Review: Toshiba 42XV545U

To help bridge the gap between the standard definition world and the high def one, Toshiba has introduced a series of TVs with a new feature designed to make your standard content look closer to HD.

The company calls the technology that makes this possible SRT, or Super Resolution Technology. It’s based on the cell processor development built into Sony’s Playstation 3 and as such, claims to bundle a lot of powerful processes into one TV. The 42-inch model here is the smallest with both SRT and 120 Hz processing.
 
Generally speaking, SRT was designed to clean up rough, jagged edges, upconvert low resolution signals and enhance colors. Both 480 and 720 resolution signals get upconverted to 1080p, the native resolution of the TV. That sounds like the same video processing goals of every other manufacturer’s video engines, yet Toshiba takes in an extra step by fine tuning it to improve SD pictures and allowing you to tweak it with a few level settings.
 
In addition to SRT, this model includes Toshiba’s PixelPure 4G feature, which adds 14-bit internal processing to the mix with the promise of 16,384 levels of gradation. In a real world scenario, this reduces the banding effect you often see in solid fields of color. It’s also designed to increase relative contrast and reduce video noise, which can be visible as a slight shimmering or grain in the picture.
 
The other big buzzword you’ll find on this set is 120 Hz processing. Standard video signals are output at 60 frames per second (60 Hz). Many new LCD TVs incorporate some method of doubling that frame rate in order to reduce the judder effect that plagues LCDs. Toshiba does this by the motion vector frame interpolation method, which basically means that the TV looks at one picture frame, then the next and makes an educated guess as to what frame should appear in between the two, then inserts it. It looks for moving elements within the frame to judge the speed and direction.
 
All of the above may make this TV seem like a complicated thing to invite into your living room, but in truth it doesn’t need to be. On the one hand it includes a very healthy selection of custom video settings, including control for red, blue and green colors, adjustable gradations for SRT application and other service-menu level video controls. These are great for the serious tweaker or people who intend to get a professional calibration. If that’s not you, then be thankful that the TV also has some very nicely performing automatic modes which analyze the video signal and the viewing room’s ambient light to make a lot of the best guesses for you.
 
Cosmetically, the Toshiba 42XV545U is a good-looking glossy black with a very thin (1.5-inches) bezel and a base that allows it to swivel left and right. The large remote is easy to use, yet lacks any back light for use in the dark. Four HDMI inputs make for lots of room to add high definition sources.
   
With video supplied by a Panasonic BD35 Blu-ray player, the Toshiba TV looked great. Detail was excellent, with no artifacts save for some slight color banding and an over emphasis of green in some scenes. I also believed the contrast was not as pronounced as some TVs I’ve seen recently, most notably the Samsung TOC reviewed in the September issue, yet that model also included a glossy screen cover which can increase contrast yet introduces significant screen glare.

The picture also showed some slight noise, but that varies by the content, as well as the picture setting. Movie mode exhibited the least noise, but also made the picture darker, which some viewers won’t like. AutoView mode brought out a lot of contrast and color, though some viewers may feel the color is too intense. An advanced menu gives you access to detailed color options so you can dial in just the way you want it.  
 
To test out the SRT processes performance I hooked up a standard DVD player (via component cable) and an off-air antenna. I found the lowest SRT setting tended to soften the picture a bit, which takes out some of the edge artifacts but also reduces sharpness. At the highest setting, SRT seemed to add too much of an artificial sharpness to the picture. The middle mode had the greatest impact and would satisfy most owners.