Toshiba 46SV670U LCD TV with LED Backlight and Local Dimming - Review and Rating

The Toshiba 46SV670U is one the new breed of LCD TVs that incorporate LED backlight technology. The type of LED backlight system used here is referred to as the Full Array system. This allows for Local Dimming, which enables a wider contrast ratio, even within small areas of the screen (such as bright stars against the darkness of space). In addition, the 46-inch 46SV670U also features both 120Hz and 240hz processing, 4 HDMI inputs, and a side mounted USB port for accessing audio, video, and still image files stored on flash drives. After reading this review, also check out my Photo Gallery and Video Peformance Tests.

Features of the Toshiba Regza 46SV670U include:

1. 46-Inch, 16x9, Flat Panel LCD Television with 1920x1080 (1080p) native pixel resolution.

2. 1080p video upscaling/processing for all non-1080p input sources as well as native 1080p input capability.

3. LED Focalight full array backlight system with local dimming.

4. 120Hz Screen Refresh Rate and selectable 240Hz Clearscan Backlight scanning system.

5. High Definition Compatible Inputs: Four HDMI, Two HD-Component, One VGA PC Monitor input.

5. Standard Definition-Only Inputs: One S-video and Two Composite video.

6. Analog stereo inputs paired with both high definition and standard definition inputs, including one of the HDMI inputs and the PC monitor input.

7. USB port for access to audio, video, and still image files stored on flash drives. Divx and MP3 compatible.

8. SD Card slot for access to JPEG still images stored on SD Cards.

9. ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners for reception of over-the-air high definition and unscrambled high definition/standard definition digital cable signals.

10. Invisible speaker sound system (10 watts x 2). One set of analog stereo outputs and one digital optical audio output for connection to external home theater receiver, stereo receiver, or amplifier.

11. Dolby Volume sound stabilization.

12. Toshiba Deep Lagoon design with Infinity Flush Front styling.

13. Regza Link for remote control via HDMI of multiple HDMI-CEC compatible devices.

14. Wireless Infrared Remote Control included.

15. Energy Star rated.

For closer look at connections and features of the 46SV670U, also check out my supplementary Photo Gallery.

Toshiba Regza 46SV670U and LED - How LED Technology is Used in LCD TVs

The are currently two main ways that LED backlighting is applied in LCD flat panel televisions.

1. One type of LED backlighting is referred to as Edge Lighting. In this method, a series LED backlights are placed along the outside edges of the screen. The light is then dispersed across the screen. The advantage of this method is that the LED/LCD TV can be made very thin. On the other hand, the disadvantage of Edge lighting is that black levels are not as deep and the edge area of the screen has a tendency to be brighter than the center area of the screen.

2. The other type of LED backlighting is referred to as Full-Array. In this method, several rows of LEDs are placed behind the entire surface of the screen. The advantage is that these sets can employ "local dimming". Local dimming means that each LED or a specific group of LEDs can be turned on and off independently within certain areas of the screen, thus providing more control of the brightness and darkness for each those areas, depending on the source material being displayed. On the other hand, LCD TVs that employ full array backlighting are thicker than LCD TVs that employ an Edge-lit LED light source. The Toshiba 46SV670U incorporates this type of LED backlight system.

For more details on LED television technology, refer to my article: The Truth About "LED" Televisions.

The Toshiba 46SV460 employs two methods to enhance motion response and reduce motion blur. The first method utilizes a 120Hz Screen Refresh Rate and the second method is Backlight Scanning. By combining both a 120Hz screen refresh rate with a scanning backlight, the object is to enhance the perception of smoother motion of moving objects on the screen. In the 46SV460, the user can set the TV to use the 120Hz Screen Refresh Rate only, or combine it with the scanning backlight to produce what Toshiba refers to as Clearscan 240" or the "240Hz effect".

It is important to note that some TV makers, such as Samsung, actually employ true 240Hz screen refresh rate technology instead of combining 120Hz screen refresh rate with the scanning backlight technology utilized by Toshiba.

Advanced Picture Settings

Besides traditional color, contrast, and preset picture mode settings found on almost all LCD and Plasma TVs, Toshiba has included additional options for tweaking the performance of the 46SV670U that can be taken advantage of by more advanced users and/or installers. Below are some examples:

Colormaster allows hue, saturation, and brightness of each base color separately: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan. See photo.

Color Temperature allows you to adjust the overall Warmness or Coolness of the image and can be set for each color (See photo).

Auto Brightness Sensor Settings allows the TV to self-adjust the backlight system to ambient light conditions.

Dynalight activates local dimming, which automatically makes the black areas of the image deeper. If tuned off, local dimming is disabled and black levels are not as deep.

Dynamic Contrast automatically compensates your contrast settings, depending on changes in image content.

Static Gamma allows manual adjustment of black level in the image using the video processing of the TV.

Noise Reduction reduces the effects of video noise in a TV broadcast, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. However, when using this control to reduce noise, you may find other artifacts, such as edge harshness and a "pastey" appearance on flesh may increase.

Hardware Used

Home Theater Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR705.

Source Components: OPPO Digital BDP-83 and Sony BD-PS350 Blu-ray Disc Players and OPPO DV-980H DVD Player

Loudspeaker System: 2 Klipsch F-2's, 2 Klipsch B-3s, Klipsch C-2 Center , 2 Polk R300s.

Subwoofer: Klipsch Synergy Sub10 .

Audio/Video connections made with Accell, Cobalt, and AR Interconnect cables. 16 Gauge Speaker Wire used.

Also used: USB Flash Drive and SD Card containing digital content.

Software Used

Blu-ray Discs: 300, A Bug's Life, Across The Universe, Bolt, Hairspray, Iron Man, Monsters vs Aliens, Night at the Museum, Quarantine, Rush Hour 3, Shakira - Oral Fixation Tour, The Dark Knight, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transporter 3, and Wall-E.

Standard DVDs: The Cave, Hero, House of the Flying Daggers, Kill Bill - Vol 1/2, Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut), Lord of Rings Trilogy, Moulin Rouge, Outlander, and U571.

Proceed to Page 2: Evaluation and Final Take.