Toshiba 46H84 46" Projection HD-Ready TV

Rating:
Summary: The big picture
Review: After watching a 25inch G.E.for the last ten years,I wanted to move up to wide-screen T.V.Checking prices in circulars,then reviews on-line,brought me to the toshiba 46H83.Iwound up getting the 46H84 for the same price,and have not been able to figure out what the difference is between the two.The salesperson told me the'84 is a newer model.The picture on amazon for the'84 is not representative of the set.It actually looks exactly like the'83,and that's fine by me.I love the way it looks in my living room.You need a good-sized room to truly appreciate this set.The picture is sharp and bright for a projection T.V. DVD's look crisp and clean,using component video cables,and the sound is good enough that I only use my digital receiver for blockbuster flicks,and then it's total immersion time.For the cost-conscious,this set is energy star compliant.One caveat is that for best viewing one should be at least 8 feet away from the set,so it's not for small rooms.

Rating:
Summary: Best Bang for the Buck
Review: Excellent Set.Purchased from Amazon and their specialized delivery saved me the 1st time ordered.I returned the set with no problem and they shipped out another to replace the 1st shipment.(Broken in delivery).As far as the set quality goes you will get no better set than this for the price.There is a major difference, as you may imagine,whent the HDTV is hooked on,but pound for pound,even on regular cable, I would buy this TV again.

Rating:
Summary: Toshiba - poor customer service
Review: I purchased a model 46H84 projection TV in September, 2004. It only worked properly for 2 weeks and then the image became so distorted, the TV cannot be used. I called the local Toshiba service center on October 28.
They came out on November 4th and could not fix it and had to contact Toshiba.
On November 9 they called and said the red picture tube was bad and it would take 2 weeks to get parts.
On November 17 they changed the estimated time of arrival to December 15.
Since November 17 I have been calling Toshiba customer service and they keep telling me to wait.
I have had this TV 10 weeks now and it has worked properly for only 2 weeks. It looks like I won't even have a TV for Christmas.
And - these delays have used up 2 months of the warranty.
* UPDATE - Jan. 21 *
They delivered my TV on Dec. 23, but, without HDTV function. It was picked up again on Jan. 11 and returned on Jan. 14.
The TV is now working fine and the picture is good.
Be aware that that the matching stand is not included and is only 6-1/2" high inside.

Rating:
Summary: what more do you need?
Review: If you are looking at this unit, you are probably like me. A first time, budget-minded HDTV buyer. I researched many units, and decided to go with this one because it was on sale for $999.

Picture with HD: With HD (through Comcast) it is awesome. My friend has a TV that he spent $4000 on, and he says that he can't notice a difference in picture crispness.

Picture without HD: It is at least as good as what I had on my 27" TV prior to this. It ain't crisp, but it is very acceptable for a TV this large.

I do notice some "artifacts" on this TV. If you are looking at this level of unit to buy, you probably don't even know what that means. I didn't! It means that you see some "streaking" of white on fast moving images. It happens so rarely, though, that you won't notice much.

The TV has some great stretch settings, too. I was worried that any signal coming in at 4:3 would look distroted when I stretch it to 16:9, but this unit has a setting that only stretches the top and bottom, removing letterboxes but not distorting the main pic. It also has one that stretches left and right, making 4:3 fill the screen without distrotion.

The sound is better than the sound from my 27" unit. It is all I need for my small room, until I get a surround system.

Inputs: It does have an HDMI input. I'm told that is the top of the line input. I run my cable and DVD via the component inputs for ultra clear pic.

In short, get this TV. For the price, I have absolutely no regrets!



Rating:
Summary: Good TV, but a few things you should know ...
Review: Just a few things you should know before buying this TV, or any rear projection HDTV in general:

1. If you live nearby a brick and mortar store that carries this TV, see if they will let you hook a DVD player up to it, and then get the TV out of 'torch mode' by lowering the brightness and contrast (easily done via the remote) to about 50 - this will give you a much better idea of how it will look in your home. Also, when you get the TV home, bringing it out of torch mode is the first thing you should do, as leaving these settings cranked up to the max could damage your TV. If you see this thing on display in a store, they usually have it connected to an HD signal running at 1080i, the best resolution possible. Movies on DVD will not look *quite* that good.
2. These TVs don't exactly come ready to watch, as they require a little tweaking, especially this TV, as it tends to have a 'red push' that you'll need to get rid of. Doing this is not exactly brain surgery, and the Avia Home Theater guide (also available on Amamzon) is a big help, but you should at least be aware of this.
3. Burn-in: While not as bad as Plasma TVs when it comes to image burn-in, you must be consciously aware (but not paranoid) about the possibility of burn-in with this set. If you're the type of person who likes to play video games (which usually display a lot of static images, such as health meters), for hours on end, you may want to go with an LCD or DLP rear projection TV, if you can afford one :) Otherwise, a direct view (conventional) CRT HDTV may be better for you.
4. If you plan to use a component video cable for DVD playback, some people will say that the kind of cable you use doesn't matter. While the kind of cable you use does not matter on other TVs, it DEFINITELY matters on this one. From my experience, there was a HUGE difference in picture quality between a set of $30 Acoustic Research cables and a $100 set of Monster Ultra THX cables. After trying the Monster cables, I ordered a set of component cables from www.bluejeanscable.com, which are about as good as the Monster cables for a much lower price. Even if you elect to start out with a cheap cable, you should look into upgrading the cable if you notice the picture quality is not as it should be.
5. There is no HDTV tuner built into this set, which means you'll either have to buy the tuner seperate ($200+) or get one from your cable or satellite company, which will usually provide one for you. You don't need a tuner simply for watching DVDs though.
6. About the look of the TV - previous reviewer said it doesn't look like the one in the picture. Actually, it looks very close, except Amazon shows the TV sitting on its optional stand - the bottom part of the TV is actually one piece, not two. If you want to see what it really looks like, search for the model number on www.bestbuy.com.
7. In regards to what the previous reviewer says about room size, since I have the TV in a small room, I don't think the size of the room matters, just as long as you're setting at least 6-8 feet from the set.
8. For more information about these topics and more, check out www.hdtvoice.com.

Hopefully, I didn't scare you away with all of this info, because this is probably the best 46" CRT rear projection HDTV you'll find in this price range - I highly recommend it!