With new TV technologies springing up like crazy, it makes sense to sift through the options and single out the best deals. Although a new 50-inch plasma TV costs much less today than it did a few years back, at around $5,000 and up, it still ain’t cheap. But a $3,300 DLP (Digital Light Processing) rear-projection HDTV with a 52-inch screen — now we’re talking! The chip-based “microdisplay” technology used in DLP TVs has the dual advantage of making the sets lightweight and slim. Maybe not as slim as a wall-hanging plasma or LCD, but the 15-inch depth of most DLP rear projectors makes them more manageable than old-school tube-type TVs.
Toshiba’s 52HM94 has a built-in HDTV tuner that handles both analog and unscrambled digital cable programs, and it also has a CableCARD slot to access premium channels like HBO and Showtime without a separate box. If you go that route, the set’s free TV Guide On Screen program guide should take the place of the one supplied by a cable box, giving you a program grid with channel listings eight days in advance.
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Along with the TV, Toshiba sent me its $500 Symbio 160HD4 A/V hard-disk recorder to check out. When connected to the FireWire port of a 2004 or later Toshiba HDTV, this compact 160-gigabyte drive provides TiVo-like program pausing and recording of both standard- and high-def programs. It’s also designed to be used with TV Guide On Screen for time-shifting — another TiVo-esque touch.
The TV’s silver-gray cabinet tapers down radically from the top to its rear panel. Speakers flare out from the sides, and front-panel controls are embedded in a touch-sensitive pad running directly below the screen. The optional stand (shown) not only matches the TV’s styling but also provides shelves for a center speaker and a DVD player. Most connections you might need are provided, including HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and a pair of FireWire (a.k.a. i.Link or IEEE 1394) ports. There’s also a set of flash-media slots that accommodate a wide range of card types.
The well-organized remote control is fully backlit, making it easy to locate buttons in the dark. It can operate many other devices besides the TV, either directly via infrared (IR) codes or through Toshiba’s TheaterNet system, which uses the TV screen as an interface to operate FireWire-connected devices as well as IR-controlled components using the supplied dual-link IR emitter. Switching sources with the remote is a two-step process: you hit the Input button and then scroll through them or select a number from an onscreen list. Hitting the Pic Size button calls up five choices for aspect ratio (display shape), four of which can be used for both standard- and high-definition programs.
SETUP This was a nonstarter as far as TV Guide On Screen was concerned. I plugged in my digital cable feed, stepped through the instructions, and allowed the Toshiba to sit overnight (TV Guide data downloads over a 24-hour period). It never loaded, and the problem persisted even when I used an off-air antenna as the source for my download. This was a serious disappointment since the Symbio recorder needs the TV Guide data for program buffering and time-shifting — two essential features. As it stood, I could only use the Symbio for manual on-the-fly recording (for which it worked fine). Toshiba and TV Guide both told us that they’re aware of the problem and are working to develop a solution as soon as possible.
I had better luck when I turned to video setup. The TV lets you tweak and store custom picture settings for each input, including color temperature and noise reduction. Of the two lamp modes, Low Power and Hi Bright, I opted for Low Power, which still gave me a plenty-bright picture in a dark room. One positive thing that I noticed right away was the TV’s wide viewing angle — pictures looked uniformly bright up to 30° to 40° off the center seat. On the downside, standard 4:3 programs viewed with the Toshiba’s Natural (non-wide-screen) picture mode selected had noticeable inward bowing at the sides — which may be a problem if you frequently watch in this mode. With its Warm color-temperature mode selected, the Toshiba set’s color had a pumped-up artificial look. But a few service-menu tweaks (see “in the lab” below for details) really went far to improve the picture.
PICTURE QUALITY When I watched the Hotel Rwanda DVD, the brightly colored clothing worn by parading Hutu tribesman looked vivid without appearing loud. And in a poolside scene at the hotel, the tanned skin of sunning tourists stood in stark contrast to the pale, weathered hide of actor Nick Nolte, here playing the Canadian Colonel Oliver. Viewed from 10 feet away — the minimum distance suggested in the manual — the Toshiba’s picture looked very clean and detailed, with buildings along the parade’s path and objects in street-vendor stalls coming through with excellent clarity. Shadow depth and detail were also very good. For example, in a scene where hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) and a friend witness the arrest of a neighbor from inside Paul’s yard, the shadowed faces of the men stood out against the black nighttime sky.
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Of course, standard-def programs still make up much of our viewing diet. I was seriously impressed by the Toshiba’s pristine upconversion of conventional 480i (interlaced) programs. It displayed strong contrast and sharp-looking graphics on news and sports channels like CNN and ESPN. And the DVDs that I watched using my player’s standard video outputs all looked surprisingly solid and clean.
BOTTOM LINE With a bit of tweaking, Toshiba’s 52HM94 DLP HDTV is capable of delivering stunning pictures. And its wide viewing angle lets the whole family enjoy the same bright image and vibrant color from any seat on the couch. Unfortunately, Toshiba’s problems with the TV Guide On Screen feature could be a serious issue for anyone who expects to use a Cable CARD or purchase the optional Symbio hard-disk recorder. But if, like me, you already have a high-def cable box with a hard-disk video recorder, you’ll find a lot to like here.
In the Lab
Color temperature
(Warm color temperature before/after calibration)
Low window (20/30-IRE)..........8,965/6,693 K
High window (60/80-IRE).........9,744/6,591 K
Brightness (100-IRE window before/after calibration).....13.9/14.5 ftL
The Toshiba 52HM94’s high and low color temperature measured far enough off 6,500 K that grayscale calibration was required. Color rendition improved dramatically after adjustment. I could not correct 750-K bumps at the extreme top and bottom of its grayscale, which wasn’t a huge issue given where they occured. And grayscale linearity between those points varied within ±150 K, which is good performance. (Calibration needs to be performed by a qualified technician, so discuss it with your dealer before purchase, or call the Imaging Science Foundation at 561-997-9073.)
Screen brightness with the TV’s Low Power lamp setting was modest but sufficient for watching in a dark room. Resolution tests showed the TV capable of displaying 720p-format HDTV with full detail. Color decoding was very accurate, measuring only +5% red and green on the Avia DVD’s color-decoding-error test pattern. Overscan was only 1 to 2% through the TV’s HDMI input, and picture centering was perfect. —A.G.