Similar to a third string quarterback, you really don’t want to put them in, but you have no choice. This analogy can easily be juxtaposed to the Toshiba 27D46 27" TV as my experience merits. It currently occupies a small void in the natural habitat of the "basement," where it can liberally collect partials of dust until its doom is decided.
Disappointment could be a good general term to describe my overall opinion of the Toshiba 27D46 27" TV, as the picture quality, features, and specifications have swayed my opinion of this television away from recommendation of purchase.
Included in the Box
• Non-flat CRT TV,
• Remote control (with batteries)
• Printed operating instructions
Out of the Box
Initial Set up of the Toshiba 27D46 27" TV TV was somewhat challenging due to its bulky size; however the experience getting started proved exactly the opposite. Even with a weight of 90lbs it was still a bit tricky to help get it into the cabinet. The starting guide and menu features of the television made it fairly easy to setup. As a bonus the remote, menu features, and front buttons made using the set simple. The menu comes up clearly and there are few submenus, which typically confuse people rather than assist them.
At a Glance
A Silver Cabinet Color, which encompasses the exterior of the entire television set, makes for a nice first impression. The buttons are clearly visible from the front of the unit and it should compliment a contemporary decor for most households. The silver color is fairly neutral so it should go with both dark and lighter cabinetry and woods. The television has a nice appeal to it, and the construction quality is somewhat standard to most Toshiba Televisions.
Picture Quality
The Toshiba CRT tube delivers an average picture at best, along with substandard clarity to further irritate the color quality and tone. Anyone into watching televised sports would really appreciate a higher quality picture and better detail that the Toshiba 27D46 27" TV cannot deliver. Referring to the picture quality is known as clarity, which has proved average at best, and usually leaves me looking to move to another room with a better set. Poor images that tend to offend your eyes after watching for extended periods of time. Usage of this television has been quite uncomfortable, as the television is somewhat unclear in images for daily shows and sports. Again the Toshiba 27D46 27" TV produces a mixed result which is the equivalent of mediocrity; weak overall picture in clarity, quality, and colors. The following areas are reviewed to show different picture qualities from hook ups and areas of use.
Movies/DVD
Most likely the strongest area for picture quality tests was watching DVD movies on this particular gave a fairly realistic view, and if you have a higher quality DVD player with the right cables, all the better. Enjoy watching movies as the connections improve the color and images on the screen over standard use.
Sports
Images are disappointing yet again with sports channels like ESPN and FOX. When it came to watching sports, the overall grainy images make watching the game a lackluster activity leading to movement towards a bigger better set.
Gaming
Actual usage of game systems proved better than the quality of daily use activities. The hook up jacks may give it the boost to produce a clearer less grainy picture, with improved color and image clarity. The GameTimer feature also allows parents to set the TV to shut off after a specified period of game playing, and it will stay off until a lockout key code is entered.
Daily Programming
Really unimpressed with the clearness of the picture, I am constantly reminded of the CRT tubes inability to produce good flesh tones or colors when viewing standard shows.
Display Capabilities Aspect Ratio 4:3 • 16:9 Enhanced
Broadcast Format Supported 480i (SDTV)
Broadcast Format Displayed 480i (SDTV)
Built-in Tuner ATSC • NTSC
Image Quality Comb Filter Digital 3-Line
Without Velocity Scan Modulation
Without Adjustable Color Temperature
Sound
The sound is one area that impresses me with the unit, as it has two stereo speakers that produce a decent 2.5 watts of power per channel, 5 watts total, and includes virtual surround sound. The double baffle front-firing speaker design delivers improved stereo sound reproduction without connecting additional speakers. The unit lacks a subwoofer, but then again most sets this size do not include this feature; however it would be nice if the unit produced a louder sound. This area of the television is actually pretty good, and one of the few features that stands out in my experience. The StableSound feature eliminates the annoyance of normal program volume being followed immediately by extremely loud commercial messages or drastic volume fluctuations while changing channels.
Speakers 2 Front Speakers
Speaker Power 2 x 5 Watt
Audio Features Without Subwoofer
Surround Sound
SAP / MTS Stereo SAP / MTS Stereo
Audio Leveler
Includes a Component video jack aka (Y/Pb/Pr) which features a three-jack video input, this provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). Results are an increase in bandwidth for color information, yielding a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction, and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. A smaller amount of room for hooking up several devices in the future, some connections could be for a receiver to increase the sound quality and capabilities. The location of these inputs is fairly standard, but it is nice to have some front inputs for hooking up Xbox, Nintendo, or even a VCR. Less jacks make it difficult to add different products in the future.
Remote
Functionality of the remote is much easier in the dark due to the illumination feature, which lights up the buttons when they are pressed. The remote included batteries, yes it actually had them in the box. A standard remote in terms of size and functionality, but the illumination feature is a great and usually found on most newer Toshiba Models. The layout of the remote seems fairly common, nothing to really report in the positive or negative category, it just seems inversed as the channel change is on the left rather than the right.
Breakdown
In summary usage of the television should remain limited to a backup unit for the kids to hook up the gaming system to, or as a third string guest bedroom television set. The best features would include the remote features and higher grade sound quality. The a average areas would clearly be the input/output jacks, as it includes some featured outputs that increase the quality, but remains limited in the amount it actually contains. Finally the major areas of improvement would be the picture quality considering the lower than average performance. Overall if you are looking for a lower cost brand name unit that sits in the basement for the kids to goof around with, then the Toshiba 27D46 27" TV may suffice for your purposes.
Overall I am somewhat disappointed as Toshiba is usually a name that makes my list in electronic satisfaction, although it usually is not my first choice it still remains a higher than average electronically company in mind.
Availability
Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry’s Electronics, and many online stores including Sony.com and Amazon.com (just over $200.00 w/tax)
Features -Digital TV Standard SDTV
-Screen Type Flat Screen
-Diagonal Screen Size 27 inch
Technical Features -Parental Control V-Chip
-Sleep Timer
-Non-Energy Star Compliant
Screen Text -Channel Labels
-Without Closed Caption when using the Mute feature
-OSD Languages English • French • Spanish
Dimensions -Width 29.25 in.
-Depth 19.25 in.
-Height 22.5 in.
-Weight 81.5 lb.
Warranty -90 Days Labor
-1 year parts
-2 year Picture Tube
27 inch Diagonal FST Black Tube, ATSC/QAM Digital Tuner, SDTV 480i Display, 3-Line Digital Comb Filter, Double Baffle Speaker System, ColorStream Comp...More at eCOST.com
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