Toshiba REGZA 46XV645UI had been looking at and researching HDTVs for a while and had pretty much decided on going with a plasma, due to the better viewing angle and deeper blacks. I was a bit hesitant, though, about picking up a plasma because of all the “burn-in” horror stories that have piled up over the years, so I was still hoping to find an LCD display that would blow me away while still being affordable. When I came across this Toshiba, it appeared that this would be that LCD. I made several trips to the big box whose logo looks like a big yellow tag and spent close to an hour each time comparing a few different models as best as one can in the controlled lighting of the retail environment. I was impressed with the black level, overall contrast, and picture quality of this tv. The image also appeared to be cleaner than others, with very few jaggies or digital artifacts.
I ended up purchasing this tv (great deal with the free 19″) and taking it home. The screen size is plenty large enough to see clearly from 10 ft away, but not too bulky to carry inside, unpack and set up by myself . It looks great and feels sturdy. The light-up Toshiba logo is a pretty nice touch, but I set it to off since it’s a little distracting. There are a TON of picture adjustments available through a few standard and advanced menu options. A lot of these options are probably only available on most other sets through service menus, which are meant to be navigated by professional calibrating services. I spent the first five hours of Saturday and a few more on Sunday tweaking the picture while watching blu-rays, with my main attention on getting a good, dark black level and accurate skin tones. I got the settings dialed in to what pleases my eye and thought it looked darn good (maybe not a professional calibration, but I was very pleased with it). The sound was not as bad as I’ve read in some reviews. I never experienced the crackling that others have, but I also never needed to turn the volume up past 30, even sitting 10 ft away. So far, everything was great but naturally, with the good, you get the bad.
The drawbacks that I experienced were more personal annoyances, I suppose, but I’ve read that they are inherent to LCDs (to varying degrees), and I still could not ignore them after I discovered them. The first of which is the limited viewing angle. After the hours of tweaking, the set looks incredible when viewed head on. This changed, though, when I stood up or watched as I walked around the room. The black areas turn bluish and the overall picture loses its pop. This was the case if I viewed from any other angle than sitting on the couch directly in front of it. Granted, that’s where I plan on watching tv from, but if I wanted to watch from the kitchen or have guests over, it wouldn’t be as enjoyable. I was kinda disappointed because I had not experienced this in the store. It’s not horrible, just something I didn’t like. Also, it may have been exaggerated by how good the picture looks head on. The off angle picture may be as good as last year’s model, but by improving the head on picture, it doesn’t look as good from the sides. Who knows. I’m also coming from decades of watching CRTs where the viewing angle does not change. I knew to watch out for this with LCDs, but I guess you just can’t get away from it unless you spend a few grand on one.
My other gripe was with the uneven backlight, or cloudiness, in dark areas, especially along the top and coming from the top corners (“flashlight” effect). Before purchasing this tv, I had found only one account of this occurring with this Toshiba. I had actually forgotten about it and wasn’t looking for it when I noticed it myself. I didn’t notice it until nighttime when I had the lights dimmed and the screen was supposed to be black. It’s more apparent while performing non-viewing actions, such as switching inputs, changing channels, etc., but it is noticeable at certain times while watching movies. I didn’t notice this during the day but, again, just something I didn’t like. It’s also possible I received a faulty display.
All in all, this is a great LCD for the price. I couldn’t find one in-store in the same price point that came close. Great picture, super sharp, and lots and lots of picture tweaking options. I didn’t have the chance to take home any other LCDs to see if they had the same low viewing angle properties or uneven backlight that mine did, so I don’t know if this Toshiba is an exception or not. I did end up exchanging it for a plasma, though, because I felt they suit my tastes better (and it turns out that burn-in is not a huge issue anymore), but for those looking for an LCD and looking to spend $1200, I would highly suggest taking a look at this one.
Reviewed by : whickus, Aug 17, 2009
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