50" Toshiba 1080p LED TV - $499 shipped

[Kaido]

Edit: It appears this model is eligible for the Amazon low-price guarantee if you're in the mood to pricematch

Edit: Now $499 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-50L2200U-50-Inch-60Hz-LED-LCD/dp/B0073K64NM/

Model 50L2200U:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...8441&cp=1&lp=1

$899 MSRP on Toshiba's site:

http://us.toshiba.com/tv/led/50l2200u/

4.5 stars out of 42 reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-50L220.../dp/B0073K64NM

This is a nice no-frills LED TV:

2 HDMI ports
1 Component port
1 USB port
No Internet
No Wi-fi
No 3D
About 40 pounds (~45 with stand)
95 watts

 

[Cardio]

It's a 60hz refresh set ,
if that is an issue for you. Lots of motion blur. Still cheap for 50, though.

 

[Kaido]

It's a 60hz refresh set ,
if that is an issue for you. Lots of motion blur. Still cheap for 50, though.

The other nice deal I've seen is the 120Hz 50" Hisense LED TV from Walmart for $548 (in-store). I couldn't find it on the US Hisense site, but they have it on the Canadian site:

http://hisensecanada.com/tvs/K360/50/80

They didn't have any movies running on it, but the PQ on the interface looked fine for the price. So $50 more for a 120Hz model, albeit not a name brand...

Edit: For anyone wondering, it's the Hisense 50K360G model. They had a ton of boxes on sale on the floor at my local Walmart for $548 (I believe it was just under $600 OTD with tax). They are not listed currently on the Walmart website or on the US Hisense website for some reason, and they had the model unboxed but not hooked up to the video feed at my local store.

 

[Kaido]

Now $499 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-50L220...dp/B0073K64NM/

 

[luv2liv]

i had a 60hz lcd tv for years and never noticed any issues.
then i got a 120hz lcd tv and hated it for the opera fx.

my wife cant even tell the difference between 60 vs 120. so i dont think this 60hz tv deal is that bad. its a hot deal!

 

[wirednuts]

i think 60hz looks more cinematic. 120hz loses that film-like look that directors want you to see.

but if im gaming or watching sports, i would rather have a 120hz+ tv...

 

[cboath]

120hz sets have an option in the settings for adjusting that. I've seen it be an on/off setting and have adjustable levels on different sets, but you're not stuck with it at all.

 

[Kaido]

120hz sets have an option in the settings for adjusting that. I've seen it be an on/off setting and have adjustable levels on different sets, but you're not stuck with it at all.

Yeah, iirc the soap opera look is controlled separately from the 120Hz feature. I think most TV's allow you to turn it off (AutoMotion, SmoothMotion, etc.).

 

[happyqk]

Ayone own one of these? How is the quality?

 

[iamstarfox]

I personally like the motion smoothing(often called the soap opera effect) from frame interpolation, but I hate the weird artifacts it *all too often* creates. I ended up turning motion smoothing off on my 120hz TV. So, as far as I know, the only benefit I'm getting from a 120hz set is avoiding a 2:3 pulldown when watching a movie from a disc.

For those that don't know, 2:3 pull down refers to what occurs when watching a 24FPS source on a 60hz set. When watching a movie, which is 24FPS, from a disc there's the problem that 24 does not evenly fit in to 60. So, one frame is shown 2 times, then the next frame is shown 3 times, and so on. Some people can detect a bit of a juddery look from this. On a 120hz set, this isn't a problem since 24 does fit into 120. Each frame is shown 5 times, which reduces to a perfect 1:1 ratio.

I advise family that, Yes... It's nice to have the options that a 120hz set makes available, but if you find a good deal on a 60hz set, just get it and don't worry about it. You'll probably be perfectly happy with it, especially for the price.

 

[Ksyder]

I checked this tv out at best buy today, Image-wise it looked nice, but man it was thick... its just as thick as my 42" ccfl backlit lcd tv at 3.5"... I was kind of disappointed when comparing it to the samsungs and others with gorgeous and thin casings...

But, if you need a big display for cheap it was by far the cheapest ($300 less than everything else.)

 

[hans007]

I have a 46" led Toshiba with 120hz and no smart TV or anything . This TV is even better if you don't care about frills like how thin a TV is or 3d or smart features a roku can add for $50 and is better updated.

Unless you are a home theater fiend I think this is pretty good deal. Got my Toshiba for $650 or so a year and 4-5 months ago ( insane deal at the time) I think given the choice I'd have gone for this and saved $150

 

[wirednuts]

most smart tv's suck. the motherboards are cheap to begin with, and the smart features are cobbled added on crap thats nothing more then more stuff to go wrong. and when it does, it many times takes out the whole tv requiring a new motherboard just to use the damn thing as a basic tv.

i like no frills tv's and if i want smart features, add a pc or xbox or raspberry pi or android phone or roku... you get the point...

 

[Ksyder]

most smart tv's suck. the motherboards are cheap to begin with, and the smart features are cobbled added on crap thats nothing more then more stuff to go wrong. and when it does, it many times takes out the whole tv requiring a new motherboard just to use the damn thing as a basic tv.

i like no frills tv's and if i want smart features, add a pc or xbox or raspberry pi or android phone or roku... you get the point...

I agree totally... why would I want a built in subpar smart features when I'm personally going to have an htpc hooked up to it... I get the feeling that these "smart" features are for the consumers that aren't so "smart" about technology...

 

[Kaido]

I agree totally... why would I want a built in subpar smart features when I'm personally going to have an htpc hooked up to it... I get the feeling that these "smart" features are for the consumers that aren't so "smart" about technology...

For basic users it's okay - I've setup a few smart TV's and in general the end-users have been happy with them. The interface is typically not great, and I'm sure the manufacturer will "forget" to update the software as time goes on. But really, there's no reason - a basic Roku is like $49 these days and gets constant software upgrades and can be replaced in a heartbeat if you need something that supports more/different apps, so you're not stuck with whatever stuff comes with your TV for the rest of your life.

 

[richardycc]

This TV has good PQ. I saw this at best buy while I was shopping for a 50incher last month, this TV was my 2nd choice. I picked a Panasonic plasma over this one for doubled the price of this one. so if you are not too picky or a self proclaimed videophile, this TV should satisfy you. I don't know about the reliability and the only complaint I am aware of is the TV takes over 10-15secs to turn on and the built-in tuner is slow.

 

[Kaido]

This TV has good PQ. I saw this at best buy while I was shopping for a 50incher last month, this TV was my 2nd choice. I picked a Panasonic plasma over this one for doubled the price of this one. so if you are not too picky or a self proclaimed videophile, this TV should satisfy you. I don't know about the reliability and the only complaint I am aware of is the TV takes over 10-15secs to turn on and the built-in tuner is slow.

If you have a PC Richards near you, they have a Coby 50" LED 1080p TV for $399:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2300353

They had the Coby side-by-side with this Toshiba and I liked the Coby better (picture quality). Plus it was $100 cheaper (and the energy cost was $17 a year, vs. $19 for the Toshiba, haha). They had this Toshiba for $499 in-store at PC Richards as well.

 

[Java Cafe]

I bought this unit in later December. So, I have had it for a little over a month now. Going from a 47" Olivia that I bought for $800 six years ago at a BF sale, I love this unit.

Yes, it's basic; only two HDMI inputs. So, I have given one of those to the cable box. The other HDMI input is connected to a $27 HDMI switch that can hande five inputs. That is what my DVD player and the Roku (and occassionally, my laptop or iPad) are plugged into.

I love how dark the blacks are on this set. However, during the day, when the ambient light is bright, in dimly lit scenes, I see a little bit of my own reflection on the screen. The screen surface is semi-gloss (or semi-mat), and my friends tell me that this is better than "average."

Also, never having owned a 120 MHz screen, I can't tell if I am missing anything here. While I enjoy high frame rate movies in theaters, frankly, the better 60 MHz TV sets seem to me to be fine. I watched the Superbowl on this one, and was perfectly happy.

 

[Uppsala9496]

How wide is this one compared to your old olivia? My 47" olivia is still working (tons of light bleed) so it will take a lot of convincing to the wife to let me get a new tv.

 

[scrubman]

For basic users it's okay - I've setup a few smart TV's and in general the end-users have been happy with them. The interface is typically not great, and I'm sure the manufacturer will "forget" to update the software as time goes on. But really, there's no reason - a basic Roku is like $49 these days and gets constant software upgrades and can be replaced in a heartbeat if you need something that supports more/different apps, so you're not stuck with whatever stuff comes with your TV for the rest of your life.

You know that it will all be built in and working great very soon. It's evolution. Think about it, where did smart phones come from? I personally like my Samsung and all it can do without needing a separate device.

 

[Kaido]

You know that it will all be built in and working great very soon. It's evolution. Think about it, where did smart phones come from? I personally like my Samsung and all it can do without needing a separate device.

Yeah, but what happens from year to year? I mean, just look at the Android platform. You buy a phone, and a year later the manufacturer stops pushing out updates because they want you to buy the new phone model. I'm sure most people aren't going to run out and buy a new TV just because their apps are getting outdated, vs. buying a $99 set-top box like a Roku, you know?

Interestingly enough, the new Ouya gaming platform is taking that approach - new hardware every year, $99 for the box, backwards compatible. This allows hardware and software development to march on, without being a huge expense to the end user.

 

[hans007]

I bought this unit in later December. So, I have had it for a little over a month now. Going from a 47" Olivia that I bought for $800 six years ago at a BF sale, I love this unit.

Yes, it's basic; only two HDMI inputs. So, I have given one of those to the cable box. The other HDMI input is connected to a $27 HDMI switch that can hande five inputs. That is what my DVD player and the Roku (and occassionally, my laptop or iPad) are plugged into.

I love how dark the blacks are on this set. However, during the day, when the ambient light is bright, in dimly lit scenes, I see a little bit of my own reflection on the screen. The screen surface is semi-gloss (or semi-mat), and my friends tell me that this is better than "average."

Also, never having owned a 120 MHz screen, I can't tell if I am missing anything here. While I enjoy high frame rate movies in theaters, frankly, the better 60 MHz TV sets seem to me to be fine. I watched the Superbowl on this one, and was perfectly happy.

i have a 120hz and i turned it off. it is a little weird seeming. then again i'm one of those people who doesnt even notice display lag on games and such, so maybe ifyou are that type 120 / 240hz is worth it.

 

[wirednuts]

i have a 120hz and i turned it off. it is a little weird seeming. then again i'm one of those people who doesnt even notice display lag on games and such, so maybe ifyou are that type 120 / 240hz is worth it.

ghosting it can help... but 120hz wont help lag. only make it worse.