Toshiba 40RV525R 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
March 22nd, 2010 Posted in TV
- 40″ screen
- Widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio
- High-gloss black finish
- Built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required)
- CineSpeed LCD panel (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Product Description
1080p Full HD is within reach with the 40RV525U. Great high-gloss styling, DynaLight dynamic backlight control, enhanced connectivity with a 3rd HDMI digital input, and high-res PC input makes this model ideal for your l… More >>
Toshiba 40RV525R 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:27 am
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RL6B4V365XSHF I uploaded a video of the Toshiba 40RV525R displaying some TV, Blu-Ray, and video game. (Just a small reference… obviously not going to be exactly how you see it in real life from a recorded video camera; on top of that, an internet video/low resolution/etc…)
This was my first real HDTV (supporting 1080p). Anyone can get super excited over their first HDTV and rate it a 5 star immediately (going from a standard definition to HDTV is definitely a major upgrade to anyone). However, if you’re very PICKY like me, you’ll be *somewhat* disappointed with the video quality.
If you’re like me and have been drooling over the image quality from several of the high-end HDTV models (you know, the ones that cost over $1500-$2000+), on display in retail stores — and then expecting to get the same quality out of this (okay, it was wishful thinking but you never always know just from prices…), well you’ll be disappointed.
When I see those TV, I’d be blown away like I’m seeing directly through a window instead of a TV screen. Naively, I was hoping for that same effect. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrible that I would want to return this TV, but “you get what you pay for”. (well, technically, it’s still a little better than what you pay for… did that make any sense?) Just keep that in mind. For the price, though, I can’t really complain so I’m keeping it.
You just won’t get that super super sharpness with this. You need to be a couple feet away; up close, for the very picky eyes, you will easily notice the grainy/fuzzy-like-paintbrush/interpolated effect (I hate this…), muddled together than every object being 100% sharp to the minute detail.
The potential of the Blu-Ray image quality is definitely not there. Animation like Wall-E / Final Fantasy Spirits Within Blu-ray looks pretty good, but I’m just not that impressed when watching Dark Knight/Iron Man/Transformers/Black Hawk Down/The Matrix — even tested it with Planet Earth and Baraka…to list a few. The graininess is just really obvious in all of them. Although, again, I am very picky in image quality.
The D-Sub connection for the PC is really worthless and waste of potential on the monitor; it only supports 1360×768 max. To get full 1920×1080 resolution from a PC, you first need a video card that has a DVI-out and supporting that resolution (or if it has an HDMI out then great).
Second, you need a HDMI male-to-DVI male cable to connect the TV to the PC’s video card. I’m quite impressed with how PC games on this TV look at 1080; it easily beats from how games look on PS3. Definitely makes a great Media PC monitor.
Some other thoughts:
* I’m using the regular “rabbit ears” antenna and 1080i shows/channels still look pretty good with it.
* DVDs won’t look as sharp like on a standard definition. However, again, if you’re far away enough it can look okay. The contrast/blacks are definitely better/more feeling of depth in the picture. *updated thoughts at very below*
* The speakers aren’t as bad as I thought. There is some surround sound. The bass is weak, but most built-in speakers are.
* When I first turned it on, 40″ seemed really big to me. But after a couple weeks, it’s not as big as I thought. It’s good enough for a small room, but for a main TV in a large living room, you’ll soon definitely want to have something larger. The screen does reflect a little bit.
* I think it’s nice that it has 3 HDMI ports, which is more than enough for me. (PS3, PC thru HDMI)
* I really can’t tell the difference having the benefit of “game mode” on when I play games.
* I usually turn the auto contrast mode off because it’s apparent when it changes its brightness than being subtle. It’s pretty annoying.
Pros:
- Good entry level HDTV at an affordable price (I can’t believe I paid close to this amount for a small 19″ PC monitor just a few years ago… ugh technology)
- Black finish/stand Toshiba logo glows (it can also be turned off through the menu)
- Games look good. (PS3/PC at 1920)
- Excellent for a Media PC monitor (using HDMI)
Cons:
- Doesn’t look that great up close. It’s not really sharp. It seems to interpolate/very grainy smudgy/”paintbrush”-like effect. (for us really picky-eye buyers)
- D-Sub is essentially worthless at 1360×768 resolution (use DVI-HDMI to connect to your PC!)
Considering this isn’t Toshiba’s higher REGZA model and the price, it’s definitely a good entry level HDTV. Definitely far from a perfect 5 star, but if you’re on a budget and not overly picky like me, you should be happy with this.
I recommend getting a HDMI cable too (don’t be spending over ten dollars on it!)
Update: I was using the PS3 to playback DVD (it’s supposed to upscale). However, I’ve recently tried playing a DVD back on a Philips DVP5982 (it has 1080p upscaling function also via HDMI) and it did A LOT better job upscaling than the PS3. The difference was quite noticeable. Of course Blu-ray video still has more detail, but the DVD looked almost as good! (depending on the DVD, the compression is still apparent, but properly upscaling that resolution really makes the difference) So I take my comment back about DVD looking not as sharp. Your mileage will definitely vary depending on what player you use, so if you have a better Blu-Ray player than the PS3 (what I used to playback Blu-Ray movies), you may get slightly better results than what I see.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I bought this television at best buy a few weeks ago, and I am incredibly happy with it. As stated by other reviewers, this is a SOLID entry level hdtv with only minor drawbacks.
Picture Quality: is GREAT. Those with INCREDIBLY picky eyes will be the ones that sit there and analyze each pixel, but the bottom line is this is a 1080p television and the blu-rays and video games I play through my PS3 (playstation 3) look fantastic. Absolutely can’t beat the quality for the price!!
Sound Quality: this is where the tv gets shaky. the sound isn’t great, just average. A different reviewer said that flat televisions don’t become flat by getting large speakers, very true. you’ll want to buy some sort of speaker system to go with the television to get that true theater experience. PERSONALLY, I just use the tv in my 10×12 room so the sound is adequate for me, but i’m still thinking of getting speakers.
Features: the tv has great black levels and colors. you will want to do alot of tweeking right out of the box because all of the factory levels are set so high. Once you get the tv to a good spot, just sit back and enjoy looking at all the cracks and crevices on people’s faces. there are some features that I don’t think do much, like “game mode” specifically, but they are nice to have.
OVERALL: If this is your first foray into the HDTV world, like it was for me, I would HIGHLY recommend this television. This is especially recommended for those of us on a budget, but wanting to make the move to HD.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 22nd, 2010 at 3:31 pm
If you are, like I was, looking for a 40″-42″ flat screen television for a secondary room (bedroom/den) then this Toshiba is worthy of consideration. The picture quality is very good, its digital tuner is sensitive (ie, brings in lots of stations), and its priced very competitively. My only complaints are:
- you will need to fiddle plenty with the color controls to get something that looks decent. Out of the box I found flesh tones looked very orange-y.
- the audio is fairly weak. Hooking the system up to a stereo/av receiver is almost a necessity.
So when price is considered this Toshiba unit is very good. Take price out of the equation and it is only fair/good. Buying this for a secondary room makes perfect sense.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 22nd, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I recently purchased this TV from another source (I would have bought it here on Amazon but I got a better financing deal through a chain store’s website, not BB).
I actually purchased this one and the 32″ model. We are moving and I needed a larger HDTV for my living room to replace a 32″ Olevea. I also own a Sony 46″ so please don’t think I am just doing my comparison to the Olevea. This Toshiba 40″ unit is great. First of all, space wise, it takes up little footprint aside from the actual screen space. Some TV’s have a huge area to the left and right for speakers or just by design that don’t allow for such a fantastic screen size in such a small fitting. My cabinet just barely fits this TV with about a half inch max to spare on either side, which is exactly what I wanted. So I have hooked it up with DirecTV, Xbox360, PS3, and an HD-DVD player and it looks fantastic on everything. What I noticed was the blacks are black first of all. So often you don’t really get black, you get a hazy gray. But this is black where black is on the screen. Everything is sharp and fantastic.
I am a guy who watches the news all day while working and grinds away at videogames in my free time. So I stare at screens a lot, and this one is a winner. I tested it with PS3’s Killzone and WOW! I also played a couple hours of Fallout3 Mothership Zeta and it looked significantly better than play earlier in the day on the Olevea (or play in the other room on the Sony 46″) Unfortunately, this one is going to end up in my living room and not the office area where I work when I move, so I wont be using it as much as the Sony (which is finding its way into the office/den). But when I play the PS3, wii, 360, or watch an HD-DVD, bluray, or upscaled DVD, along with DirecTV HD programming and FIOS HD programming as soon as I can get it again (I’m moving out of FIOS territory and it won’t be available there until Jan 2010), I am in for a real treat. Family night will never look so good!
Rating: 4 / 5
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:05 pm
I’ve had this TV for three weeks and I’m happy with the quality. I had a relatively small living room so I needed a smaller TV and this model works perfectly. It displays all the HD channels well. Compared to a $3000 Sony I can tell a slight difference but it’s marginal. At $700 level you can’t really complain.
As other reviews have pointed out the sound isn’t impressive, but it works for my small room. If you’re looking for something louder you’ll have to hook it up to a system.
Overall I’m really happy with the TV.
Rating: 4 / 5