Toshiba 46SL863B Review

Toshiba has created a number of sets in recent times that have been a bit like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The company’s penchant for innovation and doing the hard things right at the expense of the simple things has seen mixed results.

The Toshiba SL863B hopes to change that and the SL863B is perhaps the TV to do it. It is an edge light LED set with a number of excellent connectivity features and also is an attractive set which is less than 40mm in depth, meaning it is ideal for hanging on walls.

Toshiba 46SL863B Connectivity

The Toshiba 46SL863B is also very well connected and comes with two USB, a set of 4X HDMI slots, a VGA slot for computer connection as well as Scart and composite links. The TV also connects wirelessly via DLNA and so can stream from a number of other sources.

Toshiba has also added the excellent HbbTV broadband playback technology to the set and it is also supports USB playback – though this is limited to not as many formats as we would wish and we found it failing with a certain number of files.

Toshiba 46SL863B Intuitive

The set is very intuitive however and the playback and the streaming options are all very well laid out. We did find the remote to be quite low in quality and we were unimpressed.

Wi-Fi connectivity Is done through a dongle like device and it looks quite impressive on the set. The intuitive menu’s continue here and we must say we were impressed with the range of apps on offer.

Toshiba 46SL863B Picture

The positives stop there and the picture quality of the set leaves a lot to be desired. Though the TV looks very good when started up from factory settings, we found it to be limited in its grasp and lacklustre in its contrast. In fact blacks looked positively dark gray and shadow detail was very poor. Ghosting was also very prominent on the set to an irritating level and especially during panned shots.

We did find the HD to be quite good, though standard definition and improvement of this SD was average at best. Viewing angles are also a bit off and standing to the right or left really limits quality of view.

The set does produce bright and punchy pictures, mainly due to the edge-light LED technology. However, lag is very evident on the TV and we could certainly not recommend it for gamers or those who want to use it for PC input.

Unfortunately the audio doesn’t get much better and we found it muffled and without any bass.

Overall, the Toshiba is like most Toshiba’s we have reviewed, lacklustre in the areas that matter with some great innovations.

Get the Toshiba SL863B on Amazon.

Toshiba 42SL863B Review

Toshiba has created a number of sets in recent times that have been a bit like Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. The company’s penchant for innovation and doing the hard things right at the expense of the simple things has seen mixed results.

The Toshiba 42SL863B hopes to change that and the 42SL863B is perhaps the TV to do it. It is an edge light LED set with a number of excellent connectivity features and also is an attractive set which is less than 40mm in depth, meaning it is ideal for hanging on walls.

Toshiba 42SL863B Connectivity

The Toshiba is also very well connected and comes with two USB, a set of 4X HDMI slots, a VGA slot for computer connection as well as Scart and composite links. The TV also connects wirelessly via DLNA and so can stream from a number of other sources.

Toshiba has also added the excellent HbbTV broadband playback technology to the set and it is also supports USB playback – though this is limited to not as many formats as we would wish and we found it failing with a certain number of files.

The set is very intuitive however and the playback and the streaming options are all very well laid out. We did find the remote to be quite low in quality and we were unimpressed.

Wi-Fi connectivity Is done through a dongle like device and it looks quite impressive on the set. The intuitive menu’s continue here and we must say we were impressed with the range of apps on offer.

Toshiba 42SL863B Images

The positives stop there and the picture quality of the set leaves a lot to be desired. Though the TV looks very good when strated up from factory settings, we found it to be limited in its grasp and lacklustre in its contrast. In fact blacks looked positively dark gray and shadow detail was very poor. Ghosting was also very prominent on the set to an irritating level and especially during panned shots.

We did find the HD to be quite good, though standard definition and improvement of this SD was average at best. Viewing angles are also a bit off and standing to the right or left really limits quality of view.

The set does produce bright and punchy pictures, mainly due to the edge-light LED technology. However, lag is very evident on the TV and we could certainly not recommend it for gamers or those who want to use it for PC input.

Toshiba 42SL863B Conclusion

Unfortunatley the audio doesn’t get much better and we found it muffled and without any bass.

Overall, the Toshiba is like most Toshiba’s we have reviewed, lacklustre in the areas that matter with some great innovations.

Get the Toshiba SL863B on Amazon.

Toshiba 42RL853B Review

The Toshiba 342RL853 is one of the company’s Regza range of TVs. The set is a full 1080p producing TV making it ideal for watching HD programming and includes Freeview HD meaning you wont have to pay for the privilege.

The set is a handsome one by all means and though slim, its fascia is a strong one with very apparent lines and nice cut off corners. The build quality of the Toshiba 42RL853B is also reasonably strong, however we wish we could say the same for the remote. It suffers from a problem other  Toshiba’s do and is a weak and paltry piece of plastic.

Toshiba 42RL853B Connectivity

Toshiba has given this set a decent amount of connectivity options and the set comes with the fixed option of 4xHDMI, USB, VGA, composite inputs, Ethernet socket and a Scart socket. The TV also comes with a range of wireless connections such as DLNA for wireless streaming of content. Unfortunately the USB is quite limited and the set only plays a limited number of file types.

Toshiba has also included Resolution + technology on the new Toshiba and this up-scales all images to as close to HD as possible, especially useful for DVD or other lower than 1080p images. Like other manufacturers the Toshiba also has a sensor which optimises picture to the best possible quality in different light conditions, which is always quite useful.

Toshiba 42RL853B Interface

We found the Toshiba’s software to be well created and would certainly say it is above average. The tiled interface is very intuitive and even those not used to such technology will get used to it quite quickly. The Toshiba’s internet solution is unfortunately very poor and the Regza is a long way behind the likes of Samsung. It doesn’t have a menu of Internet features and the browser is notoriously slow, most especially with YouTube. For a set that considers this a strong point, Toshiba have really mixed up the fundamentals.

So, how does the Toshiba perform in picture tests. Well average to be honest. The TV offers the viewer a very uneven brightness on the panel. The set is also quite prone to lag and ghosting is an issue when there is a lot of movement, this is a pity as the TV has a 100Hz refresh rate.

Toshiba 42RL853B Colours

Colours are quite accurate and we certainly could not fault the variation included and blacks can also be quite deep. The Toshiba however falls again in the audio section and really lacks any thump, which really takes the joy out of watching films.

Overall the Toshiba is a poor attempt, full of plenty of good ideas the Toshiba fails to live up to its promise

Get the Toshiba 42RL853B on Amazon

Toshiba 32DB833B Review

Toshiba’s low price budget set the Toshiba 32DB833B is a step into stiff competition for the company. This 32 inch LED TV is currently retailing £250, so how does it stand up?

First impressions suggest a fairly run of the mill set, the TV is average, though not ugly and the centre stand it is positioned on  is sturdy, though the cheap black plastic of the fascia is nothing to be talked about and won’t please style lovers. Toshiba have however shown some innovation and the TV has cut off corners. Its most prominent positive is its width, which at only 21mm wide is impressive for its price.

Toshiba 32DB833B Connectivity

The TV comes with pretty basic connectivity and has a VGA, USB, 2x HDMI, a Scart and a number of other connections. This ensures you’ll have enough for basic connectivity, but it’s not suitable for multimedia connectivity.

Toshiba 32DB833B FreeView

The Toshiba 32DB833B also comes with standard definition Freeview, though not HD option, which is a shame. The TV does have a seven day planner, so you can organize your watching for up to a week and it also comes with digital playback, so you can watch video, music and pictures on the set with your USB stick. The playback software is pretty basic, but definitely functional and we couldn’t complain.

One of the biggest black marks we give the TV is the fact that it is not a full HD set. The TV shows a resolution of 1366×769 pixels, which is enough to make it HD ready and it looks good connected to Bluray and other such HD sources.

Toshiba 32DB833B Picture

We found the viewing angle to be quite decent on the TV and black levels are quite good for a set of its price, however they do eat into shadows a bit. Colours were also quite good, though there was a red hue running through them, but we fixed this with a little tweak. Though, Toshiba are known for producing indifferent sets, this Toshiba 32DB833B offers decent enough images, especially for the price. Shame it’s not a full 1080p.

The TV’s slim setting however becomes its downfall and we must say that the speakers are extremely disappointing. This means that you will definitely need a set of speakers or a home cinema sound system to get the best effect.

The TV is quite decent and doesn’t lag too much, offering decent enough pictures when busy. Gaming lag was evident, but not so bad as to hamper consoles and gamers will find it quite adequate.

Then again, this is not the sort of TV you would use as your main TV. We would recommend the Toshiba as a secondary set, as it offers a good picture, however the lack of 1080p imaging and poor sound mean it is just slightly better than average.

Get the Toshiba 32DB833B at Amazon.co.uk

Toshiba 26EL833B Review

Companies have to decide on the specifications they put in TVs today and while doing so have to choose and angle. Toshibas has gone for the interactivity option with the Toshiba EL833B. The set supports DLNA, the HbbTV Standard and also Toshiba Places Platform.

Toshiba 26EL833B Mid Range

The set represents the mid range area for Toshiba and is a 100Hz LED backlight model meaning it should be capable of quite good pictures as well as having a wide range of different specs. It is also quite slim and Toshiba has crammed a lot of technology into something less than 4mm thick.

Toshiba has included a number of connection options on the set and the TV comes with USB, 4xHDMI ports, VGA, compositie and a number of other choices for connecting peripehrials.

The down side of the TV begin wit the USB. The problem here is that it only plays a number of file types and this means video is limited on the TV. We did find that the TV does have an excellent user interface and we found it very easy to use, however the remote control did feel extremely plasticy and light.

Toshiba 26EL833B Picture

As regards the picture, Toshiba allows for the TV to be configured and we found this a huge addition and grey-scaling can be really altered to produce a natural looking picture. Viewing angles are quite poor and moving from left to right limits angle massively.

However, the LED backlighting really creates a very decently light image that is very even and really looks great on screen.Ghosting however is an issue and this really is evident on HD sources, there is a lot of movement for a set of its refresh rate, which is quite unfortunate. Up-scaling is not that impressive either and we found the Toshiba to be quite average in this field.

Toshiba 26EL833B Lag

In put lag is also quite high and this set is far from recommended for people who wish to play from their PCs or gamers and we would say the slowing is actually obvious to the naked eye.

Audio quality on the set is poor, in fact it sounds like your listing to the TV inside a paper bag and we could not recommend you purchase some speakers if you buy the set.

Overall the Toshiba EL833B is a very average set for the price. It odes have some great connectivity options, however a average picture and appalling sound make it.

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Toshiba 37SL863B Review

Toshiba TVs can be a mixed bag and we’ve had surprises bothgood and bad with the manufacturer of sets in the past. The Toshiba 37SL863B is one we hold high hopes for considering its full backlight LED screen and its wide array of technology.

The TV is a nice looking set, as well as being slim at only 40mm. So, it is impressive to see such a range of features from a set like this fitting into a TV of this size.

Toshiba 37SL863B Connectivity

Toshiba has ensured the TV has good connectivity also and the TV comes with 4HDMI’s, VGA, composite and USB inputs and also allows playback via the USB medium. This is great, however the range of files it allows playback with is limited and this is a shame. The TV is also HbbTV ready for broadband playback as well as DLNA capable, so it can be used for streaming from other devices.

Toshiba 37SL863B Interface

The interface on the device is also excellent and we must say it is very intuitive and user friendly and won’t take long for even the greatest technophobes to get to grip with it. The remote however is at best mediocre and just like other areas in this TV it lacks quality.

The set also comes with WiFi and the Internet option is quite good, offering all the usual tabs and applications from YouTube to BBC iPlayer.

Toshiba 37SL863B Images

The images on the set are quite eye catching from the off and the TV looks excellent out of the box. There is a comprehensive range of settings with the TV, However, the blue levels overpower and the TV just doesn’t seem accurate at all times. The TVs contrast is also quite poor and blacks can look washed out. Viewing angles are also weak the TV fades if you’re left or right of it.

Brightness is good and its spread is excellent thanks to the backlighting, however the TV does suffer from horrible ghosting when watching longer shots on DVDs. HD content does look as it should, though the upscaling is nothing special, which is a disappointment. We also found lag to be very evident, almost to the degree it is visually seen with the naked eye.

Audio quality is worse of worse quality than the images on the set and we found it to be terrible – very muffled and just poor. They say you should always end on a positive note and we will, energy consumption is excellent, with the device using only 1w on standby.

Overall, the set is a very mixed bag of specifications. The TV has the potential, however Toshiba has missed some of the essentials and so the TV is no better than average.

This Toshiba SL863B can be bought on Amazon