Picture performance, advanced connectivity, and an eco-friendly and Touch of Color blue design come together to form Samsung LED TV 8000 with 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. For the image connoisseur, 240Hz motion blur reduction technology, a 5,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio that displays deep blacks and pristine whites, and enriched color processing deliver outstanding video. This Ultra Slim 1.2-inch depth set is the ideal complement for your room and your life.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Wow!!!
So I did a lot of research on LED tv’s. Samsung by far is the best LED tv out there right now. Don’t be fooled and get another brand as Toshiba, LG, Sony, none of them can match the quality of the Samsung UN55B8000 model. Once you tune the tv, all I could say was wow! Watching HD channels and blu ray is unbelievable. The thickness and weight is something you have to see to believe. 1.2″ and 51lbs for a 55″ screen?? Unreal!

The only thing that you have to be wary of is that you do need to get used to the colors and motion. Basically everything that is HD looks like it is 3D. The characters pop almost like you are watching 3D. There are instances where everything is so crisp and clear that it looks to be in slow motion. This can be adjusted with the right setting. Funny though that if you look carefully, because the picture is so clear and crisp, you can actually tell everything is fake, as if you were on the set of the movie you are watching and you can tell all the plastic fake props on set!

5 Stars Store Card vs Amazon Credit Card
I thought I bought this TV (which is fantastic and I love it) with 12 months no payments, no interest.

It turns out that the so-called Store Card is not the Amazon credit card–and there was no such deal

using the Credit card. I ended up with $2,899.99 on my Amazon Credit Card–all due the following month.

I called Chase–the manager was arrogant as I tried to explain the problem. She giggled and said that

she’d never heard of this offer. I called Amazon–many pages of “clickable” choices.

I finally found the “Help” link. This guy was nice but explained the difference between the Amazon Credit

Card and the Amazon Store Card and suggested I ship the TV back and redo the order. Nice in theory but

I’d already unpacked and installed the “thing” so it doesn’t pan out in reality. I kept the

TV (it really is nice) and did not pack it up and ship it back, too much hassle.

Next I got an email from Amazon explaining–in so many words–how I f’d up. Nice. I wrote them back and

explained that I’d go ahead, pay off the TV then cancel mu Amazon “Confusion” Card and revert back to my Citi

card that gives me air miles. I felt better… until I received and answer back explaining that my response to THAT

email didn’t go “anywhere” because it’s unanswerable please go to (link such and such). I did, but once again I found

a busy page where it was difficult to come across the link to contact Amazon. Maybe if I still worked–I’m retired–I’d

have enough time (screwing off at work) to hack around and find these links and sort out all these cards, and offers,

etc. But as I explained in the email–that essentially went nowhere–that once I receive the Chase statement that I paid

the TV off–I will take great pride and joy in canceling that Amazon/Chase Credit Card and lick my wounds–they can

kiss my A– if I ever use it again.

Signed: “Enjoying my TV,” and the fact that I

am rich enough to pay off the debt and not have

to deal with jerks like the manager I dealt

with at Chase. She really reminded me of a

town hall meeting where the idiot from Congress

takes a question then calls someone on her Cell.

Duh?

5 Stars Top Picture Quality
I’m sure the price will come down as more LED/240hz TVs enter the market. But right now, this is state of the art and you have to pay a premium to get it. I read several reviews that said 240hz wasn’t worth the hype, but my wife (who has a much better eye for details)could see the difference instantly and insisted (thanks!) we go for the extra bucks.

After two visits to Best Buy and a lot of research online, I knew this was the set for me. Unfortunately, when I returned to my local BB, they couldn’t sell the 55″ model to me because they weren’t a “Magnolia” outlet. (They sell up to 46″). The nearest Magnolia Best Buy is almost two hours away and they won’t deliver. Nor will the BB website deliver it! So we went to Amazon and were pleasantly surprised that the price was better, and included free shipping and a better optional warranty. I’m sure BB is losing a LOT of business with their idiotic “Magnolia” strategy — but that’s their problem. Thanks to them turning me away, I was able to find the TV I wanted for less.

5 Stars Very happy with TV and delivery
Have never ordered something this expensive before from Amazon, but the $500 discount, free delivery, and no sales tax pushed me over the edge to buy.

Placed the order on Monday Oct 12, and it was delivered today Oct 15. Absolutely no problems with CEVA Whiteglove service.

Have owned Samsung LCD TVs before and were happy with them. This TV will replace a 52″ A650 (which will be moved to the bedroom, to replace a 46″ 720P). Funny thing is that our first Samsung 46″ LCD TV cost $1K more than what I just paid for this one.

So far, am pretty happy with the picture. I keep looking for the uneven “flashlights” in the corner but haven’t seen them yet. A better test tonight when we roll the credits from a DVD. TV came with 9/5/09 v1012 firmware which we plan to update to 9/25/09 v1013 tonight.

Update 10/18/09: updated the firmware with no problem. Hubby and I could not see the “flashlights” from the corners even while credits were rolling on a black screen. Just bought a Blu-Ray player, and now the picture is even more fantastic. I am one happy camper.

4 Stars Amazing detail and crispness, watchout for dark scenes
Goods:

The color, contrast, and details are nothing short of amazing.

Makes my other HD TV look like SD.

Light weight (compared to plasma), so easier to hang (no need for those heavy duty metal tanks on the wall that large plasmas require)

Hidden speakers

Stupid blue light can be turned off

Bads:

With scenes that are dark of have lots of black, you can see a backlight effect as if a flash light was behind a black curtain.

I am willing to put up with it given the picture quality 99% of the time (non black scenes), but hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Note that I have not done video adjustment with the video-pro dvd yet as I am still wowed by the picture clarity (have had it for 1 week)

Buy/More Info

41.6″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars good television at a great price…
Me and my wife shopped around a lot before we decided to buy a new tv. We seen a lot of good tv’s at decent prices, but most of them did not have the hook-up for the pc. The G10 is everything we were looking for in a new tv, and Amazon gave it to us at the best price. We are very pleased with the picture quality and the sound quality of the HD.

5 Stars incredible 5 stars doesnt do the picture justice
wow anyone considering plasma line put the specs on this up against almost any 1600 to 2800 $ tv and you will be blown away 600 mhz 2,000,000 dynamic contrast ratio i went to the store to look at 240 mhz led backlit lcds saw pixels and motion blur with only a 50,00 hour screen life vs panny’s 100,00 hour a complete no brainer bought through amazon love u guys oh and and few things not mentioned online seems to have volume leveling no more chasing volume buttons on commercials and digital optical audio out also firmware updates available via ethernet cord worried about that but didn’t need to congratulations panasonic only reason 4 stars for ease of use is onboard buttons sort of awkward location behind right side edge of panel need to kind of lean around the edge to see what u r doing probably just take some getting used to ALSO IF YOU PLUG THIS TV INTO A UNGROUNDED OUTLET AFTER YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE IE TO GET ONLINE IT WILL LOCKUP COMPLETELY

5 Stars Panasonic TC-P42G10 Plasma HDTV
I waited until we owned this Panasonic TC-P42G10 Plasma TV for a few months before reviewing. Picture quality is just phenomenal! Along with the picture being extremely sharp the colors on screen are brilliant and vivid thanks to the black level on this TV which really makes the picture pop. I researched for weeks before purchasing this HDTV to find the best quality picture for the money and thus far we have not been disappointed. My only regret is not purchasing the 50 or 54″ version of this TV. If you are looking to purchase an outstanding quailty HDTV at a great price point you can’t go wrong here.

I read many are articles about Plasmas and one thing I believe everyone should NOT do is adjust their contrast above a level of 50 until they have at least 100 hours of use. I adjusted my contrast to 48 and it is still set at that level today. At some point in the future I may adjust our contrast level higher but for now picture is sharp and images pop with the level at 48.

I purchase alot from Amazon but I had reservations about purchasing a large piece of Electronics from them because of the individual shipping involved. I have vistited a couple of FedEx sorting facilities and have seen flat screen TV’s laying on their side with other packages stacked on them. Those images, burned into my mind, made it really hard for me to order the TV online knowing that shipping would be involved and how well the carries handle our packages. I read that Amazon uses CEVA Logistics for shipping and I researched them and I did not find very many good reviews from either Dell or Amazon users. I ordered anyway because we get 30 days to return items. I placed my order and believe it or not 2 days later I had my TC-P42G10 set up in my home. I did however go to the CEVA shipping office to pick up my set. I wanted to check out the facitity like I did for FedEx to see how they handle their freight. To my suprise the facility was well organized and each and every package, which they were all large, was placed on shelves and storage racks. I saw no boxes stacked on each other and everything was well organized. I picked up my TV and there was not even so much as a scratch on the box!!!… I was very impressed with the CEVA shipping company and I would not hesitate to buy large Electronics from Amazon knowing that they use CEVA. CEVA gets and A+ in my book, FedEx gets a B- at best and UPS gets a C at best.

Bottom Line: IMHO you definately can’t go wrong when purchasing a Panasonic TC-PxxG10 TV. You will love the exceptional Picture quality, I can’t speak to the sound of the TV because I have a home theater system and we don’t buy these TV’s for their sound. For me shipping is not a concern after visiting the CEVA shipping office and my experience with this purchase.

5 Stars Awesome at the right Price
This tv is the best I’ve ever owned.The blacks are black and the reds are right where they’re supposed to be. It’ what I expected from Pansonic because I have owned them before and they always produce a good product.I watch a lot of football and the picture keeps up with the action.

The delivery by Amazon was terrific.They called beforehand on delivery day and asked if they could come early.When the fella got here he set it up, showed me some of the features and left.Total elapsed time:15 min.

5 Stars Best flat panel HDTV you can buy for anywhere near the price!
I recently bought this tv and the experience has been great all around. The tv itself is completely amazing. The picture quality is jaw dropping, with beautiful colors, deep blacks and amazingly vivid detail. I have seen lots of other HDTVs (including ones I have owned) and this tv beats them all hands down. I really couldn’t be happier with the quality of the picture this tv produces. All of the reviews were spot on in this regard.

The external aesthetic look of the tv is also very nice. It looks classy and the build quality seems a step above.

The experience of ordering from Amazon was simply a pleasure. I ordered the tv on a Monday night and received it early Thursday morning, only a little over two days later. I couldn’t believe how fast it got to me. The price was great and the tv got to me in perfect condition. Amazon is the best.

I couldn’t be happier with the tv or the buying experience. A+++

Buy/More Info

The XV645 series combines the REGZA Engine (PixelPure 5G & Resolution+) with ClearFrame 120Hz for superior picture quality, and adds the bottom Deep Lagoon design for an appearance that also stands out from the pack. ClearFrame 120Hz, doubles the video frames from 60 per second to 120 per second to reduce any motion blur that could be caused by fast action video. By using advanced motion vector frame interpolation, it improves picture clarity without affecting picture brightness or adding flicker. For those that prefer a more film-like picture, there is also a 5:5 Pull-Down option available. Resolution+, some video content is in high definition (HD), but some is still in standard Definition (SD). However, REGZA virtually levels the content playing field with Resolution+. Resolution+ is super resolution technology that upconverts and enhances 480i, 480p, and even 720p content to create a sharper, more detailed picture. With REGZA and Resolution+ all of your standard DVDs, SD TV channels, camcorder videos, and even SD video games will feel like HD. AutoView, a TV picture must be bright enough for high contrast viewing during the day, but not so bright that it causes eye strain at night. To achieve this, REGZA offers AutoView. This system combines an ambient room light sensor and advanced algorithms that monitor the incoming video signal. AutoView can automatically control the TV picture settings to produce the ideal picture in any room lighting condition. Bottom Deep Lagoon Design, inspired by nature and reminiscent of sand disappearing below the surface of calm shores, the Deep Lagoon design adds a unique feeling of character and depth to flat panel TV. AutoView Automatic Picture Adjustment ColorMaster Wide Color Enhancer DynaLight Dynamic Backlight Control for Deep Black Levels Gaming Mode for Fast Game Controller Response 3 HDMI Digital Inputs with REGZA-LINK High-Res PC

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Excellent picture and okay sound.
(This review is for the Toshiba Regza 40XV645U LCD television.)

A note about rating this TV:

If price were no object: 4-Star Rating

Price considering: 5-Star Rating

This is a great TV! All of us in the family really like it. Even the piano black narrow frame around the screen looks great (about 1.5″ wide at the top and sides and 3″ at the bottom). Even though the frame is a glossy black finish, it surprisingly doesn’t disturb the daytime viewing experience at all.

We wanted a second TV in our home for a brightly lit room and we were also limited to a 40-inch screen size because of available space, so we ended up choosing the Toshiba Regza 40XV645U LCD TV. (Also see my review of the Pioneer PDP-5080HD Plasma TV in August 2007, if you are interested).

Because of our requirements for our second TV to have a bright picture and not to be sensitive to burning-in issues, we decided on an LCD TV. We compared the Toshiba 40XV645U to the following currently locally available 40-inch LCD (and LED backlit) TVs:

Samsung LN40B610 / LN40B650 / UN40B6000 / UN40B7000;

Sony KDL-40Z5100 / KDL-40XBR9;

Toshiba 40RV525R / 42ZV650U; and

LG 42LH30 / 42LH40 / 42LH55 / 42LH70.

When price was considered, no other TV came close to the Toshiba 40XV645U. Absolutely nothing else! We did not want a shiny, glossy screen (we were afraid of daytime reflections), so many of the above sets were eliminated because of that. The Toshiba ZV650U has a very nice but glossy, reflective screen and cost $1,500 CAD at the time. The RV525R does not have the 120Hz frame rate or the Resolution+ feature. With the XV645U you can turn the frame rate On (120Hz) or Off (60Hz) – called the ClearFrame feature in the Owner’s Manual (you can download a PDF copy from Toshiba.ca before you buy the TV). Also the sound on the RV525R is inferior to that on the XV645U. And the RV525R actually cost more than the XV645U on that day!

We were very impressed with the high-contrast Samsung B650, B6000 and B7000 models at first, and they also have a 1-Tuner Picture-in-Picture (PIP) feature, but the highly reflective glossy screen (Ultra Clear Panel), very poor detail in black images (Samsung is famous for “crushing” their blacks), and triple the cost (for the B6000 and B7000), made us dismiss these sets. The Samsung B610 was not bad, but still had the black-detail problems, and the actual colour richness and backlight strength visibly looked better to us on the Toshiba XV645U (and at the time the Toshiba cost $950 CAD vs. $1,500 CAD for the B610). But the Toshiba XV645U does not have PIP, which we do miss (we especially like to watch Split Screen images – available on the Samsungs only).

In our opinion, the Sony Z5100 is a much better value than the XBR9 ($2,000 CAD vs. $2,700 CAD at the time), and we really couldn’t see any improvement in either the picture quality or the sound by upgrading to the XBR9.

The LH30 and LH40 LG models definitely did not look as good in the showroom as the Toshiba XV645U (lack of depth in white and black colours) and also cost a little more. The LG LH55 and LH70 both have glossy screens and cost about 50% more than the Toshiba. LG too has problems with image details in black. In addition, the viewing angles were quite poor with the LG models. And we were also worried about servicing issues with the LGs (we were warned by some sales persons).

At the end, it came down to deciding between the Toshiba XV645U (at $950 CAD) and the Sony Z5100 (at $2,000 CAD). (I know, it sounds a little funny that we were deciding between these two sets at the end with prices such wide apart, but the Sony Z5100 series looks that good!) Details in black (for example, wrinkles or pinstripes on a black jacket) were best displayed on the Sony Z5100 of any TVs we’ve looked at. We really liked the picture, sound, and some of the other features (like the TV Guide On Screen) on the Sony, but the small improvement in these items just did not justify the huge price difference. However, surprisingly, the black and white contrast ratio is a little better (i.e., deeper) on the Toshiba XV645U! And you can even see this difference in a side-by-side comparison. This is really strange since the Sony has a claimed 100,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio whereas the Toshiba’s is only 50,000:1. (I suspect the Toshiba XV645U must have a higher Static Contrast Ratio than the Sony Z5100.) But if money were no object, the Sony KDL-40Z5100 would certainly be the winner among the TVs we’ve looked at.

Impressions with the Toshiba 40XV645U:

To get a great picture, we set the Backlight to maximum (+50) and adjusted some of the other settings to our personal preference. We also keep the Resolution+ setting at the maximum to give us a clear and defined image. This feature actually works and we are very impressed with it for watching standard definition analog cable channels. There are lots of available adjustments on this TV to keep you busy for a long time or you can just select the default, factory setting.

When the XV645U is turned off, the screen is dark black. This is a good indication that the TV is able to reproduce deep black colours. On some other TVs, when the set is turned off, the screen looks kind of charcoal, or dark gray, instead of black. Also, the Toshiba’s screen is not totally matte, so off-angle viewing is quite good (but not nearly as good as plasma TVs). (The high-gloss LCD TVs have superior off-angle viewing properties, but at the cost of bad daytime reflections.)

The sound is just okay, but many people will hook up their TV to an amplifier with external speakers (we haven’t yet). The sound volume is very good (we listen to the TV at level 20-25 out of a 100). The built-in speakers face downward, toward the floor (at least what I can tell from the location of speaker grille openings). You can hear the dialogue all right, even in a large room while people are talking in the room, but you will get occasional resonance (and a little distortion too) when the volume is kept above a level of 25 (the TV has some problems with reproducing Bass levels). There is also a Voice Enhancement feature (On or Off) that emphasizes dialogue over the music you hear – it helps a little bit. And the StableSound feature is supposed to keep the volume level the same from channel to channel (I couldn’t tell). To our ears, turning other Advanced Sound Settings On, like the Stereo Extension or Dynamic Bass Boost, just seemed to distort the speakers a little more at higher volume levels.

The Analog Closed Caption (set on CC1 text) has a very small font size when compared to our Pioneer TV, but the letters are all in capital and nicely spread apart, so they are legible. One benefit of the smaller size is that the Closed Captioning covers up less area of the screen. Not only that, but when you enlarge letter box programs (to fill the screen) on this Toshiba, parts of the Closed Captioning text doesn’t disappear at the bottom of the screen like with our Pioneer TV! But there is no direct CC button on the Remote, so you’ll have to go into the Menu Settings to turn this feature on or off when you want to. However, when you press the Mute button twice (the first press lowers the Volume to one-half), Closed Captioning is automatically activated. Closed Captioning is not available for the three HDMI Inputs, unless that feature is encoded in the DVD (under language options).

The TV is very slow changing channels. When using the Channel Up and Down button, there is a delay of about 3 seconds to display the next channel (already too long), but when you punch in a Channel Number using the number buttons, there is a much longer delay (about 6 seconds). However, you can cut this time in half if you press the Enter button right after the Channel Number. Turning the TV on can be slow or fast, depending on how you set your Power-Up Mode option in the Setup Menu screen. But switching Input Sources is very fast using a single scroll button for all choices.

Overall, I highly recommend this Toshiba TV. It is an excellent value and the picture quality is fantastic. We can get a really clear and sharp image on analog broadcast (we do not subscribe to Digital or High Definition Channels) after some Picture adjustments (even without accessing the Expert Mode under the Advanced Picture Settings menu). Okay, so we can’t get the same colour depth and accuracy as with the Pioneer plasma, no matter how much we try to adjust the Picture, but you will not go wrong with this TV overall. Excellent high contrast, non-glare, super clear picture!

One bonus we’ve noticed with this Toshiba is that during the Auto Tuning Setup, the TV also picked up some Audio Only Digital Channels (from our analog cable service) through which we can listen to radio stations. And the Toshiba’s speakers even sound a little better on these digital channels! Our much more expensive Pioneer plasma can’t access these music channels at all (as far as we can tell).

One last thing: If you want to install this Toshiba on a wall, it needs a Vesa 200 x 400 mm plate (screw holes located at the corners of a 7.87-inch by 15.75-inch rectangle). Many of the available wall mounting arms don’t accommodate that size and you will need to find or make an adapter for it.

5 Stars Toshiba REGZA 40XV64U
We bought this TV for our vacation home. The price was very competitive and delivery was timely and customer friendly. Installation and set up was very easy. Picture quality is extremely good.

1 Star BUYER BEWARE
Worked great for a week and then died. Toshiba was responsive answering the phone and we had an in home service technician in the house within a few days. It took Toshiba over 2 weeks to approve the replacement of the LCD panel and now they are out of stock. We have been without a TV for over a month now. Toshiba continues to say our only option is to wait for the part and they can’t give us an estimate of when it will be in. They certainly aren’t interested in satisfied customers.

Do not buy this or any Toshiba LCD TV.

4 Stars An excellent TV, but . . . .
I agree with all the positive reviews here, but if you need to use closed captioning, you might want to read Freiwil’s review of the 46-inch Regza at Toshiba REGZA 46XV645U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black He is correct in saying that you have to use the cable box’s closed captioning option because CC is not transmitted through the HDMI cable. I called Toshiba to confirm this, and the rep said this is true. I really hate that because the TV has many CC options for font, size, and so on that are not available via cable TV. Also, others have mentioned a set-up issue (the set-up screen occurring every time you turn on the TV) on sets built before a certain date. The Toshiba rep admitted this is a problem, but she mailed a card to insert in one of the slots on the side to update the firmware and avoid this problem in the future. For the price, this is an excellent buy. The technician who set up our TV said that he thought the Sanyo top-of-the-line had gotten around the problem with CC. I hope Toshiba can do that! However, the higher end Sanyo we priced was $[...] more than the Toshiba.

1 Star do NOT buy
This isn’t just a review of the television, it’s a review of Toshiba customer service as well. So here’s what happened: bought the tv, worked great for about a month, then the picture started deteriorating (vertical streaks) somewhat depressing that this happened, since it was new, but this sort of thing does happen, so no biggie. called toshiba, they gave me a number of an independent service provider to call. called them and the tv was picked up to be fixed. THAT WAS SIX WEEKS AGO! repeated calls to both toshiba and the service dept resulted in finger-pointing, toshiba claiming it was the service provider who was procrastinating, the service rep saying that toshiba needed to approve the fix and send them a part. after a month and a half of this i just want my money back (and no toshiba won’t suck it up and just send me a new TV, the warranty only states that the tv needs to be “fixed” – no time constraints on that one, fyi!) Anyway, it’s bad enough to part with a grand for something that doesn’t work, but the delay here is really appalling. Now it must be said that the toshiba customer service people were unfailingly polite. But the issue is simple: gimme my fixed tv or gimme my money… neither seems to be in the offing. Ergo: STAY AWAY FROM TOSHIBA!!!!!!

Buy/More Info

The XV645 series combines the REGZA Engine (PixelPure 5G & Resolution+) with ClearFrame 120Hz for superior picture quality, and adds the bottom Deep Lagoon design for an appearance that also stands out from the pack. ClearFrame 120Hz, doubles the video frames from 60 per second to 120 per second to reduce any motion blur that could be caused by fast action video. By using advanced motion vector frame interpolation, it improves picture clarity without affecting picture brightness or adding flicker. For those that prefer a more film-like picture, there is also a 5:5 Pull-Down option available. Resolution+, some video content is in high definition (HD), but some is still in standard Definition (SD). However, REGZA virtually levels the content playing field with Resolution+. Resolution+ is super resolution technology that upconverts and enhances 480i, 480p, and even 720p content to create a sharper, more detailed picture. With REGZA and Resolution+ all of your standard DVDs, SD TV channels, camcorder videos, and even SD video games will feel like HD. AutoView, a TV picture must be bright enough for high contrast viewing during the day, but not so bright that it causes eye strain at night. To achieve this, REGZA offers AutoView. This system combines an ambient room light sensor and advanced algorithms that monitor the incoming video signal. AutoView can automatically control the TV picture settings to produce the ideal picture in any room lighting condition. Bottom Deep Lagoon Design, inspired by nature and reminiscent of sand disappearing below the surface of calm shores, the Deep Lagoon design adds a unique feeling of character and depth to flat panel TV. AutoView Automatic Picture Adjustment ColorMaster Wide Color Enhancer DynaLight Dynamic Backlight Control for Deep Black Levels Gaming Mode for Fast Game Controller Response 3 HDMI Digital Inputs with REGZA-LINK High-Res PC

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Excellent picture and okay sound.
(This review is for the Toshiba Regza 40XV645U LCD television.)

A note about rating this TV:

If price were no object: 4-Star Rating

Price considering: 5-Star Rating

This is a great TV! All of us in the family really like it. Even the piano black narrow frame around the screen looks great (about 1.5″ wide at the top and sides and 3″ at the bottom). Even though the frame is a glossy black finish, it surprisingly doesn’t disturb the daytime viewing experience at all.

We wanted a second TV in our home for a brightly lit room and we were also limited to a 40-inch screen size because of available space, so we ended up choosing the Toshiba Regza 40XV645U LCD TV. (Also see my review of the Pioneer PDP-5080HD Plasma TV in August 2007, if you are interested).

Because of our requirements for our second TV to have a bright picture and not to be sensitive to burning-in issues, we decided on an LCD TV. We compared the Toshiba 40XV645U to the following currently locally available 40-inch LCD (and LED backlit) TVs:

Samsung LN40B610 / LN40B650 / UN40B6000 / UN40B7000;

Sony KDL-40Z5100 / KDL-40XBR9;

Toshiba 40RV525R / 42ZV650U; and

LG 42LH30 / 42LH40 / 42LH55 / 42LH70.

When price was considered, no other TV came close to the Toshiba 40XV645U. Absolutely nothing else! We did not want a shiny, glossy screen (we were afraid of daytime reflections), so many of the above sets were eliminated because of that. The Toshiba ZV650U has a very nice but glossy, reflective screen and cost $1,500 CAD at the time. The RV525R does not have the 120Hz frame rate or the Resolution+ feature. With the XV645U you can turn the frame rate On (120Hz) or Off (60Hz) – called the ClearFrame feature in the Owner’s Manual (you can download a PDF copy from Toshiba.ca before you buy the TV). Also the sound on the RV525R is inferior to that on the XV645U. And the RV525R actually cost more than the XV645U on that day!

We were very impressed with the high-contrast Samsung B650, B6000 and B7000 models at first, and they also have a 1-Tuner Picture-in-Picture (PIP) feature, but the highly reflective glossy screen (Ultra Clear Panel), very poor detail in black images (Samsung is famous for “crushing” their blacks), and triple the cost (for the B6000 and B7000), made us dismiss these sets. The Samsung B610 was not bad, but still had the black-detail problems, and the actual colour richness and backlight strength visibly looked better to us on the Toshiba XV645U (and at the time the Toshiba cost $950 CAD vs. $1,500 CAD for the B610). But the Toshiba XV645U does not have PIP, which we do miss (we especially like to watch Split Screen images – available on the Samsungs only).

In our opinion, the Sony Z5100 is a much better value than the XBR9 ($2,000 CAD vs. $2,700 CAD at the time), and we really couldn’t see any improvement in either the picture quality or the sound by upgrading to the XBR9.

The LH30 and LH40 LG models definitely did not look as good in the showroom as the Toshiba XV645U (lack of depth in white and black colours) and also cost a little more. The LG LH55 and LH70 both have glossy screens and cost about 50% more than the Toshiba. LG too has problems with image details in black. In addition, the viewing angles were quite poor with the LG models. And we were also worried about servicing issues with the LGs (we were warned by some sales persons).

At the end, it came down to deciding between the Toshiba XV645U (at $950 CAD) and the Sony Z5100 (at $2,000 CAD). (I know, it sounds a little funny that we were deciding between these two sets at the end with prices such wide apart, but the Sony Z5100 series looks that good!) Details in black (for example, wrinkles or pinstripes on a black jacket) were best displayed on the Sony Z5100 of any TVs we’ve looked at. We really liked the picture, sound, and some of the other features (like the TV Guide On Screen) on the Sony, but the small improvement in these items just did not justify the huge price difference. However, surprisingly, the black and white contrast ratio is a little better (i.e., deeper) on the Toshiba XV645U! And you can even see this difference in a side-by-side comparison. This is really strange since the Sony has a claimed 100,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio whereas the Toshiba’s is only 50,000:1. (I suspect the Toshiba XV645U must have a higher Static Contrast Ratio than the Sony Z5100.) But if money were no object, the Sony KDL-40Z5100 would certainly be the winner among the TVs we’ve looked at.

Impressions with the Toshiba 40XV645U:

To get a great picture, we set the Backlight to maximum (+50) and adjusted some of the other settings to our personal preference. We also keep the Resolution+ setting at the maximum to give us a clear and defined image. This feature actually works and we are very impressed with it for watching standard definition analog cable channels. There are lots of available adjustments on this TV to keep you busy for a long time or you can just select the default, factory setting.

When the XV645U is turned off, the screen is dark black. This is a good indication that the TV is able to reproduce deep black colours. On some other TVs, when the set is turned off, the screen looks kind of charcoal, or dark gray, instead of black. Also, the Toshiba’s screen is not totally matte, so off-angle viewing is quite good (but not nearly as good as plasma TVs). (The high-gloss LCD TVs have superior off-angle viewing properties, but at the cost of bad daytime reflections.)

The sound is just okay, but many people will hook up their TV to an amplifier with external speakers (we haven’t yet). The sound volume is very good (we listen to the TV at level 20-25 out of a 100). The built-in speakers face downward, toward the floor (at least what I can tell from the location of speaker grille openings). You can hear the dialogue all right, even in a large room while people are talking in the room, but you will get occasional resonance (and a little distortion too) when the volume is kept above a level of 25 (the TV has some problems with reproducing Bass levels). There is also a Voice Enhancement feature (On or Off) that emphasizes dialogue over the music you hear – it helps a little bit. And the StableSound feature is supposed to keep the volume level the same from channel to channel (I couldn’t tell). To our ears, turning other Advanced Sound Settings On, like the Stereo Extension or Dynamic Bass Boost, just seemed to distort the speakers a little more at higher volume levels.

The Analog Closed Caption (set on CC1 text) has a very small font size when compared to our Pioneer TV, but the letters are all in capital and nicely spread apart, so they are legible. One benefit of the smaller size is that the Closed Captioning covers up less area of the screen. Not only that, but when you enlarge letter box programs (to fill the screen) on this Toshiba, parts of the Closed Captioning text doesn’t disappear at the bottom of the screen like with our Pioneer TV! But there is no direct CC button on the Remote, so you’ll have to go into the Menu Settings to turn this feature on or off when you want to. However, when you press the Mute button twice (the first press lowers the Volume to one-half), Closed Captioning is automatically activated. Closed Captioning is not available for the three HDMI Inputs, unless that feature is encoded in the DVD (under language options).

The TV is very slow changing channels. When using the Channel Up and Down button, there is a delay of about 3 seconds to display the next channel (already too long), but when you punch in a Channel Number using the number buttons, there is a much longer delay (about 6 seconds). However, you can cut this time in half if you press the Enter button right after the Channel Number. Turning the TV on can be slow or fast, depending on how you set your Power-Up Mode option in the Setup Menu screen. But switching Input Sources is very fast using a single scroll button for all choices.

Overall, I highly recommend this Toshiba TV. It is an excellent value and the picture quality is fantastic. We can get a really clear and sharp image on analog broadcast (we do not subscribe to Digital or High Definition Channels) after some Picture adjustments (even without accessing the Expert Mode under the Advanced Picture Settings menu). Okay, so we can’t get the same colour depth and accuracy as with the Pioneer plasma, no matter how much we try to adjust the Picture, but you will not go wrong with this TV overall. Excellent high contrast, non-glare, super clear picture!

One bonus we’ve noticed with this Toshiba is that during the Auto Tuning Setup, the TV also picked up some Audio Only Digital Channels (from our analog cable service) through which we can listen to radio stations. And the Toshiba’s speakers even sound a little better on these digital channels! Our much more expensive Pioneer plasma can’t access these music channels at all (as far as we can tell).

One last thing: If you want to install this Toshiba on a wall, it needs a Vesa 200 x 400 mm plate (screw holes located at the corners of a 7.87-inch by 15.75-inch rectangle). Many of the available wall mounting arms don’t accommodate that size and you will need to find or make an adapter for it.

4 Stars An excellent TV, but . . . .
I agree with all the positive reviews here, but if you need to use closed captioning, you might want to read Freiwil’s review of the 46-inch Regza at Toshiba REGZA 46XV645U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black He is correct in saying that you have to use the cable box’s closed captioning option because CC is not transmitted through the HDMI cable. I called Toshiba to confirm this, and the rep said this is true. I really hate that because the TV has many CC options for font, size, and so on that are not available via cable TV. Also, others have mentioned a set-up issue (the set-up screen occurring every time you turn on the TV) on sets built before a certain date. The Toshiba rep admitted this is a problem, but she mailed a card to insert in one of the slots on the side to update the firmware and avoid this problem in the future. For the price, this is an excellent buy. The technician who set up our TV said that he thought the Sanyo top-of-the-line had gotten around the problem with CC. I hope Toshiba can do that! However, the higher end Sanyo we priced was $[...] more than the Toshiba.

5 Stars Toshiba REGZA 40XV64U
We bought this TV for our vacation home. The price was very competitive and delivery was timely and customer friendly. Installation and set up was very easy. Picture quality is extremely good.

1 Star do NOT buy
This isn’t just a review of the television, it’s a review of Toshiba customer service as well. So here’s what happened: bought the tv, worked great for about a month, then the picture started deteriorating (vertical streaks) somewhat depressing that this happened, since it was new, but this sort of thing does happen, so no biggie. called toshiba, they gave me a number of an independent service provider to call. called them and the tv was picked up to be fixed. THAT WAS SIX WEEKS AGO! repeated calls to both toshiba and the service dept resulted in finger-pointing, toshiba claiming it was the service provider who was procrastinating, the service rep saying that toshiba needed to approve the fix and send them a part. after a month and a half of this i just want my money back (and no toshiba won’t suck it up and just send me a new TV, the warranty only states that the tv needs to be “fixed” – no time constraints on that one, fyi!) Anyway, it’s bad enough to part with a grand for something that doesn’t work, but the delay here is really appalling. Now it must be said that the toshiba customer service people were unfailingly polite. But the issue is simple: gimme my fixed tv or gimme my money… neither seems to be in the offing. Ergo: STAY AWAY FROM TOSHIBA!!!!!!

1 Star BUYER BEWARE
Worked great for a week and then died. Toshiba was responsive answering the phone and we had an in home service technician in the house within a few days. It took Toshiba over 2 weeks to approve the replacement of the LCD panel and now they are out of stock. We have been without a TV for over a month now. Toshiba continues to say our only option is to wait for the part and they can’t give us an estimate of when it will be in. They certainly aren’t interested in satisfied customers.

Do not buy this or any Toshiba LCD TV.

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