Few people know this, but every now and then a digital TV gets lonely.
Sometimes, when they find just the right component (usually through a digital
dating service), they fall in love and get married. While a flat-panel TV often
feels most fulfilled with a digital TV tuner, there are those whose tastes run a
little on the wild side. These rebel sets choose to spend the rest of their
lives committed to a compatible DVD player—literally joined at the hip or, more
accurately, the side. This issue’s Digital TV Deathmatch pits three digital
TV/DVD player combos against one another in our own “DTV Dating Game.”
Video Performance – Toshiba SDP7000 To say the Toshiba SDP7000
crushes the competition when it comes to picture quality would be an
understatement. Despite the absence of a color temperature adjustment, this TV
has the best blacks and the most accurate color. It is not surprising then, that
the SDP7000 has the best detail in the dark areas of the image as well as the
greatest sensation of depth. Video from DVDs is gorgeous with excellent edge
definition even with movement. The icing on the digital cake is the
high-resolution of the superb on-screen graphics.
Winner:
Toshiba Audio Performance – Toshiba SDP7000
Although the SDP7000’s
internal amplifier is rated at a minimal 3 watts per channel, the sound quality
from its “titanium” speaker package bests the other two more powerful sets.
The SDP7000’s five-band equalizer isn’t necessary since even in the “flat”
setting the audio is balanced and neutral in tone. The set’s only fault is that
its soundfield is very personal in nature (read: confined)—but this is only an
issue if you’re expecting to fill a large room with sound.
Winner:
Toshiba
Features – Toshiba SDP7000
There’s no separate color temperature
adjustment, but there are three picture presets (“clear,” “optimum,” and “soft”)
with a fourth “user” setting. The audio section of the SDP7000 includes a five
band equalizer as well as four present EQ settings (“flat,” “music,” “movie,”
and “sports”) and a separate “user” setting. When inserting a DVD, the TV
automatically switches to the DVD input, although sometimes during brief black
scenes the set will switch out of the DVD input until an active video scene
begins again.
Winner: (tie) Mintek & LG
Look and Feel – Toshiba SDP7000
Not having a disc eject button on
the remote is a no-no, as is the stand’s lack of horizontal swivel capabilities.
(Vertical pivoting of 3 degrees forward and 10 degrees backward is also
disappointing.) There’s a convenient, small carrying handle on the back, and the
TV’s base is sturdy but rather small. Unlike the other sets, the cable
connections are labeled above the connections so they’re easy to read even when
every cable jack is occupied. If you run the cabling properly, the
bottom-mounted wires will be minimally visible, but wires attached to the
side-mounted A/V connections will be plainly visible.
Winner: LG
Toshiba
SDP7000, $999.99
www.tacp.toshiba.com; 800.316.0920
RATING: EXCELLENT
