SELECTING: I was in the market for a new TV, but I had no intention of getting a 3D TV until I saw the sale Amazon had that included the Bluray player and glasses for $1299.
Too good to pass up since I was going to spend close to that on a regular LED/LCD TV anyway. There were a few sales on Samsungs and Panasonics, but I chose Toshiba. The TV being replaced was a 3.5 year old 50" HD Toshiba DLP. That was a great product, so I decided to exercise a little brand loyalty. Additionally, because Toshiba was one of the last "big" manufacturers to release their 3D TV, I figured they would probably have the best picture since they had more time to perfect their technology. That may be incorrect logic, but it worked for me. There were almost no reviews when I bought the TV, so I kept my fingers crossed.
SHIPPING: I waited like a little kid for this thing to get to me - even though I got it in 5 days, it seemed like forever! The box had a huge hole in it (looked like it had been kicked) and the back of the TV had a small dent. I signed for it with the acknowledgement that it was dented so if it didn't work, I could send it back. These things are shipped via freight, and freight is known to be rough on packages. The dent didn't bother me (provided it worked), so I took it home.
SETUP: Got home, took it out of the box. This thing is skinny! It is also surprisingly heavy (not overly cumbersome, but it is heavier than it looks). The base attaches like it should - pretty self explanatory. Got it hooked up and turned on. The TV walked me through the setup as it should. The picture was great - I don't have cable (I know, I know), but the OTA stations looked wonderful. It was a very clean look. The response time changing channels was very quick (it was somewhat slower on the DLP TV). The options Toshiba has to change the picture are limitless - I am still tinkering with the picture (although the way it is set up out of the box is great).
3D SETUP: I bought A Christmas Carol, Open Season, and Monsters Vs. Aliens (off eBay) in 3D. Setup is identical to a regular DVD player, except I believe you need to have a 1.4 HDMI cable (not a standard HDMI) to transmit the 3D image. I wish they mentioned this up front, but luckily I did some research before the TV arrived and ordered an Amazon cable for $7. Not a big deal, but I would have been pretty irritated if I would have had to make a trip to BestBuy to buy a $50 cable. For the glasses, you just pull the clear battery saver tab (you'll see it if you don't know what I'm talking about) and you're good to go. You can tell when the glasses are on because the light allowed through the glasses changes. I believe I had to change the TV to auto-detect 3D, but a message pops up and tells you what to do once it sees a 3D disc, so that's all there is to it.
STANDARD/BLURAY PICTURE: Fantastic. There's not much more to it. It is a great picture with incredible detail. I thought the old HD DLP Toshiba had a great picture, but I don't know if I'll be able to watch it again because of the improvement this TV is over that one. Bluray really did blow me away on this TV. There are countless adjustments you can make to the picture, which is nice (doubt I'll use them, but it's more of a comfort thing).
3D PICTURE: Didn't know what to expect. After I ordered the 46", I began reading that you needed a bigger screen to appreciate 3D and got worried. Luckily, this wasn't true! The picture is much more "crisp" than in the theaters. When I first put on "A Christmas Carol," all I could do was smile. I had read a lot of blurbs here and there regarding the issues people were having with 3D TVs making "ghost" and "double" images. It actually did happen during one scene of "A Christmas Carol," but I'm not really sure why (it was actually just a character's nose had a ghost image during one scene), and it didn't happen at any other part or with the other movies. I did figure out that the 3D picture is BEST when the TV is on the brightest setting. I'm sure someone can explain why, but I can't. This was especially true during "A Christmas Carol," which is a fairly "shadowy" movie to begin with.
SUMMARY: Spend the money on the 3D Toshiba if you're in the market for a new TV. The current Amazon deal includes everything you need for 3D (except for the 1.4 HDMI cable), and the picture is amazing. I think it will be a long time before the a 3D TV drops much lower than this (at least a good quality one). There is not much in the way of media in 3D at the moment, but there will be. I am glad I made this investment, and would do it again.
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