Customer Reviews
What a sad waste of money 
2008-07-17
We bought this TV about 3 years ago from Sears. The pic was fabulous and we were fairly happy with it even though we thought the price was excessive. Last year (just after the warranty expired) we had to have a tube (?) replaced to the tune of almost $500. We really debated over spending the money or buying a new TV. Since we had such a significant investment, we decided to repair it. Imagine our chagrin when the same thing happened again this year. So needless to say, we bought a Vizio last night and hope that we have much better luck with it.
Heard Loud pop 
2008-03-24
I have owned this tv for a year and two months and when watching it heard a loud pop and tv went off. Took it for service and they said the scaler board is bad and they want $485 for repairing it. Did not buy the extended waranty so I am out of luck. Also recommend a good surge supressor because it seeems that is what caused the problem.
Great TV!!! 
2008-01-21
I have now owned this TV for over a year and still get amazed at the picture quality with Digital HD Programming. When a TV can get my wife to say WOW, it's pretty good. I originally purchased a Samsung 42" DLP HD TV and the second week of owning it the sound went out. I took the TV back, purchased this 50" Toshiba 720P Plasma, and love it. If I had anything negative to say about it is the startup time. Takes about 30 seconds to startup but the TV goes through its checks every time. I really don't mind the few second wait. The only thing that made this TV that much sweeter is that I got it on sale for $1600.00 at Best Buy when they were $2600.00 everywhere else. Shop Around and I recommend the extended service policy simply for the peace of mind due to the amount that you are already spending . What's another $300.00? Hope this helps.
Josh
DO NOT BUY !! 2007-05-31
I purchased this TV in Sept. '06. On April 8th, 2007 while watching the last holes of the Masters, I heard a loud whine and then POOF, the TV was off. Then it tried to start itself over and over again. TV was gone. I called customer service next morning(9th). They referred me to a repair company that didn't get to my house until the 13th. He could not fix it. He had to order a part.several weeks went by and no one was giving me an answer other than, " the part is on backorder". Well needless to say, yesterday (29 may 07) 51 days after my TV went down, Toshiba called and said that I can continue to hold on the backorder or get my money back. I choose the money, but, it will take 4 to 6 weeks to get it. They said they will send someone in 5 to 7 Business days to pick the unit up! 5 to 7 days to get thier broke tv but 4 to 6 wks for the consumer who spent good money in the first place to get his money back. Way to go Toshiba. I will never buy a Toshiba product again. Horrible and I mean horrible customer service.
The Tv was not all that either. My friends 50" Panasonic is far superior.
Pretty good for the price... 
2007-05-13
I had looked at this TV at Best Buy, et al but Amazon had the best price, free shipping and no state tax. The TV is pretty good. The only negative is when there is a solid color which fades into a lighter shade (like in backgrounds) especially reds and oranges, there appears to be a rainbow around the lightest spot in the background. I thought it was the TV itself until I compared it to the smaller version of this same TV and it had it too. Otherwise, for the price, it has all of the requisite bells and whistles, great sound, looks good and I'm pretty happy with it.
Go with vizio or panasonic or sony 
2007-04-09
The Toshiba 50HP66 Integrated Plasma TV delivers the very best in picture quality for better home theater. The high-definition plasma TV utilizes a 10,000:1 high contrast ratio panel for enhanced picture quality. StableSOund reduces volume fluctuations by keeping volume within set levels. SRS WOW greatly improves audio performance with better fidelity and wider "sweet spot" for listeners. Dual HDMI inputs provide uncompressed digital audio&video in one convenient cable. Black Cabinetry integrates the bottom speakers, creating a sleeker and more modern design. 10,000 - 1 contrast ratio 3D Y/C Comb Filter 480i Auto Aspect 2-3 Pull Down Cinema Mode 20W speaker output SRS WOW&StableSound PC input (15-pin D-Sub), PC audio input, S-Video (2), ColorStream HD inputs (2), A/V inputs 2 HDMI digital inputs Outputs - Variable Out, Digital Audio Coax&Digital, A/V and S-Video RF inputs Includes 4-item glow universal remote Energy Star compliant Power Source - 120V @ 60Hz;460W power consumption Dimensions(WxHxD) - 49.5 x 34.2 x 16.2 Weight - 122.4 lbs.
Problems with grayscale? 2007-02-27
I owned this TV for 2 weeks, and found the color and clarity to be outstanding except in low-light scenes. Shadowy images that weren't totally black, and any digital distortion in the scene, tended to have a purple and green tint. The Toshiba rep came out to the house and found nothing wrong on his equipment tests, but agreed that this color blotching did, in fact, exist. He offered that the TV might require a new "scaler." Since I was within the return period, I traded for a Mitsubishi DLP set which shows none of these problems, although it doesn't quite match the "good" picture quality of the Toshiba.
Good Plasma TV and a Great Value 2007-01-25
We purchased this TV in July of 2006 when it just hit the market. Overall we are quite pleased with the TV. We compared it with the Panasonics, Pioneers, Philips, LG, Samsung, Vizio and Maxent TVs on the market. Overall it compares favorably with the top tier brands (e.g., Panasonic, Pioneer) in picture quality, but the price is midway between the second tier brands (e.g., Maxent) and the top tier brands.
Pros:
1. 2 HDMI inputs - High Definition Media Interface (HDMI) is the wave of the future. One cable carries both audio and video feeds and is the standard for the next generation of HD DVD players, cable boxes and satellite boxes. Having 2 HDMI interfaces allows you to connect a DVD player and a cable or satellite box. I have my TV hooked up to a Toshiba upconverting DVD player using the HDMI input. The cable is connected via analog input to the TV.
2. HD Picture Clarity - Toshiba is using a Philips / LG panel, which is ubiquitous in the industry (e.g., Maxent, Vizio, LG, Philips and others all use the panels from this joint venture). However, Toshiba sets the panel resolution at a native 720 progressive (i.e., it paints the picture line by line), rather than a 1080 interlace (i.e., it paints alternate lines). Whatever signal it is fed, it will be converted to a 720P. I believe that this results in a smoother image. The HD picture quality is sharp and vibrant. Standard picture quality (e.g., from cable) is pretty good - the picture is definitely softer than HD, but definitely watchable. Our cable provider is Time Warner and their cable box does a great job of stretching a standard picture for the screen. When this TV was side by side with Panasonic, Philips and Pioneer and Maxent - the Panasonic seemed to have the best image, it was slightly sharper and colors were more natural. I was not impressed the Pioneer (colors looked off) picture or the Philips (a little soft) picture. The Maxent picture was surprisingly good, but not quite as sharp or natural as the Toshiba or Panasonic.
3. Price - When we purchased this TV, it was $400 below the Panasonic and and $300 above the Maxent and Vizio TVs. It was priced about the Philips. Considering Toshiba's reputation as a top tier brand, the price was more than competitive.
4. Predicted Reliability - According to Consumer Reports, the Toshiba TVs have relatively low rate of repair compared to other brands (particularly the second tier brands).
Cons:
1. Picture Color - The Toshiba tends to have a "red push" (i.e., skin tones and reds seem to be redder). One can help reduce the red push by setting the temperature settings to "cool" and "film". Still it is a warmer picture than Panasonic. Also, like most plasma TVs, it has a harder time with blacks. On HD signals, blacks are nice and dark and inky. On standard definition or DVD, the blacks can sometimes seem blotchy and pixelated.
2. Input Selection - The TV has a number of inputs. On the remote, one selects the input key and all of the inputs are identified. One then selects the input desired (e.g., cable, DVD, etc.) If you hit enter, it then calls up the menu. If you leave it alone, the TV will wait a few seconds before switching signals. Also, when switching between HD and regular signals, the TV takes a couple of seconds to switch signals.
This is not a Panasonic!!!! 2007-01-04
Some channels look good but after owning the Panasonic in the other room, This plasma is going in the basement soon!! I am sad to say I should have waited for the Panasonics to come down, as they did!:( Please investgate B4 Buying a Plasma!)
Love it! 2006-10-20
Neither one of us are tremendously technical, but we wanted a nice tv to mount over our fireplace. We researched online as well as visited a couple stores and decided on this one. We've only had it a few days, but I'm very pleased. It is very user friendly - meaning I don't have to get the manual out every time I want to make an adjustment! I did have to hire somebody to mount it and run the wiring, but I would have to do that with any of them. It's a great buy!
