Toshiba REGZA 42C3000

The Toshiba REGZA 42C3000 is a 42in LCD television with a native resolution of 1366x768. While it handles high definition with precision, it falters in standard definition by delivering a below par image quality. DVD collectors will have particular issue with this while the HD gamers and film buffs will enjoy the stunning imagery this panel has to offer.

The REGZA can display up to 1080p via scaling. Therefore, our first series of gaming and movie tests were conducted at 1080p. The result was quite stunning with no major problems to speak of. There was a very slight over-sharpening which was easily correctable and minor pixelation on some edges but neither of these problems were noticeable from a comfortable viewing distance.

Switching over to 720p, we performed the same gaming and HD movie tests and found a slightly better result. The over-sharpening issue was still present but the pixelation was no longer. The colours and black levels were superb and there was no contrast stepping or pixelation to speak of.

The fact that this panel can display a 1080p signal is impressive. The fact that is can do it well is also impressive. It shows that a lot of work has gone into the down-scaling interpolation. We only wish the same could be said for the up-scaling.

Since so many people have DVD collections of varying sizes, it is important for a high-definition panel to offer an excellent standard definition mode. The REGZA fails in this regard. Our tests were run at 576p using the film The Matrix. This film is particularly good for these kinds of tests as it pushes the panel to the limits in terms of accurate colour reproduction and contrast. The first thing we noticed was a severe blue discolouration of the blacks in the image. Shades of black were well rendered enough, but the deeper the black became and the closer it came to requiring pure black, the more blue crept in. This was horrendously noticeable and severely disappointing considering the excellent HD modes on this television. There were also other discolorations as well, most noticeably a slightly magenta hue in green background textures in some scenes. We also found contrast stepping too, particularly in particle clouds and on skin tones. All in all, the standard definition capabilities of this unit are below average which should be taken into consideration before making a purchase.

We also tested the PC capabilities of the unit via the VGA D-sub port. Thankfully, there were no major problems to report. The desktop was rendered well and both icons and text showed no issues. There was a slight over-sharpening at default settings but we were able to easily correct this by lowering the sharpness level. The remainder of our tests were passed without incident while the maximum stable resolution we could achieve was 1360x768.

The Toshiba REGZA 42C3000 uses two 10W speakers which pump out an extraordinary level of volume. On the whole, they do an excellent job with good performance on everything from high treble registers to low bass. At the highest volume there is some distortion, and the quality of the treble and bass becomes muffled but considering how loud it is at that volume, the distortion isn't a major problem.