» Toshiba 32AV500U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

Toshiba 32AV500U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Not bad for the price
Comment: Pros:
i) Good picture quality - picture is bright, colours are brilliant, no shadows, viewing angle is so wide that I can even view the TV from my kitchen.
ii) Excellent connectivity - with HDMI, AV and PC input, you're never short of the types of connectivity this TV accepts. I especially like the PC connectivity which is hassle free, good resolution projecting my laptop on the screen, even with standard VGA cables.
Cons:
i) Sound quality - the sound quality is mediocre to below expectation. There's absolutely no bass. Expect to compliment this TV with a home theatre/external sound system if you want to really enjoy your movies.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: TOSHIBA KILLS SANTA
Comment: NOTE: this is a general review of Toshiba's customer service center. Should you have any concerns about what may happen when or if you tv breaks, this is the chaos and frustration you will find in dealing with them. Please go with a different brand...

We bought a TV/DVD combo from Toshiba as a gift from Santa last year for my 8-year old so that she could watch her Full House and Lizzie McGuire movies on it in her bedroom. Unfortunately, after 4 months, the tv's picture stopped working. She told me to send it back to Santa, so off it went to our local authorized Toshiba repairman, as you cannot return these items to Amazon after a certain period of time. We were told by Toshiba that the tv was under full warranty for parts and service. The repairman said no. We would have to pay at least $80 in service repairs. Well, it's been six months and we have yet to see our tv. The part that was supposedly broken was out of stock. Toshiba has sent out part after part after part...spending more in shipping and parts I'm sure than we actually paid for the tv. Now they are shipping out their 4th part...and we still have no tv and it's November. NOTE: the Toshiba representatives were rude and their supervisor (Dave Thomson) was scripted and condescending. TOSHIBA DOES NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT AND DOES NOT HELP ITS CUSTOMERS.

My daughter got so upset that Santa didn't return her tv that we had to buy her another tv a few months ago. Then, she overheard one of the numerous heated discussions between my husband and Toshiba. Every time my husband called, we were told the issue would be "escalated". The representatives are scripted and said whatever they could to passify us. In the end, we were told by Toshiba's supervisor (Dave Thomson) that this was their final decision...to just continue to keep trying to fix an inferior product with no hope that it may get fixed. By the time we get the tv back, if we get it back, it will no longer be under warranty.

In the end, with no return of her original tv and the numerous phone calls to/from Toshiba, my daughter finally got the clue and realized Santa doesn't exist. Thanks Toshiba. MAY NO PARENT EVER RELY ON YOUR PRODUCT AGAIN! THE TECHNOLOGY IS LOUSY AND YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT! GIVEN HOW TIGHT CONSUMERS' WALLETS ARE THIS SEASON, I HOPE PEOPLE LOOK PASSED YOUR BRAND AND SELECT A BETTER CHOICE.

FYI...When we purchased the tv, it was not made clear to us that it would be outdated within 14 months with the switch to digital.

Happy Holidays from a very dissatisfied customer.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great first HDTV
Comment: I purchased this TV from a big box store three days ago; I am not disappointed.

This is my first HDTV, upgrading from a 12 year old Sony 27" Trinitron tube. The picture quality on this Toshiba set on HD sources is great. ESPN HD, NFL football, HBO HD, my XBox 360 all look great. Colors pop.

Non HD sources look nice as well. My Digital Cable box (Time Warner) is connected via a HDMI cable. Non hi-def stations (like Comedy Central) look wonderful (and every bit as good, if not better, than my old set). This Toshiba includes a "DNR" setting (Digital Noise Reduction) which cleans up standard def sources. The picture looks smooth and colorful, not splotchy and downgraded.

Some people have complained about the set needing several seconds to turn on. It does, but I doubt most people will be bothered by it. It takes 5 to 7 seconds.

One caveat. The factory presets on this set aren't ideal. The blacks were slightly washed out and flesh tones a little too orange for my liking. But after going through a THX Optimization (available on every Disney DVD), it looks great. Blacks are much deeper and flesh tones are appropriately pink.

This may not be the best LCD set on the market, but it is very good. In my opinion, it offers a better picture than the Sony KDL-32L4000 and costs significantly less. I found it for $[...] and am thrilled.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: HDMI PROBLEMS...
Comment: I bought this tv based upon the reviews I read here...great start hdtv for the $$. The set worked great for about 2 weeks then I started having problems with the HDMI connected components. The cable tv hdmi connection would often have a "No Signal" response on the set and this would only be corrected by turning on the second HDMI component (a dvd player). Seems like there is a serious problem with the HDMI board. In any case, after a couple months, Toshiba replaced the HDMI board (under warranty), but sadly (after a 25 day repair time-frame), the same problem ensued. Basically, I'd be cautious buying this set if you plan to plug in more than one HDMI component. Great picture and decent sound when it is actually working.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Television For the Price
Comment: I picked this TV up at a local Circuit City Outlet for a STEAL, and I mean a STEAL!

This TV has great picture quality and great component connections.

Granted it is not 1080P, but as a secondary office TV it is GREAT!

This TV easily compares to the TV's that are priced at 650 to 800 dollars (Sony, Samsung, etc.).

Instructions are easy to use, and setup is a snap. The only con of this TV is the warm up time during the initial power on.

Toshiba offers a 1 year warranty on Products and Labor. Extended warranties are typically offered through resellers, but it may or may not be required depending on the user, etc.

Pros: Easy to read manual, many component connections, great picture quality, good sound.

Cons: TV takes a while to warm up when initial turn on.

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