Toshiba 46WX800U Cinema Series 3D LCD NetTV with LED Edge Lighting - Review

The 46WX800U is thin and stylish. This is a direct result of the LED Edge-Light system.

When the set is off, it is one big deep black rectangle with a very thin outer bezel frame. The bezel design and stand have a very straight edge, minimalist appearance. The stand allows the TV to swivel several degrees to the left and right.

The 46WX800U also offers a full complement of audio/video inputs, including four HDMI inputs, two USB ports, SD Card slot, and Ethernet port for network/internet connectivity. The 46WX800U also has extensive video adjustment options that can be used by an experienced user or installer to do more detailed calibration.

2D Performance

The 46WX800U is a very good performer. Despite the use of LED Edge Lighting, the blacks were actually very good. However, when there is no image on the screen, or in extremely dark scenes, there is some unevenness in black level as a result of soft white blotches in several spots across the screen. However, there is no white "spotlight" effect on the corners of the screen, as I have noticed in several other LED Edge-Lit LCD TVs.

LED edge lighting aside, color saturation and detail were excellent with 2D high definition source material, especially Blu-ray Discs. The live action Dark Knight and the combination of live-action-CGI in Avatar looked fantastic, with the images displaying a lot of depth.

Also, letterbox and pillarbox bars when they are present were black enough so as not be distracting, blending well with black frame of the TV, which makes watching 4:3 and 2:35 aspect ratio content more pleasurable.

The 46WX800U's performance with 2D high-def material was top-notch, and slightly above average with standard def sources. Using the HQV Benchmark Test Disc, the 46WX800U passed most tests (see test examples).

In addition, the 46WX800U 120Hz Refresh Rate refresh rate and 240Hz ClearFrame processing provided smooth motion response in 2D, but some jitter when viewing 3D material.

3D Performance

When viewing 3D, I felt that the default Autoview picture setting was definitely not adequate for 3D, as the brightness and contrast were too subdued to prevent crosstalk and glare. I found that the Sports setting was best when viewing 3D, as the maximization of Backlight level and Contrast made the 3D images more defined, and compensated well for loss of brightness when viewing through 3D glasses.

With the limited 3D Blu-ray Disc material available for this review, I found that My Bloody Valentine, Monster House, and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs offered some excellent 3D examples, but it is evident that the 3D viewing experience relies on everything in the chain: TV, Content Source, and Glasses working well together.

To sum up the 46WX800's 3D performance, it is on par with other 3D LCD TVs I have seen, but not quite as good as 3D plasma sets I have seen. Plasma TVs offer better native motion response and seem to exhibit less crosstalk.

NetTV

The 46WX800U also offers internet widgets, referred to as NetTV.

Some of the accessible services and sites include: Pandora, YouTube, Netflix, Vudu, Blockbuster, Twit, NBC, Flickr, Picassa, Facebook, Twitter, and more...

Playing available content is easy, but you need a good high-speed broadband connection. In my area, my broadband speed is only 1.5mbps which resulted in some video playback stopping periodically to buffer. One workaround is when you access and select a video, put it in stop mode - this will let buffer continue for awhile. Then, when you click play, the video should play longer without encountering the buffering interruptions.

On the other hand, I found when playing the Vudu in SD format that it still looked pretty good and streamed smoothly without any buffering issues. Also, Netdflix has a function that automatically adjusts the quality of its feed based on your connection speed that helps to prevent buffering issues.

It must be noted that there is a lot of variation in the video quality of the streamed content, ranging from low-res compressed video that is hard to watch on a large screen to high-def video feeds that look more like DVD quality or slightly better. Even 1080p content streamed from the internet will not look quite as detailed as 1080p content played directly from a Blu-ray Disc. As mention above, broadband speed is also a factor.

What I Liked About The Toshiba 46WX800U

1. Excellent Color and detail.

2. 3D works well provided contrast and backlight settings are set high and the content is produced well for 3D viewing.

3. NetTV provides good selection of internet streaming options.

4. Access to digital media from USB flash drives and DLNA certified network connected devices.

5. Very good motion response on 2D material when Clearscan 240 is engaged.

6. Extensive picture setting/calibration options. This may be overwhelming to the novice, but provides the more technically inclined and installers comprehensive calibration adjustments for better results.

7. Large, but easy-to-use backlit remote. Easier to use in the dark.

What I Didn't Like About The Toshiba 46WX800U

1. Long turn on time - takes about 5 seconds to hear sound and 10 seconds before image appears on screen.

2. Screen surface susceptible to some glare.

3. Long time duration when changing TV channels. This may be frustrating for some. There is a delay of about a second or so when changing from one TV channel to another.

4. Brightness decrease as well as some jitter and crosstalk when viewing 3D content. Contrast and Backlight settings should set high or the TV set in Sports mode for best 3D effect.

5. 3D Glasses not included and are expensive.

Final Take

Although the 46WX800U is not perfect, and not everyone is excited about 3D, it does provide good core video performance for high definition sources that will please most consumers. In addition, besides 3D, the NetTV and Media player options perform very well and really add to its value as a centerpiece for a home theater system. If you are looking for a 3D-TV, put this set on your list. On the other hand, even if you are not looking for a 3D TV, the 46WX800 provides an excellent 2D high definition viewing experience and is definitely worth consideration.

For a closer look at the Toshiba 46WX800U, also check out my Photo Gallery and Video Performance Test Results.

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Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.