Amazing Picture quality! NO scan lines and perfect for Anamorphic DVDs!

Crappy signals show clearly.

I am really glad that I picked up this set. I purchased the set without even seeing it! I did not know how it looked in real life as I've only seen pictures of it in the Toshiba web site. Well, when the set arrived, I had a big smile on my face! Even after a month, I smile when I'm watching cable and just say, "I'm glad I bought this TV!".

I've been using the set to watch Cable, DVDs and VHS and they all look great. I also use the set to play videogames from the Sega Dreamcast and it's a match made in heaven! I really enjoy Toshiba's Picture out of Picture (POP) as I can play a game (no sound needed) and watch TV at the same time! I think PIP is too small and it blocks the main image. I really like the Channel scan too but, I enjoy flipping channels so this takes the fun out of that :)

I have calibrated the set using AVIA and suggest anyone getting the set to do the same. I haven't watched HDTV materials on the set but, hopefully I will be watching HDTV next year :)

I have to applaud Toshiba for releasing an excellent set for the best price!!

Best picture I've ever seen on a TV....smooth "film-like" quality. Works especially well with Tosh 5109 Prog scan DVD player.

Slow speed of changing channels

Bought the set sight unseen....turned out the gamble paid off handsomely! Heard that I couldn't get one until the end of Jan. but the Toshiba rep found one in a Toronto warehouse that I would have to buy by the end of Nov. or they would ship it to Quebec to fill the demand...I immediatly put down my deposit and it arrived the following week. Paid $3200 Canadian including delivery. I too agree that the ideal height should be a few inches higher (but not 12-15) I'm having a custom built entertainment unit built to fit the set as well as an audio component rack and house my B&W 602 speakers and CC6 centre channel speaker. The unit will also have doors that will completely hide the set when not in use and will raise it about 3". Very pleased so far, especially with the 5109 DVD progressive scan DVD player...movies are almost as good as in the theater!

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The best 40 inc TV I have ever used

Automatic convergence would have been better

The picture quality is the best so far among digital ready TV's I have seen.

This is the best set in its range, Hdtv ready makes it a winner. Best picture-is this really a rear projection. If your a movie fan: 16:9 ratio is the way to go. Forget 4:3 that is a thing of the past, like B&W.

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I was thinking of buying the Sony XBR 32, but I had a difficult time shelling out the big bucks for a 32 inch, even if it is a XBR. Remember that Hdtv is coming, you don't want to be left out in the cold a year from now. Hats of to toshiba, a hdtv ready, 16:9 ratio for under $4000 Cdn. I researched my stuff and give anyone thinking of buying a tv to be part of the home theater ensemble to go ahead a buy it. Its tough to get a hold of one, and if you can, grab it, but a word of advice, shop around- look for the best price, prices do vary greatly for this set.

amazingly sharp picture, great color, good speakers for center channel use

slow tuner, "Full Screen" mode

This TV is simply brilliant when properly tweaked. For the record, here is my Home Theater set up...

Toshiba TW40x81
Pioneer VSX-29TX receiver, used in 7.1 THX EX
Parasound HCA-1000A amp (rear surrounds only)
Pioneer DV-05 DVD player
B&W DM 603 S2 fronts
B&W DS6 surrounds
B&W LCR6 center
Boston Acoustics v2000 sub

for a while, I had used the TW40x81's speakers for the center channel, but then started using the B&W LCR6, which makes the system sound much more balanced. The TV can be a little heavy on the reds out of the box, but this is easily fixed by any DIY audio/HT enthusiast. I can't say enough about the clarity of this set, after watching about 100 DVDs (with the Pioneer DV-05) I can honestly say that I haven't been disappointed even once. About the only thing negative is that the screen is pretty small for a home theater set up, but even guests sitting in the back row of my 3-row theater have said that the clarity and accuracy of the picture was sufficient for viewing at a distance of 18 feet. One other thing, of the 3 screen width choices, Standard, Theater Wide and "Full Screen", I find that the stretching used for Full Screen can get pretty unrealistic in some movies mastered for 4:3. I don't really find this to be a weakness though, since I never intended to watch anything by 16:9 DVDs on this set.

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too many to list...

Super picture. Reasonable price. Only 20 inches deep.

Certain control features toggle through rather than select directly. Defaults to factory settings when the power fails.

Easy to set up and adjust thanks to a god manual. After running through the "Video Essential" setup the picture was even better. However, there seems to be some variation through out the idustry in nomenclature; for example you set the image on this unit to "Full", my DVD Player is set to "16:9" and I use the "Widescreen" side of a disc to get anamorphic yet nobody actually uses the word "anamorphic" in any f their manuals. Hence you somes have a bd of trial and error to figure out when you've got all the modes compatible.

I've started to grow used to the picture quality and am really dismayed when I look at an older traditional TV nd see how bad it was all those years.

You select the source (Ant/TV1/TV2/HDTV1...etc) by toggling trough thr choices. Same for image mode (Standard/Widescreen/Full). This makes it nearly impossible to program a one touch sequence a programmable remote. This is not that serious inconvenence but it is annoying. If there was a way to directly select these it would be really cool.

Great Picture, Strong Detail

Crapped out after 3 1/2 Months

Well, let me just say this TV was great for the period of time that it worked. I had no picture problems with Cable, DVD, or even VCR. Everyone was astonished with the picture. However, after 3 months, the convergance started drifting, and after that, the TV just popped and died. Now whenever I turn it on, it becomes unwatchable. I call Toshiba Service and they will fix the TV not replace it. Now, how would you feel after shelling out Upwards of $3,000, (bought an extended warranty, paid $2500 for the TV)) on a new TV to have it breakdown and have the manufacteur tell you they will replace a TV, even though a circut board has a burnt diode, and the convergance holder is defective. Then get this, I ask to speak to a manager at Customer Service, and get hung up on. The retailer wants nothing to do with me because its after 30 days. All I have to say is Toshiba Service is horrible. I would not reccommend this product to anyone just because of Toshiba Service. Its ashame because the TV was great as long as it worked. Now its just collecting dust in my living. I'm one disgruntled TV owner. If anyone reads this and knows of a Toshiba rep, please share this story. Thanks (Ps, It's now been 3 weeks without a TV, and the service guys still haven't called regarding parts for my defective TV) I give this 5 stars for value, great TV if it works, 1 star overall, Toshiba service stinks.

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Sony RPTV, Panasonic Superflat GAOO

DVD's look great
HDTV looks great (VIA TOSHIBA DST 3000 HDTV RECEIVER)

CABLE LOOKS HORRIBLE
SATALITE NON HDTV SOURCES LOOK HORRIBLE(VIA TOSHIBA DST 3000 HDTV RECEIVER)
CHANNEL CHANGING IS SLOW
REMOTE IS SET UP STUPIDLY
COLOR, CONTRAST, ETC HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BE ADJUSTED WHEN SWITCHING BETWEEN INPUT SOURCES (DVD, SATELITE, VCR, ETC)
THE TW40X81 AND THE TOSHIBA DST 3000 HDTV RECIEVER ARE THE MOST UNUSER-FRIENLY DEVISES I HAVE EVER USED. AND I AM TECHNICALLY SAVY.
GETTING A PERFECT PICTURE ON A PROJECTION TV IS A HELLACIOUS PROCESS.

I could only recommend this set under the following conditions: You pay $1800 or less for it (they are now in stores selling for that much), you only plan to watch DVD's or HDTV on it, and you are of above average intellegence and technically savy. I have a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound system that rules, but this is not a requirement because the speaker system on the tw40x81 is quite impressive (it even has a built in subwoffer).

My video system consists of the following: Toshiba TW40x81 HDTV; Toshiba DST 3000 HDTV receiver; Toshiba progressive scan SD6200 DVD player.

Furthermore, my set is properly calibrated and focused. I know this because I had a service tech calibrate and focus it, and the picture looks absolutely stunning on both the component 1 and component 2 inputs when running DVD's or HDTV.

Unfortunatly, this is the TV I am forced to use for watching regular satalite TV (I switched from cable to satelite hoping that would improve the picture). My expectations were high since I purchased the Toshiba DST 3000 HDTV receiver which converts all sources, even non-HDTV sources, to 1080i. However, the picture from non-HDTV satelite was pethetic to say the least. The problem is, it's blurry beyond belief. Everyone who sees it, my friends, even my mother, agrees (and she's no videophile). The blurriness is so bad that it is even less enjoyable to watch than when I had cable, and cable looked gross.

Also, if you want HDTV, you better be rich. In addition to spending $500 for an HDTV receiver (yes, the prices have come down), you will spend $140 on a special satelite dish. But the cost that really hurts is the $60 a month for satelite TV. Why $60? Because there is only one (that's right, one) HDTV channel that Direct TV offers. That is HBO channel number 509, and it is only offered in HBO packages which cost at least $50 per month. Then there is tax, local channels, additional satelite receivers that DTV attaches additional charges to. For me, those additional charges brings the bill to $60 per month.

Furthermore, not all HDTV broadcasting from channel 509 is good quality. For example, my jaw hit the floor when watching Gladitor on HDTV. The picture on HDTV looked even better than Gladiator on DVD (I own the DVD). I was very happy with this. But only about 1/3 of the broadcasting off channel 509 yeilds such visually stunning results. They show older movies, as well as documenteries, etc. that don't look much better than regular satelite TV. $60 per month is alot of money to pay for only one channel that shows quality movies only one-third of the time.

By the way, I use Monster3 Component Video Cables that cost me $90 in order to connect my DST 3000 box to the TW40x81. However, for my own curriously I also tested this connection using S-video cables, just to see the results. Obviously, the S-video connection looked like crap too.

If I had to do it over, I would go with a progressive scan direct view TV. Much less hassle, and they work well with non-DVD or non-HDTV sources. You can find these for about $1,700. Then, buy a satelite reciever that converts to 480p, and I would keep my progressive scan DVD player.

Feel free to ask if questions.

Doug

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SHOPPED AROUND AND COMPARED TO NUMERIOUS DIRECT VIEW AND PROJECTIONS TV'S

If you are looking for a relatively compact, rear projection TV in a 16:9 format, I highly recommend this set. The footprint of this set is less than 20 inches in depth and not much wider than many stands used for a 36" set. Watching a widescreen movie from DVD or another high quality source on this set is a revelation. The picture takes on a film-like quality that is free of interlacing due to the set's progressive capability. Thus far, I have not noticed any of the motion artifacts that often are visible with inexpensive line doublers. The 16:9 format and three theater wide modes facilitate filling the screen with movies in a variety of aspect ratios.
Right out of the box, the picture looked very good, but the contrast was much too high. After adjustment using the Video Essentials DVD, the picture improved substantially. The brightness of the image is close to that of my direct view set. Reflections from the screen protector are no more of a problem than with most conventional sets with relatively flat screens.
I was initially concerned about burn-in if 4:3 images are viewed for extended periods. However, I have found that one of the gradual stretch modes expands a 4:3 image to fill the screen in a way that does not detract from my viewing pleasure.
I have only a few minor quibbles.
1) The top of the set is shallow (about 5 inches) which makes placement of a center channel speaker more challenging. The speakers in the set offer the capability to be used as a center channel, but I doubt these would be a good match for most high quality, right and left front speakers.
2) The set also benefits from being elevated about 12 to 18 inches. This gives the best image when seated in my opinion. The image is good over a horizonatal spread of about 120 degrees (Toshiba claims 160), but like most rear projection sets the best viewing angle vertically is in about a 30 degree range. I purchased an EFAV stand made by Sanus that holds more equipment than the optional stand from Toshiba and raises the set about 15 inches.
3) Like many big screen sets, deficiencies in poor source material are more noticeable.

Am absolutely delighted with the quality of the picture. The biggest positive surprise is how good it looks with plain old analog cable tv.

It IS slow to warm up, and slow to change channels.

Much better than expected picture. DVD is great, but quality of regular cable picture is a pleasant surprise. Got it cheap from UBID, but had to wait several weeks for it. When I complained they rebated half of the shipping charge (half of $295), so I paid about $1,900 net. Considered the Sony 36" XBR. Glad I bought this one.