Great options for viewing formats. Easy to use convergence adjustments.

Batteries in front of remote, poorly balanced in hand. Unable to POP swap between Antenna 1 & 2 - meaning those with Digital Cable cannot swap between output from the box on one antenna and raw lower channels on the other antenna. Would be nice if there were more than one "Preference" setting for picture setup. My old Mitsubishi direct-view 35" had 4 or 5 seperate picture setups that were all user adjustable.

Looks like a promising buy, especially with Sears doing Internet Price matching, but my set seems to be suffering the on/off issue mentioned with other reviews after having it only 3 days. Called Toshiba and they say it is a fault due to poor handling during delivery. Sears service is coming out tomorrow. If it''s fixed and is due to bad handling while shipping I''ll rate this set a 4.5/5 for price/feature. If it''s a manufacturer fault then I''d beware of buying this model as it seems to be more than a rare occurance! All that aside, great Theatre-wide mode options allowing for highly watchable display of 4:3 input in a 16:9 output. DVD''s are clean, bright and beautiful even with a regular non-progressive scan model. You get out what you put in wrt to cable stretched to 16:9. ATT seems to be using high compression in my area so the signal is not as good as it could be and you are more aware of that on a bigger display than you are on a smaller TV. If you plan to watch mostly suspect-quality analogue signals, eg off-air antenna or cable, you might want to consider a smaller set. 2/5 overall rating is due to the on/off issue mentioned above.

like i said crisp clear picture with excellent audio system and the outputs.

i have not found one yet.

this it it guys. if you ever wanted to own a tv that does it all, this is the tv. briliant crisp clear picture that looks like a tube tv but its a projection tv. before i bought the tv, i looked around. i did my homework. i could not come up with any other tv around my price rang then this. if you love to watch movies get this tv and you''ll be amaged.i''m very happy with the product and i highly recomend whomever is in the market to buy a projection tv.

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sony 32" tv.

Vibrant picture with excellent color and contrast, good audio, multiple A/V inputs, multiple picture modes.

Average cabinet quality and overall fit and finish. TV/VCR only for standard remote.

I''m happy with the TV, the picture is sharp with great color and contrast when adjusted properly. The audio is also decent. The adjustable picture sizes are great for watching 4:3 material on the 16:9 screen. The slight stretching of the picture required for this is barely perceptable. I think Toshiba has done a nice job offering great picture quality and many features at this pricepoint. Where they appear to save the money is with the cabinet and screen. The build quality is okay but does not compare to the furniture-like look of some of the more expensive Mitsubishi and Pioneer models. The screen is also quite reflective so placement in a room is important. Also the remote is weak, it only has the ability to operate a TV and VCR. I wanted a better remote so I purchased the one used for the upscale 50HX81 which can operate multiple A/V components. All in all, a great set for the money.

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None

Amazing picture, nice well built cabinet 240 lbs able to place my large center speaker on top ( The 42H81 is only 150 lbs which is good but the cabinet much slighter no place for center speaker ) I love the wide modes from Toshiba especially wide 1 does an excellent job with stretching 4x3 sources

Color..wish it was black to match everything else

This set should be getting a similar rating to the 42H81...its the same set..I''ve had no problems in three weeks...picture is amazing to say the least with some minor convergence adjustments..to be expected from a projection set You do need a fairly large room to sit a least 12 feet from the screen

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Considered Hitachi also very good Reviews but 43" to small 53" to big for my room size also higher price

Beautiful picture. Backlit remote.

My first one had problems, and apparently I'm not the only one.

I'm currently happy with this set, HOWEVER....

I also experienced several problems. I bought this set after checking the generally favorable reviews on this site regarding other Toshiba RPTVs (this set was not listed then), and am surprised at the problems I (and apparently others) have had. After a number of problems with my original purchase, Sears replaced the set and I've been very happy with it since (keeping fingers crossed).

Here's a rundown of the problems the first set had:

1. Right out of the box, the geometry was way, way off. This caused any straight horizontal lines (like the letterbox mentioned below) to be curved. A Sears service tech came out and went into the service menu and adjusted it. The replacement set also had this problem, but not as bad. I found a site that explains how to fix basic problems like these at http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/index.htm. Using the instructions there, I was able to fix the geometry, but you shouldn't have to do that with a brand new $2000 TV.

2. This only happened once during a movie.... all the flesh tones turned blue. I turned it off and back on and it was better. Weird.

3. The TV would periodically (about once or twice a week) turn itself off and then back on. Again, Sears came out, soldered a connection and said it was fixed. It wasn't. When the problem continued, Sears replaced the TV.

I've had the replacement for a little over a month now, and it's performed flawlessly (once I dialed in the geometry and convergence), knock on wood.

If it weren't for the problems of the first set, I'd give it a 5 - it really does have a beautiful picture, the sound is great (even though I have the TV speakers bypassed to my home theater), and I'm now very happy with it. Because of all the crap I had to go through with my first one, I give it a 3.

Kudos to Sears though! If you're thinking of buying any TV, go to Sears. They have a policy of Internet price matching, so you can get a decent price. They tried to charge me the Internet price I found, plus the shipping I would've paid (plus tax of course), but a little bit of haggling got them to within $100 of the Internet price without the shipping. When the first set had a problem, they tried to fix it, when they didn't, they replaced it without any argument, including free delivery (again, I had to haggle a little on the free delivery, but they didn't put up much of an argument). I doubt I would've gotten the same service from any Internet dealer (although if you check the Toshiba web site, there are some authorized Internet dealers).

Overall, you can probably save $500 over a comprable Hitachi or Sony, and have as good a picture if you're willing to risk buying one of these. If you don't want to risk it, spend the extra money on the Hitachi.

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No other RPTVs.

Gorgeous picture with all sources,the picture even looks great when viewed from extreme angles.Nicely laid out remote.

None..so far.I've only owned the set for two weeks so I'll see if any gremlins creep in the next couple months.

I wanted this set the moment I laid my eyes on its gorgeous picture...amazing clarity and detail with vibrant colors. I initially saw it in BB in early December and I was smitten right away...I HAD to have this set. We were planning to get one of the Panasonic 47" Widescreen HDTV's but those plans were dashed after sitting in front of this TV for a couple of minutes.Unfortunately, BB had it backordered and couldn't give us a firm date when they would be getting some into the store...they said sometime in January. My wife went online at Sears and tracked one down in their Lawrenceville,NJ store...our local store in Hamilton Mall didn't have it in stock. We didn't want it during the holiday so we arranged a delivery date for Jan. 9th. Well, I was on pins and needles for several weeks worrying about some of the problems that others had experienced with this set. Luckily, everything has worked great from the start. The picture looked pretty good right outta the box but it definitely needed some adjustments. We fiddled around with different settings for a couple days until we finally agreed that we had gotten it pretty close to optimum. I still plan to buy the Video Essentials,Avia,or Sound and Vision set-up DVD because that's the only way to truly know that you have everything set up properly. We had digital cable installed last week and it looks great. I'm using the component video connection from my Toshiba SD-3109 DVD player and it looks fantastic on this set. I can't wait to see the improvement when I eventually add a progressive scan DVD player to the mix.

In conclusion, we're absolutely thrilled with the Toshiba 50H81. I'll be sure to present a follow-up review in the next couple months to let everyone know if any glitches crop up.

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It's my first Widescreen HDTV.

I guess I am lucky because I have no idea what all these other reviews have against this T.V. 1st thing...I bought from dealer (best buy)which is well known and close buy...Iv'e heard of horror stories of these buy and forget you internet deals...and if it isn't a licensed dealer for toshiba thru internet the warranty is VOID!!!Iv'e had this t.v. now for 5 weeks with not a bit of trouble...its hooked up with a top of the line onkyo a/v reciever,and sony progressive scan dvd player...went thru the extra cost of monster component cables and optical hookup cable...about$300 dollars...ouch!!!but well worth it!!!The picture is BEAUTIFUL and no problems at all like the other reviews...if you go through the whole instruction book on setting it up..and...setting up your a/v reciever as far as balancing the 5 surround speakers correctly..( took a little time)the outcome is wonderful....I have no regrets on buying this set the 50H81.no shutting on and off or any of the other problems...even the remote is nice because it can learn all the commands of your other remotes so all you have is one single remote to deal with.also..the auto color adjust is nice,if the picture looks even a little different all you have to do is push the button on front of set and it automaticlly adjusts the color guns!!I looked and studied a lot of sets and came up with toshiba projection high definition to be the best picture for the money...I have NO regrets!!!

If you faihfully read and understand how to set up set completely from instruction booklet...I have so far found nothing wrong!!!

Like I said if you follow everything for correct setup and use top of the line cable hookups..if you don't, it's like getting a $2000 dollar stereo system and hooking it up to $200 speaker's to play it through...It does make a difference in picture quality...for value...I give it 2 stars...yes it's expensive ...but isn't everything when it first comes out...jeesh..when HI-FI vcr's first came out in early 1984...I paid $1000.00 for mine ...now you can get a nice one for $100 bucks...overall rate is 5 star's...Usually I don't write reviews but after reading the bum rap this set was getting I just had to...

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set before was a sony 35 inch trinitron..now in spare bedroom for playstation 2...

None to date

Horrible picture quality with my Direct TV

This review is actually on the 42H81; the smaller version of this set. I just purchased this TV and I must say I am not impressed. My biggest complaint is the picture quality with Direct TV. I contacted the store I purchased the set from and they said, "I must not have a strong signal". Which could be true, being that the dish is on the top of my apartment building. My next complaint is that when watching letterbox HBO movies, the black bars above and below the picture are uneven. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. Again, the store I purchased the set at blamed the problem on the type of signal I am receiving in from Direct TV. If anyone else has any further information on this, I would greatly appreciate it.

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Sony Wega

Great picture

Doesnt allow PIP in HD modes.

My First one Shut itself off also. It was a pertect mode when the phosphurous burned off the guns. It only did it the first two weeks. But then the picture acted like it had a virticle hold issue. (bad circuit boards) Toshiba then replaced it with a new TV and has since been wonderful. (1 month and crossing my fingers.

Gorgeous picture

None ...so far

Had my set for just over 3 mo now and so far, no problems at all. Picture image is smooth and color is terrific. I looked at several other sets in this size & price range, (Sony, Hitachi,) but none stacked up to the 50H81. The only minor complaint I can think of is that the convergence seems to drift and has to be checked every couple of weeks. I dont see anything wrong with the picture, but the convergence pattern in the menu indicates its off. I can't comment on the sound of this set since all my audio is directed to my home theatre setup. As soon as there is more Hi Def program material available in Canada, I will be going for a Hi Def upgrade to my satelite receiver. In the mean time, This set produces an awesome, film like picture from all 480i signal sources.
No regrets...

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