Picture Quality

Sound Quality, No PIP on component video

This TV is much sharper and colors are more even than my old Toshiba 36" TV. I upgraded to this TV from Toshiba's lower end 36" model, the CZ36T31. I primarily wanted to get the component video connection for my DVD player. The 36A50 has an Invar shadow mask and 3 line digital comb filter. It also has PIP (single tuner). The quality of the tuner is much better than the CZ36T31. I have had digital cable through Comcast for awhile and I wasn't really impressed. Until now that is. The old TV had very motled looking colors with lighter and darker streaks in solid colors. Totally gone with the new model. One can also see the difference in the 3 line comb filter when viewing content with high contrast like cartoons, outdoor scenes, etc. The sound output from the 36A50 is however, inferior to the CZ36T31. Not that I use it anyways. The older model had a richer sound while the newer model is tinny in comparison. I noticed that the configuration of the speakers is different so maybe this accounts for the weak sound in the 36A50. The remote control is ever better with glowing keys instead of brown keys. All in all the Toshiba 36A50 is a much better TV than the lower model and in my opinion well worth the extra bucks.

On a side note - Best Buy had a 10% customer appreciation coupon the cashier wouldn't redeem. I had to go through several layers of management to finally get the discount. The original price was $850. I had a price match from a local store (Belmont TV) for $830. The cashier rang up the price match as an open box and since the coupon said it couldn't be used in conjunction with open box items she wouldn't redeem it. It took 30 minutes of explaining to three different people that the TV was not an open box item but a price match. The store manager walked up and after hearing the story told the custmer service rep (with a god-like air) to give me the 10% off. Wow - talk about stingy... And not even with their own money!!!

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba CZ36T31

Price, compatibility with other Toshiba products, Picture quality

Built in speakers(not that I care), Weight(this baby is HEAVY)

After alot of research in comparison between similar 36" TV's, I decided on The 36A40 as the best value based on price versus picture quality over Sony and JVC. My Model is listed as having 850 lines of resolution and a 3-comb filter which provides a slightly better picture than the competition at about the same price as the JVC and slightly less than the Sony. The added benefit for me is that I also have a Toshiba DVD and VCR so I benefit from the Colorstream features when viewing pre-recorded media. As for the pinkishness others have mentioned, when i set up my TV it defaulted to the warmest(theatre) picture setting. I changed the setting to a cooler one and had no more trouble with that since.

Similar Products Used:

19" JVC

Great picture, Good amount of inputs.

None yet

I love this TV! It was sitting between a Sony Wega and a Panasonic. It simply blew away the Panasonic in picture clarity. Compared to the Sony I have to say that it's very close, with the Sony having a slightly better picture, also the flatness on the Sony is nice. I think the Toshiba has darker blacks however. I wouldn't pay nearly double for the Sony however, there just isn't that much difference in the picture.
I have to agree with the last poster about there not being a drastic difference between regular rca and component input from the dvd. I have a Pioneer 333 and I think it looks great! I would recommend this television to anyone looking for a great 36" at an excellent price!

Similar Products Used:

Old GE 25"

A great picture. The blacks are black. Number of inputs.

Remote Control. On-screen menu displays.

This review is for model 32A40. I originally was going to purchase a Panasonic Flat Screen, but when I saw the tremendous color and picture quality this set has, I changed my mind. When I hooked up my DVD I was really impressed with the picture. My only complaints are the remote control and the on-screen menu displays. The remote's menu button is between the volume/channel change buttons and I continuously hit the menu when changing channels/volume. The other complaint is the on-screen displays, i.e., when changing the volume the display takes up about 1/4 of the screen. Botton line, I am very pleased with this purchase, especially with the price I paid.

Similar Products Used:

Sony

A great picture. The blacks are black. Number of inputs.

Remote Control. On-screen menu displays.

This review is for model 32A40. I originally was going to purchase a Panasonic Flat Screen, but when I saw the tremendous color and picture quality this set has, I changed my mind. When I hooked up my DVD I was really impressed with the picture. My only complaints are the remote control and the on-screen menu displays. The remote's menu button is between the volume/channel change buttons and I continuously hit the menu when changing channels/volume. The other complaint is the on-screen displays, i.e., when changing the volume the display takes up about 1/4 of the screen. Botton line, I am very pleased with this purchase, especially with the price I paid.

Similar Products Used:

Sony

Great picture, no visible blooming at high contrast levels, good amount of inputs.

No automatic "squeeze" for anamorphic DVD's (can be done in service menu though), cannot turn off speakers, badly placed menu key on the remote.

Since just about everyone else has extolled the virtues of this particular set (36a50), let me just say that they are correct. This is a great value for the money.

If you are looking for a 36" 4:3 set the Toshiba Supertube series cannot be beat for the money. I wasn't ready to invest in a 16:9 HDTV ready set just yet as I didn't have $2500+ to spend. My aim was to setup a home theater system "on the cheap" but with quality components. The Toshiba 36a50 fit the bill.

For those of you wondering about the Sony WEGA line, let me just say this: "Yes, the Sony WEGA is sexier and the high end models do the anamorphic squeeze "automagically" but do you want to pay 3 times as much money for a 4:3 set?" I didn't and I knew that I could squeeze the vertical size of the picture to match the aspect ratio of 16:9 anamorphic DVD's - just a few changes in the service menu and you are all set (takes about 20 seconds).

Also, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of AVIA by Ovation Software. I had originally calibrated my set with Video Essentials and wasn't completely happy with the calibration. Now that I've used AVIA to calibrate this set, it looks absolutely fantastic! And remember to turn off any "black level adjustments" on your DVD player before you do a calibration.

Clear Picture, Good color dynamics.

No volume control on audio out. Slight tendancy of the
tones to cast a pinkishness, but depends on the
picture setting. Poor remote layout. Poor internal speaker sound. On viewing the screen with a crosshatch generator, upper left and right corners have slight curvature distortion. Has slight frame around PP but not
much of a distraction compared to SONY.

Selected the A40, but the last one was damaged, so they gave me a free upgrade. The models were all 15%
off anyway. Had to make a 8 inch stand since nobody seems
to sell them. Had one for the old Mitsubishi. Watching
TV is a new experiance, but I'am finding displeasure at the quality of some of the broadcasting these days. Some of
the picture quality is being compressed to death. Never
new that broadcasts can have so much clarity until I
started using this set.

Similar Products Used:

Mitsubishi 31 DirectView

color stream imputs.

Green color fringing on cable reception.

My Toshiba 36A50 shows green fringing especially evident on the left side of facial tones. It occurs on most cable stations, but not all of them. The problem doesn't seem to occur when playing DVD's while using component video imputs. I called for a technician to come repair my TV. He noticed the green fringing and said the problems was from my cable company. I have a 27" JVC TV hooked up to the cable and do not have any green fringing on that set. I purchased my TV at Best Buy's. I complained to them about the problem, and they agreed to send me another TV. I got a new Toshiba 36A50, and the exact same problem was evident on the new TV. Anyone else have this problem?

Clarity. Black Level. Component Inputs.

Menu Layout. Only one user memory for picture settings.

EXCELLENT PICTURE. No evidence of dot-crawl or major blooming of whites. Images are clear and clean. It is a joy to watch DVD movies through the component jacks. Regular coaxial cable looks good and solid. The best picture I've seen on a tube this size.

A few irritations : while adjusting menu items such as color or brightness, the menu remains displayed taking up the entire screen. Hard to see what you are doing to the picture when the whole menu is in the way. A small sacrifice.

Also, there are three picture modes: NORMAL, THEATER, and MEMORY. If you adjust the NORMAL or THEATER just a bit, it stores this update as your MEMORY mode. NORMAL and THEATER can NOT be adjusted and saved seperately. (Normal mode is too bright, which is not good since the extra white level could wear down the picture tube quicker; and Theater mode is not color-accurate)

Once you adjust to the perfect all-around picture, one that looks great with dvd movies, cable broadcasts, etc., you will be extremely satisfied and gratified with the look of the TV. For color accuracy and other helpful tools with regard to tv's and home entertainment equipment, I recommend AVIA's Guide To Home Theater DVD. It's a great source for setting up your TV and Stereo to its potential.

After almost 6 months with the Toshiba 36A50, I am very pleased with its performance, reliability and quality. If you are looking for a great TV for less than $1,000, this should be the one for you. It's very well made, and once you get your picture settings just right, you'll never have to enter the menu again.

Similar Products Used:

Sony. JVC. Phillips.

Size :) component video inputs

none yet.

I pusrchaed the Toshiba 36a40 (same as the 36a50 less PIP)at Best Buy without any problems. I got it home hooked it up to my Toshiba sd-1200 DVD player with S-video and with component video. I was greatly dissappointed when I told it to use the svideo, then told it to goto the component video. I could not tell hardly and difference between the 2 pictures! I proceded to hook it up via regular old rca cables to see if there was much of a difference and yest again I could not tell a great deal of difference between the rca connection and the component connection (I had hear when using component video that there was an imense difference in overall picture quality) I must have been misinformed. Other than that I love the TV, but my main reason for getting it was the component video.

Similar Products Used:

none.