Toshiba 27AF45 27" Flat Screen TV (Silver)
Big Picture - Small Price !
I just wanted a TV to hold me until HDTV becomes standard. So I didn't want to spend more than $400 total. I was ready to purchase the SONY KV27-FS120. But it was this Toshiba that caught my attention. The Toshiba was also $70 less compared to the SONY. The TV on display had a DVD playing through the Toshiba's Component Video input. Toshiba calls that the \\"Color Stream\\" input. I immediately noticed how detailed the picture was. There was no video noise and the area outside of the letterbox bars was solid black.<br /><br />The colors were outstanding. The brightness & contrast showed clean distinctive shades. The overall image was very detailed and clean. I felt that the Toshiba seemed equal or better than any of the others 27\\" standard CRTs I viewed in this price range. So I bought it and I am happy with my purchase. Out of the box , I had to lower the color and brightness levels significantly. There is a reset function to set it back to factory default levels. Everyones viewing preferences are different. So some people may like the default settings. After some minor Audio & Video adjustments, it looks really fantastic. The screen is pure flat,and shows no distortion, glare or reflections. That's important if the TV faces windows.<br /><br />The TV is less than 30\\" wide, since the side speakers are not overly large. So the TV screen appears wider than those TV's with larger speakers on the sides. The sound is very good, but not great. However, I think most people usually connect their TV's to a stereo amplifier. Especially when viewing a music or action DVD. Using the BBE sound option gives the sound more clarity and presence. Theres is also a Surround sound mode that is very good. But it really depends on the source. Music sounds great with both the BBE & Surround Sound ON. The TV also has Bass and Treble controls. There are three Sets of Audio/Video Inputs. Which at this price range is all you are going to get.<br /><br />For DVD viewing it's best to use the COMPONENT Video Input. Which gives a more detailed and brighter picture than S-VHS Input. The S-VHS(Super VHS)connection gives you a much better picture than standard composite inputs. But it is the component input that gives you the best overall quality. There are also front COMPOSITE Audio/ Video inputs for connecting a camcorder or a Playstation. Also found on the front panel is headphone jack. The sound using headphones is good enough for late night viewing.<br /><br />My only negatives are if you connect powered speakers to the TV's audio outputs. You wont be able to control their volume using the TV's volume control. Also the included multi brand (TV/Cable/DVD) remote only works just the very basic features of cable boxes.ch gives a more detailed and brighter picture than S-VHS Input. The S-VHS(Super VHS)connection gives you a much better picture than standard composite inputs. But it is the component input that gives you the best overall quality. There are also front COMPOSITE Audio/ Video inputs for connecting a camcorder or a Playstation. Also found on the front panel is headphone jack. The sound using headphones is good enough for late night viewing.     My only negatives are if you connect powered speakers to the TV's audio outputs. You wont be able to control their volume using the TV's volume control. Also the included multi brand (TV/Cable/DVD) remote only works just the very basic features of cable boxes.