Toshiba Regza 52Z3030D review

Performance
We'll be honest: when this TV arrived, we were certain it would be terrible at handling standard-definition pictures from Freeview. When we tuned it on, we were shocked to find SD was actually pretty good. We'd go so far as to say it was excellent. We have certainly seen much smaller TVs make much more of a mess of Freeview than this one did.

We plonked our much-cherished DVD copy of Blade in our Sony Blu-ray player to see how standard-definition discs looked. We were very impressed by the results. Although the quality was quite a long way off from HD, there was still plenty of detail, even in the dark opening scenes.

The next item on the menu was glorious 1080p video from a Blu-ray. We gave the Tosh a taste of Casino Royale; we like this film because the opening black and white scenes are full of grain, which contrasts brilliantly with the baby's bum-smooth titles. The 52Z3030D did a great job on both sections. The assassination of Dryden looked as gritty as it should, with lots of film noise, and the opening titles burst with colour, smooth motion and a total absence of grain or noise.

Games also looked great and we thoroughly enjoyed a session of Burnout Paradise. We'd urge caution, however: if you sit too close to the screen when playing this game, it's entirely possible you'll get motion sickness, because it can totally fill your field of vision.

Like all LCD TVs, the backlight washes out the black in dark scenes and turns it to a grey. We counter this by turning the backlight down to its minimum practical level. We did this with the 52Z3030D, and were satisfied with the results. The TV does wash out significantly more when you move to the left or right, so the ideal position to watch this TV is at 90 degrees

Conclusion
We really like the 52Z3030D: the picture quality is very good, sound is decent enough for casual viewing and even Freeview pictures look good. That said, for a TV that costs around £1,500, we think there are some better deals.

Take a look at the LG 50PG6000. While only being a 720p TV, it still offered brilliant picture quality for less that £1,000 and it will suit people who want a big screen. Of course, the LG doesn't have the sharpness and definition of the Tosh, but it's not far away. You could also look at the Pioneer PDP-508XD, which is also only 720p and costs around the same, but offers picture quality that is quite simply out of this world.

Edited by Shannon Doubleday