Toshiba 50" Smart 4K UHD with Dolby Vision - Fire TV Edition ($309.99 +FS w/Prime)

Any feedback on this model? Thinking about getting this for the bedroom

Any feedback on this model? Thinking about getting this for the bedroom

I bought two Toshiba's, both 50", one in 2016 and one in 2017 from Best Buy so they were different models. They both stopped working within two years and the screen went black but the sound still worked. This was a common problem with Toshiba TV's. I would never buy another Toshiba TV again. It's crap.

Toshiba doesn't make TVs anymore. They just mark it out their brand to Chinese manufacturers now. Unfortunate because they did make a TVs.

I bought two Toshiba's, both 50", one in 2016 and one in 2017 from Best Buy so they were different models. They both stopped working within two years and the screen went black but the sound still worked. This was a common problem with Toshiba TV's. I would never buy another Toshiba TV again. It's crap.

I have a 40" Toshiba LCD TV from 2010 still going strong. Got it from BB during 2010 BF sale for $400, when it was considered a hot deal. I see electronics not lasting longer with the new ones compared to those from 8-10 years back. As prices come down, they tend to go disposable after 3-4 years of use as you can get a new one for the same price or less, instead of fixing it.

I just picked up their deal in the 2021 43" model (C350) of this TV. There are not many reviews for the 2021 vs. 2020 model, so I went off of the assumption that the panel and image quality is going to be the same as the 2020 reviews, and it is just the "smart TV" processor and other features that have been updated.

Reviews were generally favorable, with the normal "it's a budget TV and not nearly as good as an OLED" comments and noting that the color and contrast are not quite as good compared side-by-side to TCL or Vizio in the same price class. It's basically a TV that runs the Amazon Fire TV/Fire Stick interface and uses the Amazon remote, so if you are already in that ecosystem and like it, this will be immediately familiar to you.

At $350+, this TV is probably a fair deal but not screaming, but sub-$300 it is quite a nice deal if your expectations are realistic. Especially if you are already into the Fire TV/Firestick ecosystem.

The panel is a VA LCD, which based on my understanding gives slightly better black levels at the cost of slightly worse off-axis viewing angles vs. IPS. We view from a couch directly on-axis with the TV, so this is not an issue. The blacks are deep and look great in dark viewing situations. The backlight is not perfectly uniform, but most of the bleed-through comes around the edge of the image, and it is not at all offensive.

I have only briefly watched HDR content and games (PS4 Pro), so I cannot comment on it other than "it works". Reviews indicate you probably don't get much additional contrast out of HDR on an LCD like this. I watch TV almost exclusively in the evening, so max brightness is not a big issue for me (I usually turn TVs and monitors down to 50-75% brightness), but this set is a bit lower than close competitors.

I found the color to be good. I'm one of these people who believes in warm color (at least 6500K) and enjoys good color, but is not too fussed about getting 100% of sRGB or a particular gamut. I'm not editing photos on my TV, after all... This did not disappoint. The picture and color quality with all default settings (except brightness/contrast adjustment) on 'Warm' looks great. I actually found it slightly oversaturated, and reduced the "Color" setting by -2. The TV in general comes with very reasonable defaults set. The UI for adjusting picture quality, inputs, etc. matches the Fire interface and works great.

Overall, I am a Fire Stick user, so having the TV boot into a Fire TV interface is perfect for me. The UI is extremely fast and snappy, with no lag moving through menus or launching apps.

I bought this to replace a 12-year old LG 42" LCD that just died (RIP), and this TV is better in way than my 12 year old panel was. The anti-reflective coating is good, and diffuse reflections are lower than other panels I have seen, but not as good as you would find on a Dell UltraSharp monitor is. In particular, point light and specular reflections are quite strong on this one, so not great viewing if you have a window or bright lamp casting light on the TV.

Other key differences from 2020 vs 2021 model, in no particular order:

• The 2021 43" is only $20 more than the 2020 ($260 vs $240).
• The 2021 model has 16 GB of storage, vs. 8, which should help with longevity, especially for those who like to install lots of apps
• The 2021 TV has 4 inputs instead 3. Given the fact that the Fire UI is buitin, I don't see myself using more than 1-2
  
  Other key features
• It has wired Ethernet! Praise be!
• It uses a standard 2-prong appliace cord (IEC-320-C7). The cord is detachable, which was not true in earlier model years. So you can replace it when your bunny chews through it.
• The feet on the TV are solid metal, and screw into metal brackets. The TV is solid with very little wobble.

I have a 40" Toshiba LCD TV from 2010 still going strong. Got it from BB during 2010 BF sale for $400, when it was considered a hot deal. I see electronics not lasting longer with the new ones compared to those from 8-10 years back. As prices come down, they tend to go disposable after 3-4 years of use as you can get a new one for the same price or less, instead of fixing it.