Toshiba 51H84 51" Projection HD-Ready TV

Rating:
Summary: Toshiba is KING of HDTV
Review: Ask most video heads, and they will agree Toshiba is the best. I had a 53hx71 that I recently sold, and I bought this set from Amzon last week. The shipping was the only headache and most of that was me wanting some instant gradification.

I live in LA and the TV was shipped out 5 hours away... but yet it took a week to get... thats stupid. Its annoying when you track it and it says its at LAX (20 mins away).. I wanted to walk it home!

The actual TV is AMAZING.. the regular cable looks great, and this is the first series I have seen that you dont noticed regular tv being stretched!! The HDTV rocks, the only negative thing I can think of is having to adjust all the inputs because its shipped with the contrast at 100!...take that down to about 48...

Seriously, this tv is a HUGE bang for a small buck.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: My first big screen HD TV. For the money I am shocked at the value this TV offers. I know people who spent $1000 more for a TV that doesn't even come close to the quality picture that this television has. It also has a fantastic built in audio system that is more than capable of holding its own...Not much to gripe about here.

Rating:
Summary: Unreliable at Best
Review: This is my first big screen tv. I was excited to get it home, and had no idea what to expect. The picture did not seem as clear as the in store picture had seemed when watching Dish Network, however it was amazing when watching DVD movies.

About 2 weeks after getting it home, it made a 'pop' sound and the convergence went out of whack. I re-adjusted it and it was fine... until it did it again, and again usually about a week apart.

Then about a month and a half later, while watching a movie, it did the same 'pop' noise, only this time it shut itself off. It would not turn on, and the red power light was flashing. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it worked.

The service call was to be the following week, that weekend it turned off again, and this time nothing would bring it back.

The service tech had to take the chasis with him and 2 days later they returned with it, saying they had replaced 2 of the chips, (related to convergence), and 2 fuses.

The picture was much improved in all cases and I thought, "OK, I just got a TV with a couple of bad chips."

Exactly 2 weeks after the repair, it made a 'pop' sound and the convergence went out of whack. I re-adjusted it and it was fine... until it did it again 2 days later. I am awaiting the repair tech, who will be coming in 2 days from now, and hoping it doesn't go all the way out again.

IF YOU WANT TO VISIT WITH A SERVICE TECHNICIAN TWICE A MONTH...
This may just be the TV for you.

Rating:
Summary: Great TV for the Money
Review: Well I have had this TV now for almost a yr. When I was looking at getting an HDTV I did so much research. I read a million reviews and user opinions. I first bought a 50" Samsung DLP. What an amazing TV. Still to this day, that TV is the best TV for the least amount of cash. Don't get me wrong. No DLP is cheap. I put the order in at Brandsmart. Then I went home and realized that I didn't need to spend $3800 for a TV. That included a stand and 5yr warranty. So the next day called my sales guy and canceled the order. I first was going to buy this TV, but went with the DLP. Well after feeling buyer's remorse I got the Toshiba 51H93 instead. I got it for $1350. It came to around $1750 after delievery and 5yr in house service contract. I was sold!!!

So about the TV. The remote is cool. It lights up Blue so you can see in the dark. The picture is actually very nice. It all depends on your connection. If you have HDTV from your cable them get this TV. Regular-Digital Cable is def alittle blocky, but not nearly as bad as most Rear Projection TV's. It has a built in converter to make even a regular cable go to 1080i. Don't expect that it will equal HD though. On a DVD or HD signal, the TV is breathe taking. I have had no problems, knock on wood so far. I have an Xbox hooked up, very crisp picture. There is plenty of connections (2 HD), and SD card reader (can take out SD card from digital camera and just plug it in and see your pictures-very cool). The speakers are amazing. I still can't believe that a TV has such a good sound. The bass is overwhelming. I actually had to do into setup and lower the levels. I have a nice surround system which compliments it well. But most of the time I just use the TV unless there is a big game or DVD on.

If your looking for a cheap HDTV, look no further. The technology is definitely outdated (rear projection). But for the price you can't beat it. Just remember, even if you buy the best LCD, in a yr from now the new model will blow away your older one. So why spend $4000-$10000 on a TV that will be outdated in less than a yr. This is why I went with a Rear projection. I figure spend the least amount now for the best you can get, and then in a yr or two I can get a better TV. Just think, you can get a $8000 LCD now or buy one $4000 now and then in a few yr's spend another $4000 on a newer LCD. I would bet the farm that the second LCD will be far superior to the $8000 now. I think you ge the point.

Well good luck in your purchase and enjoy your new Toy. Take care