I thought I would post and tell any owners of this set that I am getting a refund for my set and toshiba will be picking up the set this week. it has been very frustrating owning a tv like this but i have to thank toshiba for standing behind their product. I havent ever dealt with sony customer service but from what I hear if your tv is screwed up too bad. Toshiba was very good to me as they sent a repair kit first but it did nothing. I think the key thing for you owners is to contact your local service center and show them the problem. I know my center really thought I was being picky until he saw the pattern I was describing. I recommend a solid color such as blue or red to see the pattern. Then let the service center get in touch with toshiba for you. I feel like a technician talking carries more weight than me or you. Once I did this the rep called my home and asked me about wanting the refund and it took 2 weeks or so but I will finally be rid of this set. Just be patient but dont settle for a set you know is defective. Good luck to you.

Excellent color and lots of features.

Slow channel/video switching is annoying.

I purchased this set in 10-99 and had the same moiré pattern problem. United Audio where I purchased it said they had never heard of this problem before. Their repair Tech contacted Toshiba and ultimately installed the fix. In my case it did work and the moiré pattern is now gone. As a result I am now very satisfied with the TV.

My set has the dreaded moire problem too, very evident on dark screens. I have not called Toshiba yet since the post below says the repair kit does not work. BTW, does anyone know what Toshiba is going to do to rectify this problem? Is the moire problem 'solvable'? How is their customer service? I give the set 1 star cos once you noticed the moire pattern, it irritates you like hell!

beautiful color, plethora of inputs, cheaper than Wega, nice resolution, especially DVD

moire (only complaint)

I will be very curious to see if a moire kit "fixes" the problem without inducing another symptom. Moire is an optical illusion your eyes create on high res monitors. If you focus your eyes in and out it goes away. I'm not sure if it can be worked around without degrading the focus. I too am close to calling in the technicians as I've let it go for about 9 months and figure I better get it fixed before the warantee runs out. Has Toshiba refunded anyone for their sets, as I mail ordered mine, I can't drop it off at my local retailer. I imagine they'd opt for the fix rather than a refund, but I've been eyeing the DTV line doubling version released in Sept (CZ36X81), kind of thought I could put the refund into it. If this TV had no moire, it would be perfect. I believe it to be better than a Wega at over 500 less. The remote is one of the better ones in my setup (yes I have Yamaha stuff). The menus are OK, and the PIP functions are fun, of course my wife just uses channel up and down.
No moire rated 5 easy
With moire, 3.5
Assuming this "kit" fixes it, I'll give it a four

Picture, I/O options

Durability, manufacturer support.

I actually own a CN36G97. TV worked great for 2 yrs then just died. Unit clicks twice, red LED power light comes on, but tube never fires up. I received poor/no response from Toshiba and the retailer (unit is just out of warranty). Its going to cost me $$$ to get this pile of crap fixed. Make sure you buy from someone who will stand by their products.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 27" trinitron - 8 yrs old, still works great.

Toshiba customer service

Moire and local service centers

I have finally gotten rid of my CN36H97. I have used the set for 6 months and the moire was there since day one. After installing the update kit, the moire was still there. Dealing with the service centers was truamatic. It felt like they were doing me a favor to come service my set. Luckily, Toshiba was nice enuf to take the set back. Although this set is no longer in production, I still see it sold online as a closeout. Please stay away from this set unless u have the patience to deal with service techs. So far I only heard 2 guys having positive results after installing the update kit.

I have had the CN36H97 for almost a year now. It has the moire problem and I have tried the de-focusing that is the "fix". Well sure it fixes the moire problem but has anyone taken a peek at their text menus or subtitles after performing this "fix"? Basically your text is blurry so you either have to deal with the moire or blurry text. I tried several levels of de-focusing and basically there is no happy medium. You either have the moire or you have blurry text. Neither is acceptable to me. I am getting rid of the TV and looking at buying the Panasonic SF or Sony Wega. I would buy the new CN36Z71 but I have heard the moire problem is worse in the new models. How can a company be so ignorant? It isn't like the moire problem is faint. It is downright blatant. Shame on Toshiba, I have been a customer for 10+ years and will no longer purchase their products.

2 speakers for value, 1 for overall rating

Darren

I've had this TV for almost a week now, and 3 of the 6 days i've had it has been spent in the Toshiba Product Services Dpt. I originally called to ask about distorted, wavy lines in the left and right side of the screens to see if it was a problem with my setup or was it a factory problem. I've been calling every day now and all they can tell me is that they don't see the problem. Now last time i checked i had 20/20 vision not XRay vision so if I can see it why can't a Toshiba technician. I even showed the problem to the Toshiba reps who came to my house to pick the TV up for inspection. So far i have been very disappointed with Toshiba and it's false reputation. This tv has a lot of nifty features but that's all it has features. If i would have known that this TV would have brought me so much trouble i would have bought a Wega instead and ran the risk of buying a set with the infamous geometry problems. Excessively expensive, and too many problems right out of the box. I will keep you guys posted if the TV makes any improvements after returning from the Toshiba Service Center. I give this TV 2 speakers for its features and component video inputs

i just got my tv two days ago and all I can say is wow! I really am very happy with this tv. The picture is amazing and super clear. When hooked up to my dss I have a monster of a picture. I am planning on getting a dvd player asap to run with this set. I previously owned a 27" sony xbr trinitron which was a good tv but I wanted a larger screen and this set really has a sharper picture at 36"! I invite anyone who doesn't want to buy dtv yet to go and see this set in person and decide if you like it. I dont care for projection tvs so this set is just perfect for me. I have never seen any Toshiba TV's before I bought this but I have recently read some critical reviews of toshiba. I just cant see where these reviews are coming from based soley on my set. Quite frankly this is the cleanest looking tv picture I have seen; granted I am not a professional and really haven't paid any attention to dtv (too much $$ for to little return) I did look at the panasonic 36" also and liked it too but I went with the toshiba because I thought I thought the picture was sharper. You can see this set on display at audio/video systems in charlotte and decide for yourself.i give this set 5 stars based on picture quality and how much I love this set.

I too have had the same experience of wavy lines on the left and right side of the picture with my CN36H97. After many hours and numerous phone calls a Toshiba customer service rep told me that they are aware of the problem and they are working on fixing it in the next model. I am trading the Toshiba in for the new xbr Wega.
Pat Fraley