Toshiba Regza WL863 (55WL863) 3D LED LCD Television Review & Comments

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Reviewed by Mark Hodgkinson, 20th October 2011.When you look at what else is out there - at this price and with this feature set and performance – you’d be silly not to put the Toshiba WL863 on your go-see list.
Read the full review...
 
Hi,

Thanks for a great (& much awaited!) review! I was hoping that Toshiba would have got it QC much better by now (especially for a flagship model) & maybe it's just me but the mega, super, biblically hyped CEVO processing (which I fell for) seems to be not all that much better than most others out there? One would have thought that it would have set a absolutely new benchmark blowing everything else way considering it is a sibling of the CELL TV!!

Suave!
 
I understand it correctly, that saturated red can not be corrected calibration?
 
Good review
Is the screen Matt or reflective?
 
Really nice and professional review Mark, as already posted in previous thread I appreciated your work.
Two questions coming:
- for what concerns red undersaturation: do you think it's a matter of the panel or otherwise it just an electronic controller that could cause it?
In other words, do you think that a firmware update could solve or partially fix the issue?
- as far as we can guess, the 42" panel could be an LG one while most probably 46 and 55 panels are from Samsung. Do you expect same cons, expecially talking about red desaturation and 3D performance side by side, could be find in 46" and 42" models?
- Will Toshiba provide a feedback on the review, and maybe clarify if some issues will be taken into account and solved by a firmware update?

Thanks again and keep up with the good work ;)
 
One more question Mark, thanks in advance for your patience :thumbsup:
Another friend in italy had the chance to view and calibrate a WL863 (42 inch), he told that a fresh firmware update - dated 18, October if I remember well - was available for download. Is the same update available for the 46 inch version?
Which firmware version was on the tv you reviewed?
Thanks again :smashin:
 
Really nice and professional review Mark, as already posted in previous thread I appreciated your work.
Two questions coming:
- for what concerns red undersaturation: do you think it's a matter of the panel or otherwise it just an electronic controller that could cause it?
In other words, do you think that a firmware update could solve or partially fix the issue?
- as far as we can guess, the 42" panel could be an LG one while most probably 46 and 55 panels are from Samsung. Do you expect same cons, expecially talking about red desaturation and 3D performance side by side, could be find in 46" and 42" models?
- Will Toshiba provide a feedback on the review, and maybe clarify if some issues will be taken into account and solved by a firmware update?

Thanks again and keep up with the good work ;)

As far as I'm aware there is no 42 but there is a 40 and LG don't make 40 inch panels, so I'd guess - and it can only be a guess without seeing them - that performance would be very similar across the sizes.

I'm going to produce a report on the calibration issues (including desaturation of red) but what will happen from there, I don't know.

One more question Mark, thanks in advance for your patience :thumbsup:
Another friend in italy had the chance to view and calibrate a WL863 (42 inch), he told that a fresh firmware update - dated 18, October if I remember well - was available for download. Is the same update available for the 46 inch version?
Which firmware version was on the tv you reviewed?
Thanks again :smashin:

I didn't note the version but it was most certainly the latest firmware for the UK TVs as I updated on the day of setting up:)
 
Sorry, you're quite right, I've just got up:D

If it is an LG panel, then I would expect it to have some different characteristics.
 
i'm set on a 42in telly.
i was going to go for the LG 42LW650T, but the gaming lag seems too much even if you're just a casual player

this toshiba looked like it could be a winner but if it has an LG screen is it going to suffer bad lag . back to square one :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

i might just get it anyway. need somewhere to stock it first :smashin:


.
 
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Hi Mark,

can you post the settings you have used for the test?
 
Before the end of 2011 we might well see the 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, glasses-free 3D ZL2
Can we really believe anything that toshiba says? The did not bring the ZL1 full led to the UK market after a very long wait:thumbsdow:thumbsdow:thumbsdow. Eventually they brought this cut down version edge lit which for the looks of if we are better off if they have kept this model for themselves as well.
 
Hi
Is there anyone that can explain this for me in a more in depth way..

"As with the other Toshiba’s we’ve seen this year, the WL863 lacks any kind of film mode and, as a result, is unable to pick up on even the most common film cadences, failing every single test thrown at it."

...is this really so, and will this not be able to rectify with an firmware update?

I have an old toshiba with Film mode(z3030) and is it really true that the new 2011 toshibas doesnt have that at all or does it (could it) happen in some other way?
I am sorry but it just seems strange and very weird choice by Toshiba.. my wife watches A LOT of broadcast films on TV.

Thanks.
 
Hi Mark,

Just wondering, but Toshiba made some pretty impressive claims regarding the capabilities & potency of it's "Tri-Vector 2D to 3D Conversion" that was to be almost sort of a quantum leap over other 2D-3D versions - may I ask, did you by any chance get to try it out & what are your findings on it?

Also, how effective is the much touted "Super Resolution+" or "Resolution+" (not sure which version this set has!) in making standard def pics appear to have better PQ?

Suave!
 
Hi
Is there anyone that can explain this for me in a more in depth way..

"As with the other Toshiba's we've seen this year, the WL863 lacks any kind of film mode and, as a result, is unable to pick up on even the most common film cadences, failing every single test thrown at it."

...is this really so, and will this not be able to rectify with an firmware update?

I have an old toshiba with Film mode(z3030) and is it really true that the new 2011 toshibas doesnt have that at all or does it (could it) happen in some other way?
I am sorry but it just seems strange and very weird choice by Toshiba.. my wife watches A LOT of broadcast films on TV.

Thanks.

Hi

It means it wont pick up on progressively shot film material when sent in an interlaced signal and will thus perform unnecessary deinterlacing, creating jaggies/artefacting. Hope that makes sense:)

Maybe a firmware update could fix it but it would involve adding a new item to the menus so likely a lot of work.

Suave said:
Hi Mark,

Just wondering, but Toshiba made some pretty impressive claims regarding the capabilities & potency of it's "Tri-Vector 2D to 3D Conversion" that was to be almost sort of a quantum leap over other 2D-3D versions - may I ask, did you by any chance get to try it out & what are your findings on it?

Also, how effective is the much touted "Super Resolution+" or "Resolution+" (not sure which version this set has!) in making standard def pics appear to have better PQ?

Hi Suave

I found the 2D > 3D ok, no better than say Samsung or Panasonic's efforts, in my opinion. To be honest, I'm just not a fan of 2D>3D on anything but gaming. Hopefully the manufacturers will change my mind on that in years to come.

SD scaling was really good with it Resolution+ at it's mid (default) level - not that it can work miracles on low bitrate crud.

Best

Mark
 
Just for completeness, it seems from various threads on the forums around the world that the whole WL/YL 863 line (42", 46" and 55") uses panel from AUO Optronics.
 
Just for completeness, it seems from various threads on the forums around the world that the whole WL/YL 863 line (42", 46" and 55") uses panel from AUO Optronics.

good to know. and are they any good. do they make for anyone else?
 
Just for completeness, it seems from various threads on the forums around the world that the whole WL/YL 863 line (42", 46" and 55") uses panel from AUO Optronics.

Hi,

I thought Toshiba stated somewhere that they developed a special "Quantam Black Panel" (whatever that means!) for these high end CEVO Sets?

Suave!
 
Hi, I have two queries.
- Web browser have?
- Flash update have?
 
And in the future, firmware possible?
 
Possible, of course. It depends on which kind of support this model will have from Toshiba. Consider anyway that the expensive-fabulous-flagship model ZL1 doesn't have a web browser too, so I guess we will not see it on these models in short time.
 
Hi Aaron,
as far as I've read, many users here in Italy read an "AUO Optronics" from the rear grates on the tv, even in the 46" and 55" inch format.
This paper from Toshiba seems to confirm this thesis:
http://i43.tinypic.com/fefhnm.jpg
(source: Robertoy from AVSForum.com)

And, most important fact to tell, it seems that all the "professional" reviews available on the web point out the undersaturation of red (and in certain one, the oversaturation of green) even if they're testing different formats. That S-PVA from Samsung is used by Sammy itself on the D7000/D8000 series, by Sony in latest 2011 models and by Toshiba on the flagship model ZL1... None of these had similar issues on color reproduction.

That's why I bet these models are based on the brand new AUO-Amoy panel.
Ain't that bad, even though Sammy's S-PVA is surely better. ;)
 

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