Tropic Thunder on Sky HD was suitably gaudy, the pyrotechnic explosions lighting up the screen without distorting skin tones, the bright jungle skies still offering plenty of detailed shadows. Humble standard Freeview content was highly watchable, even on this huge screen, Here, Toshiba’s upscaling technologies prove highly effective, so everything from Antiques Roadshow to Take Me Out looks, er, as good as it can.

Big screen, great picture, hefty price

Localised dimming also has a dramatic effect on power consumption. With the picture setting at Standard (as opposed to Dynamic, PC, Game, Movie and so on), the power consumption was a pretty static 235 watts. Turn LED Backlight Control on, however, and not only does the picture improve, but there are energy savings, too. A bright scene drew the same 235 watts or so of power. In dark scenes, or even more atmospheric moments, the power dropped – at times our power consumption monitor dropped to 160 and even 130 watts.

Verdict

There are other LCDs with nearly as good a picture for a lot less, and even the dazzling Pioneer Kuro plasma 60-incher can be found more cheaply. Toshiba has really staked its claim to outstanding picture quality, but the Regza 55SV685DB is really only worth considering if you can find it at a discount. Snag yourself a bargain and not only do you get a great picture, but a lot of it too. ®

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