Toshiba LED HDTV 55SL412U

26.07.2011
At a time when most HDTVs are piling on features, the Toshiba 55SL412U takes a contrarian approach. This doesn't support 3D, does not connect to the Internet, provides mediocre audio, and offers only a basic set of connectors. But it does deliver pretty good image quality at a low energy cost--and although prices on larger sets are coming down in general, the 55SL412U's price (we found it for $1200 online as of June 8, 2011) is still fairly inexpensive for its screen class.

In our juried image-quality tests, the 55SL412U's 120Hz, 1080p display earned generally good if not superlative scores, collecting the highest marks for brightness and contrast. But judges were less generous in other categories, most notably its handling of color and skin tones. Several judges noted oversaturation of colors on some test clips, with one judge complaining that people tended to look sunburned.

We also saw a few . For example, in an aerial shot panning over city skyscrapers in The Dark Knight on Blu-ray, judges observed slight shimmering and even blinking effects on tall buildings with straight lines. However, the problems were not severe, and the set's overall image-quality rating squeaked into the Very Good range. The 55SL412U is quite economical from an energy-consumption standpoint, too: In our tests it drew 75.6 watts per hour when turned on and no noticeable amount of energy when powered down, numbers that we rate as Very Good.

Audio quality was another story. Equipped with two puny integrated 7-watt speakers and no simulated surround-sound technology, the set produced somewhat anemic sound. You could barely hear the sound of the candle being lit in the opening titles of Phantom of the Opera on Blu-ray, for example, and the music in general sounded a tad tinny. At least the set provides an optical digital-audio-out port, so you can bypass its sound system in favor of a home-theater audio setup.

That audio-out port is one of a mere handful of connectors grouped together on the back of the set, most of them facing outward--a definite plus that makes connecting cables easier (although it can make wall mounting trickier). The collection includes two HDMI ports, PC video and audio inputs, one component-video and one composite-video hookup, one set each of analog audio inputs and outputs (for stereo sound), the aforementioned digital audio output, and a coax port for a cable or antenna connection. Additionally, you get two side-facing ports: a third HDMI input and a USB input for use in media playback and software upgrades.

The 55SL412U's design is fairly nondescript, with the usual shiny black bezel and pedestal. For some reason, though, Toshiba put a distracting, bright turquoise blue Energy Star sticker on the lower-left corner of the front bezel.