Toshiba 46SV670U
80/100Features Rating:
80/100Performance Rating:
70/100Overall Rating:
76/100
The New REGZA 46SV670U is the best 46 inch LCD TV that Toshiba ever produced. It uses FocaLight LED backlight technology so the LED backlight with local dimming produces a high dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 for an amazing picture quality. This high contrast can’t be achieved by normal edge LED lightning. ClearScan 240 advanced which doubles the original frames to get 120 frames like a standard 120Hz LCD TV, while flashing the backlight much faster then human vision can perceive to achive further reduction in blurring, crystal clear picture with FULL HD 1080p resolution .Also energy consumption is low.
Specifications
Diagonal size: 46 inch;
Resolution: 1920 x 1080;
Contrast:2,000,000:1;
Refresh rate:ClearScan 240Hz;
Note: We have made an in-depth review on the 55-inch Toshiba 55SV670U, but this evaluation also applies on the 46-inch Toshiba 46SV670U.They have identical features and specifications.
For an in-depth review of this model see Toshiba 55SV670U
Toshiba has made some serious upgrades to high end SV670U series compared to last years top LCD TV series. This 2009 REGZA series has both technology and looks. This is the answer to high end models from other manufactures like Sony, Samsung or LG. As major upgrades we have ClearScan 240Hz refresh rate and FocaLight LED backlight technology. We will talk more about these upgrades in the features section. If you have decided it to buy an LCD TV from SV670U series then you have made a major step on your quest of purchasing a LCD TV. Next important step is to decide what size it should be. This is very important if you want to get the most out of your HDTV. If you’re tempted to say that bigger is better then you are wrong. You need to buy a TV set that is fit for your room. For this you need to read the LCD TV screen size viewing distance guide and make the right decision. As we are reviewing a 46 inch model we can tell you that the optimal viewing distance is 16ft for SDTV (Standard definition) and 6ft for HDTV (High definition).
46SV670U Design
Toshibas REGZA design is characterize by two major features: the Deep Lagoon Design and new Infinity Flush Front. To explain this new feature we are going to compare it to a swimming pool where the water level is so up that you can’t see the margins of the pool. This is the case with Infinity Flush Front that includes a single glass sheet and anti-reflective coating covering the entire front of the LCD TV. The Deep Lagoon Design is inspired by nature and is Toshiba’s answer to Samsung’s TOC (touch of color).The menu is different from the one found on last year models. It is better organized but it lacks explanatory text for each selection. The remote control is as well organized, with good use of size and placement.
New features from Toshiba
Toshiba 46SV670U is the high-end model from REGZA 2009 line-up with plenty of features to offer. The major improvements are ClearScan 240Hz and FocaLight LED Backlight with Local Dimming. ClearScan 240Hz is Toshiba’s way to keep up with manufactures like Sony and Samsung who offer “true 240Hz”.This LCD TV doubles frames like a 120Hz LCD TV, while flashing the backlight faster then human vision can perceive and so obtaining “240Hz effect” refresh rate. This method is used also by manufactures like Vizio an LG. Local Dimming is a feature that allows the backlight of a LCD TV to be dimmed in some areas and so, producing deep blacks. Besides those two, we can find features like Autoview that automatically tweaks controls using an external light sensor, Toshiba’s Resolution+ that makes everything feel like HD, although this feature isn’t so great and Dolby sound that automatically keeps user’s preferred listening level when channels are changed or in other situations when sound level changes from different content (like between different commercials).
Performance
This top rated LCD TV from Toshiba is different from true 240Hz LCD TVs but the outcome of the 240Hz effect is similar. With FocaLight LED Backlight with Local Dimming feature this HDTV produces deep blacks and it can be compared with B8000 series from Samsung. Although the glass covering the front of this LCD TV is anti-reflective, this model doesn’t performs as well as top standard LCD displays when it comes to bright lighting. SD content looks good and Resolution+ technology tries to make SD look like HD but in our opinion the outcome of this feature can be obtained on any LCD TV by increasing the Sharpness control. For PC usage this model offers connectivity via HDMI (1.920×1.080) and via VGA input (1,360×768).
Connectivity
This HDTV offers good connectivity via:
• four HDMI inputs
• one USB port
• one SD Card Slot
• one VGA PC input
• AV input with composite and S-Video
• digital and analog audio outputs
Conclusion
Toshiba 46SV670U is a high-end LCD TV that offers great features and performance for his price and needs to be taken in consideration when buying an LCD TV.
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This is NOT a 240hz tv. It is a 120hz TV with a “240 hz effect”
“ClearScan 240 advanced frame its actually means 240Hz refresh rate…” WRONG! Wrong wrong wrong. You even used the word actually!
To explain, lets start with 120hz. Now, using Toshiba’s Clearframe technology, we’ve created a frame in between 1/60 and 2/60 frames. So we have a 1.5/60 (2/120) frame here, that was created by looking at information from frame 1 and frame 2. The TV buffers this information rather than displaying the source in realtime. This allows further image processing and less artifacting. So that’s 120hz. Now the TV is going to use a backlight interpolation technique to trick your brain into seeing 240 frames per second. Here’s how they did it:
So, I’m looking at frame 1/120. The backlight is going to show me one strip of picture, about 1/3 picture and 2/3 black. It’s almost like the black bars you see on 2.35:1 aspect ratio movies on a 16:9 TV, but bigger. Now, we’re still on frame 1/120. The backlight is then going to show me that same frame, except this time around show me 2/3 picture, and 1/3 black (The black now being a horizontal strip down the center of the screen.)… basically an inversion of last time.
The human brain is going to see all of this, and perceive it as 240 frames. Now whether or not our eyes can actually see 240 frames is irrelevant. Your brain is seeing the picture as being smoother and without the “Human Persistence of Vision” which causes the picture in many 120hz sets to appear “moving too fast” or unnaturally.
This is nothing new. Sharp’s very first 120hz TV (LC52D82U/92U) did something very similar to this, except rather than taking the 1/3 black, then 2/3 black approach that Toshiba did, it simply blacked out half the screen on frame 1, and then half on frame 2, rather than blacking twice on the same frame. Toshiba’s method however, is definitely superior.
Regardless, this is a BEAUTIFUL set. I honestly thought I was looking at a high-end Plasma the first time I laid eyes on it, and would recommend it over the competition.
Pleas, do your research before posting “specifications”. It makes this site look alot less credible.
…Or you could hire me and never have this problem again =)
Also, let me clarify why having a native 240hz set is actually a disadvantage vs. faux 240 (ClearScan240).
Artifacting!!! Lets say I have a 60 frames per second source –which is what you’re usually watching unless you pop in a dvd/blu-ray– and I have a native 240hz set. What’s gonna happen, is my TV is now creating 75% of what I see on screen. This leaves so much room for artifacting. Lets use the XBR7/8 as my example. Ever seen that set pan around a scene with lots of little slightly moving details? A top down view of hundreds of birds flying… or grass swaying in the wind while the screen pans around. You’ll notice it begins to artifact like crazy.
Even standard 120hz sets seem to handle this better than a native 240hz set. I’m not saying 240hz is bad– but it’s not quite ready yet in my opinion and needs to be further developed before being implemented into more sets.
@No life: First of all Thanks! you are right. This was a detail that fouled me and cnet as well (in there first review of ClearScan 240Hz) at first :).The only two manufactures that actually quadruple 60 frames per second are Sony and Samsung. Toshiba uses ClearScan 240Hz which doubles the original frames to get 120 frames like a standard 120Hz LCD TV, while flashing the backlight much faster then human vision can perceive. This method is also used by LG and Vizio. Anyway thanks for the heads up and please visit this site again in a few days and you will see an in-depth review of this LCD TV where ClearScan 240Hz it’s explained. I’m going to modify also in the specifications area.