Toshiba 46UX600 LED/LCD HDTV (TPV 89)

Toshiba’s latest LED HDTVs feature a bevy of Internet-enabled functions

With the growing popularity of internet-enabled TVs that feature movie streaming and other internet apps, Toshiba has upped the ante with their latest UX600 series of LED edgelit LCD flat panels, which are equipped with LAN connectivity and come with a wireless Wi-Fi adapter for instant web app functionality, and they’re also equipped with 120 Hz refresh.

Based on Vudu’s internet app system, which includes SD and HD movie rental and purchase streaming, these latest Toshiba sets (available in 40” and 55” sizes in addition to the 46” review sample tested) come with over 100 channels of online content, including programs from the major broadcast and cable channels, as well as podcasts and other special interest programming.

OVERVIEW

Consider this HDTV if:you’d like a fully-featured internet-enabled LED edgelit flat panel that’s loaded with apps and comes with Wi-Fi connectivity as a no-cost option.

Look elsewhere if:you’ve got a number of legacy video sources, as the Toshiba only has one analog video input.

Ratings (relative to comparably-priced LED/LCD HDTVs):

• Overall picture quality (SD): 6
  
• Overall picture quality (HD): 7
  
• Features: 8
  
• Connectivity: 6
  
• User interface: 8
  
• Value: 7

FEATURES

LED edgelighting and a wide variety of Internet-enabled apps are the features that set this Toshiba apart from earlier models. Based on the Vudu platform, the set comes equipped with over one hundred Internet apps, ranging from news, weather and sports to a variety of SD and HD program choices from a raft of broadcast and cable providers.

While it’s equipped with a LAN port for wired connection to the home network, the Toshiba also comes with a wireless 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi adapter that provides a suitably speedy connection for watching 1080p HD content.

Connectivity

There are four HDMI inputs, which is par for the course these days. But, there’s only one analog video input (a component video input), which will be of concern for those with multiple legacy analog video sources. An SD card slot is there for viewing pictures, and an IR output is handy for routing control signals to other components in the system.

Two of the HDMI inputs, both USB ports, the component video input and the RJ-45 LAN port are on a side panel jack pack. The jack panel itself isn’t inset very deeply, so wiring that’s connected to any of those ports may be visible. When plugged in to the appropriate USB port, the Wi-Fi adapter juts out a full inch off the set’s right side, which mars the otherwise clean front panel styling.

User Interface

One aspect of some HDTVs that feature Internet apps is the increased complexity of the set’s internal operating system, which can cause slow startups as the set boots up. Pressing the power button starts the Toshiba’s turn-on sequence, but it’s a very leisurely affair, taking a full fifteen seconds before the front panel logo lights up and a picture appears on-screen. 

On Screen Display

The main OSD (picture, audio controls, setup and the like) is reasonably clear. However, with certain adjustments, the slider bar control disappears after just a few seconds, which is a bane when tweaking the picture, and is especially problematic when doing a calibration. Once adjustments are complete, however, the Theater Lock function freezes the picture settings, preventing inadvertent mis-adjustment.