HDTV Trends

Lemon
Got it in Aug. 2007, wish I would have looked here first. I didn't use it much, mostly for games and movies, not much television-watching. Tried to turn it on last night, and the screen wouldn't turn on. Eventually got a pattern of led's on the front panel that indicated lamp not working (a yellow led with red flashing). There was also a voice that came from the television that said "Lamp not working" heh. I called Toshiba, and the guy had me hang up and take the lamp out, then call him back. He asked me if I could see any damage (I couldn't see any, but didn't know what I was looking for). He said that it was probably not the bulb, but the housing, and that I should take it to the nearest service dealer (40 miles away, ugh). Felt like I was getting the runaround. I'll just give my money to some other company in the future, and be sure to check here before I do :) . Lesson learned. It's a shame, because I liked the television when it worked.

Bang for buck... top notch
I can't write a glowing enough review for this tv. Yes, I have a few minor quibbles... Silk Screen Effect being the only one of significance (not that significant,really) but all in all, this is a fantastic set. Accepts a 1080p/24 input (reframes to 60, but does an impeccable job) means you can watch the new Hi-Def movie formats as they were meant to be seen. Standard definition tv when moved to the 4:3 format is tolerable.

I have mine hooked up to the HD-a35 toshiba HD-DVD player and I cannot tell you how many peoples jaws have dropped.

This tv, in all honesty, was a steal!

Good TV
This tv has great picture quality, though not quite as good as some of the other top tier tvs in the same segment, the price more then makes up for that being a few hundred dollars cheaper. I have all three consoles hooked up and all look great. Blu-Ray on the PS3 looks great specially if you use HDMI. Also, until recievers have more HDMI hook ups, this tv has enough to hold you over with three. Unfortunately, non HD sources don't look quite a good. My Wii which is hooked up through component just looks blurry. This is obviously a problem due to this sets large size, all tvs of this size share this problem with blurred images of non HD sources. I have Direct TV HD and it looks great, however, be wary since lots of the "HD" channels aren't true HD yet, just less compression then before.

I did have a problem with the bulb going out after a few weeks, however, since I'm still within the first year of warranty, they replaced it within a week at no charge. Unfortunately, you do have to send back the broken bulb which is a nuissance, but it's a small price to pay.

So far so Good!
Great experience and price buying this tv through Amazon. Picture is great, came just as promised brand spanking new. Would buy again.

It is not working on 2nd day!!!
We got the TV on Oct 04, 07 and it stopped working the next day we tried it on. The lamp went completely dead.
We are returning this Toshiba TV right now. No hesitations.
You just can not tolerant the fact that after spending 00 on a TV, it is broken directly out of the box!!!

Don't buy this, unless you want to find trouble.

Not advertised correctly
I bought this TV last Spring and am very pleased with it.HD and regular DVDs look great running on a Toshiba A-2. I was kind of upset because I thought I was getting 1080p but not the case.That kinna pissed me off cause I saved up to get the VERY best I could afford and then find out 1080i is the limit on this baby. Still a killer picture tho.

DOES NOT ACCEPT 1080p SIGNAL!
Hi, people.
I've just talked to toshiba center and they told me the TV actually does not accept the 1080p video input. They say it's "1080p" because it always shows 1920x1080 no matter what is the input signal, but it's an interpolation of it... they confirmed that the TV DOES NOT ACCEPT 1080P INPUT SIGNAL.
The TV is fine, but i'm VERY DISAPPOINTED with its description. This "1080p" name is a durty sales strategy. I was looking for a true 1080p television (that can truly accept a 1080p input) and i bought this one and now i would spend at least 400 bucks returning the TV and buying a new one... result: i'll keep this TV, but unsatisfied... i've been made a fool.
If you're gonna buy this product, be aware of this issue.

BEWARE!
Let me make this short. Beware when Toshiba says FULL 1080P, good chance it is not! Bought the tv and hooked up ps3 and no 1080P. Called up Toshiba and got some real bulls__t! Liars, and will never buy from them again!

Good TV; stay away from Toshiba customer service/repair
This is a nice TV for the money, but mine died during the warranty period and it has been almost 2 months and still no repair. Multiple emails and phone calls to Toshiba tech support/customer service and the local authorized service provider has resulted in the major run-around and no fix. I still have no idea when the unit will be returned to me. Back ordered parts were received DOA and had to be sent back, tech people cannot figure out what is wrong with the TV, yet Toshiba refuses to do the right thing and replace the unit. I will never purchase another Toshiba product. And if you do and it needs service, be prepared to be without your product for a long time. Sorry, Toshiba, this just isn't good enough when people spend their hard-earned cash with you!

Wonderful TV
This has been a great TV. Very clear picture. The white glove setup was a real plus. Especially like that only a card is needed for HD rather than a settop box.

Regza
I love this TV. No problem at all with the free shipping. Extraordinary picture. Don't settle for anything less than 1080i.

Plasma replacement
I bought this television to replace a 42" Samsung plasma TV that the picture went out on after less than two years. I didn't have the extended warranty, and was told it would cost approximately 0-00 to repair. After talking to my local dealer, who sells Toshibas, he convinced me to go with the Toshiba brand. As everyone knows the screens for all plasmas and LCD's are made in only a couple of factories. The dealer told me that the screens are graded either number 1,2, or 3. He told me that Sony and Toshiba are the only manufacturers to use only number 1 graded screens, reducing the chance for dead pixels and other flaws. He also told me that Sony and Toshiba still manufacture their sets in Japan, not China. This dealer told me that since a lot of people bring their TV sets in for repair,he has seen a major reliability problem with the big-screen televisions from other manufacturers. He said he has been selling Toshiba for several years now, and claims that not a single Toshiba has been brought back into him for repair. So with this information, I decided to go with the Toshiba brand. Also, with a lesson hard learned,I bought the extended warranty on my new Toshiba. The big-screen televisions are too expensive to replace every couple of years, and the extended warranty is an insurance policy against such re-occurring major expenses. Now as far as the television goes, at the time I bought my plasma TV, plasma televisions were much brighter and sharper than the LCD models, but things have changed. The picture on my Toshiba LCD is excellent. And as far as brightness goes the new LCDs are brighter than the old plasmas. Also if you are trying to decide between a plasma and a LCD,you may have read somewhere about the screen coatings on the plasmas that cause reflections, this is definitely true. On my plasma, if there was any light at all coming in to the windows in front of the television,the picture was difficult to see. This is not a problem with my LCD. You may also have heard about image burn in on the plasma screens,this also is true. I have a Sony Play Station3 that would leave a static image on the screen and if I left it on for too long, I definitely would notice a ghost image on the screen. Another thing nice with the Toshiba is that all of the rear inputs are to the side of the television and not in the middle. On some televisions with the rear inputs in the center of the television if you try to use a wall mount some of the mount brackets may interfere with the input connections. So in summary I say, buy Toshiba, go with LCD, and get the extended warrenty for peace of mind.

Bob
My Sony Wega 50" was dying (some sort of mirror issue causing blue streaks in the picture. Its apparently very prevelant in this model, but I have not gotten much response from Sony for a post warranty fix and from what hear its close to 00 to repair). I was also 2 years + into my second bulb (0). So I've had my eye out for a larger HD tv for several months now. I dont need PIP (comes with brighthouse DVR) and dont really care about sound since I pipe the cable/DVD audio to my reciever. I was just looking for a big, clear 1080p set. I saw this model in this week's circuit city flyer (Jan 27, 2008) for 99!. I got the tape measure out to make sure it would fit in my built-in media space and went to CC to check it out. With standard HD inputs (probably 1080i). This set appeared to have the best picture of all the projection units on the wall (with the exception of a Mitubisi 75" unit that the salesman said was playing a 1080p HD DVD). I measured it out, and with my existing tv stand it fit in the media space with about 1 inch to spare on all sides. We loaded it my truck and took it home. In 20 minutes I had it fired up (well, almost, I needed to go buy an HDMI cable for ). I've only got 1 day on it, but its a stunning picture and makes a huge difference from my 50" Sony. My viewing distance is probably longer than most (maybe 15' to the couch)

Anyway, if you are looking for a decent DLP set with a big picture and dont need a lot of useless bells and whistles get down to CC and check this one out.
For 00 I'd probably look around a bit more, but at 99 this set tripped my price trigger and I'm quite happy with it.

Best 1080P for the price
I bought this hdtv in August 2007 after shopping for a hdtv for about 2 and a half years, mainly waiting for prices to drop and for 1080p models to come out instead of then current 720p models. It has been 5 months and I have NO bulb issues as of yet, but I have the bulb set to low power and do not turn it off and on frequently. The 1080p display is wonderful with an HDMI cable, I have this oneInspire 1080p (6.6ft) 2M HDMI PS3 Cable 1.3b Certified. Screen size is just the right size for watching football and using a PS3 for both gaming and Blu-ray movies.The HDMI inputs on this set are 1.3 even though it is not mentioned anywhere in the description. I am happy with my Toshiba.

Nice Picture on this 65" Set
First let me say I am a Toshiba fan. I have 3 other Toshiba tube units, one 15 years old and still running.

So far so good very good picture and a pleasure to watch. I bought mine late November 2007 and added a HD Sat Receiver mid December. To really appreciate this set you must have a HD receiver pushing HD. If you are not watching HD then you are stretching your standard def picture to 65".

This unit has 3 HDMI inputs that makes playing XBox 360 and Playstation 3 a very easy experience switching sources and one HDMI for other expansion.

Now if I do not run into bulb issues this set will be perfect.

Absolutely phenomenal!!!
This television is absolutely phenomenal!! The clarity is unbelievable and it is very easy to set up as well as navigate the menus. I strongly recommend buying generic HDMI cables as I have seen no noticeable difference between the so called "high quality" ones and the generic. PS3 and my HD-DVD players both look great. Playing the Nintendo Wii is an experience all in its own. The set has a multitude of options for connecting any device you can think of except S-video but honestly, who ever used S-video? Can't say enough great things about this set. You won't be disappointed.

Excellent purchase
This is my first HDTV. It's huge! I am very happy with it. I researched a lot of HDTV's before choosing this one. I already own a Toshiba Theater view, which I am also happy with, I purchased years ago, so I trust the name. I use it for gaming as well, and it looks great. My HD channels are sparkling sharp, when they are broad casted correctly, of course. 1080p ready for the future. Plenty of ports for me. WOW sound really does make a difference. Delivery was excellent! No complaints.

bad panel
I purchased this TV in June of 2007 and was absolutely happy with my purchase until about 9 months later when the panel went bad. A dark line showed up on the right side of the screen. While it was still watchable, it ws definitely annoying, and since I was still in my warranty period I took it to the shop to have it replaced. They took care of everything and even though it took a month for the new panel to be shipped (these are large, fragile items and have to be shipped through a ground freight company, so no matter which manufacturer and repair shop you are dealing with this is a fact of life), everything went well and I am satisfied with the repair.

One thing you have to keep in mind about the panel on your LCD TV is that there only a couple of companies in the world that manufacture all of the panels for the TV's. So if you get a bad panel, it isn't necessarily Toshiba's fault. They buy the panel, then build their brand of TV around it. If your panel has a defect, you were just unlucky and shouldn't give the manufacturer a bad review unless they handled the service poorly (which some people here have with Toshiba).

My Preciousssss!
I bought this TV about 3 months ago. I waited to write a review after putting it through a fairly extensive test period.

This TV is nothing less than outstanding. The picture is gorgeous. The set looks humongous since it replaced a 26 inch LCD. It is a little heavier than I'd prefer, but having a swivel base surely helps. The default picture setting is set to "sports", which has a very bright and unnatural color scheme. After playing with the regular setting choices, I found the "document" setting to be the best for my eyes. This set has many input choices, and I like the fact that it has a set of AV inputs on the side. This is very useful if you mount the TV to a wall, or it's hard to get to the back for any reason.

Hooked up to my standard cable connection, it picks up all the unscrambled digital channels. This means I am able to watch my local broadcast channels in their full HD glory!

Our XBox 360 is connected through HDMI, and games as well as movies are truly breathtaking. Because of the size of this TV, I came to realize that not all DVDs are made equal. The difference between poor quality DVDs and the "near HD" quality ones is suddenly quite obvious. I'm still going to wait to get a blueray (or whatever the next HD standard) disk player when they cost less than 0. Until then, I'll be very discriminating when purchasing DVDs.

I like the power saving feature in this TV, even though some reviewers find it annoying. It causes the TV to take a few seconds before it powers up. This delay also allows for the other AV components to turn on and get ready for the party. ;-)

If I have to pick something to complain about it would be the remote. Sure it has all the functions, etc, but it performs poorly. I find myself having to press a button several times to get it to register. Perhaps it's a problem with the batteries. Nevertheless, I am using a Harmony 880 remote instead, and it works fantastic. No problem.

I hope this TV is good for many years of moderate use. Time will tell. For now, I am a very happy camper (now bordering into couch potato territory).

Great Service, Great TV
It did take a while to recieve this TV and it was difficult to track, but it came as promised and not a minute sooner.

The TV is great. Beautiful picture, quick and easy to set up...and I'm a girl. I just needed help lifting it to the TV stand I am using for it. I loved that I didn't have to haul it from the store. It was delivered directly to the room where I set it up...and the shipping and tax were free. Great deal...better than I could find anywhere locally.

I've played video games with the video game setting and they are terrific on this set. I haven't watched a DVD or hooked up my computer to it yet, but I will as this set is ready for it all.

I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and just use cheap HD rabit ears to recieve HD programming over the air. It is spectacular! It even has an information button that gives a title and synopsis of the current program...over the air! I can't stand to watch analog tv in my bedroom or at my parents any more.

very impressed
i was choosing between Samsung and this TV, and i am so glad i chose this one! i have to say, i am not an artist, so my perception of color is very average. having said that, i think my HD channels are very life-like! i still find myself being amazed at how awesome it comes in.
i remember there was a couple of reviews here about how it takes forever to get turned on. YES! it's a good 30 seconds before it actually wakes up. it can get annoying, but for the price you're paying and the quality of everything else, I'd say it's worth it.
The TV has a lot of ports: i have my cable box, my dvd player,and my wii hooked up to it, and i still have one or two open!
i tried to hook up my laptop to it, and while you can watch movies (they come in just fine), i had a lot of trouble with adjusting screen rez so it would be readable. so basically, make sure you know what you're doing, or have someone who does close by :) i had someone tell me it would never be readable b/c of the kind of TV it is (1080p) but the jury is still out on that one.
oh, and don't forget about amazon's 30 day price guarantee! i got about 0 back around Christmas time.

Very Happy with the Toshiba
I'm very happy with this product. It's exactly what I expected and it arrived promptly. Great value.

Great price and easy setup
I have had this TV for six months now and I have not had any problems. Setting the TV up to work with my HD cable box was a breeze. It would be hard to beat the video quality and sound at this price.

Lucky if it lasts
TV was nice for a year and a half. The video board burned out which in turn blew out the lcd screen. Was only used about 4 hrs a week. Repair shop said it would cost as much as a new TV to fix. The tech also said it's poor design by Toshiba making the video board and screen as one part. Be careful, it's cheaper than the higher quality for a reason. My Sony has been around for 7 years, no problems.

I had extended warranty and they refunded me the entire cost of the TV instead of bothering with fixing it. That was surprising, so it must be a known common problem with Toshiba.

Toshiba takes the money and runs!
Well, the product is good unless the cheapo internal dvd player breaks.... and then it is worthless. Meanwhile in repairland, the dvd part is on back order but Toshiba could care less because they already have my money.

Good quality TV.
I have had this TV/DVD combo for a little over a month, and so far it is doing all that I expected. At 32" screen size the lack of 1080 resolution is not an issue. That size is quite adequate for a medium sized room, by the way. As others have mentioned, the remote doesn't offer many options for DVD control but that is balanced in my mind by the convenience of the built-in player at a reasonable price. I have not noticed the difficulty with noise from the DVD player mentioned by some other reviewers. The TV has multiple HDMI inputs and works fine with my HD cable hookup, also.

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS TV
Purchased Regza 32" LCD TV 4 months ago and the TV will not turn on. Parts are extremely difficult to find and the repair process can take several months. Toshiba is known to have power supply problems with their televisions. Customer service is terrible. The worst customer service I have encountered. Do yourself a favor and pay up for the Sony Bravia.

Great brilliance/picture quality, ABYSMAL vertical viewing angle
This TV is great when you're looking at it at eye level. Even if you're all the way to the right (or left), the picture looks great, so long as you're at eye level. As soon as you get up off your couch, half the contrast is lost! This does not happen in (perhaps more expensive) Samsung and Sony LCD HDTVs.

Other than this flaw, it's good that this TV has 2 HDMI inputs. Unlike my Olevia HDTV, this one had no problems hooking up a PS3 via HDMI. As a side note, the component is capable of accepting signals of 1080i (I assume that means that it also outputs 720p with component).

Good buy at 0. I'd definitely buy this over any other ~0 set!

EDIT-- I forgot to mention how great the black levels on this TV are! They're pretty damn good, again, if you're watching it at eye level. Much better than the Olevia 232V it replaced!

great value for money
Cheap price, very solid.
Has loads of inputs. I do not have a receiver, so all of my devices plug straight into the TV with no problems...
DVD player using component a/v cables (2 available)
VHS using coax (yes, my VCR is that old!!)
Cable TV using s-video and RCA audio
PS3 using HDMI (2 available)
There's also one other set of RCA a/v inputs on the side of the TV and a VGA input for your PC.
I also have attached an old Creative Labs sub and dinky speakers using the RCA audio outputs.

My only problem was with the remote. It doesn't work with any of my other devices (cable, DVD, VHS, PS3)... but hey, I really can't blame them for it.

Good TV but chance for damage product
I am very happy with the quality of the TV. The pictures are good too. HOwever, when I first got this product, it was already damaged from the shipping. The delivery company which Aamazon contracted with, installed the TV for me anyway! I had to call Amazon to set up another delivery of the same TV in order to return the damaged one. So if you hear "popcorn sounds" inside the TV, please don't accept the delivery!

Luckily, Amazon was very quick on shipping out a replacement order and in less than a week, I have my new TV in my room and the damaged one picked up by Amazon.

Overall, I am satisfied with the purchase; I just wish I didn't have to go through all that trouble.

great tv
Was very easy to mount on the wall, the picture is great for a 32" tv. A little slow to start up, but not that big a deal.

Wow!
Great picture, no problems - I'm very pleased with this television. How did I live without HD????

Excellent Value
I received the Toshiba 19LV505 yesterday. After spending much time researching 19" flat screens I took a chance with this model. We plan to put this in our country kitchen as we inserted a pellet stove for the winter.

First may I say I shy away from writing reviews. The TV is so much more then expected and deserved the time to let people know. We have it hooked up to Comcast with just the antenna (no box). The Digital stations look as fine as those on our HD Sony Wega. Analog stations come in with digital quality. After reading other reviews I was concerned with the volume. My husband is hard of hearding yet volume is strong enough for him. The DVD is an added bonus on this unit. I tried the DVD today and it works great.

***Very Pleased***
The TV was delivered very quickly, easy to set up, great picture and sound for the size of the unit. DVD works great as well, and I've even beaten up on my remote control (accidently) a few times and it seems quite durable. For the money and to have in my bedroom, this was a very good purchase.

clearwaterden
Got this for the bedroom, and I just love it. The sound is great and has an excellent picture. The down side is the remote is not arranged very good, hard to find the channel return button, and it takes a long time to go to the next channel.

Would have been great but for low sound output
We bought this TV/DVD combo for use in a motorhome - it looked like a good solution for us. The picture and build quality were great but the sound level was very low, especially when playing a DVD. In an RV there is usually ambient noise from the A/C and kitchen appliances - these totally overwhealm the TV sound, even at it's highest setting. It is surprising that Toshiba would put so much work into a high quality product then get the sound system wrong. It would probably be fine in a small, quiet office but it didn't work for us.

AWESOME TV...PERFECT
Got this television for my bedroom. The picture is perfect and the sound is great. Love the DVD player and the lit remote is great!!! I would definately recommend this to anyone!

terrific LCD
What a wonderful TV - perfect, in fact. I already had the 47" size, and needed a smaller screen for my office. What a pleasure. Excellent reception, easy to operate, intuitive controls. AND the price is right. You can't go wrong. If this is the size screen you need, you'll be very happy with this TV. Love it. And, of course, ordering from Amazon is always a pleasure too. Go ahead, order it!

Best picture around for the price range.
This is the first LCD TV I have ever owned. I did not purchase this TV from Amazon, so I cannot comment upon how this item ships, but I would like to put in my two cents about this product.


What everyone has said about the picture quality is absolutely true. I had the opportunity to look at the Toshiba 26AV500U next to the likes of Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic, and I have to say that the Toshiba looked as good or even better than some of the various models offered by the competing companies. The well-defined contrast on the set is what gives it such a rich picture. Granted, this Toshiba is not the same quality as the sets that cost well over a thousand dollars, BUT, for less than 0, the picture alone is worth more than the money I spent. I am using this set in my very small bedroom, so the picture size is more than adequate. If you are looking for a set for your living room, you are probably better off getting a larger TV.

The only reason I'm not giving this product five stars is because I have experienced a problem with losing the audio on the set a few times. For seemingly no reason and quite suddenly, the sound will cease to function. In the manual that comes with the TV, one is instructed to reset the TV by unplugging it for five seconds. Every time I employed this method, the sound restored. I am concerned that this may become a more serious problem in the months to come (especially after the one-year warranty expires). Maybe I have a lemon, or perhaps this is a common problem with these sets. I urge anyone who wishes to buy an LCD TV to do extensive research on reliability issues BEFORE buying. I will try to update this if anything else occurs.

Perfect HD TV For Small Home Theater Setups, & Small Budgets!
When my 9 yr. old 27" Phillips/Magnavox CRT TV blew out on me a few days ago, forcing me to join the Flat Screen TV world, I was worried-Most of the Flat Screen TVs I've seen in stores, catalogs & online were 32" and above, and I didn't think I could find a medium sized HD TV that would fit in my cubby-holed entertainment room, and also provide me with a quality viewing experience. Then voila, I see the Toshiba 26AV500U; It has ALL of the Bells & Whistles of the larger Flat Screen TVs. And any concern I had in losing that one inch of screen view quickly vanished, when I saw the GREAT picture quality on this Set!! To be sure, it will be a bit of sticker shock for Newbie Flat Screen TV buyers who haven't upgraded their TVs since the CRT days,until you look over at the bigger models and prices;Then,you'll be grateful for having THIS available choice. So,for those who are looking for a Great Flat Screen HD TV with the economy of price and size,that doesn't sacrifice quality, the Toshiba 26AV500U is the PERFECT FIT!

Toshiba makes terrific LCD HDTVs
I deeply enjoy my 32 inch Toshiba REGZA model, so when I wanted to get a 26 inch model for a small room (a kitchen), I didn't even look at any other brand. Unfortunately, no 26 inch REGZA model was readily available the day I made the purchase, so I took this 26 inch non-REGZA model. The picture is still gorgeous, though I strongly recommend getting the REGZA model in your desired size if at all possible. Perfect for wildlife and nature shows, as on Discovery HD Theater and National Geo HD channels, as well as for sports. Try the Sunrise Earth series on Discovery HD Theater--I think it's better (and better for you) than going to church! And for smallish screens (up through 32 inches) 480 is just as satisfactory as 720 or 1080 resolution. So save a few bucks and get a 480 model at a discounted price if you can find one. Else take the 720.

One minor quibble: no headphone jack (why not, Toshiba?). So run the sound through your stereo system, or anything which has a volume control, and plug your headphones in there for listening alone without disturbing the household (try Koss A130 for very decent quality at a moderate price).

Great picture and sound, minor problems in other areas
This is my first LCD / HD TV. I am very satisfied with the picture and sound quality, especially considering the price. However, Toshiba obviously didn't put a lot of effort into polishing some of the other features. Specifically, the user manual is almost incomprehensible and looks like it was translated from Japanese to English using Babelfish or something... Also customizing the channel lineup is difficult - you can set certain channels as "not viewable", but the firmware is finicky and won't always save your settings. Similarly, when changing inputs, the TV will often land on an input that's completely different from the one you selected for no obvious reason. This seems to point to shoddy firmware, but fortunately these are the only issues I've had so far.

One issue that bugs me that seems to be present on all HDTVs I looked at is the slow response time (it takes 10 seconds just to power on!) On the plus side, if you are planning on gaming with this TV, I haven't noticed any significant lag in the video processing, but then again I don't generally play fast-twitch games.

All in all, this is a great TV with with a lot of strength where it counts (picture and sound) and only a few minor flaws.

Great set!
It's a great set with a super picture. Connected to my Sony Blu-Ray BDP-S350 over HDMI, it's truly lifelike. Now that it's under 00, it's really hard to beat. Off-angle viewing is great all around my living room.

Best 42" 1080p In price range
The Toshiba 42RV530U 42" LCD is my second HD TV. It replaced a four year old Panasonic 37" Plasma that had just gotten too old and was only 720p. Making the upgrade to this beautiful TV was amazing! The picture is clear, sharp, and mostly accurately colored. 4 HDMI inputs is very useful since I have a DVD player, stereo system, and game console that all need an HDMI jack. The bezel on this TV is very narrow, giving the TV a sleek, modern look that is accentuated by the piano, gloss-black finish. The controls are easy to use, and the menu makes a lot of sense when navigating. One feature that I especially like is the ability to change input without hitting a button repeatedly. You can change input by selecting the input menu, and then scrolling through the options. This can be done with two operations in about a second. Another feature I really like is the clarity of connection when plugging my laptop into the TV and using it as a monitor at full 1080p resolution (I use a DVI-HDMI cable). The picture is clear, sharp, and allows me to play games with zero lag.
If you're on a budget and don't care about 120hz processing, you cannot go wrong with this TV!

My one quibble with this TV is that it takes a little while to start up. Maybe 5-6 second. Not really a complaint, but worth mentioning.

And to those of you knocking the sound, you cannot expect a flat panel TV to have excellent sound. Spend the 0 for a stereo system (even less for a 2.1 system). No flat panel has good sound quality, I don't care how much you pay.

Great LCD.
I have been looking at LCDs & Plasmas for over a year now. I purchased the 42RV530U due to it's excellent picture. I think many stores don't set the picture settings appropriately or purposefully set-up the higher priced models to look better than the competition. Google the optimal settings for this TV and then see if the store will let you change the settings. I was amazed. This TV is awesome. SD looks great. Got mine at Sears w/ 0% financing and a price match from a Circuit City ad. User reviews for this model are very high...not sure where the CNET folks get their opinions.

Service Excellent, Product Even Better!
We ordered this television after researching. 42" HD LCD's for about two months. When it arrived and we unboxed it, we found it had been damaged during shipment. Amazon arranged for a pick up return and replacement which came within 4 days! No questions, no hassles, it was all handled with a smoothness of service I wished I'd see from other online retailers!
The TV itself is great. Color is good with no bleeding. We mounted this high on a wall, with the set tilted down to the viewer. Mounting the TV on the wall was a breeze, set up was very intuitive, and we were watching HD programs within 1/2 hour of unboxing. I am not a big fan of Toshiba's, preferring LG's,Samsungs, or Sony's, but this set is an exception. The HDMI inputs make it a very attractive purchase.

great picture
I've had this Toshiba set for a couple months now and am very, very happy with it. The HD picture is bright and clear -- even in our sunny living room. Standard-def content also looks very good, which is key since our cable company has next to no HD channels and we can't get satellite.

Would definitely recommend this set to others -- it's also a great bargain price-wise.