Toshiba DLP Rear Projection TV Review

Model: Toshiba 62MX196 DLP Projection TV
Color: Black thin gloss ribbon frame with titanium speaker underneath
Resolution: 1920 X 1080p HDTV
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Review Date: May 2006

INTRODUCTION

This is one of Toshiba's Cinema Series lineup of DLP Televisions. Toshiba remains one of the primary manufacturing players in the DLP rear projection television market along with market leader Samsung. Toshiba's recent history for producing strong DLP product has won them market share and, generally, strong reviews.

PICTURE QUALITY - 92

We tested the Toshiba with a variety of HD and standard def inputs and put it through the rigors of a few test discs. The unit comes preset to 100% contrast straight out of the box so adjustment needs be made there. We found the optimum level in our dark test room to be 65%. There was little to no blooming in whites at the top contrast setting of 100%. Black levels come preset perfectly in pluge pattern testing to 45%. This Toshiba DLP comes with 2 lamp modes - High Bright is the preset setting and Low Power is the optional change. I found the low power setting appropriate and bright enough in our low light test room. Using the low power mode should increase your lamp life by times 2 high bright mode.

The DLP TV comes also preset to the Cool color temperature setting and focuses on more blue color than red. This is also a tactic to make the unit look brighter on a showroom floor. We recommend adjusting this setting to the Natural mode for testing and viewing.

This Toshiba DLP TV displayed vivid, saturated color performance.

Overall, the picture performance out of the box is what you will get. There is very little video, picture adjustment available to enhance performance. The DLP's settings are tight and controlled.

Picture and color information were both impressive with great depth of picture detail through stable black levels and incredible color richness. Some scenes are just breathtaking with HDTV input and I am looking forward to testing this unit or one like it with a 1920 x 1080 high definition DVD player when they hit the shelves.

LCD and DLP rear projection televisions have made huge improvement strides over the past two years and the standout picture from this Toshiba will impress anyone. Toshiba is one of the few manufacturers to properly process an incoming 1080i HDTV signal in order to show all 1080 lines of resolution. The unit upconverts all signals to its native 1080p resolution. The 62MX195 did not "cheat" by processing just the odd or even incoming lines of resolution and assuming that the alternate line is the same color. This shortcut by some manufacturers causes what you will notice as flicker and in a television like the Toshiba you will see a smooth, non-flickering, gorgeous image with HD signal input.

I found red color information leaning a bit toward a pink/violet shade in the natural setting. Green color performance was superb when viewing the Sea Biscuit DVD with incredible detail and thousands of shades.

The Cinema viewing mode has video or film as the two preset picture options and I thought the lack of good preset viewing mode options was a weakness for this rear projection television.

There is an auto aspect ratio option available which is very convenient for displaying correct aspect ratios without having to use the remote control every time the user changes inputs.

Off axis viewing can be a big hindrance with any rear projection lamp based television. The Toshiba 62MX196 was very impressive side to side. I rated the viewing angle perfect through 90 degrees. Top to bottom viewing angle suffers dramatically though is much improved from older models. The viewer will want to set the television at eye level and stay there while viewing. In my opinion there was a good bit of glare off the screen depending upon lighting conditions. Again, a dark room will be preferable.

From 15 feet the unit had overall (with all signal inputs) a reasonably crisp, bright picture with stable black levels necessary to show off the high resolution of the TV. Processing was excellent as mentioned. The picture was natural and did not strain the eye with flicker. This TV is a very solid to stellar performer in the 1080p HDTV rear projection market.

OTHER FEATURES - 94

The Toshiba 62MX196 is loaded with extra features. The Cinema series version 62MX196 gets you the gloss black bezel, and among other things a memory card slot for downloading pictures,2 HDMI inputs, a PC VGA input, an Ethernet input jack, a universal remote and TV Guide on Screen menu option.

The Toshiba Rear Projection HDTV includes a full complement of inputs and special features..

When first turning on the TV, the unit gives instruction for set up of the TV Guide on Screen menu option which offers: 1) One touch recording, 2) reminders to mark your favorite shows, 3) keyword search option and category sort, 4) free listings from your cable or broadcast service. All pretty nifty TiVo-esque stuff and a definite plus when comparing products.

Picture size button controls aspect ratio selection of Natural (4:3), Theater Wide 1, 2, 3, and Full. That's a full complement.

The DLP comes with a universal remote control with TV guide onscreen control. The remote has many special features such as favorite channel programming made easy, channel scroll, and picture modes for movie, preference (programmable settings), sports, and standard.

The manual is very complete with 135 pages and multi brand remote control setting for the accompanying universal remote.

The 62MX196 emitted a slight humming noise and some periodic crackling small noise. It wasn't annoying as most DLP TVs have a bit of this but it's my job to alert you.

One other beef I had with this rear projection television was that it was painfully difficult to get to the picture setting options, which is hidden in deep layers within the menu. It seems to me that Toshiba is making it difficult to locate almost purposefully.

There was little audio distortion from the surprising virtual surround sound speakers. The speaker system puts out a total of 40 watts - very sound for a TV this large.

The DLP TV's manual has simple instructions for replacing the internal lamp, which should take no more than 5 to ten minutes. Make certain the TV has not been used in the past 5 hours before replacing the lamp. Power consumption for the Toshiba TV is 265W on average. The display weighs in at 122 lbs. with a total width of 57.06 inches.

VALUE - 97

Given the full extra feature set, the awesome picture quality and the HDTV diversity of the 1080p resolution this television is about as future-proof as you can get. With an MSRP of $3999 but projected selling prices of around $2699 the Toshiba 62MX196 will sell for prices that are unmatched with other manufacturers 1080p offerings. Samsung's DLP 1080p offering is priced at $3399 and HP's DLP rear projection 1080p set is priced at around $3500. Sony's XBR rear projection LCD based products, though not 1080p, are selling at a higher price than this Toshiba. Other LCoS and DILA rear projection televisions such as JVCs are still hitting a higher price point. All in all the Toshiba is a great deal.


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Toshiba DLP Rear Projection TV Review

INTRODUCTION

PICTURE QUALITY - 92

OTHER FEATURES - 94

VALUE - 97

OVERALL RATING (with picture double weighted) - 93.75