Rating: 
Summary: Great value for this price and category of TV.
Review: Given the price and category of this television (27" non-flat tube, analog), I have been extremely satifsied with the Toshiba 27A41 during the first six months of use. I would highly recommend this television (or its successor when Toshiba discontinues this model).Compared to my ten-year-old 26" TV which it replaced, the 27A41 has much better picture quality when watching cable TV broadcasts, with high detail and good colors. This good picture quality is a result of the good digital comb filter. In an electronics store, I compared the visual quality of this 27" non-flat TV with a 24" flat-screen TV (which costs a little more) and could not see much difference except for potential glare problems on the 27" non-flat TV. But after choosing a good location in my living room, the 27A41 gives me no glare problems at all. A 24" flat-screen would have been too small for this room. So if you can find a good location for your television, a flat-screen TV is probably not worth the extra cost or smaller size. The built-in stereo speakers are typical for speakers that are not side-mounted: they are small and don't sound very good at very high volumes. For casual viewing in small living rooms, the sound quality is adequate. When I need good loud sound, I connect the 27A41's stereo audio outputs to my portable stereo's audio inputs and blast the sound through external speakers. I'm not an audio expert, but the sound quality through my stereo seems very good to me. It should sound even better through a real non-portable stereo system with an audio amplifier. The 3 sets of A/V inputs (2 rear, 1 front), S-video input, and ColorStream inputs (component video) are very useful in this age of VCR's, DVD players, camcorders, video game consoles, and satellite TV. I'm currently using a stereo VCR for the primary rear A/V inputs and a Playstation 2 for the secondary rear A/V inputs. Switching between the two is a snap using the 27A41's remote. It's also good to know that I have an open set of A/V inputs in front for convenient temporary connections (like for a camcorder). Although I haven't used the S-video or ColorStream inputs yet, it's good to know that I can use them to get the best picture quality possible from a DVD player or modern video game console. Some might think this is unimportant, but the TOSHIBA brand name is a comforting feature to me. I know some people will disagree with me, but a big-name Japanese brand gives me a sense of quality and reliability. My family's previous television was an early-90's 26" RCA that started going bad two years ago (flakey cable/antenna input). After reading past issues of Consumer Reports at the library, I found out that RCA, GE, and Zenith (all American brands) were the most repair-prone brands of televisions. The big-name Japanese brands, including Toshiba, were rated as more consistenly reliable. Toshiba also offers very good prices compared to the other big-name Japanese brands. Miscellaneous: The remote is medium-sized, lightweight, and easy to use. Programming the remote to control my JVC VCR was easy, but it lacks the buttons to control the VCR's advanced functions. The remote can also control a cable box. The owner's manual is thorough and easy to understand with clear illustrations where needed. The manual's illustrations are especially useful for figuring out how to connect multiple devices (e.g. two VCR's, DVD, cable box, camcorder, satellite, audio amplifier) to the television using all those inputs and outputs. Overall, I give the Toshiba 27A41 5 stars because it gives me more value than I expected for the price I paid. For this price, you should not expect a glare-resistant flat-screen TV or huge built-in speakers. But the potential glare problems or inadequate sound can be made up for by choosing a good location and attaching an external stereo system.
Rating:
Summary: Great value for this price and category of TV.
Review: Given the price and category of this television (27" non-flat tube, analog), I have been extremely satifsied with the Toshiba 27A41 during the first six months of use. I would highly recommend this television (or its successor when Toshiba discontinues this model). Compared to my ten-year-old 26" TV which it replaced, the 27A41 has much better picture quality when watching cable TV broadcasts, with high detail and good colors. This good picture quality is a result of the good digital comb filter. In an electronics store, I compared the visual quality of this 27" non-flat TV with a 24" flat-screen TV (which costs a little more) and could not see much difference except for potential glare problems on the 27" non-flat TV. But after choosing a good location in my living room, the 27A41 gives me no glare problems at all. A 24" flat-screen would have been too small for this room. So if you can find a good location for your television, a flat-screen TV is probably not worth the extra cost or smaller size. The built-in stereo speakers are typical for speakers that are not side-mounted: they are small and don't sound very good at very high volumes. For casual viewing in small living rooms, the sound quality is adequate. When I need good loud sound, I connect the 27A41's stereo audio outputs to my portable stereo's audio inputs and blast the sound through external speakers. I'm not an audio expert, but the sound quality through my stereo seems very good to me. It should sound even better through a real non-portable stereo system with an audio amplifier. The 3 sets of A/V inputs (2 rear, 1 front), S-video input, and ColorStream inputs (component video) are very useful in this age of VCR's, DVD players, camcorders, video game consoles, and satellite TV. I'm currently using a stereo VCR for the primary rear A/V inputs and a Playstation 2 for the secondary rear A/V inputs. Switching between the two is a snap using the 27A41's remote. It's also good to know that I have an open set of A/V inputs in front for convenient temporary connections (like for a camcorder). Although I haven't used the S-video or ColorStream inputs yet, it's good to know that I can use them to get the best picture quality possible from a DVD player or modern video game console. Some might think this is unimportant, but the TOSHIBA brand name is a comforting feature to me. I know some people will disagree with me, but a big-name Japanese brand gives me a sense of quality and reliability. My family's previous television was an early-90's 26" RCA that started going bad two years ago (flakey cable/antenna input). After reading past issues of Consumer Reports at the library, I found out that RCA, GE, and Zenith (all American brands) were the most repair-prone brands of televisions. The big-name Japanese brands, including Toshiba, were rated as more consistenly reliable. Toshiba also offers very good prices compared to the other big-name Japanese brands. Miscellaneous: The remote is medium-sized, lightweight, and easy to use. Programming the remote to control my JVC VCR was easy, but it lacks the buttons to control the VCR's advanced functions. The remote can also control a cable box. The owner's manual is thorough and easy to understand with clear illustrations where needed. The manual's illustrations are especially useful for figuring out how to connect multiple devices (e.g. two VCR's, DVD, cable box, camcorder, satellite, audio amplifier) to the television using all those inputs and outputs. Overall, I give the Toshiba 27A41 5 stars because it gives me more value than I expected for the price I paid. For this price, you should not expect a glare-resistant flat-screen TV or huge built-in speakers. But the potential glare problems or inadequate sound can be made up for by choosing a good location and attaching an external stereo system.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a sharp picture
Review: I bought it because of all the great reviews, but I'm disappointed in the picture quality; it's not very sharp.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Picture
Review: I just set up my new home theater system. I have this 27A41 TV with a Toshiba 2150 dvd player using the Colorstream component cables. The picture on dvd is incredible, especially for a $... tv. I was impressed not only with the detail and resolution, but the richness of the color as well. The only bad thing about the TV is that the speakers are not that great. When I watched the first dvd on my new setup, the picture was so awesome, but the sound was not that great, so I decided to get a home theater in a box system, so the sound is not a problem anymore. The tv is definitely a great option if you want a sweet system while keeping the total cost of your home theater under $....
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Picture
Review: I just set up my new home theater system. I have this 27A41 TV with a Toshiba 2150 dvd player using the Colorstream component cables. The picture on dvd is incredible, especially for a $... tv. I was impressed not only with the detail and resolution, but the richness of the color as well. The only bad thing about the TV is that the speakers are not that great. When I watched the first dvd on my new setup, the picture was so awesome, but the sound was not that great, so I decided to get a home theater in a box system, so the sound is not a problem anymore. The tv is definitely a great option if you want a sweet system while keeping the total cost of your home theater under $....
Rating:
Summary: Great TV, Sharp Picture, Excellent Value, OK Sound
Review: My review's title basically says it all, but here's a more detailed account... I have only had this TV for 10 months, so I can't comment on how reliable it is in the long-term, but from my experience, I have a great deal of faith in Toshiba products, especially compared to Sony and RCA. The picture is beautiful. I went to a large electronics chain store recently to see it in action and I can tell you that of all the TVs in this size and price range, this one had one of the better pictures. To be honest, the picture quality did not vary all that much among similarly priced models, so you should consider other criteria in making your decision. For example, the features are important. There were other TVs that had as nice a picture, but were ... less [money]. However, none of them offered component inputs. The component inputs, if you don't already know, will give you superior video to S-video or standard RCA video, but this doesn't matter if you don't have a component that supports this. I happen to have a new DVD player, which I connected via the component input and it looks fabulous on this TV. Another feature that you should think about is "picture-in-picture" which this TV does not support. After pricing out similar models, I have concluded that the PIP option is worthless and will cost you ... additional [money]. Do you really need this? Is your attention span so short that you need to view two programs simultaneously? I have talked to several folks who have this and never use it. The sound on the TV is just OK, but that is to be expected. There's plenty of outputs for external speakers, so you can improve your sound with a fancy stereo system or some simple computer speakers. So, in the end you have a great TV with lots of options for input/output, terrific picture, great price, and a good brand name. I'd recommend this one wholeheartedly.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional!
Review: No better TV for the money. Period. Outstanding picture. Good sound. Nice set design with commendably small footprint. All the features and inputs/outputs you need, nothing you don't. Excellent value.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value: all you need and nothing you don't
Review: The Toshiba 27A41 is a great value. I've shopped for a new large screen for several weeks and I'm pleased with my final choice. This is my second Toshiba (I currently have a 20" Toshiba that is over 5 yrs. old and works perfectly too!) By the way, Toshiba is a major maker of picture tubes for companies...I had a JVC that had a Toshiba picture tube (discovered that fact when I had that set service for a blown fuse.) I am pleased with the front av port that makes hooking up a my ps2 a breeze. The sound quality is good, but what can you expect from 5 watt speakers...adding home theatre audio is a snap. Overall, this is a great deal!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value: all you need and nothing you don't
Review: The Toshiba 27A41 is a great value. I've shopped for a new large screen for several weeks and I'm pleased with my final choice. This is my second Toshiba (I currently have a 20" Toshiba that is over 5 yrs. old and works perfectly too!) By the way, Toshiba is a major maker of picture tubes for companies...I had a JVC that had a Toshiba picture tube (discovered that fact when I had that set service for a blown fuse.) I am pleased with the front av port that makes hooking up a my ps2 a breeze. The sound quality is good, but what can you expect from 5 watt speakers...adding home theatre audio is a snap. Overall, this is a great deal!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value: all you need and nothing you don't
Review: The Toshiba 27A41 is a great value. I've shopped for a new large screen for several weeks and I'm pleased with my final choice. This is my second Toshiba (I currently have a 20" Toshiba that is over 5 yrs. old and works perfectly too!) By the way, Toshiba is a major maker of picture tubes for companies...I had a JVC that had a Toshiba picture tube (discovered that fact when I had that set service for a blown fuse.) I am pleased with the front av port that makes hooking up a my ps2 a breeze. The sound quality is good, but what can you expect from 5 watt speakers...adding home theatre audio is a snap. Overall, this is a great deal!
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