Toshiba 32SL753 review

The '32SL753 is the best Tosh we've had through these offices in a good while Tested at £700.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

As good a Toshiba as we’ve seen in a while; another model for your shortlist

Pros

  • +

    Looks, ergonomics, functionality

  • +

    grippy HD TV

  • +

    particularly impressive with detail and motion

Cons

  • -

    A neutral colour balance eludes it

  • -

    others deal better with picture noise

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This Toshiba 32SL753 is a far nicer-looking product than its same sized, but cheaper relative, the Toshiba 32RV753.

It's better specified, too: LED backlighting helps keep the depth of the chassis to a minimum, and 100Hz motion processing ought to help picture stability.

It's even got a more agreeable remote control – a shiny one, no less. (On-screen menus are shared between the two models, which is emphatically A Good Thing.)

Of course, this is as it should be when the 'SL753 is getting on for twice the price of the 'RV753, and is absolutely necessary if this Toshiba is going to compete with its price-comparable rivals.

Good Freeview HD reception
Fortunately, looks and spec aren't the only areas where the 'SL753 outstrips its relation: it's a more impressive performer, too.

TV programmes, for example, look lucid: determined with motion, featuring convincing black tones with reasonable detail, and not unduly troubled by complicated patterns.

Freeview HD reception (sturdy) is particularly enjoyable – Top Gear on BBC HD is profusely detailed, and edge definition is excellent. There's not a complete absence of picture noise, though, and the colour balance does tend towards ‘toasty'.

This vaguely yellowish cast carries over to upscaled DVD pictures, but in most other respects the 'SL753 does sterling work.

Unnatural colour balance
Movement is tracked without alarms, contrasts are strong (if not as out-and-out white as is ideal) and picture noise is curbed more effectively.

Very dark scenes provoke some LED backlights to hint at their whereabouts, but not unacceptably.

If it wasn't for its less-than-natural colour balance, the Toshiba would be among the best to watch a Blu-ray. It deals with motion, complex patterns and extreme contrasts with aplomb, offers a stack of detail and very convincing skin textures.

It's not as martial as some at keeping picture noise down, and it is to full-bodied sound what Kate Moss is to the fully filled fridge, but it's as competitively priced as Toshiba always likes to be and it's got a lot going for it.

If you can live with the colour balance it's well worth investigating further.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


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