This Television Makes Me Happy
Written: Jan 18 '03 (Updated Jan 18 '03)
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Pros: Small, sleek, cheaper than its counterpart
Cons: Channel switching is a little slow
The Bottom Line: It’s not the cheapest on the market, but it’s cheaper than its counterpart and spiffy, shiny sleek. I’d recommend it.
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| neoplasm's Full Review: Toshiba 14AF42 14 inch TV |
After living without a television for several years I suddenly moved to Connecticut and had to winter through some harrowing snowstorms. I like to read a lot, but enough is enough of anything and decided a television might be just the thing to nick a few of those boring frozen evenings. I still didn’t plan on watching a great deal of television, just wanted a small set that would go in my bedroom so that I could watch the evening news and maybe a few movies with an accompanying DVD player. I’ve since turned into quite the movie-holic, but that is another story. Or maybe it speaks to the pleasure I derive from this set.
When I first decided to buy I did a little research and determined either Sony or Toshiba would be good brands to consider. I was also considering one of those off brand VCR combos, but determined upon reading various reviews, that that was not a good choice as when one piece conked out you lost the whole thing. If I was going to buy I wanted something spiffy and worth the cash I was about to shell out so I decided on one of the neater, smaller flat screens.
So I went to the store to check the models up close and personal. The flat screens are definitely better. They have a distinctly sharper picture that cuts distortion at the edges. Between these flat screen models, however, not much difference. The reason I chose Toshiba was that Sony came in a 13” instead of the 14”. Not much different, but slightly, and the Sony also had a kind of wave in its box that I did not care for. Toshiba was prettier and cheaper by about $20. (I also got another bit of a discount on a beat up looking packing box - but that’s a store issue, not a brand issue.)
I didn’t plan on cable, so I bought a $10 antenna and followed the manual to get the channels set up proper using the accompanying remote. One great thing was being able to program the remote to only flip through channels I wanted to watch. I can’t pick up everything with my antenna, so eliminating some of the more static filled ones worked to my advantage. Batteries for the remote were included with the set and instructions were thorough and easy to follow. I was set to go in no time. I did think the remote was a little oversized. I prefer now to use the smaller remote that came with my VCR whenever possible, but maybe you’re a guy with big guy hands in which case that should cease to be an issue.
After the channels, I set up the VCR/DVD connections using quite specific instructions provided in the television manual. Also, very little hassle. The television comes equipped with three sets of video connections, so you can easily hook a VCR and DVD in the back and still run your camcorder in through the front connections without making any kind of adjustment.
As far as TVs go that’s about the extinct to which I want to deal. Hook up what is necessary, watch and never trouble over it again. However, there are a couple of other attributes I’ve stumbled on quite by accident. Apparently there is a sleep feature. I know this because my infant son keeps sitting on the remote and setting the snooze. I don’t need that, but it works great. My son has also found the closed caption button which also works great. And the mute, mutes perfect.
In addition, there is also a favorite channels option, which cycles through a series of your personal favorites. Since I don’t have cable, all the channels are my favorites, but it seems like a neat option. There are several other alternatives as well that I’ve not had the time to delve into regarding V-chips and parental locks and the like. Like I said, I’ve had neither the time nor the will to go there so I can’t comment on them here.
Overall though, and given what I’ve actually experienced, I recommend this model highly. It’s worth it if you’re anything like me or if you’re not and are simply seeking something teeny sleek and shiny. This one is a definite yes.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 140.00
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Epinions.com ID:
neoplasm
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Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 0 members
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