PERFORMANCE

A key thing we look for when testing LCD TVs is how well they can handle shadowy scenes in movies. To check this out on the 46SV670U, I went right to the source: the Blu-ray Disc of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Watching a scene where the hominids huddle in their cave just prior to the arrival of the mysterious monolith, background blacks and letterbox bars in the picture looked very deep, so much so that both blended in with the TV's black frame. Above black details like the furry hides of the creatures and the craggy rocks they huddled against also showed satisfying levels of shadow detail. When the scene shifted to spacecraft floating against a black, star-flecked background circa 2001, the Toshiba lacked some of the contrast punch of the Sony XBR8 model I compared it with, but I can't say that the difference was all that dramatic.

Moving on to another genre entirely, I watched an hour and change of the Criterion Collection's new Blu-ray release of the Merchant/Ivory classic Howards End, stopping only when I couldn't stand to watch yet another scene of upper-class English folk engaged in animated chatter over tea. The Toshiba did a great job rendering the subtle hues of the precise period interiors and costumes, and it easily conveyed the film's overall warm, gauzy look. Despite my measurements showing the TV's tendency to emphasize green, grass and trees in the exterior shots of the leafy Howards End cottage looked balanced and natural. And the same could be said for the skin tones of the actors: Differences between the slightly sallow face of Emma Thompson and the pale, porcelain features of Helena Bonham Carter were apparent in every scene.

One Blu-ray Disc that really let the Toshiba show its stuff was the new remastered version of the 1960s TV series The Prisoner - an out-of-this-world presentation, given the material's vintage. In the first episode, "Arrival," the Pop Art color schemes of the show's costumes and sets looked deliciously vibrant. Detail was also first-rate: Close-up shots of Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) showed stress lines in his face as he strained to get a handle on his predicament. A good level of detail could be seen in Number Six's dark clothing, and I also appreciated that the black pillar-box bars on the screen's sides remained consistently solid and deep looking. (With a 4:3 aspect-ratio presentation like this one, those black bars take up quite a bit of screen real estate.)

Any benefits of Toshiba's ClearScan 240 feature turned out to be more visible on test patterns than on actual programs I watched. ClearScan 240 also introduced some picture artifacts in areas of fine detail in motion tests, so I mostly left it turned off during critical viewing. Upconversion of standard-def programs was very good: Images looked relatively crisp and solid with the Standard Film Stabilization mode selected. Noise-reduction processing was also effective, although I did note picture softening on DVDs when the MPEG NR mode was active.

Like other LED-backlit LCDs we've tested, the 46SV670U showed screen uniformity problems when I shifted my seating position off from dead center. When I moved to one end of the couch (about 15º off from the center axis), the set's picture contrast faded; at a 30-45º angle, its image for the most part looked washed out. Screen reflections due to its contrast-enhancing coating also proved to be an issue with overhead lights on, so I'd take care to install this TV in a setting where you can carefully control room lighting.

BOTTOM LINE

Toshiba's first LED-backlit LCD TV delivers everything that's good about the technology at an attractive price. If you've been curious about the new breed of LED-driven sets but have been sitting things out until prices come down, here's one good reason to stop waiting. This set's off-center screen-uniformity issues (something that we've seen on other LED-backlit models) could create a problem for some viewers, and any visible benefits of its ClearScan 240 mode - a key selling point for this TV - were mainly limited to test patterns. But under the right set of circumstances, Toshiba's 46SV670U proved to be a top performer in its price range, and quite recommendable overall.