Toshiba 40XF355D - 40" Widescreen Pictureframe 1080P Full HD LCD TV - With Freeview

I am really happy with this TV. The picture is wonderful and most of the menus are well thoughtout.

The thin Pictureframe allows you to have a much bigger screen for the same overall dimensions that a much smaller screen takes up. In addition when used in a darkened room the picture just appears to be floating in the air!

I would recommend that all users spend some time fine tuning the various picture levels to suit their own preferences.

In the stampede to replace that old clunky TV box with a shiny new flatscreen, you're faced with not only a myriad of choices but a minefield of decisions over screen size for room size , HD type, plasma v LCD, connections and not least the other kit you'll feel bound to upgrade to match it all.

The Toshiba is a fantastic set both in picture quality and design. If you're looking for a new flatscreen TV at a great price and you're not one to trawl the press and internet reviews that'll inevitably keep changing and confusing your mind anyway, then go buy this now.

Delivery from Amazon is excellent and all you have to do is connect the pedestal stand which is easy and quick. And don't be put off by backlight bleed mentioned in some reviews, you won't see it.

As for screen size it does maximise its space with the picture frame surround, so if you're worried that a 40" is too big for your room it fills a standard 37" set size and is perfect for a viewing distance of 2.5 - 3.5m.

HDMI cables are a good investment - there's nothing in the box to connect it properly to your Sky or Virgin box - and the QED Qunex HDMI cable is much better than the high street stores cheap ranges. Hi def broadcasts are crystal and what this TV was made for but standard TV still looks great even if football or fast moving sports are slightly disappointing showing some blur.

Connected to a standard DVD player with a scart cable will still produce a great picture (and much better than standard TV broadcasts) but a HD DVD player (with that extra HDMI cable) will up the ante much further. The TV's integrated speakers are very good for day to day viewing but connected to a hifi or surround system will add to your viewing experience. It's easy to see how once you've invested in this TV you can be hooked into much more extra add ons but even if you don't or can't it still works just fine.

The baffling gripe is setting it up.

All manufacturers distribute TVs for showroom / shop settings so colour, contrast, brightness and the multitude of picture options are a million miles away from how this TV should look in your home. This Toshiba will arrive not ready for you to fully enjoy. And there appears to be no answer to the ideal settings unless you know what you're doing or buy a set up DVD. Sure it depends on your viewing environment and what you connect it to and you could search the various online forums to see the + 52 Colour, - 7 tint and options inbetween.

Toshiba really need to pay some attention to a basic consumer need and include some basic settings. Would we buy any other product that required hours of effort and research to get it to its optimum?

For a great TV you just could be left wondering how should it look as good as it could look.

With a little effort, once you get there, it's worth it!

I checked out the stores first and after watching a high definItion DVD of The mATRIX on this Toshiba I WAS blown away. The store was charging £1,149.99 + £200.00 for 1+2 years cover. Hahaha, very funny between amazon and myself I saved £300!!!
Well I was a little apprehensive about ordering serious kit online. Tic toc, tic toc I received emails and phone calls within 2 days of ordering (very reassuring) and now I have the set on a stand in my living room. Delivery was excellent with a courtesy phone call 45mins ahead of time.

Now the T.V is exceptional. You can fully customize the settings even down to the cool blue glow on the front.
One of my first concerns was light bleed in letterbox mode mentioned in two present reviews. I killed the lights, put it in a Standard Definition DVD The Chronicles of Riddick and guess what..........................................
no bleed. Black as black the letterbox was/is. As for the q.u.a.l.i.t.y wooo weeee! I can barely wait for the blu-ray playing PS3, which should be winging its way to me now.

Watching normal T.V say virgin cable one can see that the SD varies from program to programe. Old early
sit coms seem dull and washed out, old documentries look faded, but in general some current stuff I would
grade from 5/10 to 9/10. But hey slap in one of your favourite films and leave the main stream behind!

Ok before I go some tried and tested settings from another forum:

Active Backlight on
Cinema mode on
3d colour mgt on
Backlight 29
Contrast 88
Brightness 60
Color 46
Tint 0
Sharpness 0
Black stretch off
Stable sound on
Dnr auto
Colour temp warm

Exact scan when using 1080p source

Ok I must go. To do what? Guess what. Look at the T.V i've only had it 24hrs.

UPDATE. My PS3 arrived with that "spare" £300.00 I saved. I purchased the blu-ray version of Deja Vu without a case on ebay for £7.00 and a 10gb carrying HDMI cable (don't get 5gb) and Oh my Gosh. No turning back. Bye bye DVD's