A Versatile High Quality Entertainment Gizmo
Written: Nov 12 '07
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Pros: Great picture, flexible controls, many inputs, good owner guide, piano black finish.
Cons: Takes some adjusting to get the best picture. No variable Audio output.
The Bottom Line: This 32" LCD is a fine choice for your main TV in a small to medium room with a few people watching.
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| pat_the_cat's Full Review: Toshiba 32HL67 32 in. LCD TV |
I chose this Toshiba 32" LCD TV largely on the basis of Toshiba's reputation. I wasn't able to find any product reviews. I did spend hours reading about the pros and cons of the various digital TVs.
I decided against getting a micro-projection set due to the cost of electricity and the need to replace a lamp costing several hundred USD every 3-4 years. Plasma sets are also fairly power hungry and are somewhat prone to retention of stationary images like letterbox bars and on-screen logos.
In a smaller room (6-7 feet from your sitting position), this Toshiba's 32" screen looms large, about the same apparent size most of us see in a movie theatre when we arrive on time and aren't stuck in rows 1 to 5.
Unlike some budget sets, there are plenty of inputs. I was able to connect a DVD disc recorder and a DVD player via the RGB component inputs. My laserdisc connected via the Y/C cable input. All connected devices can be labeled so they are easy to select on-screen (you don't need to remember which one is "AUX 2" because it can be labeled "DVD," "VCR," etc.) Three HDMI inputs are also available.
I'm using the set to watch broadcast TV and was delighted to find that all the local stations in LA and Orange County are receivable with my Terk indoor antenna. The Regza has an on-screen meter for signal strength. Unlike analog TV, digital is all (beautiful picture) or nothing. You may want to try an antenna before you sign-up for satellite or CATV.
The pre-set choices for picture quality that Toshiba provides (Sports, Movie, etc.) are kind of garish. These can be replaced by user preferences which are extremely flexible (including control of the LCD backlight) and take more than a few minutes to set up. Each input will remember its preference setting.
After 3 months, I can say I enjoy watching the Regza more than I did the analog Sony Wega it replaced. Standard digital TV looks good to very good and DVDs made for the new wide format, though not quite as sharp as an HD image, are surprisingly good with lifelike color and very good blacks (dark, but preserving shadow detail). My poor laserdiscs just look OK, probably because the player doesn't output component RGB video. Broadcast HD is terrific and I haven't seen any motion artifacts (streaks or pixellation) with any media.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $850
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Epinions.com ID:
pat_the_cat
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Reviews written: 5
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