Review Toshiba is pushing the envelope in the world of TV technology. From its growing preoccupation with auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free 3D) screens, to cerebrally smart TVs that use Cell and CEVO processors for multitasking and advanced picture processing, the brand seems desperately keen to take television to the next level.
IPTV on the cheap: Toshiba’s Regza 42RL853
Unfortunately, there’s not been too much in the way of actual product from these endeavours – just lots of prototypes and early samples. Doubtless these groundbreaking screens will come to market eventually for TV viewers, but in the meantime you’ll either have to wait for its Qosmio F750 glasses-free 3D laptop to appear in August, or forget the spec-less 3D lark and invest in one the brand’s mass-market displays, which it continues to churn out, such as the Regza 42RL853. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you watch too much TV? You see, it’s not just the hours you put in: you risk the accusation that telly means too much to you if your screen dominates your living room, and therefore your life. It’s a matter of taste, but arguably a 55in screen is pretty much the limit for respectable viewing and Toshiba’s snazzy SV series can overpower even a substantial-sized room.
Giving it large: Toshiba’s Regza 55SV685DB
Still, size, we know, isn’t everything. Perhaps the screen will redeem itself and overcome this shaky start. Please note, though, that this is a massively heavy TV and way too much for one person to manage. Move it and you’ll notice that you can’t avoid handling the screen. That’s because while other TVs have a bezel frame around the LCD, this model had a flush edge-to-edge display. This doesn’t mean the image runs right up to the corners, merely that there’s an overlay called a Full Crystal Panel which covers the entire front of the television.
Toshiba says this front panel improves colour fidelity and image contrast. Don’t worry about those unavoidable finger smears – the makers have thoughtfully included a small cleaning cloth. The appearance of the Regza SV series is what Toshiba calls Deep Lagoon, where a deep black colour fades gradually to white. Like it or not, is a matter personal taste.
This is a premium television, full of advanced features such as LED backlighting with local dimming, fast 200Hz refresh rate, image processing from the ‘MetaBrain’ engine and Dolby Volume, which is designed to manage sound output variations when you switch channels, for instance. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Many of you will no doubt throw up your hands in horror at the thought of buying a mere ‘HD Ready’ television, rather than a ‘Full HD’ model. However, the fact of the matter is that most owners of HD televisions still spend most of their time watching ordinary SD television programmes or DVDs, so it doesn’t make a huge difference whether their set offers the HD Ready 720p resolution or Full HD at 1080p.
Of course, you don’t want to buy a set that will need to be replaced in a couple of years time if Blu-ray or Freeview HD really start to hit mass-market adoption levels, but a 720p set can still provide good HD picture quality even when converting 1080p content down to 720p. So if all you want is an affordable flat screen TV to replace an aging CRT, then an entry-level model such as Toshiba’s Regza 37AV615DB could fit the bill nicely. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The market for TVs with integrated DVD players has never quite reached its potential. Dogged by some indifferent products, a very large installed base of standalone DVD players already out there and manufacturers’ desire to sell us two products instead of one, TV/DVD combos have struggled to make a real impact.
Toshiba’s Regza DV556DB: black and…
One product range isn’t going to change that overnight, but this unit from Toshiba displays a feature set, performance level and enough connectivity options to make this a really useful set for the bedroom or study. Read the rest of this entry »
