Customer Reviews

Toshiba 26AV502R 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Note: I purchased this 26" LCD TV one week ago. As I am waiting for the cable company to upgrade my service, this set is simply receiving a standard cable signal without benefit of a converter box or High Def signal. Many LCD owners consider the signal source a major factor in image quality -- so I want to be clear on this point at the outset. Also, my DVD player is more than 5 years old and does not upconvert.

PROS:

Easy to install base pedestal. Four screws (provided) and a phillips head screwdriver are all that's needed. Instructions were clear and straight forward. Hooking up the coax cable took only a minute.

Superb remote control. Layout is intelligent and intuitive -- a pleasure to use. Glows in the dark (bright!) Sleep timer button is well placed on the upper corner and easy to access without even looking. Easily one the best designed remotes on the market and a pleasure to use.

Picture and sound set-up controls are very easy to understand. Owners manual instruction very clear and straightforward.

Sound is excellent. Very good quality and volume. Treble, Bass, and Balance controls are easy to use if you choose. For it's size and likely application -- a bedroom or a small den -- the sound is really quite good. This set has forward facing speakers -- not down firing as many LCD sets have.

Picture is fair to good. Live TV broadcasts such as news programs and talk shows appear brighter and with better, cleaner colors than movies -- especially films with dark scenes. DVD programs appear much better. (Please note again the standard coax cable signal source I am presently receiving)

2 HDMI inputs and multiple others. More than enough for most applications.

CONS:

Picture not as sharp as I would like, especially broadcast TV as opposed to DVD (standard DVD). Also, I am noticing scenes go from dark to light and back for no apparent reason. This could be due to a setting which may be improperly set .. but I've tried it both ways but see the same effect.

One other frustrating scenario for example: multiple camera shows. For example, a news program where you have an anchor in the studio and a reporter in the field. The anchor looks pretty good but the field reporter might look a bit green or orange. Other sets even this out, the Toshiba does not.

Conclusion:

For the money, this is probably the best value on a 26" LCD TV on the market today. Prices under $[...] are out there. If you are an "average" TV viewer, you may find this set to be just the ticket for your bedroom. But, if you have a critical eye, you may find the tuner or signal processing unit on this set a bit under par compared to Sony and Samsung -- perhaps more sophisticated technology, but which also carry price tags of $[...] and more higher.

Once I get a better cable signal, I may amend this review. Indeed, I will decide whether I am keeping the Toshiba or spending the extra money for the Samsung 26". So please "stay tuned".

UPDATE: Yesterday I installed a Panamax PM8-HT 8-Outlet Power Line Conditioner and Surge Protector. The image quality of this TV increased markedly! Panamax PM8-HT 8-Outlet Power Line Conditioner and Surge Protector

I bought the 26av502r (no diff in the "u" except menu style from what I'm told from Toshiba CS. They are required to change model numbers if alterations of any kind are made). This TV surprised the S*&^ out of me. Colors were beautiful right out of the box. HD is top notch and SD is strong (I have ATT-Uverse). Sound is great as speakers point straight toward you ( not like some that point down [Samsung]}. Set up was a breeze. Menu's are easy to follow. I have a a Sharp D64U and a Sony XBR2 and this set holds up against these two brands. Anyway, I got the set on sale from Fry's for $349 and for the price it's a steal.

EDIT 3/21/09: Moved this set to my office where I am hooked up without a set top box to Time Warner cable. Well the channel changeing is now extremely slow. 5 full seconds after last digit input before channel appears (if you have a set top box you will probably be fine like I was with the ATT-U connection). 3 seconds when surfing up/down button. It's like dial up on a computer. It Sucks!!! I called Toshiba and they say there is no cure for it except go back to set top box. I'll see if I can put up with it up as I have about 3wks left on the 30 day return policy at BB. I would change the star rating to 3 stars but couldn't find a way to do that.

I bought this 26-inch Toshiba LCD to replace a much older TV. The picture is adequate though tending towards the red spectrum and the 720p makes for some rather watery movements. It has the full array of connections, and I love connecting my laptop and using the big screen as a monitor. However, the sound is not loud enough. When I turn the volume up all the way we should be blasted out of the small bedroom where it is but it's nowhere near that loud. I've "fixed" it by adding some old external computer speakers but it was a disappointment. Picture also shows some crazy "paint box" like display on startup that goes away if you push any button ont he remote. But, hey, it was cheap enough and serves its purpose.

This tv has a really goood picture. Amazon says it is only 720p i'm able to play my ps3 in 1080p. In HD the picture is really crisp and i'm very happy with the quality. In SD its not always that good. If you sit to close its really fuzzy so it best if you sit away from it. DON'T USE A COAXE LINE! It is way to fuzzy. You av cables much clearer if not in HD. But for the value of your buck this tv is overall a great deal and a great tv. I never have owned a Toshiba but I am very pleased with this one and could see myself doing business with them in the future.

Item was delivered promply and worked fine out of the box. I have no problem with the HDMI connections, sound or picture. Blacks are not as deep as a Sony, otherwise this unit works fine for the price.

I'm not a big spender and so I was very happy to see that the Toshiba 26AV502R 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV was being sold for under $250. I bought it refurbished and it seems to be in perfect working order (no dead pixels) and I couldn't ask for any more quality for the price. The TV has enough inputs (2 HDMI, 2 components, PC, s-video, analog) and works well with my setup. The volume isn't a problem, but I prefer it hooked up to my stereo. The picture does look like it leans slightly towards the red spectrum, but for the price, you can't beat it. This is a small detail and colors can be adjusted through the menu. I have a Xbox hooked up through HDMI (at one point, through components) and the picture comes in great with no lag at all. The PC input is great and I was finally able to project to my TV even though my graphics card doesn't not have a TV out feature. Since this is a monitor, it was able to project up to the 720p quality of my computer. Hulu never looked better. Overall, I would definitely recommend it to the bargain HDTV buyer. If you have more cash, of course, spend it on a Samsung or a Sony.

I bought 1 of these for my bedroom after having a big (46") Toshiba in the living room for several months and was quite happy with this one as I was with the bigger set. After using it for a few months I bought another one for our RV and we have been more than pleased with all our Toshibas. We also have a 55" Samsung which other than being bigger is basically the same basic product and good quality. My biggest "like" for these Toshibas is their good selection of input options, we can connect a wide variety of gadgets to them and switch between them very easily. So far we have had no issues of problems or any complaints whatsoever. (Got all 3 from Amazon with whom we are also very pleased)

Purchase the Toshiba for dual use as a desk top computer monitor and television. The unit has a good picture although the overall sound quality is below average. Offers good value and features for the money. Do not know yet if this is a re-occurring problem but have noticed on two occasions when the set is initially powered up the unit seems to lock up without ever having a picture or sound. Had to unplug the unit and power up then seems to work as designed.

Bought this Toshiba 26" HD and the first thing we noticed when we installed (SD) was that the sound was very low, even when the volume was turned all the way up.
We had a friend listen and he said the same thing. If the volume was turned all the way up, it should be quite loud, which this one wasn't!
We called Toshiba several times but no one returned our calls. Nor did they answer our emails.
We had to go out and buy a separate sound system.
If we knew about the sound before we bought it, we would not have bought this Toshiba. Very disappointed.
Oh yeah, the picture's color is 'washed-out' when vieweing from either side. You have to sit exactly in front to see bearable picture.

This Toshiba set has stunning color, far better black, the best picture I've seen in a 26" or smaller set had a decent price. I would like to see more intuitive menu item names, and to not have to adjust the color from channel to channel, program to program. It is also slow to turn on. But when set properly an absolutely stunning picture.