What Hi-Fi? Verdict
The 42XV635D’s a respectable performer, but Toshiba’s no longer the only company ploughing the ultra-affordable market
Pros
- +
Great spec for the money
- +
a likeable, capable picture from all sources
- +
particularly accomplished Freeview tuner
Cons
- -
Similarly priced, and even cheaper sets, offer more
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Toshiba's TV successes over the past couple of years have generally come from low pricing. The problem is that, in recent months, we've seen other companies undercutting it.
The 42XV635D is another such example: it looks great for £700 – until you see others that offer more at a similar price or cheaper.
Impressive specs list
That's not to say that this Toshiba doesn't put up a fight: it has four HDMIs, USB and SD card slots, 100Hz motion processing, and the company's Resolution+ upscaling technology.
The opening of the Traitor on Blu-ray sees the Toshiba making a decent case for itself. Colours are natural and vibrant, blacks are solid, edges are sharp, and detail levels are pretty high.
The smoothest and most solid motion is provided by turning on the M100 motion processing and canning film stabilisation. However, it's still not quite firm enough, and as the camera pans over Sudan, there's a touch of instability and ghosting.
It's also fair to say that, on close inspection, the Toshiba's black background isn't as deep, and although the whites are punchy, they're not quite as pure as the best.
Vibrancy and edge definition are a smidge short, too, preventing images from really popping.
Mixed results with Resolution+
Despite the Resolution+, upscaled images aren't the best: even set at maximum, the screen produces a softer DVD picture than its rivals.
Colours are good, though, with depth that was somehow lacking in the HD delivery. But motion isn't quite up to scratch, and there's less solidity to leading edges than we'd like.
The '625D does seem to have a decent Freeview tuner.
You need to make sure Resolution+ isn't set too high, as it tends to add some noise, but this is solid and vibrant, with the complex set of essential daytime show Daily Cooks Challenge rendered solidly, while Anthony Worrell-Thomson's bright shirt avoids over-exposure.
The audio delivery, which is rather thick in the bass and sharp in the treble, does tend to grate a bit at times, but doesn't affect the overall verdict.
In isolation, this is a worthy TV – but next to similarly priced competition, it falls a step behind.
