Toshiba 32AV500U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

Last week our <4 yr old 32" Panasonic CRT set decided to stop working for some unknown reason. Though not exactly in our budget, we were forced to buy a new TV. It was time to upgrade to an LCD flat panel.

To make a long story shorter I was looking at the Sonys and the Samsungs when my wife spotted this Toshiba.

The good:
1) "By today's standards" the price was right. A lot of bang for the buck... so far.
2) It has multiple inputs for my older components as well as room to upgrade to newer ones, plus
3) The picture looked great.
4) It weighs less than 30lbs, a far cry from the CRT set it replaces. I can handle this one by myself.
5) Glare has been a problem in our home. This set has completely eliminated that.
6) Not a nice wood veneered cabinet, but the I have to admit that I like the piano black finish much more than I thought I would

The bad: (C'mon. You knew it was coming.)
1) I don't want to have to turn on the amplifier every time I watch the evening news, so I have to say that the built-in speakers leave a lot to be desired, even for TV built-ins.
2) I found the set-up to be challenging. It took me a few days to come up w/settings I could live with.
3) As one who remembers the "instant-on" TV craze it seems to take an unusually long time for the set to decide whether or not it will light. The Panasonic's (CRT) amplifier would come on almost immediately followed by the picture. When powering up this set, nothing at all happens for about 10 secs. It acts like an old tube set from the '60's. Is that normal for these?

That's about it, both the good and the bad as I see it so far. I only hope we can expect to get more than 4 yrs from this one.

The television is a great value. Amazon delayed the shipment origination for about a week, but once received by the shipping company it was delivered promptly and in very good "white glove" condition. My experience with Amazon over the past six months, with numerous products, is that Amazon intentionally delays shipping products that qualify for "free shipment", probably in an attempt to generate shipping fee income. This may produce some income, but it is very poor customer service.

Bought this from Amazon.com and it's amazing. I bought the same one for my father and he loves it. He's 86 and very deaf but hears this just fine. Great price and easy setup. Amazon.com rocks with no sales tax or shipping! I love this store. It's $200.00 more at Overstock.com. What does that say? Thanks Amazon.com. I didn't install the HD part but don't need to because the picture is perfect. I would need a new DVR for HD but whats the point!

A local seller had this on sale for the price I paid here but since I saved the tax and gas it would cost to drive there - I feel I got a pretty good deal. Since the free delivery is "white glove" - they will even remove it from the box to make sure there are no visible scratches/damages. Taxes where I live are almost 10% so I always check amazon before I buy any large ticket item. Every little bit helps.

As far as quality - picture looks great - TV is cute - the base is a little larger than I care for (16") but still OK. I'm not a real "technical-type" chick but I'm happy with my purchase. The remote lights up - all buttons - which is great for night time use but since I use a cable remote - I don't get to benefit from it.

Wow. This has been a great experience. The picture is drop-dead beautiful. The sound quality is good too. Paying $679 is wonderful. TV was delivered within a few days. Super easy to plug in and play. Remote is logical. Couldn't be happier with this purchase. Strongly recommend getting an HDMI cable (under $10 now) since the box doesn't include video cables.