NEWS: Toshiba revamps its TV range
Up to the minute facilities, competitive prices and sleek black finishes set the new Toshiba LCD TV ranges apart from the current models.
The company is upgrading its C and X line-ups, and combining its upmarket XF and Z series into a single ZF designation, to be used on 46in, 50 in and 52in models. The 46ZF355D s shown left.
And as if all that wasn't enough, the new sets come with one revolutionary feature designed to enhance their green credentials: an off switch!
As well as being able to put the TVs in standby mode, it's now possible to turn them off completely without having to switch off at the wall-socket or unplug them.
Toshiba calls this feature Full Power Down, and the Regza CV models, which come in 32in, 37in and 42in models, also have three HDMI sockets, a new version of the company Active Vision picture processing and a Luma Sens ambient light sensor to adjust the picture to suit the room lighting.
These HD ready sets use a 1366x768-pixel panel, and also have the company's Regza Link HDMI control system, allowing DVD players, for example, to be controlled by the TV;s handset.
Game mode gives 1:1 pixel-mapping and better response time, there's compatibility with the Audio Description services now available on some channels, and the new screens are built in Toshiba's UK factory in Plymouth.
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So are the XV series models, which come in the same screen sizes, but offer full 1080p capability thanks to their 1920x1080-pixel display panels. In all other respects they're the same as the CVs, but come in a smart gloss black finish.
And at the top of the new range sit the ZF models, which combine the features of the XVs in a narrow-bezel Picture Frame design, with a specially designed speaker system from Onkyo. The flagship sets also use Toshiba's 100Hz Active Vision M100HD picture processing, and 24fps capability with 5:5 pulldown.
They use 10-Bit colour processing, Dynamic Gamma Curve Correction to avoid the 'stepping' effect in areas of graduated colour, such as sunsets, and both Wide Colour Gamut to enhance colour rendering, and Dynamic Contrast Ratios of up to 30,000:1.
In common with the other new Toshibas, the ZF models have integrated Freeview tuners.
All the new sets will be available in the next few months, at prices we're assured will be pretty aggressive.
Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, Gramophone, Jazzwise and Hi-Fi Critic, Hi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.
