Toshiba 55TL515U 55" 3D HDTV LCD TV
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- 3D-ready: Yes
- Internet Content Support: Apps
- DLNA Certified: Yes
- Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
- Broadcast Format Displayed: 1080p (HDTV) 1080i (HDTV) 720p (HDTV) 480p (EDTV) 480i (SDTV)
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Quality passive 3D tv,
Pros
Cheap for passive 3D, auto-detect 3D source.
Cons
Limited swivel, 30 second turn-on time, not the friendliest 3D controls.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A wonderful TV for the price. Would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a passive 3D TV, especially considering the limited options in the passive 3D market.
I wanted to buy a passive 3D tv. I was not interested in active 3D as I was not too keen on the extra expense of the glasses which come with active 3D.
For those unaware:
Active 3D maintains 1080p (in the case of 1080p source), providing two distinct 1080p images, each displayed at different periods, in sync with the shutters of active 3D glasses.
Passive 3D provides splits the tv area in half, so for a 1080p source you get two distinct 540p (or 360p in the case of 720p) images on the screen at the same time. Each image is polarized differently which works with the Real3D glasses provided with the TV (or ones can get at the movie theaters).
The positive of active 3D is that there is no diminished image quality (maintaining 1080p, or 720p), but the negative is that you are effectively cutting the refresh rate in half, not to mention the fact that you you have to use the expensive, and delicate shuttler glasses.
The positive of passive 3D is that you can enjoy 3D the same way you see it in theaters - the glasses are cheap and easily replaced, and you get to maintain the source refresh rate, but the negative is that you lose image quality as the TV has to fit two images on the screen at the same time, so the tv cuts the resolution in half.
I am going to say that going with passive 3D is worth the loss in image quality as it is so nice not having to worry about the 3D glasses - worry with regards to the care required, and with regards to having to feel the glasses on my face while watching. Of course it is nice when the TV is of good quality, like this particular model.
3D quality is alright. There could be a bit more depth, but I think this is it has less to do with the tv and more to do with the nature of passive 3D. So I guess chalk that up as another negative of passive 3D. The TV includes a feature to convert 2D video into 3D, but this really doesn't work, as it does nothing more than to make the 2D image appear behind the tv. As far as image quality is concerned, from 10-15 feet back I really don't notice a loss of image quality. I am well aware that passive 3D reduces image quality, but from afar it is not that bad. I guess if I was sitting 3 feet from the TV, I would notice, but who does that? Hah. The TV has a built in processor to detect, automatically, a 3D source. This feature, however, only works with internet tv apps (VUDU, HULU) and BluRay content. It fails to recognize content coming by HDMI from my laptop, but that is OK as there is a 3D button on the remote to initialize the 3D function. It works well, but the button itself has average responsiveness and this annoying warning screen about 3D viewing safety. Four 3D glasses are provided with the TV.
Movies I have watched in 3D:
Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D - eh it was OK
Tangled - pretty good
Tron Legacy - super!
The TV includes a QAM tuner. Works fine with Comcast. All channels report the resolution, but it is spotty with channel information - I think this is a product of Comcast putting out limited identifying information. Unfortunately, the TV does not allow for changing of the channel's information. However, I find this is a common issue among TV's with a QAM tuner (e.g. Samsung LED/LCD's behave the same). QAM channel changing takes about 5 seconds, which is a bit more than I would like, but whatever.
Sound on the TV is pretty subpar, but this is to be expected from an LED TV (where lack of depth is the main selling point). I would recommend getting a speaker system, or a soundbar at the least.
The screen itself is beautiful. 2D image quality is stellar, brightness is great, and reflections are minimal. There are plentiful controls for videophiles. Viewing angles are very good! I wish it would swivel more on the base though. Swivel is limited to like 10 degrees in each direction, which is rather insignificant. I do unfortunately see the edgelighting in the tv's corners when watching letterboxed or pillarboxed content, but what is interesting is that different HDMI cords yield varying results in this department - better HDMI cords reduce this issue.
The internet features are nice - VUDU, Netflix, Youtube. Navigation is acceptable, but definitely could be better. I don't plan on using this all that much, nor do I see them adding anything more to it (I wish it had HBO Go...), so take this how you will. Personally I think TV's should just give up in this department and let the media players like Roku handle this.
The remote is very nice - shiny! Backlight! It could use some customization options, but a very quality remote overall.
The buttons on the tv work. They are acceptable.
The ports on the TV are nice and sturdy. Quality. The TV itself feels like it is quality. One major negative is that it takes like 30 seconds for the TV to power on and show an image.
Overall it is a great TV, and, frankly, the upsides outweight the downsides (the main one being the 30 second turn-on time). And for the price I paid ($1000) it is hard to beat, especially with so few Passive 3D options on the market.
For those unaware:
Active 3D maintains 1080p (in the case of 1080p source), providing two distinct 1080p images, each displayed at different periods, in sync with the shutters of active 3D glasses.
Passive 3D provides splits the tv area in half, so for a 1080p source you get two distinct 540p (or 360p in the case of 720p) images on the screen at the same time. Each image is polarized differently which works with the Real3D glasses provided with the TV (or ones can get at the movie theaters).
The positive of active 3D is that there is no diminished image quality (maintaining 1080p, or 720p), but the negative is that you are effectively cutting the refresh rate in half, not to mention the fact that you you have to use the expensive, and delicate shuttler glasses.
The positive of passive 3D is that you can enjoy 3D the same way you see it in theaters - the glasses are cheap and easily replaced, and you get to maintain the source refresh rate, but the negative is that you lose image quality as the TV has to fit two images on the screen at the same time, so the tv cuts the resolution in half.
I am going to say that going with passive 3D is worth the loss in image quality as it is so nice not having to worry about the 3D glasses - worry with regards to the care required, and with regards to having to feel the glasses on my face while watching. Of course it is nice when the TV is of good quality, like this particular model.
3D quality is alright. There could be a bit more depth, but I think this is it has less to do with the tv and more to do with the nature of passive 3D. So I guess chalk that up as another negative of passive 3D. The TV includes a feature to convert 2D video into 3D, but this really doesn't work, as it does nothing more than to make the 2D image appear behind the tv. As far as image quality is concerned, from 10-15 feet back I really don't notice a loss of image quality. I am well aware that passive 3D reduces image quality, but from afar it is not that bad. I guess if I was sitting 3 feet from the TV, I would notice, but who does that? Hah. The TV has a built in processor to detect, automatically, a 3D source. This feature, however, only works with internet tv apps (VUDU, HULU) and BluRay content. It fails to recognize content coming by HDMI from my laptop, but that is OK as there is a 3D button on the remote to initialize the 3D function. It works well, but the button itself has average responsiveness and this annoying warning screen about 3D viewing safety. Four 3D glasses are provided with the TV.
Movies I have watched in 3D:
Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D - eh it was OK
Tangled - pretty good
Tron Legacy - super!
The TV includes a QAM tuner. Works fine with Comcast. All channels report the resolution, but it is spotty with channel information - I think this is a product of Comcast putting out limited identifying information. Unfortunately, the TV does not allow for changing of the channel's information. However, I find this is a common issue among TV's with a QAM tuner (e.g. Samsung LED/LCD's behave the same). QAM channel changing takes about 5 seconds, which is a bit more than I would like, but whatever.
Sound on the TV is pretty subpar, but this is to be expected from an LED TV (where lack of depth is the main selling point). I would recommend getting a speaker system, or a soundbar at the least.
The screen itself is beautiful. 2D image quality is stellar, brightness is great, and reflections are minimal. There are plentiful controls for videophiles. Viewing angles are very good! I wish it would swivel more on the base though. Swivel is limited to like 10 degrees in each direction, which is rather insignificant. I do unfortunately see the edgelighting in the tv's corners when watching letterboxed or pillarboxed content, but what is interesting is that different HDMI cords yield varying results in this department - better HDMI cords reduce this issue.
The internet features are nice - VUDU, Netflix, Youtube. Navigation is acceptable, but definitely could be better. I don't plan on using this all that much, nor do I see them adding anything more to it (I wish it had HBO Go...), so take this how you will. Personally I think TV's should just give up in this department and let the media players like Roku handle this.
The remote is very nice - shiny! Backlight! It could use some customization options, but a very quality remote overall.
The buttons on the tv work. They are acceptable.
The ports on the TV are nice and sturdy. Quality. The TV itself feels like it is quality. One major negative is that it takes like 30 seconds for the TV to power on and show an image.
Overall it is a great TV, and, frankly, the upsides outweight the downsides (the main one being the 30 second turn-on time). And for the price I paid ($1000) it is hard to beat, especially with so few Passive 3D options on the market.
