Toshiba 40RV525U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Review by Rick V for Toshiba 40RV525U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
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Background

We decided a while ago that we wanted to upgrade all tube TV’s in our household with decent wall mounted HDTV’s. So we started of researching and initially bought the Samsung LNT series. This HDTV @ 1080P had a great price point for the specifications listed (contrast, resolution, available ports).

The second brand we bought was the Sharp, more specific the aquos series. Again, very similar to the Samsung although a bit more pricy and not necessarily as nice looking.

We then ordered a Marantz from the Philips outlet and boy was that a pice of junk. Cheap but it had sever ghosting and was impossible to use. That one moved to the family room.

Finally we needed the 4th TV and wanted it for the kids’ XBOX 360 and PS3 experience in their gameroom. When checking over Thanksgiving we wanted to get another Samsung as that was the best one in our experience but no good deals were out there and most that had them were out of stock on the reasonable deals.

So we ran into the Toshiba 40RV525U as the cheapest 1080P 40″ HDTV with (supposedly) a fast screen rate for gaming.

About the 40RV525U

First of all this is NOT a REGZA from Toshiba, which is more high end than this item. However, this TV does look good with its black piano laquered front bezel (although it is not as shiny as the Samsungs but less wobbly in its reflection, so it is equal in aesthetics).

It comes with 3 HDMI ports. Very important for the furture as the switch boxes are trouble in our experience.

What we noticed MOST during the reasearch into this item is that Toshiba is not very forthcoming with specs other than Gamer Mode being great for next gen console requirements, 1080P and the number of HDMI ports. Even downloading the manual for spec sheets gives you nothing on contrast or the milliseconds is requires.

We took the gamble since the item was hundreds cheaper than the next best thing and are VERY happy with it. The contrast ratio is not as good as a Samsung since you need to put the contrast and brightness up a bit but there is no ghosting or fuzziness when playing XBOX or PS3. We have noticed the same issue another reviewer had: the XBOX does not produce sound when connected via HDMI but this is a known XBOX 360 NXE issue and not a Toshiba one. The component cable connection is great and the screen looks wonderfully crisp.

Another few comments: the side buttons are very plasticky but luckily hidden. The remote is simple and effective (not a button laden brick) and most of the interface is VERY simple to navigate through. Make sure you switch the gamer mode on as it is of by default. It does make a visible difference.

Pros:

Great piece of technology at 1080P for a very low pricepoint

3 HDMI

Plenty of other connections

Gamer mode

Looks very sleek and expensive

Cons

Little heavy compared to Sharp and Samsung

Lack of information on contrast ratio and other key specs (but it is excellent in what it delivers so not really a ding)

Wallmount screws are placed relatively far aparts so if you want to adjust screen horizontally you will need to buy a wide mount. Samsung has the mount holes really close together, as a contrast.

Review by Arvind Somya for Toshiba 40RV525U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
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This is my first HDTV, got it for $679 + tax from Amazon over thanksgiving.

Initially I was a little skeptical because of the low price tag and lack of reviews but I decided to take the plunge and buy it coz Toshiba is an old and reputed brand.

Pros:

– The picture quality is simply amazing on this TV. Blacks are pitch black and the colors are sharp.

– Blu ray DVD’s are crystal clear at 1080p.

– Response time, while not great has not been a hindrance in gaming so far (GTA IV and LittleBigPlanet on PS3)

– It was extremely easy to set up. Remove packaging, screw in stand, plug power and you’re good to go.

– Lots of HDMI inputs (3). I have a PS3 and an upconverting DVD player plugged to two slots. will be plugging in my desktop to the third one once I get my DVI-HDMI cable.

– PC VGA input with stereo sound jack, makes it easy to plug in laptops.

– Sleek stylish looks.

– Remote buttons glow faintly in the dark 🙂

Cons:

– A little on the heavy side compared to the newer flat screens, It weighed around 50lbs+, I was able to lift it alone onto a VESA mount around 4.5ft in height but I lift weights.

– The picture is a little too dark, I’ve been fiddling with the picture settings but I haven’t been able to get a perfect balance of light and dark.

Had to turn up the brightness considerably while watching some dark movies like Underworld.

– Mediocre sound, would recommend investing in a surround sound system.

– PC VGA input doesn’t go beyond 1368×768, haven’t tried a dvi to hdmi yet.

– Screen is a little reflective, tubelights especially messed up the picture completely.

Overall I’m extremely satisfied with this purchase, can’t beat the features at this price for a 1080p.

Review by Pete Brown for Toshiba 40RV525U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
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I bought this TV for our bedroom two weeks ago based on the price and the positive reviews I read about it. I was a little skeptical that such a low-priced LCD could provide the kind of quality I was looking for but this is the real deal. The picture is bright and crisp even using the component cables I’m stuck with until my new HDMIs arrive. There’s definitely some motion blur and the sound is above average at best, but think it would be tough to find a better value than the RV525U at the current $700-$750 range.

Review by Slidet22 for Toshiba 40RV525U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
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This t.v. was purchased about a week ago and I love it. It fits perfectly in our living room. The tv has excellent 1080p resolution. That coupled with the deep blacks and quick response time makes my 360 look spectacular. The game mode does seem to improve my gaming experience as well. For the price, this tv really cannot be beat. I’ve seen other reviews discussing that the sound and 60 hz response time are downfalls…First of all, the 60 hz is perfectly fine unless you’re a videophile. It’s hardly noticeable to most – and as for the sound – it is RARE that tvs put out great sound. The sound is fine. It sounds like a tv. The only genuine negative mark I can find with it to this point is that the remote really needs to be pointed right at the sensor to function properly which is a little annoying. Still, this is a GREAT value. If you’re on the fence, allow me to shove you over…get this set!!! Great job, Toshiba.

Review by D. Golden for Toshiba 40RV525U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
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I’ve had this HDTV for about a month. I love it, especially in HD. Beautiful picture! Brightness is great, picture from TV and DVD’s are just great!