13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television (Revision 1)
Date of Review: Oct 9, 2007
The Bottom Line: Solid television for the money, outstanding picture quality, good audio, but better with surround sound. Lots of old and new inputs for standard and HD.
UPDATE
There is one very important issue a buyer should check out with this television set prior to purchase. It would be wise to visit one of your local stores to view a DLP television. I have heard of the rainbow effect with some tvs but never experienced anything of the kind. However, with this television I see pixelized rainbow squares that last less then a second and it is most annoying. IMPORTANT: it is not the television. . . it turns out to be the viewer. I'm the only one in the household that sees this effect which may be due to medical problem I've had since birth. In any event, you should go and actually watch some DLP television somewhere prior to buying. The set is wonderful otherwise. Happy Holidays!
FORCED TO UPGRADE
Our 60" Pioneer just gave out and parts and labor to repair could not be justified. The money would be better spent on an entirely new television. May as well size up too.
WEEK ONE
One week with a television during prime time is like and eternity. But the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television arrived on a Friday and this was a glorious site.
OUT OF THE BOX and SETUP
The Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television was easy to unpack and even with its lite weight of 85 pounds do have a pal around to move it. The size of the television is a bit difficult for one to manage but not impossible.
The contents of the box are sparse: One DLP television, one multifunction remote control and a operating manual. No cabling of any kind.
SETUP
Once the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television is positioned and sat/cable/ant and other devices are connected it is really a matter of just turning on the unit to experience and totally new ream of entertainment.
The menu options seem a little limited but very ease to navigate and set to your desired preferences. Once you have tweaked to your lighting environment and sitting position sweet spot you'll discover that even the lowest resolution 480i looks wonderful.
THE SOUND
Sound is a good ninety percent of the viewing experience and the built-in speakers perform nicely for general listening enjoyment. However, a home theater surround sound processing unit is required for that true movie like quality. The builin virtual processing is fair and does an okay job if you aren't prepared at present to shell out s few more dollars for a surround sound unit.
You may have a huge 65 inch picture to watch those explosive movies on but don't expect the built-in speakers to engross you.
VIVID, SHARP, LIFE LIKE
Even at the lowest resolution of 480i the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television produces fantastic results. The standard video streaming in from Disk Network appears 1000 times better then the 60" Pioneer ever offered.
Playing standard DVDs via a Philips up-convert DVD player at 1080P is simply breath-taking. I can't wait until the 1080P is widely available with the new HD receiver.
FEATURES and INPUTS
You may watch your programming in its native format or use Toshiba s intelligent fill screen technology for maximum screen filled viewing. You may select from three theater wide settings plus a Full setting. In the theater wide settings the image may be stretched a little to much for you at the top, bottom, or sides. . . with the remote navigation arrow keys you can maneuver the image up, down or left and right. These setting are there for those individuals that want every inch of their screens filled. Depending on the content being receive will determine how much intelligent stretching is needed.
If you have ever forgot which devices were connected to the televisions different inputs . . . you will love Toshiba s Input Labeling. You may even hide inputs that are not in use.
The Toshiba 65HM167 has three HDMI, two Components, two composite, one Super Video and one HD SUB D 15 pin input for computers. One of the HDMI inputs is set for computer interface for maximum resolution.
There is one audio out fixed for hooking up your surround sound and an digital optical output.
The television does not offer picture and picture. All of the HD inputs will reach full 1080P, the older inputs stay within the 480i/p and possible even 720P with the correct configuration.
The Toshiba's provided remote control has an info button you can depress to see the broadcasted information. You will always know the signal resolution the television is project at
Toshiba's Built-in Tuners
Toshiba has both NSTC and digital turners with QAM. I have not connected any devices to the RF input. However, I was curious as to how well the built-in digital tuner would pick up in this rural environment. I attached a pair of rabbit ear antennas to the RF input and extended them with power lines, trees and some other obstacles I was able to pull in most of our local channels. Some had the clarity of the days of old while a few others out performed the Sat rebroadcast.
I will most likely not be using an antenna but it's nice to know that option is present in an emergency.
A NEW BIRTH
The Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television is just under a week old. I searched the internet and local stores about this television and I have yet to uncover the life of the user replaceable lamp. Hopefully it will last a long time and thankfully it is user replaceable.
I have no cons about the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television at present . . . at this point it has been a very satisfying purchase. As time passes I will do a follow up and let everyone know how the Toshiba stands up to past performers and their current competitors.
COMPUTING
Hook this baby up to your computer using a HDMI to DVI-D cable and surffing the Internet takes on a whole new meaning. Even your everyday task are glorified in the splendor of full color HD at 65". I seriously doubt anyone will say this screen is to small or difficult to see.
Gaming is so life-like and I've experienced no ghosting or lagging as with some LCD monitors/TV. I have not witnessed any rainbow effect some have mentioned occurring when viewing DLP televisions.
The blacks and whites appear to be true -- blacks are a deep Godless black and whites purely virginal. Even up close the edges are razor sharp.
THE REMOTE
The remote is very nice and the keys are laid out well. It s extremely ease to program for other devices like: sat/cable receiver, VCR, DVD player/recorders, and surround sound processor. The big issue here is the functions for other devices are very limited. Example One: after programing the Toshiba remote for the Sat Receiver the channel up and down keys do absolutely nothing. However, if you depress the menu key and use the receivers guide you can use the channel up and down keys to navigate the channels. This is somewhat inconvenient so don't rely on Toshiba's multi-function remote to clean up your remote clutter.
For the devices the remote works with setting them up is a piece of cake. If you have equipment older then a couple of years then don't expect the remote to control them. Even a recent purchase of a DVD player could not be coded into the remote.
Keep your original remotes handy.
RECOMMENDATION
The Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television appears thus far to be an outstanding television. The the price, the screen size, etc. . . . the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television is a very nice purchase.
People need to remember though that the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television sports 1080P viewing they will have to have a 1080P signal going into the unit in order to achieve this view pleasure. Don't think you can buy any television like this and connect old technoloy and watch in 1080P. You do this and you will be highly disappointed. Note that some older programing may even look worst on HD sets. I haven't had this issue yet with the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television but it doesn't mean it won't occur in the future.
If you are looking for a huge screen size and a low price tag the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television may very well be the one for you. I picked mine up at newegg.com, they saved me $500 off the local store pricing, through in a dvd player with up-converting, and FREE shipping.
LAST WORD
I read a review here on epinions.com this morning about this very television. The reviewer mentioned issues with the lamp not lasting long. This may not be an issue with the Toshiba 65HM167 65 in. Television or its lamp, but more of a problem with the guys incoming electricity. Newer technology prefers very clean stable power, I use a high end surge suppressor designed for high end personal computers to protect my equipment. Not only does this filter the power, it also regulates the power from lows and highs providing a more stable environment.
