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Features

• ATSC/NTSC & QAM Digital Television Tuners
• 720p
• Resolution: 1024 x 768
• 8,000:1 Contrast Ratio
• Dual HDMI Inputs
• Coaxial and Optical Digital Audio Output

We have become pretty jaded by large contrast ratio numbers so when we saw a 8,000:1 rating we were not too impressed. But we were wrong. This TV produced some of the best contrast and detail that we have seen in a long time. When compared to our regular TVs the Toshiba could display more detail in darker scenes than we are used to. The colors really pop off the screen and really made anything we watch look more spectacular. The blacks on the plasma are very BLACK.  Standard Definition programming looked good and the sound the speakers created was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't surround (even though they claim to create a three-dimensional sound field from just two speakers) but it was clear and full. Toshiba also has something called "StableSound" which attempts to limit audio fluctuation between channels and between  programming and advertisements. We found it to level the sound but it did not compare to the Dolby Volume demo we saw at CES.

The TV comes with an ATSC and QAM tuner so you can watch HDTV even if you don't have HDTV service. In many cases a simple set of rabbit ears will be all you need if you live close enough to the transmitters. If you have cable, plug in the cable to the QAM tuner and see if your cable company is transmitting encrypted HD through your system. If you have HD service through your cable or satellite company you'll want to use one of the TVs HDMI inputs to connect the picture. The TV has two HDMI inputs so if you have a next gen DVD player or and upconverting standard DVD player you can easily connect both sources. The only issue with this is that there is one calibration setting for both inputs.  The TV also has a coaxial and optical digital output so you can enjoy Dolby Digital sound when watching over the air HDTV.

The remote is not very good but we did like the fact that you can select each input from the number pad on the remote. The menus are quite simple and very easy to navigate. From an aesthetics point of view the TV looked pleasing to the eye. It has a black bezel to frame the screen. It measures 42.16" x 30.91" x 13.4" (WxHxD) with the stand and weighs 90.41 pounds (107 X 78.5 X 34 cm 41Kgs). We also wish manufacturers of 42 inch plasmas would create screens with 1366X768 resolution.

What we liked

• Fantastic HD picture
• Vivid Colors
• 8,000:1 Contrast Ratio
• Two HDMI inputs
• Coax and Optical Digital outputs
• Price

What we disliked

• 1024 vs 1366 horizontal resolution
• remote control
• HDMI inputs can't be calibrated individually

Conclusion
The Toshiba 42HP66 is a nice looking (both when its on and off) HDTV with decent Standard Definition performance. The TV passed all our critical viewing tests for contrast with flying colors. Speaking of colors they were quite bright and vivid. At $1200 online this is a good TV for a apartment or condo dweller. It will go nicely in a bedroom as well.
 

 

What happened to SED, and Where's OLED?

Way back in Episode #7, May 12, 2005, we talked about three TV technologies of the future: NED, SED and OLED.  Since that time, NED died, SED is on life support, and OLED is still hanging on.

As a refresher, here's what we reported almost 2 years ago:

SED - Surface-conduction Emission Display - SED works very much like traditional CRT technology, shooting a beam of electrons to excite phosphors on a screen. Unlike, CRTs, though SED uses a thin strip of Palladium Oxide as an electron emitter, instead of a huge cathode ray tube. This allows the whole display system to be manufactured as thin as 10 millimeters thick.

SED offers the bright, vivid colors and high contrast rations of traditional CRTs with the thin profile of LCD and Plasma. They're said to have very low power requirements and are supposedly very inexpensive to manufacture. The two companies behind SED technology are Canon and Toshiba, and there are rumors that SED TVs will be available by Christmas 2005.

If they live up to the hype, SED TVs could replace Plasma and LCD as the dominant large panel thin screen TV.

Obviously, the whole Christmas 2005 thing didn't work out.  But we saw demos at CES just a couple weeks after that, and things were looking good.  So what happened?  There have been legal issues, and Canon recently agreed to acquire Toshiba's stake in the joint venture.  This is obviously bad, since Canon isn't really seen as a TV powerhouse.  And just as importantly, there have been technological issues, mainly very high manufacturing costs.  Many experts believe the window for a viable SED launch has come and gone.  Plasma and LCD are getting better daily, reducing the SED benefits ... and of course there's that whole issue of manufacturing costs.

Despite all that, Canon and Toshiba remain optimistic - promising SED TV's by Christmas 2007.  Is there an echo in here?

Now for OLED.  Here's what we said way back when:

OLED - Organic Light Emitting Display - Also an emissive technology, OLED is said to have incredibly fast response time, i.e. no artifacting in fast motion like LCDs. OLED is also an emissive technology that works by placing a stack of organic thin films between two charged electrodes. As an emissive display, OLED doesn't require a backlight. The can be manufactured paper thin, as thin as 500 nanometers.

Backed by the likes of Kodak, Dupont, Xerox and Lucent, OLED is currently being used in very small format displays such as Digital Cameras, Cell Phones and PDAs. The technology is brighter, thinner, faster and lighter than LCDs, uses less power, offers higher contrast and is cheaper to manufacture. OLED displays are currently using glass as the transparent anode, but later they will be made from special, ultra-thin plastic that will produce same picture as glass but at lower costs and with greater flexibility.

So where is OLED today?  Millions of OLED screens are on the market, in cell phones, digital cameras and portable media players, they just haven't grown up to full size TVs yet.  Sony showed a prototype 27" at CES this year, and Samsung has been showing a prototype 40" model for some time.  The Sony model has a reported 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a full 1080p resolution, and is wafer thin.  This one is still vapor, no promises on when sets will hit the shelves, and no idea on pricing.

 

  

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