Toshiba 42HL196 42 in. HDTV LCD TV

Pros: Crisp 1080p HDMI Display exceeds our expectations. Dramatic upgrade from Tube Displays
Cons: Hidden costs, especially for new high-tech cables and extended Warranties.

WHAT IS IT? 6/30/08 Revision: While exploring HDMI Connections and results, I noticed an Optical Sound Port in the lower rear panel of the Toshiba Flat Panel TV. With HDMI, one gets both Video and Audio signals with one cable; but the ...

Pros: Looks great, Works great, 1080p display, Low price, Lots of inputs
Cons: Ethernet implementation bad, Ergonomics not stylin' as some, PC support is limited, no 1080p INPUT

The price, features and specs drew me to this model over others I looked at. I really liked the styling of the Sony XBR3, but not enough to shell out an extra $1500. VIEWING CABLE TV: Digital HD cable (particularly the "Discovery HD ...

Pros: Great size, not to heavy. Can mount on wall no prob! Easy to use
Cons: None that I can tell as of now

Well I got this at an incredible price... actually from Sears. TV is crystal clear picture! The picture quality is perfect. I know someone who has a 60" Sony and this Toshiba kicks its butt. Quality of 1080P is amazing...To hook it up to a regular DVD player it even comes out an amazing picture. The remote is great, and this TV has tons of features. Easy to use, owners manual is self explanatory. I was originally looking for a smaller TV, but for the price and the quality it was well worth it. If your looking for a great TV with great picture, sound at an affordable price this is it. It does not take long to turn on, and switching from channel to channel its a breeze. You can hook it up to DVR/TIVO and enjoy. The HD picture in this TV is one of the best I have ever seen. I compared this to a Phillips and Sony and by far this was the best picture for the best price. I think that for a 1080P HD picture, you can't beat this. I come home from work to watch the TV and News

Pros: Great 1080i input and output
Cons: Does not accept 1080p input

Toshiba blatantly lies in there advertising on this particular model. The box and manual say 1080p however this is done by up converting the 1080i signal to 1080p. The TV will not accept a true 1080p input. This was the case when I tried hooking up my PS3 and found out that I hand to downgrade the signal out put from the ps3 to 1080i. I called Toshiba and spoke to their rep and he basically stated that the TV is 1080p even though he clearly stated that it was done through up converting. I am disgusted with Toshiba on omitting the true specs and would love to see a class action lawsuit brought against them. The retailer, PC R@@@@@@@@ basically did nothing to correct the matter and their comment was, "Well we didn't know that the TV up converted to a 1080p output."

Pros: 2hdmi,ethernet input, 1920x180 res
Cons: None so far

I just bought this TV; I am very satisfied with it so far. I read with a lot of concern all your bad comments about what is advertised by Toshiba about the 1080p and 1080i.
The TV works perfectly, very nice image.
After all your bad reviews I decided to research a little bit before I write something misleading and this is what I found.
Not only Toshiba almost all of the brands will not give you real 1080p.
There is no difference between p and I
There is no source at least not for now for a REAL 1080p
Yes you have the maximum resolution possible with this TV; and don't worry you can plug in you blue ray and watch it in the maximum resolution allowed by a HD dvd or a blue ray player.
Seems to be that the big deal is how the TV de-interlaces the 1080i signal, other Toshiba’s TV’s were tested and passed the test satisfactory; by the way many of the Samsung and Sharp Tv’s failed.
This articles will give a better explanation
http://blog.hometheatermag.com/geoffreymorrison/0807061080iv1080p/

http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/1106gear/

http://hometheatermag.com/hookmeup/0506halfrez/

Pros: Looks good for 1080i (in ironic vocal tone):-\
Cons: Toshiba falsely advertised this set as a 1080P when it is actually 1080i

This TV went back when I attempted to drive 1080P HDMI signal from my computer. All inputs are 1080i or lower (obviously). The TV upconverts 1080i to 1080P. Sorry not good enough when you advert this as 1080P.

BIG DIFFERENCE!!! Hello, what were you thinking?!

Yours Truly,

A disgruntled EX-Toshiba customer. I love my Sharp Aquos.

Pros: 1080 resolution (a must), 2 antenna inputs (cable and local HD broadcasts), computer monitor
Cons: LCDs are not quite as bright as plasmas, but can't really tell at home.

This "i" and "p" business doesn't mean a thing to me as far as quality goes. I DID notice that the 1080 makes a BIG difference over the 720 in picture quality (I'm told that you can tell the difference only at 37" and above). A 720 picture looks like a slightly-better-than standard-definition TV, but the 1080 picture -- oh, wow, it's astounding! Brilliant colors without looking oversaturated. I've had this Toshiba a month now; so far so good. In the store I thought the HD picture was only equal to other 42" 1080 LCDs and not quite as good as the almost twice-as-expensive Sony, but the SD picture was slightly better than some other makes -- important to me, since most shows that I like are still in standard definition. And the price was a whole lot less than most. I've even hooked up my 12" laptop, so I now have a 42" computer monitor!