Customer Reviews

Toshiba 32AV500U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought the TV after not knowing a lot of details about the model. It seems like Toshiba was purposefully not publishing the specs. I would imagine not to hurt its regza sales. Although Regza's I think have 14bit processing and 3 HDMI ports. But then again all have 8 bit screens ..... It looks like the details have the screen res at 1366 x 768, with a response time: 8 ms.

I did notice that it does come with 10bit processing - this is a selling point for some other TV makers. So I bought it a bit on chance - plus it was available for amazon prime shipping. Big plus to have it here in two days. Without extra cost. I also live in CA - so no sales tax (At least from amazon :).

The TV has enough inputs for me. 2 HDMI are good for all I need - and the sound is really solid. It is pretty thin and looks nice with the piano black frame. I have only had it for a couple of days - so hard to say much more.

The picture looks fantastic when hooked up to HD Source (computer or HD antenna). Fired up half life 2 - lost coast and it looked great too - no ghosting that I could see - flawless game play visually.

I will update as I play with it more. No cables in box (but it does come with a power cord). Remote is actually very usable (but it will sit). I have a Tivo HD - and that works with the first remote code. The Tivo HD hooked right into the HDMI port and works perfectly to max res out of the gate. It wanted to go 1080i -but I put it back down to 720p. I may change that ....

Also - the base is not adjustable. So make sure you have a good solid surface at approximately the viewing height you want. Or you will have to wall mount it ... :)

Overall - very pleased. Great quality tv (as far as I can tell) for a good price.

Wow. This has been a great experience. The picture is drop-dead beautiful. The sound quality is good too. Paying $679 is wonderful. TV was delivered within a few days. Super easy to plug in and play. Remote is logical. Couldn't be happier with this purchase. Strongly recommend getting an HDMI cable (under $10 now) since the box doesn't include video cables.

Update to Review: Once in a while we turn on the tv and the sound comes on with no picture. Luckily when it's turned off and back on it usually comes on okay. Personally I don't think one brand is really better than the next for reliability purposes. The newer tv's just break easier. My suggestion is, if you plan on keeping a newly purchased tv for a long time, get a service agreement. I'm one of those people who NEVER buys a service agreement, but for tv's I would reconsider that.

Original Review: I looked at a lot of tv's before I bought this one. It had a picture closest to the top end tv's but a reasonable price. I bought it in a local store and was able to get the box in the back seat of my economy car and drive it home without a problem. I am SO impressed with the clarity of the Hi-Def picture, along with pretty good sound. The sleek black "frame" makes the picture look even better. This one is a no-brainer. I haven't owned it that long; if any issues arise, I will update my review. So far I am extremely impressed.

Just got this TV yesterday. Ordered from Amazon on Thursday and it arrived Monday. What service! The Hi Def channels are great clear crisp and bright. I did not connect the set to my HD cable box. The auto tune picked up 26 digital channels directly from cable. I don't think I'll bother with a cable box on this set unless I decide I would like to watch the encoded channels. SD is good and about what you would expect. Sound is good, perfect for a bedroom. The remote and menu set up is simple and intuitive
The price is very competitive and good value for the money. At this stage I am pleased with the purchase.
I would recommend this set to anyone looking for a 32 inch LCD TV at a reasonable price

I went to my local electronics store, planning to buy the Sharp LC32SB24U rather than this Toshiba. The sales person suggested, before buying, I do a side by side comparison view of the Toshiba 32AV500U and the Sharp LC32SB24U. The Toshiba was $40 more than the Sharp, and I figured it would be the typical upsell.

But comparing the image quality of the Sharp and Toshiba, the Toshiba won hands down. The Sharp definitely had a more "washed out" look, while the Toshiba picture was more vibrant with blacker blacks and greater contrast. I doublechecked that both sets were tuned to the same HD source, etc. Anyway this demo was enough to (up)sell me and I bought the Toshiba. It has been great.

This unit is for the bedroom and I don't regret getting the 32" instead of a 26".

I didn't know much about QAM tuners before buying, but what that means is that I can connect my Verizon FIOS cable directly into the TV (no converter box) and receive digital TV channels, some HD channels, and all the digital music channels, all without needing a converter box. Obviously with a converter box you get a better user interface (onscreen interactive program guide) and many more channels, but for the moment I am happy using the TV with direct cable connection (no converter box) and saving a few $ per month.

HD picture quality is so much better than regular digital TV -- if you go to the expense of buying an HDTV (like this one) you really need to hook it up to receive HDTV or you are missing a whole lot.

I am not a videophile or audiophile but have to say that I would recommend this Toshiba very highly to anyone looking to spend between $600 and $700 for a 32" HDTV.

I bought this tv based upon the reviews I read here...great start hdtv for the $$. The set worked great for about 2 weeks then I started having problems with the HDMI connected components. The cable tv hdmi connection would often have a "No Signal" response on the set and this would only be corrected by turning on the second HDMI component (a dvd player). Seems like there is a serious problem with the HDMI board. In any case, after a couple months, Toshiba replaced the HDMI board (under warranty), but sadly (after a 25 day repair time-frame), the same problem ensued. Basically, I'd be cautious buying this set if you plan to plug in more than one HDMI component. Great picture and decent sound when it is actually working.

I've decided to update my review, because after months of talking to Toshiba and having my TV in a repair shop, I've finally gotten some answers from the real tech gurus out there. I learned that the HDMI issue that I had with this TV was not related to the TV itself but to the HDTV cable box provided by Comcast, go figure. Comcast is apparently working on a software update that will allow the HDMI connection to work properly, but they haven't fixed the problem yet....no surprise there, and I wouldn't expect any upgrades soon.

Last week our <4 yr old 32" Panasonic CRT set decided to stop working for some unknown reason. Though not exactly in our budget, we were forced to buy a new TV. It was time to upgrade to an LCD flat panel.

To make a long story shorter I was looking at the Sonys and the Samsungs when my wife spotted this Toshiba.

The good:
1) "By today's standards" the price was right. A lot of bang for the buck... so far.
2) It has multiple inputs for my older components as well as room to upgrade to newer ones, plus
3) The picture looked great.
4) It weighs less than 30lbs, a far cry from the CRT set it replaces. I can handle this one by myself.
5) Glare has been a problem in our home. This set has completely eliminated that.
6) Not a nice wood veneered cabinet, but the I have to admit that I like the piano black finish much more than I thought I would

The bad: (C'mon. You knew it was coming.)
1) I don't want to have to turn on the amplifier every time I watch the evening news, so I have to say that the built-in speakers leave a lot to be desired, even for TV built-ins.
2) I found the set-up to be challenging. It took me a few days to come up w/settings I could live with.
3) As one who remembers the "instant-on" TV craze it seems to take an unusually long time for the set to decide whether or not it will light. The Panasonic's (CRT) amplifier would come on almost immediately followed by the picture. When powering up this set, nothing at all happens for about 10 secs. It acts like an old tube set from the '60's. Is that normal for these?

That's about it, both the good and the bad as I see it so far. I only hope we can expect to get more than 4 yrs from this one.

A local seller had this on sale for the price I paid here but since I saved the tax and gas it would cost to drive there - I feel I got a pretty good deal. Since the free delivery is "white glove" - they will even remove it from the box to make sure there are no visible scratches/damages. Taxes where I live are almost 10% so I always check amazon before I buy any large ticket item. Every little bit helps.

As far as quality - picture looks great - TV is cute - the base is a little larger than I care for (16") but still OK. I'm not a real "technical-type" chick but I'm happy with my purchase. The remote lights up - all buttons - which is great for night time use but since I use a cable remote - I don't get to benefit from it.

I am really disappointed with this TV. I have only had this tv for about 4 months and I have picture problems all the time. The problems I have had so far are: no picture at all (just sound), the picture jumping on the screen, the sound going funky, and also just a static over the top of the picture. The only way to fix any of these problems is to turn it off and unplug all the cables and replug them in. I don't know why unplugging the cables works but it does every time. It will usually last a week or two before the next mess up but who wants to keep unplugging cables all the time? Very annoying. I wish I could return it but I guess that window is closed.

I bought this TV in 2008. It was good until it started to have issues with the picture. The issue is: Occasionally, I'll turn the TV on, only the sound comes on and not the picture. This doesn't happen every time but enough for me to consider it a problem that could only get worse. I'm now trying to figure out how to return it and find a replacement. Hopefully I can... I would think it's under warranty.