Does the XV545 have a matte or glossy screen? I'm concerned about reflections in my den.

I got a set of 42" 545 for my bedroom and move my crappy Bravia to basement for my kids to play Wii. I think I waste money again(glad it only cost me >$1G)! Is it still better than the crappy Sony, yes but I wish I should spend a bit more to get a Panny plasma instead. PQ on both SD & HD are way way behind my 5080 Pio Kuro. I think I really hate the haze screen from the LCD and what really disappoint me is that the toshiba having big issue to hook up with PC. I spent 2 hr trying all kind of resolution and still not able to get a 1 to 1 pixel mapping without seriously underscan or overscan. And yes, I already use DVE to calibrate it.

The XV545U has an option to turn that backlight off. From the manual:

Selecting the TOSHIBA Illumination
mode
You can set the illumination mode of the TOSHIBA logo
located on the front panel to On or Off.
To set the TOSHIBA Illumination mode:
1 From the Setup menu, highlight TOSHIBA
Illumination and press c.
2 Press B or b to select either On or Off, and press T.

I had a chance to check out the 42" 545 today at the local Best Buy and was quite pleased with the picture, although the only thing it was showing was a Regza demo video. The blacks were nice and deep, colours bright and detailed with good contrast. I also had a chance earlier this weekend (at Sears of all places) to compare the Panasonic 42PZ80 Plasma with some comparably-priced Sharp and LG LCD's all displaying the same content and I was really impressed with the higher level of detail and colour on the Panasonic--the LCD's colours looked "flatter" and noticeably lost a bit of detail when the picture panned. What I liked about Sears was that they had the remotes all out to let you mess around with the settings a bit. I think I'm down to the Toshiba 545 and Panasonic PZ80 at this point--I'll have to find a place where I can compare these side-by-side with the same content.

Anybody have this Regza TV? I may buy it this afternoon. I can't find any reviews on the web. Any advice? Thanks.

The 52XF550U is the predecessor to the XV545U (but with a 'super narrow bezel'). Here's a review of the 550U: http://ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldisplays/708tosh550u/

Toshiba was very big in the RPTV market but has a very small presence in the LCD scene. From what I've been told, they are not supporting their LCD product too well from a marketing/service standpoint. As a result many distributors and showrooms have dropped their line.

I bought one of these when they came out Oct 2007 -- that is, the "fat bezel" model 120 Hz Clear Frame yada yada. It's fabulous (and much cheaper this year). Go for it. I don't know what the issue is with "no support for LCD market".

Why do the newer regzas not have the super narrow bezel?

I'm interested in the same line as discussed here, but in 46 inch.

The 46xf550U with the kick ass super thin bazel, was replaced by the 46xv545u, which is very similar performance wise, but has the SRT upconverting technology int it (wiether or not that's useful I don't know), and is Energy Star qualified.

I personally love that super thin Bazel, and the picture quality of Regzas in general. My eyes love regza period. But I currently own the 46rf35ou, and would like to put it in my basement and get the newest 120hz thin Bezel for my main HT, only there isn't one.

Don't get me wrong, I am VERY happy with my 60hz Regza, and the only reason for upgrading is that I simply want another one, and would like to get the best I can in the line right now. My 60hz model surprised me! No motion problems at all during movies. EVER. And and i've sat and looked for it. The only time I have seen any issues is from cable tv, and that's the source, not the tv. For gaming, there has never been motion problems either, and I've looked for it, and so has my buddy who is a plasma owner. Even he was impressed. And IMO Regza looks better than Sharp and most Sony lcds, which is why I want another.

I can either get the 46xv545u with it's extra few features, and have to completely alter my speaker placement because of room size issues, or try to get the 46xf55ou, which is almost impossible now, and I would miss out in features. Or I could down size to the 42 inch, and get the new features, but lose some size. Plus I'm usiing a 42 inch stand, and the thin bazel 46 inch fits perfect on it. IT sucks, and those extra few inches for me matter, my room is barely big enough for 7.1, and that thin bazel allows for the front speaker placement to do it.

They need to make a true upgrade for the xf550u line, and keep the super thin bezel, it was awesome! It was one of if not THE best feature of the line.

Bring back the super thin Toshiba!!!

Thanks for the comments so far. I bought it. I have set it up but will calibrate it with Digital Video Essentials on the weekend.

You lucky *******.

Hey how is the SRT upconverting techology working Does it make a difference over previous Regza models for non-HD sources?

I am looking for the narrow bezel too.

There seems to be a lot of rejects of the 550 line due to shipping damage(Costco US / UPS). Maybe Toshiba can't protect them well enough .

You won't be disappointed.

I have the 52LX177, 120Hz from last year. As good as anything I've seen. Excellent with HD, very good with SD.

I have the 42LX177 and echo DanTou's comment.
The 545's are being blown out in some places. Shop around.

I just picked up the 52" V545 last week and VERY pleased so far. It had everything I was looking for including the smart zoom function and the matte screen is fantastic. I have two large windows in my living room so I cannot control the room lighting and this one is almost as good (for glare) as my two year old 46" Samsung which this replaces. A LOT of the new LCD's have glossy screens now that are just impossible for me to live with in my environment.

I know that Toshiba sales have been lagging behind Samsung, Sony and Sharp in LCD for the last few years so if this is part of their new generation to regain some lost ground then mission accomplished. Wow. I'm still stunned at how much better the image quality is compared to my 2 year old Samsung and I was pretty happy with that one! Black levels are first rate and the range and control of all adjustments is excellent with lots of automatic controls as well if you don't want to fuss.

James

P.S. Picked mine up at Sears as they matched pricing with FS and give you 30 days to try it out. Their two year zero interest payment plan didn't hurt either! :)

P.S.S. www.tweaktv.com has setting recommendations on their website for this model as well if you want to give it a try. http://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/calibration-guide/toshiba-52xv545u-2.html I haven't had the time yet but maybe this weekend.

I bought this TV last week from Best Buy and it's simply the best TV I have ever owned.

After dialing back the settings and making a few simple adjustments, the picture is awesome. Deep, full colors and crystal clear. The SRT mode does make a difference as far as I can see on lower channels and it's adjustable to your taste.

I highly recommend this model.

I bought this TV last week from Best Buy and it's simply the best TV I have ever owned.

After dialing back the settings and making a few simple adjustments, the picture is awesome. Deep, full colors and crystal clear. The SRT mode does make a difference as far as I can see on lower channels and it's adjustable to your taste.

I highly recommend this model.
There have been some reports that the SRT function is greyed out (not available) when you hook up a cable providers STB to this TV using HDMI cables and that it works if you switch to component cables.
How are you hooked up?

I'm using component, my 1st gen HD box (Cogeco) only has a DVI out connector on the back so I stuck with the component cables.

The picture is good enough for me anyway...

You can buy a DVI to HDMI adaptor for less than $10, and really have a digital picture. This is the way I plug my computer into my TV. Works perfect.

It's amazing when you get near a 52" TV and look at a computer picture (like this message I'm typing in front of my TV) with absolutely no blur, each pixel perfectly aligned. Of course, in normal use, you may want to move a little futher than one foot from the TV... It leaves room for the knees when you sit. :D

I was in Video Only the other day (may be West-coast US only chain, not sure). Their sales reps are pimpin' the XV545U like no tomorrow. The rep acknolwedged that they got a good price from Toshiba (or the distributor, however their channel works) so clear they are have better margins on this unit. Still, the hard sell on this was akin to a used car sale.

That said, the image certainly supported his opinion. The unit sat sandwiched between a Sony 52XBR-6 and a Samsung LN52A650. Although they were only running a video loop from one of the manufacturers so comparison test was contained/limited, the Toshiba picture was noticably superior -- more accurate and vivid colors, comparable blacks, brighter picture. So much so that I thought they may have tinkered with the settings on the Sony and Samsung in order to make the Toshiba look better. But perhaps my natural suspicion of hard-sell sales folks is getting the best of me.

Does anyone have any opinions on whether Video Only's bias for towards this unit is truly based on performance vs. margins?