (labor-intensive). It appears this has been improved with this years' models however. By the way, other reviewers have complained about the manual 9-point convergence - a full 64-point convergence is available via the service menu. Also, while the "JUST" stretch mode is generally thought of as average at best compared to other HDTV sets, I find it acceptable. Of course there is no "distortion" viewing 16X9 or other wisescreen material as long as your DVD player is set up correctly.

Excellent TV.

I bought this TV over a similar RCA 34" widescreen more for the excellent quality history that Toshiba's are noted for (vs. RCA). However, for some reason the TV turns itself on and off at will and often times won't restart. Toshiba repair has been scheduled.

When working, the TV is excellent. Great picture with a digital Satelite signal and outstanding with progressive scan DVD. I was worried about going with a widescreen vs. the standard 4:3 aspect ratio sets. Trust me....this is the way to go. We quickly got used to the widescreen format and love it. The Toshiba does a great job at stretching the images from standard signals and not showing too much distortion. The Toshiba remote control is substandard and not universal. We purchased a Sony programmable remote to operate all our compenents...it works great.

I've had this TV for just over 6 months - LOVE it! We use component cables with Progressive-scan Sony DVD player and also use the component cables with Sony PS2, both versions of video is so crisp, it hurts your eyes! Also have HD cable box, and the HD picture is phenomenal (for the 5 channels available, so far...) Remainder of channels come in very clear. Was considering Sony flat-screen and Samsung 30" plasma when we purchased this. Very happy with the choice we made!

Great features with the TV, PIP, etc.... so many you will spend hours pouring through the manual. Our favorite is a "1/2 mute" where the first time you press the mute button, it mutes 1/2-way... low enough that one can answer phone briefly but the remainder of viewers can still hear. Also had multiple settings for the widescreen so you can choose which "fit" is best per movie (some widescreen DVD's are not exactly the 16:9 (or 1.78:1) aspect ratio). For example, Star Wars II is 2.35:1, so you may have black bars to view movie in proper proportion (or, if you choose to fill the screen, you stretch/smush the video to fit)... one of the things we didn't realize until we bought the TV and started trying out all the movies....

And should you choose to purchase this model, have a buddy handy for moving it in, it is HEAVY!!

If you currently have a conventional TV set with the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio but watch a lot of DVDs, you're probably tired of black spaces above and below the picture wasting much of your TV's screen size whenever you watch widescreen movies -- which are becoming the norm on DVD. The cure for this problem is to get a widescreen TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio. This Toshiba is an excellent 16:9 TV with a very sharp picture. Furthermore, this set is HDTV ready so that when you get HDTV cable or satellite service, this TV will be ready to display the dramatically improved picture quality characteristic of the new High Definition Television broadcasts to which all networks are rapidly converting. This Toshiba's 34" screen, although quite large, may not be as huge as some of the new thinscreen plasma TVs, but it's picture quality is equal or superior to plasma TVs and its price is much lower. All things considered if you want a widescreen TV that's ready for HDTV and you don't want to break you budget to get one, this excellent Toshiba set may well be the answer.

I'm not a TV expert so I won't confuse you with complicated technical terms, but I'll try to tell you that this TV is worth buying, using my eyes only. First of all, the picture quality is amazing. The sound is a real blast (Try hearing music CD's on your game console, it's amazing!). Plus it's got 4 Video Outputs, so my Dreamcast, my PS2 and soon my X-box will al connect together! This TV is very consol friendly, you press a botton on the remote, turn on the game console, and there you go, blasting off in amazing picure and sound. Watching TV on this babe is a real experience! GET IT!

The picture quality and color is amazing and just like a tube tv. I shopped for a HD ready TV for a long time and compared many TVs side by side. After I saw the Toshiba I fell in love with it and decided to buy it. I think it is the best in the market in that price range. I was recommended to use a component cable for the tv for best picture quality. Non-Hd transmission also looks crisper and better with the 1200 lines of resolution. The color mix in the picture is perfect...i found some HD tvs having more of blue hue in the original setting. I liked the size of the tv too...it does not become the prominent focus in the room. Definitely consider this one if you are shopping for a HD Projection TV.

Great TV, one look at it in your house will make you fall in love. I use a XBOX mainly on it and it's ASTOUNDING.

I purchased this TV in November after much research online and in the various stores...This was the best set for the price and I could not be more satisfied. After 5 months of owning it, I don't know how I did without it! The picture is clear, the sound is terrific and nicely complements my home theater system...Although leary about spending nearly [$] for a purchase online, I was very happy to save the cost of shipping and sales tax. My only complaint was that the company that delivered the set sent only one person for what is clearly a two person job. I ended up having to help the guy get it into my house.

I did a lot of research before buying this widescreen tv. I chose this tv for its price point and features and was I pleasantly surprised at the picture quality. The picture is so sharp and the colors are really vivid. I especially like the 16:9 widescreen format. It is great for watching dvd's and future upgrade to high definition picture. The free shipping was also a plus to be considered, I had no difficulties with the delivery company. This is a great buy.

I did alot of researce before selecting the toshiba 57"hdtv.I am well pleased with the selection.The picture is wonderful.This is
a really good set at a great price.When I ordered there was free shipping,which I thought was really nice.Amazon keep me posted on my order and did a good job seeing the order through.It was strange placing an order for a tv online,but with the service Amazon gave me,I felt like they really delivered the goods.Amazon
made a good impression on me.The tv speaks for itself,it really rocks.

The clarity of the picture is good, and I was happy with the controls. I cannot recommend the purchase of this TV. After just 2 years of normal use, it went up. No picture at all. It has been out for 6 weeks because Best Buy can't seem to find qualified people to work on this TV. Also, I overheard them talking about the poor construction of the boards. They making it very difficult to repair by glueing the parts to the board so you have to purchase an entire new board.

Best Buy also has very poor service and I will never purchase their PSP warranty package again. They are not customer oriented and are only the middle guy for the service people, which has you running in circles.

I bought the varient of this model 50H12(some people are telling 50H12 is better than 50H82) which in my view are same at Costco for $1600 including taxes. It really rocks for the price. Picture Quality is great & Audio is excellent. I feel now why Consumer Reports rated hight for Toshiba in Projection TVs.

I have owned my Toshiba 50H82 for approximately 6 months and have nothing but praise for the set. I have not had the luck of experiencing any HD pictures yet, but my progressive scan DVD (hooked up through component video) is remarkable! Digital cable looks great too (Analog is decent). I love the fact that this tv has wheels underneath as well as the fact that the top of the TV has about a 6-inch depth to act as a "shelf" so I can set my center-speaker for my surround on top.

Very highly recommend this set!

The low price was tempting, and even more so the smaller footprint and poundage compared to the similar models by Sony and Toshiba. But once I viewed the Panasonic and the Sony KV-34XBR800 side by side in a showroom, playing the same DVD, it's no contest at all. Sony was sharp, clear, crisp, accurate, and properly staurated, it was radiant, truly awesome. The Panasonic on the other hand was dull and had unacceptably poor color that couldn't be adjusted for much improvement. Blonde hair tinged green, skin tones awful, darks fading out, etc. I later discovered technical reviews at cnet.com and saw that the reviewers had the same reaction. My advice, if you can't afford the Sony, then you certainly can't afford to throw away money for the inferior Panasonic - unless you are color blind that is! Whatever you do, don't buy the Panasonic without viewing it first, especially skin tones and blonde hair.

This was the best bang for my buck value I could find in widescreen HDTVs, without getting the super thin plasma screens. It looks really cool, and the picture is very nice. There's no HDTV in NYC, so I can't attest to how good that looks, but if you're looking for a widescreen TV, you should definitely consider this.

I purchased this TV 2 weeks ago and the joy hasn't warn off yet. The picture is breathtaking and I think more highly of this TV with every new DVD I watch. The first DVD I watched was the SuperBit version of The Fifth Element. All I can say is that it was money well spent. Truly a videophile's TV. You won't be disappointed.