Toshiba REGZA 42RV530U 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

NOTE: this is a general review of Toshiba's customer service center. Should you have any concerns about what may happen when or if you tv breaks, this is the chaos and frustration you will find in dealing with them. Please go with a different brand...

We bought a TV/DVD combo from Toshiba as a gift from Santa last year for my 8-year old so that she could watch her Full House and Lizzie McGuire movies on it in her bedroom. Unfortunately, after 4 months, the tv's picture stopped working. She told me to send it back to Santa, so off it went to our local authorized Toshiba repairman, as you cannot return these items to Amazon after a certain period of time. We were told by Toshiba that the tv was under full warranty for parts and service. The repairman said no. We would have to pay at least $80 in service repairs. Well, it's been six months and we have yet to see our tv. The part that was supposedly broken was out of stock. Toshiba has sent out part after part after part...spending more in shipping and parts I'm sure than we actually paid for the tv. Now they are shipping out their 4th part...and we still have no tv and it's November. NOTE: the Toshiba representatives were rude and their supervisor (Dave Thomson) was scripted and condescending. TOSHIBA DOES NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT AND DOES NOT HELP ITS CUSTOMERS.

My daughter got so upset that Santa didn't return her tv that we had to buy her another tv a few months ago. Then, she overheard one of the numerous heated discussions between my husband and Toshiba. Every time my husband called, we were told the issue would be "escalated". The representatives are scripted and said whatever they could to passify us. In the end, we were told by Toshiba's supervisor (Dave Thomson) that this was their final decision...to just continue to keep trying to fix an inferior product with no hope that it may get fixed. By the time we get the tv back, if we get it back, it will no longer be under warranty.

In the end, with no return of her original tv and the numerous phone calls to/from Toshiba, my daughter finally got the clue and realized Santa doesn't exist. Thanks Toshiba. MAY NO PARENT EVER RELY ON YOUR PRODUCT AGAIN! THE TECHNOLOGY IS LOUSY AND YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT! GIVEN HOW TIGHT CONSUMERS' WALLETS ARE THIS SEASON, I HOPE PEOPLE LOOK PASSED YOUR BRAND AND SELECT A BETTER CHOICE.

FYI...When we purchased the tv, it was not made clear to us that it would be outdated within 14 months with the switch to digital.

Happy Holidays from a very dissatisfied customer.

I was very happy with this HD LCD tv when I bought it in April 2008, but unfortunately there's a problem with this model. The television shuts off randomly on it's own. At first it happened maybe once a week, but after a few months it urned off about twice daily. It turned on and worked again fine, but it was a bit annoying. I contacted Toshiba support via email and got a quick, friendly response with a list of local service companies. I sent it to one local independent servicer here in Portland, Ore., and they have been studying it for a few weeks now, but still have no idea what the problem is. Just spoke to them today (10-29-08) and they have 4 identical models in the shop for repair for the same problem. They are in contact with Toshiba and awaiting a fix from them. It will be repaired under warranty, and I am not concerned about this long term. I have had Toshiba televisions for years and been very pleased with them. This model is suffering from some kind of electrical, power or circuit problem, let's hope they find a fix soon. In the meantime you might want to look at a different model or brand. I'll update this review when it's fixed.

NOVEMBER 12TH UPDATE
After 3-4 weeks in the shop for testing and warranty repair, I received the set back a couple of days ago and it still switches off by itself periodically. I called the repair company and they said it's because I live in an apartment building, and the set will shut off if it receives any variation in power supply. They said this is very common with this and other Toshiba models in condos and apartments, and people in houses don't have this problem. He also said, "if it starts to shut off several times while watching movies that means a problem with the power supply and it would need to be repaired." At this point I would have to advise you to consider different models and other brands, unfortunately.

So far so good. The picture is great, plenty of inputs, sleek black laquer design, good internal speakers (which I don't use), glow in the dark remote and great viewing from all angels. It's on a swivel base which allows easy turning. I upgraded from a 36" Toshiba tube that I had for 7 years. No problems with Toshiba. I've read the negative reviews and fortunately have had zero problems with Toshiba. Toshiba is rated in the top 3 of t.v.'s. For the price Toshiba is the way to go. This set can be found for under $900 and the 120hz version for a few hundred more.

Pros: 4 HDMI outputs, great 1080p HD and Standef picture, Decent screen size for almost all living rooms. Price for what you get.

Cons: Contrast levels, refresh rate.

Bottom Line: I've had this particular LCD for 5 months now. I bought it from Circuit City. Though the contrast levels aren't the greatest, and though it lacks a 120hz refresh rate, this TV has many things that redeem it and makes a great TV for those who both know what they're doing with an HDTV and for those who are new to the flat panel world.

We were looking for mid-sized LCD and the 42RV530U fit the bill. Amazon's price was $100 to $200 below any other online competitor and they even offered free shipping. Newegg had it listed for $100 more and was charging $90 for the white-glove shipping.

The TV itself is extremely impressive for the money you spend. It is a good size and is very attractive and modern looking. It had the right number of inputs for us, allowing us to hook up our PC, DVD player, Wii Console, receiver, and Cable Box without a problem. The colors are very vibrant and their is virtually no ghosting on the screen even in fast-action movies. The only thing that didn't impress me was the blacks, it was a bit splotchy, but not a huge deal.

In the end, a great buy. Some of the reviews online will tell you otherwise, but for the average user, it is perfect.