Toshiba Cinema Series (1 Viewer)

[William R. Moore]

Anyone have any experience with Toshiba's new 57HX81 RPTV? I understand it's a killer and I wonder how it compares with Sony's 57HW40? Which one has the better picture? Which one has the better 4x3 "stretch mode?

 

[Eric Samonte]

I have the 65HX81 and along with its not so smaller brother the 57HX81, it kicks some major ass! Swing onto Home Theater Spot to research on the Toshibas further.

 

[Grady Hollums]

I love my Toshiba 50HX81!!!!!! It is the best thing to happen to me since sliced bread (and I eat a lot of bread) if you do get the Toshiba, feel free to ask us any questions. I am not sure about how it compares to the Sony, but I just love my HDTV!

 

[AaronP]

I think it might be wise to wait for the next model year Tosbibas. Many people believe that this year's models (X81 or X71) are a step backwards picture quality wise because Toshiba made the STUPID decision to scale every signal it receives to 540p (except 1080i signals) this scaling seems to introduce a lot of image artifacts. Also there is some kind of ghosting problem that a lot of people are experiencing.

 

[William R. Moore]

Eric: What is the web address of "home Theatre Spot"? My Google search couldn't find it.

Aaron: My Sony KP53HS10 upconverts to 960i and I don't see too many artifacts and the newer Sony models give you the option of upconverting to either 480p or 960i. I would think that Toshiba's upconverting to 540p might be a little better. Supposedly "The Perfect Vision" is going to review this set, the 57HX81, in a coming issue. I hope it's the next one!

Any other comments from Toshiba owners?

 

[AaronP]

uh spell theater with "er" not "re" no Americans should spell theater with "re"
www.hometheaterspot.com

 

[Ross Waite]

Please keep in mind that when you ask a question like this, you end up with a collection of opinions. That said, I have a 57HX81 and absolutely love it. The Toshiba stretch modes are generally considered to be among the best(?).

I find it interesting...before all the hoopla regarding the upconversion to 540p started, many were touting the HX81 series as being superior to their previous models. I can say that I do not see any image degradation/artifacts on my set (for what its worth). Additionally, I think overall, the monitor benefits from this upconversion because it shares much of the same parameters as the 1080i.

Regarding the ghosting/ringing that people have been howling about. I have no doubt that this is real. But most people don't watch a 57" monitor at 2 feet.

As for features/quality/value I did my homework and felt that the 57HX81 was best for me. Don't get me wrong...the Sony is sweet. I just felt that the quality, value and the "tweakability" of the Toshiba made it a better choice for me.

Hope this helps.

-Ross

 

[Kishu]

I wonder if from 8 ft, the 540p upconversion is really noticeable-esp from a 57" set. Besides quality control issues, I still think 57HX81 is best value for money out there in the market. This set has a fine line doubler and has excellent strech modes.
After lots of reading and hunting, I'm getting this set
Cheers,
Kishore

 

[William R. Moore]

Hello again! The Sony may be sweet and I have seen this one at (ugh) Best Buy but it doesn't have much real estate on top for a center channel speaker...very narrow. That's another reason why I'm leaning towards the Toshiba. What might the "ringing and ghosting" be that some are commenting on? And...for what it's worth...I don't see how any of these big stores would ever be able to sell to anyone who even might approach the status of "videophile." They either can't or won't demo anything but their "house video" which is also playing back on the other 199 sets nearby! This is why I'm going to a small dealer who A. Knows something about the product and B. Will give me a full demo of it. Why would anyone be willing to plunk down 3 or 4 grand after seeing a couple of minutes worth of "pre-selected" video and a 1 minute spiel from a "salesperson"? who wouldn't know good video if it hit him on the head! Apparently enough, right? This guy at Best Buy couldn't even figure out how to connect the antenna so I could see what a 4x3 picture looked like! Go figure!

 

[William R. Moore]

Ross: Just thought of something else. Does the Tosh HX upconvert all incoming sources to 540p...even from a progressive scan player...or just normal NTSC sources, such as laserdisc, dbs, etc.? Thanks.

 

[AaronP]

from what I've read, EVERYTHING but an HD signal gets converted to 540p. So, if you have a DVD player with a nice processor in it, its totally wasted.

 

[Ross Waite]

William,
Quote: "Does the Tosh HX upconvert all incoming sources to 540p?"
Yes, that is my understanding.
AaronP brings up a good point about progressive DVD players...but I have to respectfully disagree with him to a point. I don't believe that a player that output 480p would be a TOTAL waste. The deinterlacer on the 57HX81 is very good IMO. That said, there are progressive players out there that have better deinterlacers. There have been numerous reports where people get an improved picture using a progressive signal. There are also many who say that the difference is not so significant to justify the purchase of a new progressive player.
There have been quite a few posts here and at the Home Theater Spot that imply that the lack of significant difference between 480i and 480p is partly due to the upconversion of 480p to 540p, and also that the deinterlacer in the set is so good when fed a 480i signal.
Sorry if this sounds like a bunch of babble. And, I hope this answers your question without giving you a headache!
-Ross