Product Review: Toshiba Regza 46” HD-ready LCD TV

As I mentioned previously I recently bought a new house. So of course I’m in the process of trying out new products. One of the biggest expenses in a new home is the purchase of furniture, and electronics to fill a room. That is also true of my house.

Now I want to mention that I am 40. That means that I grew up with a 13” black and white television, that had a knob to turn the channels. I got that TV when I was about 12, after my mother got herself a color 20” TV. Throughout my life I don’t ever recall having ever owned a television set that was bigger. So I decided that it was about time to see what all the rage is about with the larger flat screen sets.

I purchased the Toshiba Regza 46” HD-ready LCD TV, model number 46rv530u. And it is big. Very big. In fact if you own a sub-compact car you better have it delivered. It won’t fit into a 2-door car, and it’s best if you NEVER lay the set on it’s back if possible. If you must lay it down, do so for a short a period of time as possible, and be very sure to have the TV lay on a couple of soft thick blankets. If not you will likely ruin the screen and will have wasted your time and money.

But once you get this over-sized TV into your home the next problem is where to put it. I decided that the idea of placing it on the wall neither fit with my room design, nor do I find that a comforting though. So I had it go on the entertainment stand I also bought. I think it looks great.


So you have the big monster now. Is it actually worth the equally large price? And by the way Toshiba has a msrp for this model of $1799. I have seen it priced as high as $2400. So keep an eye out, because I did find a deal and got mine for under msrp before taxes of course. And that is not a refurbished set, I mean new.

Well yes it is. The picture is crisp, even when the full screen setting is being used. And there is nothing like say V for Vendetta in a mini-silver screen let me tell you. The options for the color settings are pretty good too. The Sports setting seems to be most crisp, with a bit more red emphasis. The Personal setting is more emphasized to the blue spectrum, and the movie setting is an even balance but tends to look like a soft lens was placed over the entire screen – softening all the edges but also dulling the picture quality a bit. For my own taste the sports version seems best overall.

The sound on the system is fantastic. It’s loud and resonating without the tinish sound you may be used to now. The base is quite good as well. And this is all done without a single round speaker. Amazing.

Hooking up cable is simple as the system will automatically recognize and configure itself once you plug in the cable line. The remote control is likewise very intuitive. Without reading the extensive manual I was able to set up my dvd player (using a 3 prong red/yellow/white connecting cord). I didn’t hook up one of my computers as the hdmi – dvi connection cord cost $59 which I find to be outrageous.

Overall I am very pleased with the quality and ease of use. I find it to be worth the money, and difficulty to install. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.