Toshiba REGZA 32LV67U 32-Inch LCD HDTV with DVD Player
See it at Amazon.com for $999.99Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Inexpensive quality LCD HDTV with DVD Player
Pros: Great high contrast screen, built in DVD player, built in speakers, side audio/video in ports, 3 HDMI ports, computer port. And finally, price.... oh.. and yes, it actually has a ATSC Tuner!!
Cons: Menus aren't too intuitive... sometimes tries to be too simple, other times it too difficult. Some settings are not remembered, you have to set them over and over and over and over... Unit came with an immediate flash upgrade (flash card included), wasn't expecting that. DVD is not Bluray or HD-DVD. No PIP... which is typical nowadays, just seems a shame to waste all of those inputs.
This is an excellent HDTV for the price. Having the built in DVD is a plus BUT it is not a HD DVD unit... just a normal DVD. This unit is going into my daughter's upstairs den. Highly recommended. I tested against LG, Samsung, Phillips and Westinghouse. The Toshiba picture was a good as the best from the others and had the additional features.
(5 out of 5)Some self-install tips to keep in mind
For those who aren't aware, and I was one of them, this TV does not come ready to view right out of the box. The TV is terrific, with a great HD picture, vibrant colors, and looks better than my main 65" Mitsubishi HD TV in the family room.
This one was picked to replace the bedroom model and so far, it's proven to be the right choice in terms of quality and value. I'm a Directv customer, so what I have to say about self-installing might prove helpful to others considering the task ahead.
Once the TV arrived, I hooked it up directly to the satellite-in port using the coax cable connection coming directly from the dish. Wrong choice and no picture. Next, thinking the old conversion box would suffice, I went that route with the same results as before. Realize, that I already have a 5 LNB dish and a functional HD/DVR operational with my main viewing TV so I thought I was okay to add on to what was already in place.
Finally, I called Directv and learned that one has to get their special HD20 conversion box ($99) and pay an additional $20 processing fee. Fine, but in order to get a technician to come out, the wait would have been several days if not weeks because of the demand realized recently by Directv having added up to 70+ HD channels. It seems, many folks are wanting to convert and all at the same time.
So, I elect to self-install with Directv sending me 'everything I needed' to set up the new HD configuration. Not exactly. The Regza has 3 HDMI ports, which stands for High Definition Media Interface and are very similar to USB ports on your home computer. The HD conversion box from Directv also comes with a special small, lipstick sized filter, that must be attached to your main connection out of the wall and sandwiched between that and your TV's 'Satellite IN' coax port.
Directv does not include a HDMI cable to interface with your HD box and the TV which is the preferred way to go for maximum picture quality. I had to figure that one out on my own after several frustrating attempts to use the old red-yellow-white plug in cables to do the job. Next, it was off to Best Buy to buy the HDMI cable for $59 (6' long size), connect it to the named ports on the box and TV, then call Directv to have them walk me through the final stages of authorization, setting up the remote, providing them all the serial numbers on the box, and access card, before finally getting the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
You'll have to jump through some hoops but the end result is nothing short of spectacular! I haven't seen a quality picture similar to the Regza anywhere, including the various store models. Hopefully, this advisory will help you eliminate some of the angst I went through in getting the TV operational.
(4 out of 5)Can't go wrong (by too much)
I probably look at Amazon descriptions more than at television, but my son's intense interest in HD flat panels has led me to personally research them. This Toshiba is not only a better price than the Samsung, Sony, Sharp, and panaSonic, but on two trips to Sears I've noticed that the Toshiba's picture quality matches or surpasses that of the more expensive sets (set-up, placement, etc. is everything). Moreover, as currently priced on Amazon, it's fairly attractive--about $60 more than the 32" Toshiba without the DVD player.
All of these rectangular screens will stretch and distort the images of a regular TV-sized screen or pre-1955 movie, regardless of what some viewers say. But if you decide you need to use a setting that fills the whole screen, Toshiba has one setting that's better than most other sets that I've seen--rather than stretch the entire picture, Toshiba manages to extend only the 40% making up the space on the sides.. It works fine until a lanky Jimmy Stewart or Tim Robbins begins to look like Orson Welles or John Candy whenever he's standing at the left or right side of the screen.
The included DVD player is a tempting space-saver, and it comes with the magic buzz word "upconvert" (which I'm beginning to suspect does not mean a heck of a lot). But remember that disc drives can (and do) go bad much more readily than television sets. True, it's not as much of a hassle to haul this flat-panel in for repair as the old big-screen tube sets. But it's still a two-person job. Also, what happens when you decide that mere upconversion isn't good enough and that you require the "real thing"--a Blue Ray or HDTV DVD player? (The latter is a specific high definition technology competing against Sony's Blue Ray. Which system ultimately prevails is anybody's guess.) Then there's 720 pixels vs. 1080, with the latter rapidly gaining ground. In fact, in a mere year's time, LCD technology drew even with, then pulled ahead of plasma, so change--much to television manufacturers' and dealers' delight--is becoming as commonplace in television sets as computers.
With all of this in mind, and with a raised TV stand that allows room for a DVD/VHS player-recorder under the set, I went for the Toshiba without the built-in DVD. If you plan to hang the set on the wall or place it directly on a small table with no room underneath or to the sides, this model with the built-in DVD player probably makes sense.
(3 out of 5)Excellent TV but 1/2 inch shorter screen size
I love this TV.
It provides an excellent picture from both TV and the incorporated DVD player. Very Convenient since you avoid the usual wiring clutter/additional remote control from external DVD player.
I don't have it connected to a cable box and the internal tuner is able to pick HD signal from the "air" (cable wire).
The screen size is 31 1/2 inches (1/2" inch shorter than specs), unlike my two other TVs (20" & 30") which are right at specs. Toshiba acknowledged my email and said it is within their +/_ specs.
Shipment was hard to track as amazon did not have info except indicating that seller (ButterflyPhoto) ships by DHL. I had to call ButterflyPhoto directly after several days coming back to the website and not finding any information. Customer Service was very helpful and I was given a UPS tracking number. It arrived one week later than the date given by amazon at time of purchase.
(5 out of 5)Toshiba Tv
I bought this due to its high rating from Consumer Reports. I am not disappointed one bit. The set is attractive (black frame) and the HD picture quality is superb. The only drawback is the built-in DVD player which is not HDDVD or Blue Ray capabable. As more and more disks come out in HD, I will likely be forced to purchase another DVD player to view them in HD.