Toshiba 42HL196 42-Inch 1080p LCD TV

The Value of LCD TVs
Aside from their obvious aesthetic value, LCD TVs are much more practical in the home than CRT (tube-style) televisions. They take up a smaller footprint, and thus use up less floor space in the room. Also, LCD TVs are lighter and easier to move around when cleaning or redecorating. The 42HL196 is only 4.85 inches deep and weighs less than 64 lbs. without the stand. Best of all, LCD screens use less power than CRTs and plasma screens.

Video
Response time is the interval an LCD screen takes to switch from its darkest color to its lightest color and back again, measured in milliseconds (ms). This screen's response time is 8 ms, which is at the faster and better end of the spectrum. This screen is likely to display cleaner, sharper images during high-action scenes and display fewer image artifacts than other screens in its class. And because the set has a 12-bit digital processor, it can display many times more shades of gray and levels of color than 8-bit systems can. The set is rated with a 176-degree viewing angle, so the picture will be viewable from nearly any part of the room. While it has a CableCARD slot and built-in QAM digital cable tuner, it lacks an ATSC tuner that would bring in terrestrial or over-the-air HDTV signals.

HDMI Compatible
The set comes with two built-in High-Definition Multi-media Interface (HDMI) ports. HDMI is an interface format that provides uncompressed digital audio and video directly from a DVD player, next-generation game system, or some other digital video source. It represents the current state of the art in high-definition video and sound because the information never has to be converted into an analog format or compressed. Another benefit of HDMI is that it puts all that information into one cable and one easy-to-use connector.

Audio
SRS WOW, a combination of SRS 3D, TruBass, and Focus sound-expanding systems, creates a 3-D sound field with improved bass response over standard TV audio as well as a directed, three-dimensional audio sweet spot for maximum enjoyment. The cabinet includes stereo speakers, but the TV also has optical digital output for connecting to your audio system. Toshiba's StableSound feature maintains television volume within a preset range regardless of the source signal. This is an extremely useful feature when transitioning between a quiet television program and a very loud commercial advertisement or when changing channels.

Parent Features
The 42HL196's sleep timer allows you to set the television to automatically shut off after a preset duration. It's a handy and common feature to modern TVs, but the 42HL196 takes it a step further. Game Timer shuts the TV off after set duration and can only be turned on with a special lockout code. The Video Lock feature allows the user to lock out selected inputs, which is handy when limiting a child's access to video games. Of course the built-in V-Chip functionality makes it so parents can set a threshold content setting and effectively lock inappropriate TV content out of the home. Another handy filtering feature is the 42HL196's Channel Lock, which password protects channels you select.

Other Features
The 42HL196 comes with a TV Guide on screen interactive program guide that provides a searchable, easy to read listing for eight days in advance. It includes the G-Link IR blaster for controlling a cable box. It also features double window/multi window POP, allowing you to view two sources at once and get snapshot images of up to 9 channels at once.

42-inch Widescreen
A general rule of thumb for selecting the right size television screen is that the screen width--not its 42-inch diagonal measurement--should be between three and five times the optimum viewing distance, such as the distance from the TV screen to where your eyes are while sitting on the couch. Less than that, and you may be distracted by the scan lines of the picture. More than that, and you may lose the detail of your TV. Based on this guide, the 42HL196 is ideal for viewing distances of nine to 16 feet.

Here is a list of the set's audio, video, and data connections:

• A/V input: 2 (back and side)
• A/V output: 1
• ColorStream HD component video input: 2
• G-Link/record out: 1
• HDMI input: 2
• Optical TosLink digital audio output: 1
• PC monitor input: 1 (VGA 15 pin D-Sub)
• RF input: 2
• S-video input: 1
• THINC Ethernet port: 1

What's in the Box
Television, remote control, AA batteries(2), blaster cable, installation guide, operating manual, TV guide onscreen, lead clip