One of the earliest TV manufacturers, Toshiba still manages to pull a surprise every now and then, as this HDTV release shows. The 42XV555 DB is not exactly top-of-the-line LCD, but with high picture quality and some unique features, this REGZA series TV is surely a nice option – especially if you can snag one at a reduced price.
Design
The design of the 42XV555 DB is stylish, even if it’s on the bland side. Plain black rectangle with rounded ends that is slightly cambered for effect makes up the main frame, which is further surrounded by a silver
Toshiba 42XV555 DB
trim in the same style. The lower part of the screen has a slightly recessed strip which contains the TV controls and which also hides the speakers.
The clicker shipped with the 42XV555 DB is the standard Toshiba remote for 2008 – not too fancy but rather more on the functional side. The remote has smallish buttons but the generous spacing between keys more than compensates for this, and the arrangement of buttons is quite logical, particularly the placement of the Volume, Channel and directional keys around the middle of the wand. Toshiba’s familiar interface in pastel is used in this set, and obviously, the menu system needs to be updated – as competing brands continue to churn out dazzling and graphics-filled GUIs.
Screen/picture clarity
The 42XV555 DB shows a great improvement in Toshiba LCDs, particularly in terms of black levels and colour accuracy. The blacks on this set are black enough, rather than grey as most past Toshibas offered before. The decent blacks made pictures much clearer and more lifelike; even shadow areas show some details, unlike before when a murky blur was all that was visible. Unfortunately, other brands have made the same leaps in technology advancement and Toshiba’s efforts aren’t that spectacular to make any waves.
Equipped with the proprietary ActiveVision technology and Exact Scan pixel-to-pixel mapping, the full 1080p HD resolution set handles high-def sources fairly well, with rich detailing, well-blended colours, low noise, and decently fluid motions – considering that it doesn’t have 100hz. frame rates. But as in other 1080p HDTVs, there are some issues on resolving standard-def sources, such as Freeview – images tend to be garish, to say the least, with noise and jagged edges that are too distracting.
Features
Being a mid-priced HDTV, the features installed in the 42XV555 DB are quite limited: 24fps playback; SRS Wow technology for enhanced audio; adequate picture and colour controls; and energy-saving switch-off mode where the set is totally turned of instead of being on standby, to save power. Connectors include three HDMI ports, two Scart slots, and a host of other component input/output jacks.
If you’re looking for a HDTV that strikes a nice balance between price and performance, the 42XV555 DB deserves serious consideration. While its performance vis-à-vis high-end LCDs is nothing to crow about, it certainly holds its own versus TVs on the same class and price range.
| Do you own this TV? Submit your rating… | |
 | GD Star Rating a WordPress rating system |
