Customer Reviews

Toshiba REGZA 42XV540U 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I needed a flatscreen to go above my fireplace in a fairly sunny room. It also had to be 120Hz as I watch a lot of sport. I can say that this TV is really incredible, especially when you consider the price. I read "techie" reviews at AVSforum and was impressed. Hockey seems to benefit the most from 120Hz with the fast player movement, fast camera panning, and tiny puck. Turning 120Hz (clearframe) off really makes you realize the difference. The colors are great, bright without being too unrealistic. The sound is good enough. I recommend turning the bass boost to medium to reduce some occasional distortion. Although it has a glossy frame, its thin, so isn't too distracting. The IR passthrough feature is great - I have the TV above the fireplace, and the A/V components off to the side out of view. The only negative thing I've found so far is the time it takes the TV to readjust after changing channels (using an HD satellite box...it takes a couple of seconds to change channels). However, I am not sure if this is the TV's fault or the satellite receiver. I've had the TV for several months and am still impressed every time I turn it on.

I picked this model Toshiba for the following reasons:
1. 42" is the maximum size I can fit on the TV stand
2. Consumer reports rated this TV as one of the best 42" LCD TVs
3. This TV has one of the better viewing angles from the side (LCD TVs can distort as the viewer moves more to the side of the TV)
4. LCD TVs usually consume less power then Plasma TVs
5. The 120hz should make rapid motion programs (e.g. sports) smoother then lower refresh rates

After owning this TV for about 3 weeks, I love it! As best I can tell, all the criteria above were met or exceeded.

The delivery and installation was great too, these TVs come in very big boxes and with the delivery person's help I had the TV connected and working in about 10 minutes.

True HD programming is awesome, from football to movies to nature documentaries. I can hardly wait until all TV programs go HD, since non-HD looks "fuzzy" in comparison.

Toshiba REGZA 42XV540U 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

Item was selected based on Consumer Reports reviews. Amazon had it in stock for the right price, it was purchased and we are very satisfied with our choice. Installation was easy and we look forward to years of enjoyment.

There are many reviews here that complain that this TV does not live up to the glorious and overly-hyped standards of a Samsung. Well, good luck trying to get a comparable Samsung for the same price that this Toshiba can be purchased. The 42" Samsung A650 or A750 series LCD TVs are nearly double the price of the Toshia Regza 540U, and the differences are so minute and negligible that the cost does not outweigh the benefits. If you really want a truly top-of-the-line HDTV, even in 2009 with prices dropping on this technology, you are not going to find it at this price point. The Samsung 950 series or the LG X series are upwards of 3 times the cost of this model! So I do not really understand buying this TV and complaining that it does not live up to the standards of a model that is in a completely different class. That would be like buying a Honda Accord - a great car by all accounts - and complaining that it did not deliver the same performance as a Porsche Carrera.

And addressing the review about the TV going bad after 14 days: look, I believe this probably happened. No manufacturer is without assembly line problems. Even that glorious Samsung has likely turned out a lemon here and there. It happens. But what kind of store did you buy this from that after only 14 days you could not return it? Even low-budget retailers like HH Gregg and Electronics Express offer in-store exchanges within this time frame. And if you purchased it from somewhere that had a "zero returns" policy, well, that right there is a red flag to probably not spend $1000.

As for the performance of this TV - it's fantastic. Why get an HDTV if not to use with digital HD cable programming, and BluRay technology? So talking about what this TV looks like using analog cable is pointless. No HDTV - no matter how elite - is going to look great displaying a non-HD image. But the Regza's HD performance is flawless. Read any of the industry reviews - they all agree that the HD performance is as superior as any of the other models.

This is an economical option for people looking for an excellent-to-superior quality entry-level HDTV experience, but who aren't also interested in spending $3000 to do it. This TV looks great, performs amazingly, has a great track record, a great industry-review record, and is backed by a solid company with a solid reputation.

All that I expected. Very easy to install, menu clear. Outstanding picture with Directv HD option.

This is my family's first HDTV. It is simple to set up. The controler for this television is simple to use and easy to program with other devices hooked up to the television such as satalite recievers, dvd, and vcr players. The picture quality is amazing, but anything is better than our old television with lines running down the screen. It is also a great buy for the price too.

For the first two weeks of owning this product I had a wonderful tv. It was too good to last. The screen died. The audio still worked but there was no picture. Toshiba tried to blame me; surely I, the ignorant customer, had done something wrong.Purhaps I had set it outside in a rainstorm or dropped it off my roof.
Nope. Sorry Toshiba, I didn't do anything except try to watch tv with my wonderful television. You created a subpar product and refuse to assist you customers once your products stop working. Long story made short, I had to fight for 2 months with Toshiba representatives who refused to cover repair costs, transportation to the repair facility (they wanted $300 to drive the tv 3 1/2 hours), or to refund my purchase. They changed their minds when I contacted my lawyer. Apparently unless a Toshiba employee personally takes a bat to your television they will refuse to cover the repair costs. They make good short term televisions but their customer service is absolutely appalling. Don't buy this tv if you're worried about getting an onion and don't have a good lawyer. Go with a Samsung. I bought an LN46A650 to replace this tv and have been extremely pleased with my new purchase. Toshiba has permanently lost this customer.

Have had the set for only three days, but the initial impressions are very positive.
* The picture looks amazing.
* The overall design is attractive.
* Viewing angle is excellent. We use the swivel base so we can see it from our kitchen area and while still at a steep angle, it looks good.
* Not sure how much the 120 HZ helps, but watching the National Championship football game last night in HD looked awesome.
* Standard definition TV and non-upconverting DVDs look good too.

I'm impressed with the level of color/picture controls available -- I'd read a review that complained about the inability to control the primary color feeds, but this latest version gives complete control over those. I may never tweak those because the picture so far looks great, but it's good to know I could if I wanted to.

The only con of this model is the lack of a USB or SD port. I think I'd use that...

Overall, extremely pleased and this set comes highly recommended.

I replaced my 42 plasma that died with this one. Overall I'm very happy with the UI and the picture. I have spend quite a bit of time tweeking the picture however and now when i view with the built in settings (sports, movie, standard etc...) I am amazed at how awful those setting are. The only problem I've had is that sound from some stations drops out now and then. I connect to my Comcast HD DVR with an HDMI cable. When I asked Toshiba about it they said they had a firmware fix and mailed me a SD card with the new firmware the next day. The upgrade was easy and I no longer experience the drop outs. My firmware was 4.2.40.0 Apr. 7 2008. The new firmware is 4.2.46.0 dated Oct. 6 2008.

I purchased this television locally, and I absolutely love it! The picture is incredible, especially on my Playstation 3 (games and movies). I haven't even tweaked the settings much yet, and it is a beautiful picture. I can't believe the number of features crammed into this television for the price (I paid $1099). This set had many more features than similarly priced Sony, Samsung, or Sharp models. The setup was incredibly easy, also. I just plugged everything right in! I have a DVR, digital cable box, PS3, and home theater system, so I was surprised how well it went. One nice thing is that this set has both analog and digital audio inputs. A friend bought a Philips 47 inch LCD and had problems because it only had digital audio. He had to use the headphone jack to use his home theater (I only add this to show the number of features). The user interface on this set is great, as well, I found it easy to move between inputs, adjust settings, etc. All in all, a wonderful set, and an excellent value at this price!!

Don't look solely at the rating on this, as there are several idiotic reviews that have nothing to do with the television itself!! Read for yourself and you will see that nearly all of the real ratings for this set are 5 star.