Toshiba CZ32V61 32 inch TV

You know how it goes. We didn't really *NEED* another TV. I mean, I could rationalize it, since our bedroom TV had been dying a slow death for several years and was on its last legs, but we didn't really NEED it. We could have taken the little travel TV/VCR and put that in our bedroom. But once I started looking, all of a sudden I NEEDED a new one. And once you NEED something, it has to be good. I figured 32 inches was a good compromise; big enough for good viewing, but small enough to fit the existing TV stand AND save the extra couple hundred bucks for moving up to 36".

I started my research on the Web. My criteria were fairly simple: PIP (preferably two-tuner), high quality tube, good on-screen programming, $500-$700, nice looking. My not-completely-scientific approach narrowed it down pretty quickly to this TV, its single-tuner PIP brother the CZ32V51, and some JVC models (we've been very happy with our 6+ year old 27" JVC). I must say that I was swayed by a review or two of this TV that touted the FST Black? and the component video input (which Toshiba calls ColorStream?). At least one professional review equated the Toshiba FST tube with the Sony Trinitron?. I don't have DVD yet, but the reading I've done led me to reason that I'd better get a TV with the inputs to support DVD in style, and this TV has it with the component video.

I first went to Audio King to check the TVs out in person. But Audio King doesn't carry Toshiba! So I looked at the JVC models. The salesman there (they obviously are still on commission, unlike Best Buy) pooh-poohed Toshiba's tube, telling me the comparison to Sony "must have been for one of their cheaper models". He also tried to dissuade me from the two-tuner PIP. Now, I realize that I could use a VCR to do my tuning for the PIP, but I didn't want to. I didn't want the hassle of switching to the VCR tuner to control it, PLUS hooking it up, PLUS explaining to my wife and children how to control the second picture (plus I like gadgets, but that's just between us...). So I left Audio King. I now had Toshiba on the brain. On to Best Buy!

Best Buy had the TV in stock. They even had a floor model for $550! I am still kicking myself for not buying that one (it was gone the next day when I called back). The picture was great. It's an extremely attractive TV: black, sleek, flat screen. The controls (remote) are very straightforward, and I could easily understand and use all functions without consulting the manual. I especially like the channel labeling feature. The sound is great and is customizable. You can also set the color temperature to your liking: cooler or warmer. The dual PIP works very nicely, and is easy to control with the remote. It has a special "extra" feature: multi-window PIP. This scans your channels in sequence and puts up a row of six small windows at the bottom of your screen showing a still shot from each channel. They are displayed for a few seconds, and then the next six are shown. I, of course, HAD to have this feature. I find that I hardly ever use it, unless I'm "showing off" the TV to someone. The image quality of the still images is not so great, and the display of them takes up a bunch of real estate. But it's a gadget that probably had some influence in me buying the TV. Good sales tactic, Toshiba!

I checked out prices online, but hardly anyone could match Best Buy's price of $699 (plus I hate to think what shipping costs would be!), and I got instant gratification (Isn't that the American way? Ya know, Daniel Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence" (I think it was there) says that one of the most accurate predictors of success and happiness is the ability to accept delayed gratification. Hmmmmm. But I'm WAY off topic...). We're still extremely pleased with the TV after two months of usage. It fit all my criteria perfectly and has not disappointed at all.