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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$2400.00
from Best Buy Summary:
Before I begin the review, a few words about RPTV's...When you turn yours on for the first time, lower the contrast and brightness levels way down as they are usually preset by the factory at their maximum levels. Manufacturers do this to make the TV's look more vibrant on the showroom floor. Also, be aware that the signal run to RPTV's in stores are high definition and unless you have high definition capability at home your regular tv programming will not look as good. I am continually amazed at how many people are surprised by this when they get their RPTV's home and complain that it looked so much better in the store.
Anyway, on to the review. I researched RPTV's until I was cross-eyed and finally decided on the Toshiba 57H82. Of the manufacturers I compared (Sony, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Philips, Pioneer), the only one that demonstrated a better picture than the Toshiba was Hitachi - and let me stress that the advantage was slight. However, Toshiba's multiple zoom modes were worlds better than Hitachi's, whose zoom modes looked surprisingly grainy, distorted and chopped off. This is a critical feature on RPTV's because most people have either cable, Dish Network or Directv and watch a great deal of 4:3 ratio programming which has to be zoomed to fit a 16:9 television. If you're thinking of getting a widescreen TV you had better consider that factor. Combined with the fact that the Toshiba offered DVI upgradability and 720P capability for Hi-Def signals, my decision was made.
Before buying the TV, I read much about "break in time" for RPTV's. I wasn't sure if it was a myth or not. Let me assure you it is for real! The picture on this TV was pretty decent out of the box. But once I did some home calibration with the Avia DVD and touched up the convergence which was off quite a bit, it looked much better. (You are doing yourself a real disservice if you don't at least perform those two procedures on your RPTV!) Satellite picture was initially only slightly above average in sharpness but that is the fault of Directv for sending such a low resolution signal, not the tv. DVD's were pretty sharp and colors were vibrant with no red push. Black levels were excellent. If the picture had stayed the same, I would have been satisfied, but not overjoyed.
But after roughly 50 hours of play time the picture really began to shine and displayed the capability for which I had greatly hoped. DVD's are where the improvement was most noticeable. A movie I watched the day the TV was delivered (Stuart Little 2) looked so much sharper and smoother the second time around after 50 hours of usage. (I chose this film as my first view on the television because I felt the excessive amount color saturation and reds it contains would be a good red push test for the set.) There was no contest between the first and second viewing of the movie. The second time around the movie was so much smoother and natural looking. Colors were extremely accurate and pleasing to the eye. At that moment I knew that "break in time" was for real.
Other things about the 57H82 that I like are the user menus. They are quite easy to understand and operate. The remote is OK but programmability leaves much to be desired, and that is my only complaint about the Toshiba. I can't program it to operate my satellite system.
While Hitachi may have a tiny edge in picture, do not take that as a criticism of Toshiba's picture. It is also superb. Overall, If you weigh picture quality, features, upgradeability, picture modes, reputation and price, the Toshiba 57H82 is the best overall choice. Strengths:
Picture quality, zoom modes, on screen menus, upgradeability, and 720P hi-def capability. Weaknesses:
Remote cannot be programmed for satellite. Similar Products Used:
Sony, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Philips, Pioneer.
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