turbo_011
11-27-05, 03:48 PM
After 3 months of research and days spent on this forum (thanks for all feedback folks) I bought new Toshiba 42HPX95 plasma. This is Toshiba’s “new” Cinema Series plasma screen. It comes in 50” size but considering my requirements, it would be overkill. First impressions ... I hooked up my Rogers Digital Cable box with HDMI connector and I was more than impressed with the picture quality. I tried basically all usual suspects ... HD sports channels and some local Canadian HD broadcast feed and as far as picture goes I can’t be happier. Crystal clear PQ with amazing colour match, exceptional contrast and sharpness. Just a reminder, these results were based on out-of-box settings so I decided to do some fine tuning. After no more than 10 minutes I nail down the contrast, brightness and colour settings so the outcome was spectacular. The SD channels (my biggest concern) look absolutely fantastic. Some of them are superior to others but in general PQ quality is better than what I have expected. For example, CBC (Canadian folks will know) is really sharp and clear but some other channels like CTV is just there. Anyway, after watching TV for couple of hours I can only say good things about this unit. My second test was Toshiba DVD player with HDMI output. Well, this is more than you can ask for. The DVD signal output was setup for 1080i and I was absolutely amazed with clarity and overall PQ quality. I have no idea if these results have anything to do with the fact this is Toshiba DVD but most likely you will get the same results with any other progressive scan DVD player and HDMI input. I played the new Star Wars, Finding Nemo and Robots. Black tones are stunning! Great dark black levels, with good shadow detail. There is no sign of any black noise (DVD source) but then you would expect only the best out of 1080i.
PC hook-up was more than easy. I am very pleased with the PQ quality with this particular source and with the overall screen appearance. Browsing the Internet was quite a fun. The text in a browser window was readable and truly clear. Toshiba 42HPX95 comes with RJ-45 Ethernet connection so the user can make this TV unit part or the home network. I haven’t used this feature but looking forward to try it. The sound that comes out of this box is nothing to complain about. The 20 watts audio output with 2 way speaker system is quite good. Toshiba’s SRS Surround Sound works so well. The sound is rich and crisp and without knowing what you are listening to, you would assume it comes out from much larger and sophisticated unit.
At the end I think I made a right choice. I was debating for a long time between Panasonic TH42PX500U and this puppy. After the fact that Toshiba 42HPX95 has 2 HDMI ports, RJ-45 connection, 2 IEEE-1394 Inputs and DTV Link this plasma TV brings exceptionally good PQ quality. I am almost certain if I went with Panasonic I wouldn’t be disappointed but considering all additional goodies that comes with Toshiba and few hundred dollars less on the price tag, for me this is the right choice.
Brian from Toronto
PC hook-up was more than easy. I am very pleased with the PQ quality with this particular source and with the overall screen appearance. Browsing the Internet was quite a fun. The text in a browser window was readable and truly clear. Toshiba 42HPX95 comes with RJ-45 Ethernet connection so the user can make this TV unit part or the home network. I haven’t used this feature but looking forward to try it. The sound that comes out of this box is nothing to complain about. The 20 watts audio output with 2 way speaker system is quite good. Toshiba’s SRS Surround Sound works so well. The sound is rich and crisp and without knowing what you are listening to, you would assume it comes out from much larger and sophisticated unit.
At the end I think I made a right choice. I was debating for a long time between Panasonic TH42PX500U and this puppy. After the fact that Toshiba 42HPX95 has 2 HDMI ports, RJ-45 connection, 2 IEEE-1394 Inputs and DTV Link this plasma TV brings exceptionally good PQ quality. I am almost certain if I went with Panasonic I wouldn’t be disappointed but considering all additional goodies that comes with Toshiba and few hundred dollars less on the price tag, for me this is the right choice.
Brian from Toronto