Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Let me start off by saying that if you are not specifically searching for this TV, you won't find it readily available and mass marketed. I stumbled upon it researching Toshiba's new UX line that is the 600 and the 800 series (the 800 being their first 3D set). I found the VX700 Cinema Series on the Toshiba web site and compared the specs to the above mentioned sets. The VX700 specs were better. I then did the usual online research for this TV, and not surprisingly found just about nothing about this set due to it just being released. My next journey over to Amazon to see what they have on it, and when I saw the prices that Amazon had these sets for vs what the MSRP on Toshiba's web site were, I had to buy one. I went with the VX700 because of the specs; they were actually better than the UX models. That said, I'm replacing my Panasonic 50" Plasma with this set for a few reasons. Mainly, I'm tired of having to baby the plasma sets from burn-in and I also understand that some of the newer Panasonic models are having problems with their power supply. So I set out to find a great LED set that wouldn't kill my wallet and I found this Toshiba set. The great service of Amazon is a given, so the TV arrived precisely on the day I picked, with no problem at all.
The TV itself is a thing of beauty. It is all glass, with a very thin bezel, making this set look like a giant window. It is all black, and the stand is black as well and it does swivel. Very easy to put together, it looks gorgeous just sitting there without being powered on. The remote is large and chunky, unusually so for a newer set like this, but it is backlit and well laid out.
I'm not going to go into the individual specs on this set, but you won't find any tweaks for it online because it is so new. Luckily, Home Theater Magazine did a review of the UX600 model and I used their calibration measurements to assist in mine. Sadly, HT Mag gave the UX600 a pretty scathing review and I was a bit leary to delve into a set I had not seen first. Where I am from, Toshiba is not marketed at all and you can't see their sets before you buy. Their calibration settings were right on though, and according to them it put the set as close to where it should be but with some shortcomings that I agree with. The picture itself is astounding. I would never have guessed that an LED set could rival my plasma, but there it was in all of its glory. The resolution is amazing; anything you can see in a plasma, you can see here. I won't go through the various menus on the set, but suffice it to say that Toshiba allows any tool needed to calibrate this set without having someone else do it professionally for you. The average user won't go near these menus, but they are there nonetheless is case you want to tweak your set for months on end. Once I tweaked it according to HT's settings, I then started tweaking it according to my standards using their marks as a base. What I got in the end was a remarkable picture and one that easily rivaled my plasma picture. This set is rated at 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio; I doubt it can reach that, but blacks are really black here. I did not see any of the issues that others have found in Toshiba LED sets or any of the other brands...I've read countless reviews of light bleeding, flashlighting, clouding, etc ... things are inherent to LED sets due to their brightness. The backlighting here is very adjustable and you can tweak it how you want it. I have not seen any lighting issues, and I like my picture on the darker side. That said, I put Toy Story 2 Blu-Ray on as a reference disc, and at the beginning there is a colorful star field on the screen as Buzz flies through space. This set had NO problem displaying the star field, with no light bleeding in any corners of the screen, and I was able to pick out the individual colors of each little star in the picture. Amazing.
Where this set shines is in 1080p land. Put a good Blu-Ray disc on this set (Toy Story 3, Avatar, King Kong) and sit back and hold on for the ride. The colors fly off the screen and it appears that you are watching the movie through a large window due to the thin frame. Blacks are black, colors are vibrant beyond belief and images are crystal clear. Superb in every way (except for the shortcomings listed below). HD pictures on TV are excellent (check out ESPN and the History Channel for reference quality). Standard def pictures are well, standard def. I did test some standard DVDs on this set, such as some old black & white sci-fi movies, and I was amazed at the how well this TV handles that. Blacks were blacks, and images were absolutely first rate and I was able to distinguish patterns on clothing. If you are a movie buff, this set is the one for you.
Why I didn't give this set 5 stars. Well here it is. Home Theater's calibration settings put the blues way down in saturation, and the reds and greens way up. They are correct. What I have found in this set, is that blues are oversaturated. It may sound like something trivial, but you have to like your picture on the blue side as this set displays blues almost to the purple stage of color. That means that the set is on the cooler side of the temperature spectrum so be ready for lots of blues. Reds, on the other hand, are undersaturated. They don't pop out off the screen like maybe a Samsung or a Sony TV. You can't make red bleed on this set no matter what you do. Its just a natural looking red and it is that natural look that Toshiba seems to be going for. Greens are natural, but not eye candy for trees, forests and baseball fields. It looks like everyday, normal looking grass. Yellows are vibrant and spectacular. If it weren't for these shortcomings, I would have given this set a 5-star rating. Most people won't care about these issues, as the picture is just too fabulous to worry about color temperature, but it is there nonetheless. Outside of that, this is one amazing television, and for the the price that Amazon is offering, it is an absolute steal.
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55" LED Cinema Series TV
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