Why You Can Trust CNET Toshiba 26DV615Y review: Toshiba 26DV615Y
The Toshiba 26DV615Y won't blow you away with image quality or features but it is perfect as a second television and the integrated DVD player is excellent value at this price.
Toshiba sells three models in the current DVD/Combo range. There's an AU$849 19-inch model, the AU$949 22-inch model we've reviewed and an AU$1049 26-inch model.
Toshiba 26DV615Y
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Toshiba 26DV615Y
A 26 inch television isn't something most people will buy to install in their living room as a main display. They are ideal as a second unit or for something to set up in a child's room to keep them occupied with a DVD or two. This unit from Toshiba marries the idea of small panel size with an integrated DVD player. While it isn't particularly revolutionary, it is successful at delivering decent image quality at an affordable price.
Design
There isnt anything especially amazing about the design of this television. It has a glossy black chassis and stand and the slot loaded DVD player sits on the left of the unit. We did like the fact that the stand was pre-installed and folded behind the unit when not in use and it has ample connection options for a television of this size. At the rear there are two HDMI ports, one Component, and a standard Composite port with S-Video. There is also a PC connection as well.
Features
The panel has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 making it capable of high definition resolutions up to 720p. This means that you will not only be able to view DVDs on it but also can hook up a HD gaming console as well. You can watch Blu-ray films too but keep in mind that you won't be able to watch them at 1080p. However, at this panel size, you won't notice the difference between 720p and 1080p anyway.
The feature set is rather basic with none of the advanced features you find on higher end models. It doesn't have any 100Hz or similar modes and you won't find anything more than simple calibration options but that is kind of the point of a television like this. It's low cost, easy to use and has a DVD player built-in. It doesn't need to have spectacular image quality or features to do its job and in the end, it does it well.
Performance
We tested the image quality in standard and high definition and found it to be quite good. We tested performance when watching DVDs using the integrated DVD player. We also hooked a second DVD player to compare the quality. The difference was minor with the built-in player able to create reasonable image quality without any major flaws. The player doesn't upscale though, so when watching DVDs the panel switches to 576p resolution.
We were impressed with the black levels and colour reproduction, although the backlights do tend to turn the blacks a little grey. However, you can lower the backlight intensity and use the calibration options to boost the blacks. You will need to raise the contrast and lower the brightness a little and, in doing so, sacrifice little detail in dark areas on the image. There was also a noticeable over-sharpness on the default settings. By lowering the sharpness level to "6", we were able to remove the halo artefacts altogether without introducing any blurring. There was a little image noise and a slight pixilation on curved edges in the image but it wasn't a major problem.
We used the Playstation 3 to view 720p video and games. The image quality was good but wasn't as crisp as higher end panels on the market. However, it handled motion quite well during gaming sessions and will handled HD content more than satisfactorily.
Conclusion
The Toshiba 26DV615Y won't blow you away with image quality or features but that isn't what it is designed to do. It is perfect as a second television or for something to put in the kid's room and it can handle HD content pretty well too. The best thing about it is definitely integrated DVD player and its price, and while it doesn't offer the best image quality on the market, you are definitely getting your money's worth.