Customer Reviews

Toshiba 62HM94 62-Inch 720p DLP HDTV

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was very skeptical to puy my 3K+ money into a TV if it wouldn't be worth it. i did a lot of online research going through lot of HDTV Reviews especially DLP ones because I wasn't interested in Plasma/LCD etc because of their few well-known prolems and comparatively higher-costs. Initially was interested in Samsung6163 but later thought of 5674 but because of higher/better features-to-Cost ratio I settled with Toshiba 62HM94. For last 5 weeks, I have been proud owner of this fabulaous jewel. I have hooked it up with my Onkyo NR801 Receiver and Infinity TSS1100 speakers and a simple cheaper progressive-scan DVD player (with Component Video and Digital Coaxial/Optical output). And i don't need to go to a Theater anymore. Excellent unbelievable (more that I had expected) picture quality which mattered me most in my selection, Audio was too pretty good but I am using my home-theater setup. It's pretty light-weight (100 lbs) and compact size. Only 1 thing I found in Samsung and wished Toshiba too could have..Slim Bezel and TV-speakers at bottom instead of sides. I am very happy with Toshiba which delivers standard digital-cable signal as good that I can think of what if I drop my plan to subscribe HDTV...

I have had this set for three weeks now. It looked pretty good right out of the box. Now it looks even better.The HD channels are fantastic, digital channels are chrystal clear and even SD channels look very good after some tweaking. The secret to a better SD picture on HDTVs seems to be to turn the contrast down and the sharpness way down! A couple of days ago I added a Motorola Signal Booster and that really made a big diffence. The SD channels look a lot clearer and the color is better. I am getting my HD programing through a Motorola 6208 DVR through my cable company. They don't have cable cards available yet. I have everything running througha Yamaha RX-V2500 receiver so I have the TV speakers turned off.

I am adding to this review to report one problem with the set. Actually the problem is not just with this particular model but will all Toshiba sets that include the built in TV Guide program. I have had the TV for about a month now and the set is great except that the built in TV Guide does not work at all. When I try to access the TV Guide I get a message saying "There is no data for this screen." I have gone through the set up several times but the problem persists. From listening in on the AVS forums I learned that this is an ongoing problem with the set. I called Toshiba who acknowledged the problem and said that they are working on it. They thought they had it fixed but it did not work. This is causing a big problem for people using the cable card because they have no other cable guide available. People who bought the Symbio at the same time that they bought their sets are partcularly upset because without the TV Guide the Symbio will not work. However this is the only problem that I have with the set right now. If you plan to use a STB with this set then the problems should be minimal because you can use the cable guide that comes with that.

I purchased this TV in 2/05. I was initially unimpressed with the picture quality. In standard definition cable signal the picture can appear to varying degrees, a bit out of focus and fuzzy. I was very concerned and called customer service to have the TV looked at. They were very helpful and located a local repair center for me so that I could then call to schedule an in home appointment. I later learned that HDTV's are designed to show there best picture with an HDTV signal. So I upgraded my cable service to HDTV. It made a tremendous difference when viewing a program on an HDTV channel. In high definition the picture is crystal clear with excellent brightness and color. Sound quality is very impressive even when at maximum volume (no distortion). The theatre type sound effect can be improved with the addition of a surround sound system but it is not needed.

One minor fault, I was not able to get the TV Guide feature to work as a previous writer had mentioned

When I first purchased this tv the built in tv guide would not work. I called Toshiba and they were very helpful. They sent me a sim upgrade that cleared up the problem. Also the bulb failed while under warranty and they sent me a new bulb to replace the old one. However I am concerned that the bulb would fail with just under a year of duty.

Overall the picture is very good, and in HDTV the picture is incredible. Watching movies is a sheer delight.

My only complaints at this time are that the TV will not auto skip channels for which there is no reception, and it takes a good 5 to 10 seconds to change channels when surfing, a real annoyance. They really need some kind of autoprogramming feature that you find with most TV sets today.

Overall, a wonderful picture and customer service was quite good, unlike some of the other experiences posted. Changing channels if you don't know where you want to go can be realllllly frustrating.

Before signing and accepting delivery of any Toshiba DLP, be sure to check the screen to make sure that the coating on the inside of the screen is uniform. On mine, there was a circle about 10" in diameter that you can see in certain lighting and even when the TV is off! It will appear lighter than the surrounding areas at times and can be annoying. I called Toshiba and had a service man come out and even though he acknowledged that this is common, Toshiba will not replace the screen. I would have given them a negative 10 if it were possible just because of their attitude. So, look at the screen VERY carefully before accepting or purchasing. If you see this problem, refuse to accept it. Or else just buy a Samsung or Mitsubishi DLP to avoid the problem I have.

I have trouble with the image on my Toshiba 62hm94 and since have been checking user reviews found on the web. Well I just thought I would share that I have had similar troubles getting anywhere with the repair of my television. When you call customer service they do thier best to not identify when you may expect a repair, or what you should expect of them. Very frustrating.

I purchased a Toshiba HDTV and had it fail just after the 2 year warranty expired. Toshiba explained there was nothing they would do back up their product. No TV should fail after 2 years. I recommend selecting another brand, you can get the same performance and price, and end up with a more reliable product.