Home > Consumer Reviews > Toshiba 23HLV87 23-Inch LCD HDTV with DVD Player

UPDATE: Returned this TV and bought a Toshiba Regza 26" LCD TV/DVD combination (26LV67)...MUCH BETTER!
The Regza has good viewing at all off-angles (including looking up) and has an upconverting DVD player (the 23HLV87 does not). Paid only 'bout $150 more for the Regza 26" and got a better picture & upconverting DVD player-well worth the difference in my book!
ORIGINAL REVIEW
This isn't a bad TV, but be forewarned-the off-angle viewing when looking UP is terrible (looks like a photographic negative). I checked off-angle viewing from the sides in a showroom, but didn't think `bout lying in the floor to check the view looking up! I mistakenly assumed if it looked good from the sides, it would look the same from all angles-it doesn't!
I put this TV in my home office directly above my computer monitor, sitting on a corner unit. The 23HLV87 I had tilted it's max (5 degrees) and still had a couple of mouse pads to get more forward tilt and it still looks terrible looking up. The Regza doesn't tilt forward on it's stand as the 23HLV87 does, but it looks great when looking up even with no forward tilt.
After my experience with this TV, playing around in the showrooms it appears many LCDs smaller than 26" suffer the same (upward) off-angle viewing problem as this Toshiba. Apparently many manufacturers are putting newer/better LCDs in their 26" units.

I got this to replace the 19" conventional TV in our bedroom. The built in DVD player saves a lot of space. Over-the-air reception with a basic indoor antenna is pretty good, although programming the set of channels to receive was non-intuitive: it seemed like the list of channels was spontaneously changing. There is a signal strength display for digital channels, but it takes a lot of button presses to reach, changing the channel turns it off, and the value doesn't update, so finding the best antenna placement is more difficult than it could be.
The DVD player plays DivX DVDs, so now I can play downloaded videos somewhere other than my PC.

I bought the first unit in August 2007. It worked fine for a few weeks then decided to quit (just went blank!). I called Toshiba and was referred to an authorized service dealer. The unit stayed at the service center for 1 month waiting for circuit boards that never came because they were not available from Toshiba (A relatively recently produced unit and Toshiba does not even have replacement parts: that tells you something!). Finally Toshiba agreed to replace the unit and I received my current TV 1 month later. Now the DVD does not work properly and keeps on pixelating and skipping (I cleaned and played multiple DVDs but the problem persisted). I called Toshiba and insisted that I need a replacement for my replacement. They could not care less. All they were willing to do was to send me back to the service center.
This is the last Toshiba product I will buy.

I have the 26 (26HLV66) inch version of this tv and needed a smaller one for the bedroom. Assumed the 23 inch model would be exactly the same. It is not. The software for programing channels is very different and very frustrating. If one takes the time to input channel favorites and tag each channel with a label (ie., "ABC, CBS, ESPN" etc.) which takes about 30 minutes, be careful. Right next to the add/delete channel camand is the auto program cammand. Hit that by mistake and all data is erased. It hit that cammand twice by mistake and wasn't happy. Very poor software design.

The 26 inch version recieves all RCN cable HDTV without a box. This one recognizes only 2 of the 18 HDTV channels.


If you have a cable provider HDTV box, none of this should be an issue and you will be pleased with the picture. I was hoping to avoid that expense, but now have no choice. It's part of the family now.



You must turn auto aspect off to view standard broadcasts in the full aspect. Its a manual override. The 26 inch did this automatically and properly.

I can't actually review this item, since I haven't seen it in over a month. It was DOA. I did not read the return policy from the vendor before I ordered it. If I had, I would have realized that their policy is essentially "we can send you anything and you have to take it".

A leaflet in the box gives you the contact number for Toshiba customer service. My TV has sat for over a month at the Toshiba authorized repairman, waiting for a part that has yet to arrive. Yesterday I was told that Toshiba has now decided to send me a replacement unit. That should add an additional week or two to the wait.

I have successfully bought electronics on-line for over a decade. This is by far, the worst experience I have ever had. Lessons learned: 1. read the return policy from the vendor actually selling the item (that is to say, don't expect Amazon to look out for you); 2. Toshiba TV's get a lot of good reviews, but I would give their customer service a 1-star rating; 3. Read and know your credit card dispute policy; 4. Buy your TV at the local department store or mom & pop -- yes you'll pay a little more, but if the TV doesn't work, you'll probably have a replacement the next day. As opposed to taking my route, which equates to numerous, combative phone conversations with strangers, stretched out over a month.