Toshiba 26AV502R 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

Note: I purchased this 26" LCD TV one week ago. As I am waiting for the cable company to upgrade my service, this set is simply receiving a standard cable signal without benefit of a converter box or High Def signal. Many LCD owners consider the signal source a major factor in image quality -- so I want to be clear on this point at the outset. Also, my DVD player is more than 5 years old and does not upconvert.

PROS:

Easy to install base pedestal. Four screws (provided) and a phillips head screwdriver are all that's needed. Instructions were clear and straight forward. Hooking up the coax cable took only a minute.

Superb remote control. Layout is intelligent and intuitive -- a pleasure to use. Glows in the dark (bright!) Sleep timer button is well placed on the upper corner and easy to access without even looking. Easily one the best designed remotes on the market and a pleasure to use.

Picture and sound set-up controls are very...Read more

I bought the 26av502r (no diff in the "u" except menu style from what I'm told from Toshiba CS. They are required to change model numbers if alterations of any kind are made). This TV surprised the S*&^ out of me. Colors were beautiful right out of the box. HD is top notch and SD is strong (I have ATT-Uverse). Sound is great as speakers point straight toward you ( not like some that point down [Samsung]}. Set up was a breeze. Menu's are easy to follow. I have a a Sharp D64U and a Sony XBR2 and this set holds up against these two brands. Anyway, I got the set on sale from Fry's for $349 and for the price it's a steal.

EDIT 3/21/09: Moved this set to my office where I am hooked up without a set top box to Time Warner cable. Well the channel changeing is now extremely slow. 5 full seconds after last digit input before channel appears (if you have a set top box you will probably be fine like I was with the ATT-U connection). 3 seconds when surfing up/down button...Read more

I bought this 26-inch Toshiba LCD to replace a much older TV. The picture is adequate though tending towards the red spectrum and the 720p makes for some rather watery movements. It has the full array of connections, and I love connecting my laptop and using the big screen as a monitor. However, the sound is not loud enough. When I turn the volume up all the way we should be blasted out of the small bedroom where it is but it's nowhere near that loud. I've "fixed" it by adding some old external computer speakers but it was a disappointment. Picture also shows some crazy "paint box" like display on startup that goes away if you push any button ont he remote. But, hey, it was cheap enough and serves its purpose.