Toshiba 40TL963B 3D LED LCD Television Review

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Reviewed by Mark Hodgkinson, 28th September 2012. The Toshiba TL963B offers some truly excellent performance for this level of the market but is just let down by the iffy handling of Blu-ray and a mildly annoying screen tearing bug. If the engineers could sort either issue out we'd be happy to reconsider; if they could sort both then we'd be looking at a TV offering outstanding value for money.
Read the full review...
 
Hi,

thanks for the review. The inability to properly play Blu Rays is incompetence on Toshiba's part . And they too should be taken to task by trading standards , particularly as Toshiba advertise it as having 24p mode:

3DTV | 3D Televisions | Buy 3D TVs at Toshiba

I understand that the sister VL963 is a Currys/PC World exclusive and is passive 3D, I had a demo of it in Currys and couldn't entirely convince myself that it too could handle 24p, but on balance I would say it probably can. It also has the wow-factor one-sheet of glass look, looking better than the TL963 IMO.

Any chance of a review of this VL963 ;) ? Thanks again.
 
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Hi

Yes, we should be covering the VL963 soon :)
 
Thanks for your great review. :)
But one question: Do the two screenshots of picture settings represent your calibrated settings? Or are there any other advanced settings that "pushed" the quality from basic setup to your calibrated results?
 
Hi

Yes, they were the final settings I think.

There were the Colour Master settings too but I'm not inclined to publish them, sorry, as it's a complete Russian Roulette with these TVs. Entering them in to another TV could seriously wreck the picture!
 
Hi

Yes, we should be covering the VL963 soon :)

Fantastic !! Grateful if you could , and cover the 24p handling angle again.

I had a play with the VL963 and couldn't find a "24p" on/off setting. Was there such a setting on the TL963 ? FWIW, I think I give them the benefit of the doubt for the VL963, as far as 24p (when I was watching a Blu Ray) is concerned (I think) but would like to hear further reports. Sometimes I'm not sure if I am that good at judging, unless the judder is really aweful.

VL963 is a fine looking TV and given it will be used for mainly TV viewing on the bedroom, I might not be able to resist buying one even before your review goes online !

Presumably you will be getting it straight from Toshiba rather than Currys ;) .
 
Would the TL933 have similar results? Do these sets share same SPVA panel? Also did you test viewing angles & daytime performance /screen reflectance?
 
Hi,

I recently got this tv (46" version) after having to return an LG (big mistake) because of it's stupid auto dimming. Anyway, is it just me or does text no display correctly on this tv? Also, the picture doesn't seem as clear as my previous 32" toshiba (not smart and was LCD). Is it maybe something to do with the settings? In any case, is there a certain setup that you could suggest? I'm quite the gamer so I test quality there a lot. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!
 
if you are a gamer the news are not so good. This tv has high lag. Try connecting to HDMI 1 and set to game or pc mode plus deactivate every picture processing. I tried that when I wanted to calibrate my set but even then a lag was noticeable. Text renders just fine though.
 
if you are a gamer the news are not so good. This tv has high lag. Try connecting to HDMI 1 and set to game or pc mode plus deactivate every picture processing. I tried that when I wanted to calibrate my set but even then a lag was noticeable. Text renders just fine though.

Thanks so much for the quick reply. Lag isn't too much of an issue, after playing around with some setting I got it pretty much right (for me). What do you mean by set hdmi 1 to game or pc? Do you mean the input label? If so how do I change that? Or do you mean the picture preset? As in dynamic, Hollywood and so on?


Thanks again
 
Its a trial and error process.
Connect your source to HDMI ARC and set picture mode to game or PC. (also try with HDMI 4)
You could also try renaming HDMI to PC in Samsungs this reduces processings.
You can also test with text to see if there is 4:4:4 reproduction or it subsamples images. Look at this online test:
Online monitor test - By vanity.dk and flatpanels.dk
For more info on 4:4:4 go to either avsforums or hardforum

Also it would be helpful to post what you are connecting the tv with, and what settings you have there too :)
 
Well it appears that the game preset works better. I was originally using dynamic which was prob the cause of the bad quality. I think I have realised that each preset holds something unique, not just preset settings. The text is a lot better using the game preset. Although some white text is a little off. And at the moment I have 3 hdmi connects using ports 1, 2 and 3...and connected to that is the ps3, sky HD box and desktop pc respectively. I will look into the link you provided.

Thanks for all your help :)
 
dynamic= bad.
try hollywood 1& 2 and increase back-light as needed
 
Hi

I recently bought a Toshiba 40TL963 from ebay which was suppose to be 6 weeks old. It was working fine until I connected a PS3 to an input device. The PS3 worked fine initially but when I later tried to switch from SKY - HDM1 to PS3 - HDM2, the TV just froze. The power light is green and the TV is not responding to my remote nor is it responding to the keys on the TV itself. I tried resetting the TV several times by removing all connected devices and taking the TV power plug from the wall socket but the TV starts and the green power light comes on and I am unable to select any options or use the remove or use the keys on TV itself.

I contacted Toshiba but they have asked me for the store the TV was purchased from and the exact date. I am unable to contact the seller as he may have gone abroad. What do I do now? Can anyone help?

Is there a way to obtain the service manual so I can see if the TV software could be reset using certain keys or using a PC to get to the TV software.

Thanks. Any help would be appreciated
 
Hi, I was wondering if it would be work buying or using a calibration DVD to get better quality while playing on my ps3. I don't no too much about it calibration so I thought I would ask here. I have the 46" version of the tv outlined in this thread.

Thanks in advance
 

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