Toshiba 40FT1U review and manual

Just got a new Toshiba 40FT1U at Costco. An excellent 40'' 1080p set! I liked the picture quality the most out of a number of comparable TVs. There is only one feature that this TV does not have, but I must admit that it's more a legacy device issue than anything else. There is no coaxial audio out, only optical. Probably fine for most modern home theaters, but not for mine. This means that I will not be able to feed surround sound broadcast audio into my home theater. My BluRay player has coaxial out, so I will feed it directly into the home theater system.

As usual, Costco tries to hide the actual model number of this television, for fear that consumers will find the same products for less at other stores. I only buy my TVs from Costco, because their no-hassle 2-year warranty is simply outstanding. But if you want to research 40FT1U some more you only need to know that this is pretty much the same model as Toshiba 40E200U.

Toshiba 40E200U pdf manual

Toshiba 40RV525R Manual

Toshiba 40RV525R is the most recent incarnation of an LCD TV whose manufacturers believe it to be of utmost importance to make sure that viewers not even for a second forget the brand of their television. As a result, the front panel of 40RV525R features an LED "Toshiba" logo. In a sharp departure from Vizio, however, this light can be turned off in the menu, as described on page 30 of the manual.

Toshiba 40RV525R PDF Manual

Chinon AVi - iPod Docking System with LCD (review + manual)

Chinon AVi packs a lot at a very attractive price of $199. It's an iPod dock, an alarm, an FM radio and a 7 inch Digital TV. In my opinion, a perfect thing for the kitchen. Or is it?

Now, keep in mind that recently Apple made it impossible to use third-party cables to connect iPods to television sets. You would have to pay $40 just for a set of composite or component cables at an Apple store. Apple-made cables have a special chip that's required by the newest Apple devices. My biggest concern is that this docks not able to overcome this hurdle. A fast scrolling animation of supported iPods on the manufacturer's site includes a 2009 120gb model, but not the 7g 160gb iPod. The iPod Support table does not make a distinction between various kinds of iPod Classic, but adds this: "please note that some iPod models may only support viewing of photos or slideshows on the iPod display and do not support the TV-out function". I must clarify that the 2009 160gb iPod (7th generation) does have a TV-out feature, but you may have to use an Apple cable, as I mentioned above. What this boils down to is that you may end up getting those $40 cables at the Apple store after all! Luckily, this device has video in, but at this rate you can be getting any LCD TV you like, not just the Chinon dock.

The manufacturer does not make it clear if the dock supports iPhones, but this is probably due to some intricate details of Apple licensing of the "Made for iPod" logo.

Another big issue is that the digital tuner in this dock only supports ATSC, not QAM. You will not be able to plug it directly into the cable outlet. Only off-the-air signals can be received. Unless, of course, you have a cable box, but then again, why not use a regular TV?

The bottom line is that you are probably better of with a regular decent audio system that has an iPod dock. The audio out feature works very well for all kinds of iPod devices. And get a small TV if you need one for the kitchen or wherever. You can always connect your supported iPod to it using cables, even you have to buy them directly from Apple. This Chinon AVi dock is more of a novelty item, only useful for brief outdoor use.


Chinon AVi Manual

See also:

Under-cabinet radio with iPod dock: Hamilton Beach

Sharp LC-32SB21U, Vizio VO32LF and VO37LF

The old TV set in the living room is on its last legs! The picture keeps collapsing into a bright, colorful yet very thin line. Some gentle banging on the side of the television temporarily fixes the problem, but is this exercise of strength even safe? Time to look for a new LCD TV!

I said this many times and I will say it again. There is no better place for getting a TV than Costco. They hand pick the models they sell from select manufacturers (Sony, Sharp, Philips, Vizio etc.) and offer very competitive prices. But the best thing ever is Costo's extended warranty. 2 years!

My initial pick was a 32 inch Sharp LC-32SB21U. It is now sold out at the local Costco store. I did have a few reservations about it, however. It is not a 1080p TV. But this may not be a big deal in an 32 inch model. Face it, the screen is simply not enough to reflect the nuances that Blu-Ray (and Blu-Ray only, mind you) are capable of producing. Is it really a big issue? On the hole, I think that Sharp has a much better picture than Vizio and I simply trust the brand a lot more. My 26 inch Sharp has been great. Anyway, unless LC-32SB21U reappears at the store I will probably go with one of the Vizio TVs: VO32LF or VO37LF. It is a common practice in less established brands to pack in a lot of feature at a low price. And that's ok. As long as they work. And remember, with Costco's 2-year warranty, if the TV breaks I can bring it back for full refund. And if it breaks afterwards, goodness only knows what kind of TV you will be able to pick up for $300 in a couple of years.


Vizio VO32LF manual
Vizio VO37LF manual

Sony KDL32SL130 TV

Sony KDL32SL130 32" LCD TV



Here is a good tip. I believe that the unit that Costco sell as Sony KDL32SL130 is actually a Sony model found at other stores under the name of 32S3000. This is a familiar Costco tactic. They assume that customers might as well rely upon Costco to do product research. And it most cases it works out well. I did own a TV purchased at Costco. It broke before the extended Costco warranty expired, so I got all my money back. I did not have a problem getting another TV from them - they had discontinued the brand that I had, so apparently they can learn from their mistakes. Bu in the case of KDL32SL130 there is would have been no shame in keeping the product name untouched! Consumer Reports rated 32S3000 as the best 32" LCD HDTV in a recent electronics issue. So, I am forgoing the usual pros and cons run down.


User manual for Sony KDL32SL130 TV:

40" BRAVIA XBR manual

One day I will be fortunate enough to see my old TV in the living room will enter eternity - I am already seeing signs of aging... When that bitter sweet day arrives my only consolation will be in upgrading to something... well... worth upgrading to. In fact, I am willing to sacrifice a pretty nice entertainment center presently housing the TV in the living room.

For years, Sony was known among manufacturers of electronics products as their R & D department. Meaning that many features that Sony introduced find their way into devices produced by other companies. So, as it has become my best tool for researching electronics to study manuals of products before purchasing them, here is Sony's current flaghship LCD TV, the XBR series:

http://www.sonystyle.com/wcsstore/SonyStyleStorefrontAssetStore/pdf/KDL40XBR5.pdf

I would like to add that looking a product's manual is like getting a little part of it for free. After all, when and if you buy it, the manual will be a part of the purchase. The cool thing is that you can get this component of literally every product you buy. This way you will get a much better idea about the product's features and their availability. Sometimes, it is enough to look at the instructions to figure out that the menus are just not set up the way someone would find convenient and intuitive. So, get those manuals people!

Sony Bravia DAVHDZ235 home theater and Sharp SH12U

Here is one thing to consider when choosing the size of your new TV. A bigger TV, especially if we're talking smaller sets, will be very likely to have more connections. I learned this the hard way. My Sharp SH12U, even though the screen size is quite sufficient for me, does not have an analog audio out jack. It only has digital audio out with Dolby or PCM. Because digital channels that I get over QAM do not have a loud enough audio signal I started looking around for a way to boost the sound. If only I had analog audio out on the TV! Like a headphone jack or something... I would have gotten a Logitech X-530 or Logitech X-540. This last one even has a 'matrix' feature that creates surround sound when there is not 5.1 source. Unfortunately, I now have to look for a more expensive (which is fine) and space-consuming (not fine!) option. Costco has a Sony Bravia DAVHDZ235 home theater for $170, but it is obviously bigger than a Logitech speaker system. All the speaker components are significantly larger and then there is the set-top box. I understand that this give you more power, but I just don't need that much power! Frustrating.

Largest LCD TV in existence (from Sharp)?

I found some news articles from 2004 about Sharp developing a 65-inch Aquos - the largest LCD to date. Sure enough, three years later the model is available for purchase - LC-65D64U. Apparently, that's how long it takes. The price tag on this LCD monster is about $8,000. The largest model that Sharp has built seems to be a 108-incher. I have not idea how much it might cost.

	Features

	Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) Resolution
for the sharpest picture possible.

	10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio and 4ms1 Response Time
produces spectacular picture quality.

	Three HDMI™ (version 1.3) and Dual Component Inputs
for the ultimate in terminal flexibility. All HD inputs are compatible with 1080p sources and compatible with X.V. color for extended color gamut.

	Wide Viewing Angles (176º H x 176º V)
Sharp's AQUOS LCD TV viewing angles are so wide, you can view the TV clearly from practically anywhere in the room.

	Enhanced Black Level
provides the deepest, most accurate blacks of any flat panel TV.

	High Brightness (450 cd/m2)
AQUOS LCD Televisions are very bright. You can put them virtually anywhere – even near windows, doors or other light sources – and the picture is still vivid.

	Built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners
provide access to DTV and analog TV channels.

	AQUOS engine with ASV Technology
provides high-performance video processing for the brightest, most vivid colors and images.

Good tip for Aquos buyers

It seems as if some store like to carry the same models as everybody else, but they want their customers to be unable to compare their prices and the prices that the competition has to offer. Perhaps as a side effect or possibly even deliberately, these stores deprive customers of the ability to find reviews of the products they are planning to purchase. For instance:

It is believed that the Costco lcc3242u - 32" Aquos LCD TV, is the same model as Sharp lc32d43u. It is extremely difficult to find reviews of the Costo model, while a search for lc32d43u returns thousands of pages. Of course, this way you can also find a better price. But I would not recommend that, because Costco's warranty cannot be beaten!

WiFi in a television set? HP SL4778N , HP SL4778N

HP SL4278N 42-inch MediaSmart High-Definition 1080p LCD TV
HP SL4778N 47-inch MediaSmart High-Definition 1080p LCD TV

This LCD TV has 3 HDMI inputs, but only one Antenna/Cable in. This deeply bothers me, because it means that TV manufacturers not exactly interested in providing us with viewing options. I would much prefer using cable for analog, and antenna for digital channels. Or combine them, if possible. This may end up developing into an even more troubling tendency not to include ATSC tuners, only QAM (if that's in fact a legal possibility, given the current regulations).

But here is the cool part!

These HP LCDs have built-in WiFi. This means you can access files on your home network on on the Internet (the remote control makes it quite easy). What kind of files are we talking about?

Graphics:
Jpg, png, tif, gif

Music:
m4b, mp3, wma, wav, ogg

Audio/Video:
avi, divx, xvid, dvr-ms, mp4, mpg, wmv/asf


There is also some limited support for DRM. Basically, this sounds a lot like AppleTV, as long as you already have a computer :)

Sharp Aquos vs. SH12U

The irony of watching commercials about television sets ON a television set never escaped me. When I see commercials about Sharp Aquos (D62U series), those TVs sure look awesome. They look awesome ON my Sharp SH12U! The quality of the picture of SH12U is so great that I honestly cannot see too many improvements when I compare the too in person. In theory, I know that Aquos should have an improved black level. In my opinion, however, Sharp already achieved pretty good levels of black on their previous models. It's just something they worked on, apparently. LCDs have a bad reputation for not having very good black levels. Supposedly they are not very good for watching movies in a dark room. This was a bit of a problem with my old ProView LCD, but SH12U simply makes it a no issue. So, I am still pretty happy with it, even though it is possible that Aquos is approaching "the look and feel" of a plasma screen TV.

Sharp SH12U

This is a 26-incher. They seem to be sold at Costco and similar places. When I compared it to a similar Westinghouse the difference in the quality was quite visible to me. I've read that Westinghouse keeps their prices low because the brand is now owned by an LCD manufacturer. Well, I did not like the quality of the LCD. At the store, while the demo HDTV signal was displayed I could see the difference in the areas that were supposed to be a certain pure color. Red, for instance. On the Westinghouse unit I could see some pixelation even when I was not standing close to the screen. I mean, it's ok. You can probably get used to it. But Sharp simply looked better. I have been reading some reviews later and it appears some of the Sharp's units are really among the best. Visually it is certainly true. I would say that there are only two nuisances about it. I don't think the speakers are loud enough. I very much dislike loud sounds, but I think that in the summer, when the air-conditioner is on, this TV will have to be set to the highest volume possible. So, it is a huge plus if you have some kind of separate sound system. Also, it takes a second or two to go from channel to channel. And it takes a few seconds to warm up when you turn on the TV. But if you are not a channel flipper you'll be just find. The good news is, however, that you can see both digital and analog channels on the same remote, so to speak. Ordinarily I would not think twice of it, but after having seen a Mintek LCD/DVD combo I appreciate this feature. On the Mintek you would have to switch constantly between digital and analog channels!

This LCD TV has a QAM, as well as a terrestrial HD tuner. This is nice, because if you have standard cable chances are that you can get all the free HDTV channels available off the air in your area.

• Screen Size: 26"
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Resolution: 1366 x 768
• Contrast Ratio: 1200:1
• Brightness: 450 cd/m2
• Response Time: 6ms
• Lamp Life: 2 60,000 hrs.
• Viewing Angles: 176°H x 176°V
• Tuning: NTSC/ATSC/QAM
• Stand: included
• Limited Warranty: 1 year parts, 90 days labor
• Dimensions (w x h x d) (in inches): 26-5/16 x 17-3/4 x 4-9/16 (TV only) 26-5/16 x 19-11/16 x 9-9/16 (TV and Stand)
• Weight (lbs): 25.4 (TV only), 28.4 (TV and Stand)

Official TV

As it stands now, if I am not mistaken, Sony is the official TV of NFL, and Sharp is the official TV of MLB. What should one choose? I am partial to both sports. Baseball, however, lasts longer. Sounds like a better investment.

new TV or a vacation?

Here is one way to look at it. A new LCD TV will last for years. A vacation will only last a week or so.

Here is another way to look at it. A good LCD TV will last many years. A good vacation will last forever...