Magnavox 26MD357B 26-Inch LCD HDTV with Built In DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The First type TV that I have bought with a DVD Combo on it, works well in my opinion and I would suggest it to someone that is looking for a nice bedroom or small type room TV. I can say that the speakers on the TV are just stock speakers so the sound is just good enough for the average person and is much like an average TV speaker system so If you want surround sound to it, just buy a coaxial cable and hook it up to a surround sound system that has a coaxial input to it. The DVD Player shows all movies very good and I can't really say if they are upscaled or anything, but all I know is they look pretty good, like a movie should look on any TV.
Note: - - - (About the Resolution) I have searched on the internet to find more about this TV and all the sites I have seen show this TV to have a Top resolution of 1080i resolution which is great, But for some reason my shows in 1080p resolution which is the highest you can go.
UPDATE - - I have been told that the TV is just picking up the 1080p signal, But that the TV is Downsourcing the signal to only 720p thus the info (1366 x 768p Hig Def resolution) Listed on the Product Description info part on the internet.
- - - Wow Amazon dropped the price of this TV, it was listed for $750 in early April 08 !!! Even Better & Free Shipping !!


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26"" LCD HDTV, Built in DVD with Progressive Scan, Integrated ATSC Qam tuner, 1366 x 768p Hig Def resolution, 800:1 Contrast ratio for sharp clear picture performance, VGA to connect to your PC, 2 HDMI inputs for the best and easiest HD connection, Two Component video inputs and 2-S-Video input, 160 degree viewing angle

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Panasonic TC-P46C2 46-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife and I were really planning on buying a 42" 1080p Samsung "LED TV" (i.e., an LED backlit LCD TV) when we came across this TV on sale for roughly 60% the price of the Samsung 42" LED TV. So I spent the best part of an evening researching LED versus Plasma, 1080p versus 720p and also the Samsung brand versus Panasonic. Details of my findings are in the Appendix at the bottom of this review.
With the required research behind me, we concluded that we couldn't go wrong with either choice. The Panasonic won because not only would it would save us a bundle, but we would also get a 46" TV instead of a 42", which would be perfect for our living room HD cable setup. We decided, therefore, to postpone our purchase of a 42" 1080p LED TV for our bedroom to the near future when the prices for LED TVs would drop even further.
Although the C2 series is the most basic of Panasonic's 720P Plasma lineup, the build quality is very nice and refined. It took less than 30 minutes to set up the TV and connect it to our HD cable box and digital receiver.
The only initial calibration we made was to set the picture mode to "Cinema". Quite honestly, we were stunned at the quality picture when we first tuned to a HD channel - which was an English detective drama on PBS. The color reproduction, clarity, and fine details were way above our expectations, easily on par with the best LED TVs we saw in the showroom . With its 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, this TV is able to produce an awesome level of gradual black levels, with no dithering artifacts to speak of.
This TV has a moving picture resolution of 720p. We watched the Hawaii Five-O remake premiere with disbelief. With its 600Hz refresh rate, there were very smooth image transitions in the action sequences, making for a very film like experience with none of the "digititis" with fast moving images that I was used to seeing on some LCD TVs.
Being the most basic in the current Panasonic Plasma lineup, this TV has a basic set of features - which is actually a good thing because the menu system uncomplicated and intuitive. Some of the menu features can be accessed through dedicated buttons on the remote. For example there is a button to toggle between aspect ratios - which is handy when you need to watch old non-anamorphic DVDs.
This TV also has "anti-image retention" features to prevent logos from being seared onto the surface of the Plasma display. For the first 100 hours or so, it is a good idea to watch 4:3 aspect ratio programs in "zoom" mode, to prevent retention of the black bars on the side, and to switch channels frequently to prevent "logo burn" from particular channels. Once the TV has crossed the "break in" period, you can resume normal watching.
I have not tried Blu-Ray yet on this TV, but it does a pretty decent of upscaling DVD movies from 480p to 720p through component video, though not perfect. But playing DVDs through upscaling DVD players, like the Panasonic DMR-EZ48VP-K 1080p Upconverting VHS DVD Recorder with Built In Tuner, through HDMI is another story. From a normal viewing distance of 8 to 10 feet, DVD movies look almost like HD. I watched the DVD of the movie Downfall and it was hard to convince me that I was not watching full HD.
The sound quality on this TV is pretty good and more than adequate for most program content.
As for hum, it's present only when I stick my head right next to the back panel where a very low volume buzz can be heard. But from more than a few feet away this TV produces no audible hum!
Cons:
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I can think only of a couple of downsides to this TV. The first is that the C2 model has no anti-reflective coating like the higher models in Panasonic's Plasma lineup. But, to be quite honest, the reflections were not noticeable or bothersome until we turned on some bright lights in the side in the direct line of reflection. Having said that, the front plate glass in all Plasmas are reflective and it is therefore best to set them up in an environment where you have control over light sources.
The second issue is that this TV has only a single digital optical audio output, which limits you to using a digital receiver for external sound.
Conclusion:
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This TV represents the best bang for buck for any TV out there. Although this is an entry-level Panasonic plasma, Panasonic has not skimped on build quality and the thing that absolutely matters most - picture quality! This TV packs the latest display technology of Panasonic, at a fraction of the price you would have paid just a couple of years ago. Sure, it does not have ethernet or in-built streaming video. But if your really want streaming Netflix or iTunes movies, why not spend just an additional $99 and buy an Apple TV - MC572LL/A NEWEST MODEL?
This TV is definitely in the "best buy" category and I have no hesitation in giving it a rating of five stars. Thank you, Panasonic!
Appendix:
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LED versus Plasma:
Both LED and Plasma TV's have excellent picture quality, colors and black levels as well a rated lifespan of 50,000 to 100,000 hours. LED TVs are thinner, lighter, "greener" in power consumption, have less reflective screen surfaces, can be viewed in bright daylight conditions and do not require a "break in" period for the first 100 hours of use. Plasma TVs, on the other hand, have excellent color accuracy and refresh rates that are hard to match, and they support wide viewing angles. Plasma TVs now come with 600Hz refresh rates, while most LED TVs still are in the 120Hz level. That, in itself is worth the price of admission for videophiles and video enthusiasts, given that the higher refresh rates have the effect of making the viewing experience pleasing, more film-like and easier on the eyes.
1080p versus 720p:
1080p versus 720p is not much of an issue if most of your viewing is HD broadcast, satellite or cable, which is pretty much 720p for the most part. But if you are serious about Blu-Ray, then 1080p is preferable since the difference becomes noticeable for larger TVs and at close viewing distances. But in most situations it is hard for people to tell the difference between the two formats even with a 46" panel.
Samsung's reputation versus Panasonic's:
Recent TV ratings from Consumer Reports indicate that Samsung has top ratings in the LED TV technology. But Panasonic Vieras still occupy the top spot in Plasma! (Samsung Plasma TVs are reputed to have an annoying audible hum or buzz from the rear of the panel, which the Panasonic Plasmas do not have).
Update: 02 October 2010:
I made changes to the white balance for the Cinema/Warm picture mode using settings described in AVS Forum, based on reference settings from member "D-Nice". The picture now is really natural and awesome. I had to get into the Service Menu for this. Please see the link in the Comments section of this review for more details.

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Offering excellent picture performance, Panasonic's 46-inch VIERA TC-P46C2 Plasma HDTV features a 720p high-definition resolution and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity. This and other models in the C2 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements. And you'll get a long Plasma panel life of up to 100,000 hours--more than 30 years of viewing when watched 8 hours a day--before the brightness of the panel decreases to half.

Key Features Panasonic's VIERA C2 series Plasma HDTV.

Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic C2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

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Toshiba 32CV100U 32-Inch 720p LCD/DVD Combo TV (Black Gloss) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was wary of getting a Toshiba for a TV, since it seems they're not a high seller. But I wasn't pleasantly surprised with the features on this TV. If my math is correct, you're essentially paying an extra $100 for the convenience of having the DVD player built in to the TV, which is not a bad deal if need that.
To sum it up, this is a good LCD high-def TV with some surprisingly nice added features. I noticed that whiter flesh tones appeared a little too red and couldn't seem to correct this with the color adjustments, but that was the only downside.
We bought this TV for our kids' play room and wanted the convenience of the built-in player, so as to eliminate all the cords dangling from the TV.
Details....
DVD - it's important to remember this is a DVD player, and NOT Blu-ray. However, if you're like us, you already have a large DVD collection for your kids, so it's not really a waste.
I was surprised at the quality of the DVD player, which seemed to upscale nicely. (DVD's are formatted for older, standard definition televisions, so the image has to be converted to HD, which has more pixels (dots) to display.)
Blu-ray: I did not test out any features for playing back blu-ray discs, so if you really care about this you should read the manual of maybe other reviews. What I've learned so far on another HDTV is that you'll want control over "judder", which allows you to choose a setting that makes scenes with motion clearer. I'm not sure this Toshiba has those settings, so you may be stuck with what you get. Check the manual.
Power-up and Getting Started: this TV does seem to take a bit longer to power up, I think because it has to check the DVD player first, which slows things down. The getting started guide was great and easy to follow.
I did have one bug - I'm using broadcast HD. That's right, television stations are now broadcasting HD signals for free. Of course, it's not at all close to the number of cable channels, but who cares - it's free! And it's HD.
So you have to tell the TV at setup time what system you're running - and for some reason I couldn't really pick the Antenna setting. However, after the first setup, I simply followed the instructions for re-scanning channels for antenna, and it all worked fine.
Antenna usage - this TV has some great antenna features - it will show you signal strength for each channel. Very nice.
Picture Quality - very good. Again, the only problem I noticed was flesh tones turned out too pink or too red on some channels. I played with all of the color settings but couldn't quite get it right. Movies seemed to be fine.
I did not watch any Blu-ray movies on this, since I had no blu-ray device connected, but DVD movies and broadcast channels looked great. 32 inches is actually a small size for HD TV's, and you'll notice this for a lot of channels, since they still broadcast in the old standard.
KQED here in the Bay Area looks fantastic on this thing (they broadcast often in 1080i, which is very good).
Audio - the sound is good, but not great. Still, you'll be able to understand dialog in movies, so I think it's good enough. In most TV's now, it seems, they don't put the speakers pointing out towards the user, they point down, which is simply never going to sound as good as direct sound.
Other - the TV is small and light and mounted easily to a TV mount I bought off of Amazon. There are a few standard sizes used in standard mounts, and the screws fit right in.
All in all, Toshiba did a very good job with this TV.

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Attractively designed and offering 720p high-definition viewing, the feature-packed, affordable 32-inch Toshiba 32CV100U LCD HDTV (31.5-inch diagonal screen size) is an all-in-one entertainment package that's great for any room in your house thanks to its integrated, side-loading standard DVD player.
Perfect for use as your main television, the CV100U Series features Toshiba's DynaLight dynamic backlight control for deeper black levels, and two HDMI digital inputs for simple high quality connection to cable/satellite boxes, DVD players and more. It's also a great choice for kids and family rooms with the CV100U's Gaming Mode, which offers reduced game control delay and improved reaction time. And the Photo Frame capability with Auto Slide Show is especially useful in bedrooms, dens, and kitchens.
Boasting a slimming tapered bezel and attractive front panel gradation, the new Horizon design creates a more modern, elegant appearance that also matches Toshiba's black glossy Horizon-designed laptops. Other features include MP3 playback via the integrated USB port, a PC input, and a removable stand.

Key Features
720p HD resolution (1366 x 768 pixels)
60Hz screen refresh rate
CineSpeed LCD panel with a fast response speed necessary for cleaner high-action home theater images. A wide viewing angle ensures that you'll have the best seat in the house.
Integrated slot-loading DVD player on the side (compatible with standard DVD discs as well as content burned onto DVD-R/RW, Audio CD, CD-R/RW, and VCD media--including both MP3 and WMA digital audio files)
DVD playback controls include digital picture zoom, fast scan, slow motion, and multi-camera angle selection.
DynaLight Backlight Control utilizes advanced image processing to monitor the brightness of each video frame, and adjust the backlight intensity accordingly. This precision creates seamless transitions with deep blacks for increased detail and depth analysis.
Photo Frame capability allows this HDTV to act as both a TV and a digital photo frame. You can showcase your favorite memories as a clear, crisp slide show on the high-resolution television screen--all controlled with just the TV remote.
Gaming Mode takes the gaming experience to a new level by reducing game control delay, thus giving the player improved reaction time and a more realistic playing experience. This is great when used with popular gaming consoles, or with PC games using the TVs PC Input.
Built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM digital tuning allows for tuning of standard cable channels as well as off-air digital broadcasts, in addition to digital "cable-in-the-clear" broadcasts.
Native Mode restores the size of the picture by the 3-5 percent that is generally lost during the normal over-scanning that occurs on traditional sets.
Cinema Mode 24 fps (3:2 Pulldown): This HDTV performs 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal, too--a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. To adapt 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video, frames in the original movie must be duplicated; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this duplication by removing the redundant information to display a frame-accurate picture.
Color Temperature Control enables you to adjust white balance to achieve the best television picture possible in any viewing environment, or simply adjust the picture to suit your personal tastes. The "Warm" setting delivers a redder image that is ideal for display in a dimly lit room, while "Medium" and "Cool" provide a progressively bluer image for the best picture as room light levels are increased.
Three TheaterWide modes are ideal for displaying HDTV signals as well as enhanced for widescreen television DVDs.

TheaterWide 1: Letterboxed image is digitally expanded 33 percent horizontally and vertically. Useful for reproducing Academy Standard (1.85:1) formatted software.
TheaterWide 2: Letterboxed image is expanded 33 percent horizontally and 42 percent vertically. Particularly of use when viewing narrow letterboxed images originally filmed in Panavision or CinemaScope.
TheaterWide 3: Letterboxed image is expanded 33 percent horizontally and 24 percent vertically. Can be utilized when displaying letterboxed images that incorporate narrow bands at the top and bottom of the picture.


MP3 audio and JPEG image playback via USB port on the side.
REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC) allows peripheral AV devices such as a DVD player to be controlled by the remote control.
Bottom-mounted invisible speakers integrated into stylish Horizon bezel design (20 Watts total power; 10W + 10W).
Channel Browser allows you to easily scan through the last 32 channels you have viewed, with screen images for the last five channels displayed, by channel, by favorites, and by input, at the touch of a button.
Channel Labeling allows you to put station call letters on the screen along with the station numbers, so you always know what channel you're watching
Input labeling enables you to name the individual inputs to denote usage, such as "DVD Player" (instead of having them display as just "HDMI 1" and "HDMI 2").
Removable stand for wall mounting (100mm x 100mm VESA mounting pattern)
Tri-lingual onscreen menu (English, French, Spanish)
Energy Star qualified
Warranty: 1-year limited warranty on parts and labor


Toshiba 2010 REGZA HDTV Comparison
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