Sunday, October 4, 2009

Toshiba 40RV525U Great tuner, great picture, very good gaming, so so remote

Although I actually have the Costco version 40RV52U. They seem to be the same model.

Tuner: I'm very pleased to find that the tuner can bring in several digital HD channels off of my very basic ($[...] / month for 13 channels) analogue cable connection without any extra boxes, antennas or subscription fees.

Picture: I get all the local channels in either 720p or 1080i and they look great. The inauguration looked fantastic and I can't wait to watch the superbowl in HD from my own couch. SD channels are fine. 4:3 pictures are the equivalent of a 32.5" CRT so replacing our 27" was win-win. Lowering the sharpness helps SD. Upconverted DVDs and Netflix (both via XBox 360) look great. I'm sure a BlueRay player will be fantastic.

Sound: Great for TV speakers. I don't need the stereo on unless I want the big sound. The RCA output on the back is variable so you can set the stereo at a good volume and control it all with the TV remote.

Settings: They are straight forward and probably layman friendly, though I'd like a little more control over some features. I'd like to be able to disable the SmartSound feature during gaming example.

Remote: Not great. It needs to be aimed a lot more precisely than any of my other remotes. It is prone to double taps (jumping over settings in the menu / channels in the guide etc...) The keypress timing seems to be set too fast. Even though it is a "universal" remote (quotes used because it can't be programmed to my audio system) I'll probably replace it with the Harmony designed for the XBox 360.

Gaming with an XBox 360 and a Wii:

Audio: There is an issue with the 360's audio via the HDMI cable BUT I understand from a Microsoft friend that there is already a fix in Beta to resolve the issue. The SmartSound feature (to keep commercials from blasting) cuts the volume in video games sonmetimes so I have it wired directly to the stereo anyway.

Video: I've only had one moment during a particulary bright scene in Rock Band 2 which produced an odd slow-down effect. I changed a video mode to Gaming and haven't noticed it since. Fast paced FPS and driving games are smooth. The Wii is only 420p of course but Wii Tennis is a lot more fun in widescreen.

Other: There are enough inputs and outputs to keep me happy for a long time. It's light and easy to move around. The base is a little flimsy for my taste but not a concern. The shiny frame is not noticable though it might be if you have it in a bright or sunny room. I like that you can turn the backlight off behind the "Toshiba" nameplate on the front of the unit. Left side controls are easy to access and simple to memorize.

If I could remove 1/2 a star for the remote I would, otherwise it's a very nice TV, especially at the $[...] price point.

#################

1 month down the road: XBox 360 HDMI audio issues have been resolved by microsoft, but new HDMI issues have come up. The HDMI connection drops occasionally. Switching to another source and back resolves it, usualy until the next time I use the TV. Seems to be more prevalent while watching Netflix or a DVD and almost never does it during a game. Component inputs seem fine.

I think I'll swap it at Costco for a new one. If it continues I'll be getting another brand.

##############################

PROBLEM SOLVED! The replacement has no issues at all. I just had a unit with flaky HDMI inputs. I've played a few hours of XBox 360, watched several episodes of 30 Rock through Netflix and watched a couple of movies witohut any cut-outs. Perfect!

No comments:

Post a Comment