Toshiba MW20FM1 20 inch TV
Out of stock |
Similar in Standard Televisions
- Screen Size: 20 inch
Similar in Standard Televisions
Optoma HD20 DLP Projector
$1,229.96
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
A Flat Screen With DVD/VHS for $299? YES! And it's FABULOUS!
Pros
Space saving 3-in-1 machine with an outstanding picture!
Cons
Remote could be better.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A great set at a great price, who could ask for more?
This TV is a 20-inch FST PURE? flat picture tube, which does away with unwanted reflections from the room—no more turning off all the lights and closing the curtains to watch TV! It also allows you to watch it from any angle—no more swiveling the TV for a better view. For the life of me, I can't figure out what "FST" stands for—but I do know that what it does is give you a picture that's sharp, bright, and beautiful. Do you need a TV this good? No, but the price is so right that I don't feel guilty about it being so good.
I love the front panel AV inputs so connecting video games or a camcorder is simple and doesn't require moving the monster away from the wall. There's also a headphone jack so you can play games or watch TV without disturbing anyone else. There is also a V Chip which allows you the types of shows your children are watching—I don't use this feature, I use the old-fashioned watch with them method, so I can't speak to the V Chip's effectiveness.
Its sleek design and light coloring (silver) is a nice change from the huge black sets from just a few years ago. It comes complete with a full-feature 4-head HiFi stereo VCR, a full-feature DVD player, digital surround sound (add extra speakers to take full advantage of this feature), and it's Bi-lingual so you have the option of programming it in English or Spanish.
Set up was simple with plenty of options on how to hook up additional peripherals. Our only extra was a PS2 but there are many options available and loads of help on getting them all hooked up correctly. Programming the channels was super-simple and automatic. Should we change our cable service we'll be able to update the set within minutes to reflect the new channel line up. We can also manually delete the channels we'll never watch—I love this feature, as there are tons of channels we never watch and by deleting them, it makes the time spent channel surfing quicker. It also has flashback, which sends you to the last channel viewed. I wish it stored 2-3 channels, as sometimes I flip between several news channels at a time waiting for a specific story.
Cleaning is easy—a soft cloth with a bit of mild soap if needed. No solvents or harsh chemicals are necessary or recommended. It's not quite the dust magnet the black beast we own is, or at least it doesn't show as much. A nice change.
Digital Comb Filter : Another one of those mysterious terms, this one means that you'll get a great picture because the signals are converted to a digital medium and then separated before being displayed for you. Long story short, you're going to get a better picture without having to do a thing—the set does it for you.
Stable Sound : My favorite feature! This feature maintains television volume within a preset range regardless of the source signal—no more LOUD COMMERCIALS blasting you and ruining the mood—I can't tell you how many times I've been watching the news and been terribly saddened by a story only to have a commercial come on and blast me out of my seat about Tampons or some other silly thing. It also works while changing channels—for me that means when I reach those upper channels that are only on a few hours a day I won't be blasted with the white noise they put out when not on air.
Sleep Timer : The Sleep Timer allows you to fall asleep watching TV and have the TV turn itself off up to three hours later (in 10-minute intervals). I use this to help my kids keep their watching/gaming time to a minimum.
Game Mode: Easily switch between TV and front inputs without the remote or accessing the menu system—a great feature for us because the remote is always getting lost amongst the couch cushions.
Remote Control: Nicely designed and laid out in a logical manner. A bonus feature is that it's lighted! Nothing too worrisome, it all makes sense and works well. All functions of the VHS, DVD & TV are controlled from this one unit. This alone is a great feature for me—previously we've had a separate control for each. I would have preferred the TV functions to be the most prominent; however, they chose the playback functions to be the largest buttons. Nicely most of the VHS/DVD/TV functions can be controlled on the TV itself so if the remote gets lost you're still able to use the set. Our old Sony didn't allow this and replacing the remote got quite expensive. I love the Closed Caption button—it automatically switches back and forth. I use CC a lot, like when my husband is trying to sleep but I'm watching TV, or when I'm on the phone but watching a show I don't want to miss. My old TV required me to go through the set-up menu to get to the CC—excessively cumbersome.
VCR
Micron Head System—Fabulous slow motion effects and great playback. Four heads give you better quality at lower taping modes (SLP looks better than on a 2-head machine).
VHS HiFi Stereo You get the highest quality stereo sound from tapes recorded with a high fidelity soundtrack.
Commercial Skip Watch shows you've prerecorded from commercial TV without watching the commercials! By pressing the SKIP button once during playback the tape will automatically advance 30-seconds forward. Press it again for another 30 seconds. Not a perfect system, but better than trying to fast forward I guess.
Auto Clock Set: Another feature I love! No more flashing "12:00"—a data stream from the TV broadcast (not available everywhere) automatically sets the clock display and keeps it accurate—even when we change from daylight savings time. It also keeps the channel's call letters and IDs correct. Call me technically challenged, but I couldn't figure how it knew the time (until I read the directions—duh), but I love this feature!
One-Touch Record: One button starts record and allows setting of record length—but it must be within the next 24-hour period. Beyond that, you'll need to use the "real" scheduling program. I don't record any programs, never have. I only purchased this piece of it because I have some VHS tapes of my son in musicals and I like to occasionally watch them. The recording features of this VHS and every VHS I've ever owned have never been used. Sorry, can't rate it because I don't use it.
Digital Auto Tracking: Constantly adjusts tape alignment for optimum picture quality—no more fiddling around with a little button always hidden and in the worst place, to adjust the tracking of rental movies! I've never had a single tracking problem—not even with really worn tapes.
DVD
Compatibility : CD-R/CD/VCD/DVD-R/CD-RW
Picture Zoom: Select an area of the picture you want to zoom in on and magnify it—you'll be amazed at the quality of the freeze-frame playback. This feature also lets you expand letterbox-only films to the full screen (I prefer letter-box so I'm not a fan of this feature—I think it distorts the picture and you lose the full effect—personal opinion only, it does it well if you like that effect).
Tray Lock: Another one of those features I don't use. Said to be used to keep kids from removing the disk. I have teenagers so I haven't a need. I tried it out—it works. Just don't forget the parental password or you'll be stuck!
Multi-Camera Angle Select: A fun feature for those who like to view all the special effects a DVD has to offer. I'm a put-it-in-an-watch-it kind of person so it's not an impressive feature for me. Others may find it valuable.
Multi-Subtitle Select: A feature I do like! I love watching movies with the subtitles on. I love seeing what I'm missing in the dialog. For those who are studying a foreign language it's a great way to practice. This feature allows you to take advantage of the DVDs special features.
WARRANTY
I mention that I bought it from Costco.com because they offer a better-than-the-manufacturer warranty. The standard warranty is 90-days labor; one-year parts; two-years picture tube. Costco's guarantee is, "This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise." I've had excellent service from Costco and find this a plus, others may not.
PRICE
Costco has a phenomenal price. You'll need to be a member, and you won't always find items that are in the store at the .com site. Here's the spec's for this one:
The link to it: http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product%2Easp&catid=79&subid=2341&hierid=2344&prdid=10025281&log=
[Model MW20FM1]
$299 plus $43 shipping & handling
"Standard shipping is via UPS Ground. Estimated delivery within 7 to 10 business days.
Costco.com offers merchandise which complements our warehouse product selection. Therefore, most items available on our web site are unique to costco.com.
Costco.com products can be returned to any of our more than 400 Costco warehouses worldwide. "
I'll be doing a review on Costco.com soon.
DIMENSIONS
20" Screen Size (measured diagonally)
Unit Dimension 22-5/8" x 20-1/2" x 19-1/4"
Weight 59.5 lbs
SERVICE
1-800-631-3811
I love the front panel AV inputs so connecting video games or a camcorder is simple and doesn't require moving the monster away from the wall. There's also a headphone jack so you can play games or watch TV without disturbing anyone else. There is also a V Chip which allows you the types of shows your children are watching—I don't use this feature, I use the old-fashioned watch with them method, so I can't speak to the V Chip's effectiveness.
Its sleek design and light coloring (silver) is a nice change from the huge black sets from just a few years ago. It comes complete with a full-feature 4-head HiFi stereo VCR, a full-feature DVD player, digital surround sound (add extra speakers to take full advantage of this feature), and it's Bi-lingual so you have the option of programming it in English or Spanish.
Set up was simple with plenty of options on how to hook up additional peripherals. Our only extra was a PS2 but there are many options available and loads of help on getting them all hooked up correctly. Programming the channels was super-simple and automatic. Should we change our cable service we'll be able to update the set within minutes to reflect the new channel line up. We can also manually delete the channels we'll never watch—I love this feature, as there are tons of channels we never watch and by deleting them, it makes the time spent channel surfing quicker. It also has flashback, which sends you to the last channel viewed. I wish it stored 2-3 channels, as sometimes I flip between several news channels at a time waiting for a specific story.
Cleaning is easy—a soft cloth with a bit of mild soap if needed. No solvents or harsh chemicals are necessary or recommended. It's not quite the dust magnet the black beast we own is, or at least it doesn't show as much. A nice change.
Digital Comb Filter : Another one of those mysterious terms, this one means that you'll get a great picture because the signals are converted to a digital medium and then separated before being displayed for you. Long story short, you're going to get a better picture without having to do a thing—the set does it for you.
Stable Sound : My favorite feature! This feature maintains television volume within a preset range regardless of the source signal—no more LOUD COMMERCIALS blasting you and ruining the mood—I can't tell you how many times I've been watching the news and been terribly saddened by a story only to have a commercial come on and blast me out of my seat about Tampons or some other silly thing. It also works while changing channels—for me that means when I reach those upper channels that are only on a few hours a day I won't be blasted with the white noise they put out when not on air.
Sleep Timer : The Sleep Timer allows you to fall asleep watching TV and have the TV turn itself off up to three hours later (in 10-minute intervals). I use this to help my kids keep their watching/gaming time to a minimum.
Game Mode: Easily switch between TV and front inputs without the remote or accessing the menu system—a great feature for us because the remote is always getting lost amongst the couch cushions.
Remote Control: Nicely designed and laid out in a logical manner. A bonus feature is that it's lighted! Nothing too worrisome, it all makes sense and works well. All functions of the VHS, DVD & TV are controlled from this one unit. This alone is a great feature for me—previously we've had a separate control for each. I would have preferred the TV functions to be the most prominent; however, they chose the playback functions to be the largest buttons. Nicely most of the VHS/DVD/TV functions can be controlled on the TV itself so if the remote gets lost you're still able to use the set. Our old Sony didn't allow this and replacing the remote got quite expensive. I love the Closed Caption button—it automatically switches back and forth. I use CC a lot, like when my husband is trying to sleep but I'm watching TV, or when I'm on the phone but watching a show I don't want to miss. My old TV required me to go through the set-up menu to get to the CC—excessively cumbersome.
VCR
Micron Head System—Fabulous slow motion effects and great playback. Four heads give you better quality at lower taping modes (SLP looks better than on a 2-head machine).
VHS HiFi Stereo You get the highest quality stereo sound from tapes recorded with a high fidelity soundtrack.
Commercial Skip Watch shows you've prerecorded from commercial TV without watching the commercials! By pressing the SKIP button once during playback the tape will automatically advance 30-seconds forward. Press it again for another 30 seconds. Not a perfect system, but better than trying to fast forward I guess.
Auto Clock Set: Another feature I love! No more flashing "12:00"—a data stream from the TV broadcast (not available everywhere) automatically sets the clock display and keeps it accurate—even when we change from daylight savings time. It also keeps the channel's call letters and IDs correct. Call me technically challenged, but I couldn't figure how it knew the time (until I read the directions—duh), but I love this feature!
One-Touch Record: One button starts record and allows setting of record length—but it must be within the next 24-hour period. Beyond that, you'll need to use the "real" scheduling program. I don't record any programs, never have. I only purchased this piece of it because I have some VHS tapes of my son in musicals and I like to occasionally watch them. The recording features of this VHS and every VHS I've ever owned have never been used. Sorry, can't rate it because I don't use it.
Digital Auto Tracking: Constantly adjusts tape alignment for optimum picture quality—no more fiddling around with a little button always hidden and in the worst place, to adjust the tracking of rental movies! I've never had a single tracking problem—not even with really worn tapes.
DVD
Compatibility : CD-R/CD/VCD/DVD-R/CD-RW
Picture Zoom: Select an area of the picture you want to zoom in on and magnify it—you'll be amazed at the quality of the freeze-frame playback. This feature also lets you expand letterbox-only films to the full screen (I prefer letter-box so I'm not a fan of this feature—I think it distorts the picture and you lose the full effect—personal opinion only, it does it well if you like that effect).
Tray Lock: Another one of those features I don't use. Said to be used to keep kids from removing the disk. I have teenagers so I haven't a need. I tried it out—it works. Just don't forget the parental password or you'll be stuck!
Multi-Camera Angle Select: A fun feature for those who like to view all the special effects a DVD has to offer. I'm a put-it-in-an-watch-it kind of person so it's not an impressive feature for me. Others may find it valuable.
Multi-Subtitle Select: A feature I do like! I love watching movies with the subtitles on. I love seeing what I'm missing in the dialog. For those who are studying a foreign language it's a great way to practice. This feature allows you to take advantage of the DVDs special features.
WARRANTY
I mention that I bought it from Costco.com because they offer a better-than-the-manufacturer warranty. The standard warranty is 90-days labor; one-year parts; two-years picture tube. Costco's guarantee is, "This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise." I've had excellent service from Costco and find this a plus, others may not.
PRICE
Costco has a phenomenal price. You'll need to be a member, and you won't always find items that are in the store at the .com site. Here's the spec's for this one:
The link to it: http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product%2Easp&catid=79&subid=2341&hierid=2344&prdid=10025281&log=
[Model MW20FM1]
$299 plus $43 shipping & handling
"Standard shipping is via UPS Ground. Estimated delivery within 7 to 10 business days.
Costco.com offers merchandise which complements our warehouse product selection. Therefore, most items available on our web site are unique to costco.com.
Costco.com products can be returned to any of our more than 400 Costco warehouses worldwide. "
I'll be doing a review on Costco.com soon.
DIMENSIONS
20" Screen Size (measured diagonally)
Unit Dimension 22-5/8" x 20-1/2" x 19-1/4"
Weight 59.5 lbs
SERVICE
1-800-631-3811
