Nice large picture

Cable picture looks very bad, Colors seems a bit dull, Screen shifts to the right when playing Dreamcast and PS2 games

I wanted to get a TV with an S-video input to replace my aging Sanyo which could only accept composite. I saw the CZ36T31 at the local Sears for much cheap because it had a big crack on the upper left side of the case. The crack is barely noticable and I was able to sell my old TV for $320 so my out of pocket expense was a little more than $50 with tax. It was a great deal.

Regular cable TV looked much better on my old TV though the picture was noticable softer than on the Toshiba. I used the Avia disc to calibrate the picture but I still have to adjust it regularly depending on if I'm watching cable, which looks alright with the sharpness all the way down, a DVD or a game.

My Dreamcast and PS2 games looks fantastic through S-video. The only problem is that when running a game the screen shifts to the right about half an inch. Some games allow you to reposition the screen through the game options menu but most games don't let you do this. I used the video out on the Toshiba to play a game on it and a smaller TV. The screen was not shifted on the smaller screen but it actually looked like there was more picture cut off on the smaller screen (19") than on the Toshiba. I mean that on the smaller screen it looked like there was more picture than the screen could display, cutting off a bit around the edges. I read in a magazine that another person with a large screen TV had the same screen shifting problem with his Dreamcast so I don't know if it's a game console problem or a TV problem or if something might be damaged in the TV because of the crack. At any rate after playing a game for a while the screen shift is hardly noticable. Plus when watching DVD's on the PS2 the screen is not shifted, but games are. I don't know why it does this.

When watching letterboxed DVD's there is a noticable bowing of the movie. Instead of a rectangular picture it looks a bit stretched in the middle but it is not very distracting.

Maybe it's just me and I really haven't set the picture up right but it seems that the colors are a bit duller than on my smaller TV, whose colors are very bright. The Toshiba has a much cleaner picture but ,for example, white doesn't look like white on the other TV though the contrast might be as high as it can go. There seems to be a tinge of brown in the color. It's not that big a deal except when looking at another TV at the same time it is noticeable.

Another thing, and maybe this is because I really don't know a whole lot about TV's but it seems like when watching a movie, especially an animated movie, on DVD or VHS, the scan lines are much more noticable in tan and brown colors than in other colors where they aren't that visible at all. I know a bit of resolution is lost with such a large screen and I usually watch from 8 to 10 feet away but the scan lines are there. Maybe there's something I can adjust but it looks the same no matter where I set the sharpness. Again the picture looks much cleaner through the S-video on the Toshiba but I don't notice the scan lines when watching movies on the smaller TV.

Overall there are a few problems but I really can't complain because of the price. S-video looks really good and I really like the extra 4 inches over my old Sanyo.

Similar Products Used:

32" Sanyo

Large direct view for $599.00 (closeout price).
Excellent picture and user controls.

At normal settings you can sometimes get blooming between white and black graphics.

After being in the audio/video business 25 years,its amazing, how inexpensive large direct televisions have become.Sony may have a better picture,but$599.00 will
only buy you a 32" Sony television.The FST Black Invar
picture tube puts out an excellent picture. Using a DVD
player with S-video out will give you more bang for the buck than any thing out there.Not having picture in
picture or backlit remote control does not take away
from the value of this product.Untill HD television comes down in price,and that could take years,36" direct view is
a great value in a home theater system.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 27"
Philips 32"

Size, Price, Picture Quality

No component video input

I picked up a floor model at Best Buy. I decided to wait before making the big HDTV purchase. The large 36" screen really makes a great addition to my Home Theatre setup. Monster Cable S-video input from my DVD player really gives a great picture.

Overall, for the price and performance of the set, it is a tremendous value. If you're looking for a large screen TV and don't care about extra features (PIP, Component Video) then this is the TV for you. I believe this model has been replaced by the 36A40, but if you can find one you can get a good deal on this set and I didn't see much of a difference in picture quality between the two!

Great Picture, easy to use remote

Not enough cable connections on the back... it should have 2 s-videos IN at least, it only has one...

This TV has no whistles and bells like PIP and Zooms and stuff like that, just good picture and good sound, although I use most of the time an A/V receiver.

This TV fails in the connectivity area, with only one S-Video IN, two RCA IN and one OUT... Too sparse for nowadays use of a DVD Player, VCR and sattelite receiver.
Overall this TV is worthy for it's picture quality.

Awsome picture,S-viedo,multiple inputs

no extras,PIP ect

Nice Squared corners of the screen, excellent contrast, and the best focus,of similar higher priced products at the same store,also the distortion was minimal (watching the scrolling stock market quotes on CNBC at the store).So far I am very happy with this TV. The sound quality of the TV is adequate, but with the small speakers the Bass performance was weak, I now have it connected to a stereo and the soound is fantastic. If I was to buy it again I would, But I might consider the next level up to get the PIP and surround sound.

Similar Products Used:

Sony32,RCA35

image,price

only two inputs nad no front inputs

I purchased my tv at Best Buy for $799 plus tax. I was very pleased with my purchase at first because I have always liked Toshiba. I was pleased with the picture, especially when I watch DVD's. I can't say much about the remote because I don't use it, I have a Sony RM-AV2000. My problem is I've only had the TV for two weeks and the picture tube just blew. There was no power surge or spikes, it just went out. At first I thought someone had pressed the remote power button but it was sitting safely on my table. The power light was still glowing but I had no picture. I got up this morning and went straight to Best Buy. They replaced it with no hassle. I go the same model so I will wait and see what happens.

Similar Products Used:

toshiba 20in. and toshiba 27in.

Good Price, Good Color, Reasonably Flat

No Component Video

I am very satisfied with this TV. Very large, good color. I would really like Component Video, but it wasn't worth the extra money. I got it for $750 online. I used the Video Essentials Disc to calibrate my TV, and it was an excellent purchase. As is usual, the defaults are watchable, but not good.

If you're on a budget, but want a large Tube TV, get it.

Price,size,decent picture

No componet video

Overall this is a decent 36" TV. It should serve me well until I get an HDTV. Dvd picture quality is good. Dss quality is also good. If you are like me and don't care about PIP or any of those other extras that aren't worth the extra $$$,then this is a good buy. I don't know about the sound because I use an A/V receiver. Overall this is a good TV for someone on a lower budget.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 32"