Customer Reviews

Toshiba 30HF83 30" TheaterWide HD-Ready TV with PURE Flat Screen

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I focused my search on a TV that would fit into the furniture where my 24" TV sat. I did not want to pay for a thin Plasma. Most of the TVs today have the speakers on the side which limited the picture I could get. Because Toshiba places the speakers on the bottom (Great speaker system by the way -- double baffle speaker system w/ sub-bass) it allows the TV to fit into the same wall space as my 24". TV is only ~30" wide x ~22" high x ~ 22" deep

I was looking for HDTV compatible and this fit the bill. I always heard that HDTV are a better/brighter TV no matter what the incoming signal but I guess I just never realized how much so until I got this one home and turned it on. Even the kids (who have never seen an HDTV) asked how I got the TV so colorful and bright.

There are 4 options for the picture - normal (i.e. like my old set) and 3 different stretch options ... all 3 do very little distortion around the edges ... great/bright picture. As a matter of fact the distortion is so little I can never envision me using the "normal" mode.

The remote comes with batteries and is easy to use in fact it has a little button that lights it up for ~ 5 sec along with the standard soak in the light and dims after awhile in the dark. Once I plugged in the set/cable/DVD/VCR/Stereo I had the TV in full-up mode by following the on-screen menu in less than 5 min.

The TV also has a neat POP (pict-out-pict) feature which allows you to watch two video feeds side-by-side. You have the option of making one smaller while the other goes larger ... they never overlap. There is also a neat favorite channel scan where while you are looking at one station and hit the CH SCAN button the TV automatically enters a POP mode and the station you are watching is edged to one side while your selected fav channels pop up in mini screens along the top and down one side ... so you are looking at 8 channels at once! The main large screen keeps moving while the mini screens are like tiny snapshots rotating between all of your selected favorite channels ... when you see one you want you just slew over to one of the mini pictures, ENTER and presto you are looking at your selected station ... pretty cool.

Because this is the most expensive purchase I made over the net I decided to stick with a reputable company that was a Toshiba authorized internet dealer. Glad I did ... they even brought the TV ~ 120 pounds in the house ... normally most companies will only do curbside service. That was the best price I could find just before the holidays.

Have a great holiday season

Very impressive TV - has all the features of more expensive sets, like 2-tuner PIP, 2 component-video inputs for your DVD and Satellite - and the great HDTV picture quality as well. Eight inputs total, will direct access between them.

Extra surprises include built-in subwoofer (so movies sound awesome right out of the box) and 4:3-to-16:9 'stretching' that is almost imperceptible. Great menu system and many options. Built-in speakers are beneath the screen, so the footprint is similar to standard 33" sets (don't have to buy new entertainment center!)

One minor drawback to me is the PIP is actually POP, picture-outof-picture. The two images are side by side, but use the screen area inefficiently and no overlapping or PIP option.

Would buy another...

Like a lot of people who bought this TV I had a small space to work with. I went so far as to buy a Philips 27" HDTV that fit the space I had and ended up taking it back when I saw that this baby had the speakers on the bottom and the width was all screen. The sale price from Amazon sealed the deal.

On to the TV. It's amazing. When you first power up, the factory settings are a little off-putting (too bright, weird color, and a little rough), but after doing some rsch. on home theater sites, I came up with some settings I'm happy with. And, if you can believe it, the sound is better than the picture. My dog started to bark at the TV because the bass was so rich.

Based on my research, here's what the experts suggest for picture settings on this model:

Flesh Tone: Turn this off, Color Temp: Set to Warm, DNR (Digital Noise Reduction): Turn this Off, Mode: Set to "Movie" which kills SVM (Scan Velocity Modulation) a feature which gives the picture a rough quality. Finally, set contrast, color and sharpness between 55-65 according to taste, tint at +5 or so, and brightness to the high 40's (for black blacks). Hope this helps

I shopped around for a month trying to find a good 30 inch widescreen HDTV. All the other brands had badly pixelated pictures on regular cabe and ok picture on hdtv. I then found the newly released Toshiba 30hf83. I just had to get it. This TV has everything you could want. A good speaker syetem, Awsome HDTV and DVD picture in widescreen progressive scan. And a undeniably clear regular broadcast cable picture in 1080i. Not to mention all the inputs and outputs in the back. If your shopping for a good little HDTV and don't wanna spend the extra $$$$ for a Sony get this TV. I love the remote! it glows! yeahh!

My only complaint....The POP menue is kinda cheezy and a little slow but otherwise it works just fine.

I've had a bad experience with my 34HF83 TV set. It worked fine on standard definition, but on high definition I noticed periodic (once in 5-10 minutes) horizontal jerking to the left. The problem is more likely to appear if the set was switched off for about 5 minutes prior to testing. After about two hours the problem disappears. Picture quality is very good, excellent design, but I hate this problem with horizontal jerking. I called for service and they confirmed that this is a known problem and they are working to find the solution. The problem was also found in some other TV sets, like 30HF83. Unfortunately most customers don't notice the problem because it happens only on high definition, and noticeable only on relatively static scenes. I am happy that I noticed this problem before my warranty expired. But my concern it that most people don't have high definition receivers these days. I think they will be very unhappy in a couple of years when they connect their Toshiba HDTV to a high definition source and realize they have a jerking picture. They would have to pay big money to fix their TVs and this is'nt fair. If you are the owner of any Toshiba HDTV set, you should connect it to a high definition signal (cable, satellite, HDTV computer adapter or special signal generator), switch your TV set off for 5 minutes, then switch the TV set on, switch the source to a HIGH DEFINITION static picture (for example, HDTV receiver setup menu, just make sure the output is high definition) and carefully watch it for 5-10 minutes. If you notice any horizontal jerking, make sure to call for service before your warranty expires. If you can't get the problem fixed, you should at least get the warranty extension. This problem is found in all 83 series Toshiba TV sets: 30HF83, 34HF83, 34HFX83, etc...

With all the inputs you need this unit should last me a long time. I'm pretty nit-picky with the image I get from the screen but I can swallow the slight distortion from the many widescreen options this unit offers. Then again, it's not overwhelming. Things are pretty intuitive to find and you'll also find some neat surprises like adjusting the POP screen and creating favorites.

Great for apartment dwellers who have little room but expect a quality picture.

I wanted a TV that would fit in my existing entertainment system, so the options were very easy between this Toshiba 30HF84 (the replacement for the 30HF83) and Samsung TXN3098, both which were less than 33" wide. The decision on which one, however, was excruciating for me. I had a difficult time finding either of them in person to compare side by side, researched every possible feature down to the smallest detail, ending up looking at the Samsung 26" or a similar model Toshiba in the store for comparison purposes, and read all the online reviews you could imagine. Yes, I'm one of those types of people. In the end, I chose the Toshiba based on the following:

Pros on Toshiba
- Less money
- I bought it locally so it got here in time for football season
- Generally thought of as better product than Samsung

Cons on Toshiba
- Does not have PiP
- Silver case instead of charcoal (my preference)

Pros on Samsung
- In the store, seemed to have a brighter picture
- Had PiP

Cons on Samsung
- An issue - as seen in reviews and confirmed by their tech support - where if you go in and set the picture to wide, stretched, etc, it doesn't remember it and you have to reset it each time you turn on the tv.
- Generally thought of as a lower end product, but I had differing stories that they were making TVs for Sony, they were up and coming, etc etc.

The Decision
I was going back and forth for 2 weeks. Was I stupid to get the Toshiba if the Samsung picture looked better? Did I need PiP? There were pros and cons on each. In the end, I realized that I would be getting a great TV no matter what. I called tech support for both companies and got right through. So in the end, the switching-modes issue for Samsung was a slight factor, but the Toshiba was $200 cheaper and I could have it 2 days later (I consider this a 'filler' TV anyway for a year or two until I'm ready to step up to a 42" plasma when prices come down).

Here's what sucks... while I was concerned because of the Samsung issue in switching modes, this feature is not usable AT ALL for me on the Toshiba. I have Time Warner in NYC and HD channels work fine widescreen in that mode. But non-HD channels show up as 4:3 and I guess they're broadcasting at 1080 or 720, because I can't stretch a 4:3 show into wide mode. Toshiba only can take 480 signals and stretch them. Could be a setting I'm missing, but that's me. However, I'm finding I mostly watch the main networks and DVDs anyway. Right now I hooked up my 'regular' DVD player through digital audio cables and component video, and it looks and sounds spectacular. Not sure how much better it can get with a progressive scan player, but they're only $65 so I'm going to get one anyway and hope there's at least a noticeable difference.

Bottom Line
Both TVs are sweet, and I am very very happy so far with the Toshiba. I have it hooked up through an HDTV digital cable box with DVR built in using component video, and to my receiver with Digital Audio Coaxial cables for sound. Ten seconds watching Discovery Channel HD Theater and you'll be in heaven. I recorded the Patriots-Colts NFL kickoff game and have been using that as a demo to show my friends how good the signal and picture are. I'm looking forward to a great fall of football, baseball playoffs and am currently buying some 'surround sound widescreen' DVDs off Amazon (True Lies, Ronin, Braveheart, Gladiator, True Romance, The Fugitive, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Carribbean, etc) to build up a little collection.

I am an HDTV advocate. I am so impressed by this standard that I check the HD stations available on my cable system first and add rating points for a program available in High Definition.
And this set is an easy, relatively inexpensive introduction to HD. The picture is bright and appropriately, (i.e. extremely) sharp. The sound is remarkable for the set's modest size, and it's size, only a slender bezel surrounds the screen, allows the set to fit in relatively small places.

I placed my order on the afternoon of 6/20, it was shipped from Atlanta the next day and arrived 6/28.
The shipper required my signature before the delivery crew would open the carton. So, I signed. I was told that after opening and initial inspection I could reject it. I am not sure how that would sort out with Amazon's policy. Better coordination between Amazon and the shipping company on this issue is in order. Fortunately, the delivery personnel (it takes two people to lift this 120 lb. unit) helped me place it in my narrow cabinet (a primary reason for buying this unit as it is under 30" wide) and waited while I turned it on. When the setup program appeared I relaxed and told them they could leave.
The 30hf83 gives a superb picture and fantastic sound. The theater 1 setting converts a 4:3 SD picture to 16:9 extremely well. For example, baseball players do not look squatty. Based on the avaialbility of this feature, it is hard to justify purchasing a 4:3 HD monitor on the theory that, at least for the foreseeable future, one will be viewing more SD programming than HD programming.
Amazon's product, price and delivery time make this unit the real deal!

just bought this tv thru AMAZON.com for $799 last weekend. Price was a bargain. Cant find it any cheaper. Came two days later. Dont listen to that person who said it takes awile. Ordered on Saturday, got it on Tuesday. Picture is perfect, HD quality is AMAZING. For HD viewing, definetely invest in the DVI cable. Worth the money. For the person who said the picture is tilted, that can be adjusted in the settings. Otherwise I would advise anyone who wants to see great HD quality programs to BUY this tv. You wont be disappointed.