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  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Smart TV Features

  • Picture Quality

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Contrast

  • Viewing Angle

  • Other Tests

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Smart TV Features
  • Picture Quality
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Contrast
  • Viewing Angle
  • Other Tests

Introduction

Design

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There isn't much to dislike about this Toshiba's design.

The design of the Toshiba 46SL412U is fairly slick as far as televisions go, with a minimalist bezel and a very thin profile. You don’t have to worry about a horrifyingly ugly bezel, as this TV is easy on the eyes.

Fairly slick as far as televisions go.

Television enthusiasts who lament the rapid inflation of remote control size will love the tiny remote included with the Toshiba 46SL412U. While it is small, it doesn’t seem to skimp on functionality, and although the key travel can be a little annoying, you won’t have to battle with the remote to get it to record your commands.

While it doesn’t have the most input ports we’ve seen this year, the Toshiba 46SL412U should get the average entry-level user where they need to go. With three HDMI ports and one hybrid composite/component video input, most users should be able to connect their media source of choice with no problem. If you’re not satisfied with the audio of the Toshiba 46SL412U, you can hook up your sound system easily with either the analog or digital audio out options.

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Smart TV Features

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A usable menu interface that stays out of the way

Possibly one of the more refreshing things about this TV is how simple the menu system is. There are very few options, but the structure of the menus is intuitive and simple to navigate. The menu is a bit ugly, but it has a heart of gold. Advanced menus follow the same patterns and structure of the main menus on the 46SL412U, in aesthetic and navigation.

The menu is a bit ugly, but it has a heart of gold.

Unfortunately, there's no internet connectivity or smart features. Using the lone USB port on the side of the television, you can play back either a collection of JPEGs or MP3s, but no other file formats. The playback mechanism is a bit clunky, and there are only very limited playback options, but you could do worse. This probably isn’t so good for using as an ambient content source at a party.

{{photo_gallery "Software and Internet Landing Page Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Browser 1 Photo", "Browser 2 Photo", "Browser 3 Photo", "Apps 1 Photo", "Apps 2 Photo", "Apps 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo"}}

Picture Quality

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Great contrast and color, plus acceptable motion performance

Because of the good depth of blacks and the respectable peak brightness, the Toshiba 46SL412U nets a very wide contrast ratio of 4592:1. Wider contrast ratios mean more values along the greyscale that the TV can produce, resulting in more visible detail and smooth gradation in the shadows.

Colors were fairly accurate on the 46SL412U—it produced a very good looking picture. It doesn’t dazzle its viewers with exceptional motion performance, but it's acceptable for an entry-level television. There are no major issues, though a few artifacts are noticeable when content is moving across the screen. Turning the “Clear Frame” processing on will eliminate these issues, it will also make your picture look overly sharp and quite bizarre in some instances—a clear-cut example of the Soap Opera Effect.

Conclusion

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A very good "no-frills" television

With good contrast and color performance, the Toshiba 46SL412U impresses for its price point, but it’s not perfect. With a lackluster audio system, videophiles will probably want to use an external setup to avoid the tinny playback. We also found its viewing angle to be awkwardly cramped, meaning you won't be hosting a large group for movie night any time soon.

A basic television in most regards, there are no frills with the SL412U series of Toshiba televisions, but for the price they will give you exactly what a consumer wants in an entry-level TV: value. The 46SL412U offers a decent range of connectivity options and solid performance where it counts.

There are some advantages that can be gained from looking for more expensive TVs, however, as the Toshiba 46SL412U has no internet connectivity and very limited external media options. If you are a streaming junkie, you might want to look elsewhere to sate your content appetite, unless you have an external device like a video game console to handle that sort of thing. If you're looking for a solid display at an affordable price, the 46SL412U may be what you're looking for.

Science Introduction

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The Toshiba 46SL412U tested well for both contrast and color, resulting in excellent image quality. The only performance downside we found was a very limited viewing angle, which is bad enough to make it almost impossible for a large group to enjoy the same show together. For under $1000, you could do better, but you could also do much worse.

Contrast

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Modestly deep blacks and extremely bright whites

We generally are happy with any TV that has a deepest black level of less than 0.10 cd/m 2, and the Toshiba 46SL412U doesn't disappoint. With a deepest black of 0.08 cd/m 2, the 46SL412U does fairly here. When viewing content in a brightly-lit room, you will typically only need a screen brightness of 200 cd/m 2, but the Toshiba 46SL412U can display a picture of up to 367.37 cd/m 2, which is more than enough.

Those two factors combine to give the SL412U a contrast ratio of 4592:1, which puts it among the better performing televisions in this class. There are certainly displays that have done better, but there's a certain amount of diminishing returns, and the Toshiba's performance is certainly good enough for most setups.

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Viewing Angle

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Don't bring large groups of people over to watch this TV.

LCD TVs typically have poor viewing angles, but that of the Toshiba 46SL412U is bad. Oh so terribly bad. On the upside, testing was short, but consumers will immediately notice their contrast dropping more than 50% less when 10 degrees away from center on either side. That's a significant issue and you probably don’t want to use this TV if you watch shows or movies in large groups often.

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Other Tests

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Meet the tester

Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas

Staff Writer, Imaging

@cthomas8888

A seasoned writer and professional photographer, Chris reviews cameras, headphones, smartphones, laptops, and lenses. Educated in Political Science and Linguistics, Chris can often be found building a robot army, snowboarding, or getting ink.

See all of Chris Thomas's reviews

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