Getting a 55-inch TV of any type for simply £429 (round $525 / AU$750) looks as if a remarkable deal. And that’s even earlier than you’ve brought into the equation the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB top rate Quantum Dot coloration machine, expansive excessive dynamic variety assist and content material-wealthy Android TV smarts. The handiest different TV we’ve checked out that gives Quantum Dots on a 55-inch TV for some thing just like the identical fee is the £529 (round $645 / AU$925) TCL 55C735K which, at the same time as manifestly a bit extra expensive, additionally gives a few key gaming functions that the Toshiba does now no longer. If you need to head even less expensive and might stay with out Quantum Dots, Toshiba’s 50UK4D63DB is a rather powerful all-rounder presently to be had for simply £349 (round $400 / AU$575). All of those TVs are, unfortunately, different to the UK.
Toshiba 55QA5D63DB: Price
The Toshiba 55QA5D63DB layout units a blended tone. The body across the display is wider than we generally see those days, and it has a seam that appears a chunk clumsy. Build high-satisfactory is respectable for this type of reasonably-priced TV, eleven though, and the aggregate of black on 3 facets and gray for the intentionally and stylishly sticking out backside part works well. The computing device ft set toward every nook in case you’re now no longer wall putting the TV characteristic an appealing blade layout which means all of them however disappear in case you’re searching on the TV immediately on. The Toshiba 55QA5D63DB ships with a plastick, alternatively drab-searching faraway manage – eleven though this does redeem itself a chunk via way of means of wearing a truthful choice of buttons for imparting direct get admission to to key streaming services.
Toshiba 55QA5D63DB: Design
The Toshiba 55QA5D63DB mixture of a Quantum Dot coloration machine (which could supply cleaner, purer, brighter shades than the same old LCD coloration clear out approach) and direct LED lighting (in which the LEDs take a seat down without delay at the back of the display in place of round its edges) improve hopes of a higher overall performance stage than you’d generally get for thus little cash. Potentially undermining those hopes, eleven though, is the 55QA5D63DB’s use of an IPS sort of LCD panel in place of a VA one. This manner, primarily based totally on beyond experience, that it can stay fun to observe from a much broader viewing perspective than VA rivals, however will probable battle to supply extreme assessment.
There’s no neighborhood dimming machine to supply neighborhood mild controls, however this isn’t sudden in any respect on the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB fee point. Also now no longer sudden for the 55QA5D63DB’s cash is the marginally restricted nature of its connections. Three HDMIs dominate in place of the 4 you may typically assume in case you step up more than one hundred pounds, and none of those 3 HDMIs helps the modern day top rate gaming functions of 4K/120Hz or VRR. There does appear to be a few assist for the ALLM switching characteristic that could transfer TVs into their fast-reaction Game mode on every occasion a sport supply is detected, however this doesn’t paintings as continually throughout our checks because it should.
Dolby Vision HDR
Our resident Xbox Series X detects the 55QA5D63DB as able to working in Dolby Vision HDR mode at the same time as gaming, however warns that this mode will probable be tormented by excessive stages of latency. A caution that proves accurate to a quite tons unplayable extent, alas. Dolby Vision is some distance from the handiest HDR layout the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB helps. In fact, it additionally covers all 3 of the opposite key HDR codecs located in today’s content material world: HDR10, HLG and HDR10+. This manner that the 55QA5D63DB will take within side the first-rate model to be had of any supply
it’s provided with. The 55QA5D63DB’s Dolby connection extends to Dolby Atmos audio interpreting too, at the same time as its onscreen menus consist of a rather large variety of photograph set-up options – inclusive of diverse tweaks for Toshiba’s proprietary ‘True’ Picture Engine video processor. For the maximum element, eleven though, the effect of some of the supplied changes is quite restricted. Some of the functions are so inscrutably named and poorly explained, too, that it’s virtually quite tons not possible to determine out what they’re alleged to do.
As stated earlier
The Toshiba 55QA5D63DB has long gone for Android TV for its clever machine. This manner that there’s no repeat of the lacking Disney+ and Apple TV+ apps scenario located with the in any other case marvelous Toshiba 50UK4D63B. In fact, content material stages are excessive, in particular as Toshiba has additionally delivered on board Free view Play to cowl Android TV’s blind spots in terms of the catch-up apps for a number of the UK’s foremost terrestrial broadcasters. The 55QA5D63DB’s Android implementation is barely gradual at instances, and throughout our time with the set, we’ve skilled some bugs, which include unexpected temporary brightness drops apparently unrelated to any particular photograph putting, and whole losses of sound (and lack of manage over the sound) that might handiest be constant via way of means of completely powering the TV down. Hopefully, those niggles may address via way of means of firmware updates.
Toshiba 55QA5D63DB: Features
With simply the proper content material, the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB can supply a few quite enticing pix. Unfortunately, eleven though, maximum of the time its photograph high-satisfactory varies among disappointing and flat-out poor. The foremost supply of each its strengths and flaws is its brightness. Right out of the gate, you may inform that it’s tons brighter than its less expensive 50UK4D63B sibling. This permits it to supply tons extra of the brightness, each in small ‘peaks’ and full-display situations, that excessive dynamic variety content material flourishes on.
In fact, at the same time as we’re manifestly now no longer speak me approximately stages of brightness even near the ones the first-rate OLEDs or, in particular, top rate LCD TVs can produce, the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB is brilliant sufficient to supply with ease the most important escalation from SDR to HDR of any TV in its fee class. The better local brightness of the 55QA5D63DB additionally manner it suffers much less with clipping (lack of diffused shading and information) within side the brightest regions than the 50UK4D63DB.
At Earlier state
Scenes moreover display the advantages of the 55QA5D63DB’s Quantum Dots, as they seem richly saturated, colorful and intense, but additionally rather wealthy in nuance and shading subtlety for a TV with this type of modest fee tag. The Toshiba 55QA5D63DB love of brightness, eleven though, collectively with its use of an IPS panel, sees its photograph wheels falling off spectacularly on every occasion there’s a darkish scene – or maybe a darkish a part of an in any other case brilliant image – to handle.
Black stages are the weakest we’ve visible for lots a moon, leaving darkish scenes searching continually washed out, greyed over, flat, quick of diffused detailing and simply absolutely unconvincing. You can enhance matters marginally – and we do imply marginally – via way of means of tinkering with the Adaptive Luma and Local Contrast controls. But in spite of the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB assessment optimized as tons as possible, very darkish scenes in cherished movies are truly hard to observe.
It doesn’t help, either, that the mist and clouding that hangs over darkish scenes can every now and then tackle a reddish or bluish tint that throws up a fair more barrier among you and what you’re attempting to observe. The Toshiba 55QA5D63DB incapability to supply some thing remotely equivalent to a real black coloration manner, too, that even its Quantum Dots can’t forestall shades searching tons flatter and much less herbal throughout darkish scenes than they do throughout brilliant scenes. The 55QA5D63DB’s black-stage woes are much less mention while you’re looking SDR content material, and also can be counter to a point via way of means of ensuring there’s pretty quite a few ambient mild to your room. These are infrequently best compromises, eleven though – in particular because
Toshiba 55QA5D63DB: Picture
the 55QA5D63DB is in lots of methods design with HDR in mind. There are, to be truthful, one or extra photograph regions in which the Toshiba 55QA5D63DB does quite well. Its local 4K pix are crisp and sharp (a hint an excessive amount of in its Vivid and Standard photograph presets, perhaps), and the sharpness doesn’t spoil down badly while there’s movement within side the body.
Nor is there any of the overt smearing or immoderate judder we nonetheless frequently see on finances TVs, in spite of 24p film resets. We endorse the usage of the Low putting of the TV’s movement processing machine, as this barely eases judder with out inflicting undesirable processing aspect results or turning movies into cleaning soap operas. But in case you simply can’t deal with the concept of the usage of movement processing, the 55QA5D63DB continues to be quite clean to observe with out it. The 55QA5D63DB is a higher up scaler of HD resets than we’d have anticipated for its cash, including right texture, sharpness or even intensity to HD resets. And as one very last small strength, its IPS panel keeps coloration higher
TV
while the TV is regarde from an perspective than rival VA-kind panels would. The IPS panel can’t forestall assessment struggling pretty badly throughout viewing from an perspective, eleven though, giving us one apt very last reminder that for all of the matters the 55QA5D63DB receives proper, its issues with assessment are so essential throughout all however the most obviously brilliant content material that they’re truly quite difficult to stay with.
In fact, we tons opt for the pix of Toshiba’s drastically less expensive 50UK4D63B, proving – now no longer for the primary time – that simply throwing Quantum Dots at a display isn’t the assure of higher photograph high-satisfactory you would possibly assume. At least on the finances cease of the TV world. Finally, in case you’re a gamer desperately clinging to the concept that the 55QA5D63DB’s brightness and ambitious shades would possibly nonetheless play properly with today’s HDR games, we’re afraid we’ve extra horrific news: even in its Game preset, Toshiba’s TV handiest manages to get enter lag right all the way down to an underwhelming 50ms or so. That’s 5 instances longer than the first-rate gaming TVs manage.
Sound
The 55QA5D63DB’s audio system, that have been design at the side of Onkyo, are severely powerful, making it one of the flat-out loudest finances TVs we’ve ever heard. Dolby Atmos playback enjoys a truly massive sound degree too, which in addition to spreading some distance to left and proper virtually appears to have a diploma of top to it. Certainly, you get the affect of a wall of sound in place of only a horizontal ‘splay’. The audio system are touchy sufficient to provide even the subtlest of audio information with conviction and presence, at the same time as talk is obvious and intelligible in any respect instances, irrespective of how tons of a racket there is probably taking place at the back of it.
The audio system actually have the dynamic variety and electricity to preserve on developing consistent with an escalating motion scene – some thing many TVs costing manner extra fail to do – and the sound continually has direct effect, in place of sounding as though it’s all getting swallow up someplace at the back of the display. The handiest difficulty is that treble results can sound over prominent, drawing an excessive amount of interest to themselves and turning into a hint abrasive at excessive volumes – some thing that occurs in element due to the fact the 55QA5D63DB isn’t as beneficiant with its bass as it’s far with its excessive frequencies. Despite those notably small niggles, eleven though, the 55QA5D63DB sounds marvelous average for such an less expensive TV.
