It’s genuinely thrilling to have Toshiba TVs again within the UK market. Particularly as the present proprietor of the model, Vestel, assures us that actual Toshiba TV individuals are nonetheless concerned in high quality checking the TVs being delivered in its title.
Sadly, although, on the proof of the just lately reviewed 49U6763DB and now the 55U7763DB, if Vestel goes to make its Toshiba relationship rely, it’s going to must attempt a good bit more durable.
Design
Toshiba 55U7763DB Specs
Display screen sizes accessible: 49, 55-inch
Tuner: Freeview HD
4K: Sure
HDR: No
Panel expertise: LCD with direct LED lighting
Good TV: Sure/Toshiba’s proprietary interface
Curved: No
Dimensions: 1237(w) x 739(h) x 55(d) mm
3D: No
Inputs: four HDMIs, three USBs, RF tuner, SCART socket
The light-weight really feel of the 55U7763DB as you elevate it out of its field immediately leaves you in little question that you just’re within the presence of a complete heap of plastic.
Whereas the most recent Toshiba TV won’t really feel very high-end, although, it doesn’t look unhealthy in any respect when seen from a typical seating distance. Its body is stylishly trim, its stand ditches the plastic in favour of some decently heavy responsibility steel, and the unusual little silver bar hanging off the TV’s backside edge is weirdly cute.
The 55U7763DB can also be surprisingly effectively linked for a £519 55-inch 4K TV. 4 4K-enabled HDMIs is as many as you’ll discover on probably the most high-end of TVs, plus there are three USBs for multimedia playback and recording from the built-in Freeview HD tuner to USB HDD. There’s additionally an old-school shock within the form of a SCART socket – although it’s exhausting to consider many individuals who will nonetheless be utilizing supply gear that wants one. Hopefully the SCART enter isn’t just an indication of the TV utilizing a dated chassis design.
Design TL;DR: Though its construct high quality is barely low cost and cheerful, its slender body makes it extra engaging and space-saving than most funds TVs.
Though the development is especially plastic, the stand is no less than of a reassuringly stable steel building
Good TV (Toshiba proprietary system)
Toshiba/Vestel have gone their very own manner with their sensible TV ‘engine’. A quite dated trying and sluggish interface offers entry to round 50 apps – although solely a handful will possible be of a lot curiosity to typical UK viewers. These are Netflix, YouView (which offers entry to the catch-up TV providers of the UK’s largest terrestrial broadcasters), Twitter and Fb. The Netflix app helps 4K streams, however sadly there’s no signal of the Amazon Video app.
The YouView app contains an digital programme information (EPG) that scrolls again by time in addition to ahead, that will help you discover reveals you will have missed.
Lastly on the sensible entrance, the 55U7763DB permits you to share photographs out of your tablets and smartphones wirelessly.
Good TV TL;DR: Though there’s nothing particular concerning the 55U7763DB’s sensible system, and the dearth of Amazon help is unlucky, having any Smarts in any respect is arguably a bonus in such an affordable TV.
HD/SDR Efficiency
The 55U7763DB is a disappointingly combined HD/SDR performer. Beginning with the unhealthy information, it doesn’t do an amazing job of upscaling HD sources to the display’s native 4K decision. There’s solely a reasonable enhance intimately and sharpness, and the upscaling engine doesn’t distinguish between supply noise and ‘true’ image info very effectively. Consequently, it tends to sharpen and subsequently exaggerate the noise on the similar time that it’s making an attempt to boost the remainder of the image.
Additionally an issue for the 55U7763DB is its black stage efficiency. It doesn’t matter what brightness and distinction settings you utilize, darkish scenes all the time look greyed over and washed out. There’s additionally usually a pronounced bluish undertone to components of the image that ought to look black.
Darkish scenes on the 55U7763DB additional endure with severely distracting quantities of backlight clouding. That is, as you’d anticipate, at its worst across the sides and corners of the picture. It’s additionally evident over some central areas, although; in actual fact, I’d say greater than half of the image is affected by backlight inconsistencies to a point.
As if all this wasn’t already troubling sufficient, the varied issues the TV has when making an attempt to indicate darkish scenes result in a lack of shadow element that leaves photos trying one-dimensional and hole.
One different disappointing factor concerning the 55U7763DB’s photos is their movement dealing with. Objects lose plenty of element as they transfer throughout the display, and typically there’s even seen ‘trailing’ behind the shifting object.
The 55U7763DB’s strengths embrace markedly richer but additionally extra subtly toned colors than its cheaper U6763DB sibling – thanks, little question, to its wider color spectrum panel. That is particularly noticeable with darkish colors, but additionally means you don’t get the scenario skilled with the U6763DB whereby solely pores and skin tones tended to look pure whereas all the pieces else regarded uncomfortably ‘primary’.
The 55U7763DB within reason brilliant for a funds TV too, and this, mixed with its improved colors, can imply that brilliant HD/SDR photos look decently compelling.
HD/SDR efficiency TL;DR: Iffy upscaling and movement dealing with be a part of with a messy backlight to make the 55U7763DB’s HD/SDR photos too inconsistent for consolation.
4K/HDR efficiency
The very first thing to say right here is that the 55U7763DB doesn’t help high dynamic range playback. It does, although, boast a local 4K decision, which it makes higher use of than the cheaper Toshiba U6763DB vary.
The distinction predominantly comes from the display’s improved color efficiency. Having a wider vary of tones at its disposal helps the TV reveal extra subtlety in richly colored and darkish areas.
In truth, the mixture of improved sharpness and color administration signifies that it could actually truly ship fairly participating photos with comparatively stark, brilliant, colour-rich 4K sources. (The U6763DB, then again, frankly struggled to look a lot enjoyable with any content material.)
Sadly, although, even with merely normal dynamic vary 4K content material, the 55U7763DB’s varied distinction issues are as manifestly apparent as they have been in HD. Besides that you just don’t get the exaggerated supply noise brought on by the TV’s underwhelming HD-to-4K upscaling.
Given the 55U7763DB’s difficulties with controlling its backlight with SDR, it’s most likely simply as effectively that it doesn’t even try to deal with the expanded mild vary of HDR.
The 55U7763DB’s movement blur points, in the meantime, are extra distracting with 4K sources than HD ones, just because they stand out that rather more starkly towards the improved sharpness elsewhere.
One final uninspiring attribute of the 55U7763DB’s photos is that they often take nearly 50ms to look. This isn’t shockingly lengthy, however nonetheless it’s round twice the time that anybody hoping to make use of this TV for gaming want to see.
4K/HDR TL;DR: Sadly, the occasions when the 55U7763DB’s photos are blighted by its movement and distinction issues really feel nearly as frequent because the occasions the place they really look fairly respectable.
Sound
The 55U7763DB’s ahead dealing with audio system produce a cleaner, extra impactful sound than you are likely to get with the extra frequent downward-firing TV speaker options. There’s an inexpensive quantity of bass underpinning the surprisingly open-sounding mid-range too – and this bass is delivered with out making the plasticky bodywork rattle or hum.
The audio system handle to disperse the sound fairly successfully past the confines of the TV’s bodywork, too. Actually the one grievance we are able to stage on the 55U7763DB’s audio for its cash is that the bass speaker can drop out nearly utterly when the going will get actually robust.
Sound TL;DR: The 55U7763DB doesn’t sound unhealthy in any respect for such a flimsily constructed and inexpensive TV.
Different panels to think about
Apart from Toshiba’s personal, best-avoided U6763DB sequence, the 55U7763DB’s closest competitors are the £530 Philips 55PUS6262 (we have reviewed the 43-inch model, the 43PUS6262) and the £619 Sony KD-55XE70 – each of which higher the Toshiba mannequin.
Each provide HDR help for a begin, whereas the Toshiba doesn’t – although it ought to be stated that neither rival set is precisely an HDR hero.
Philips makes use of the model’s fashionable Ambilight expertise to cover its set’s plasticky construct high quality, and its sensible options embrace Amazon Video in 4K, which you don’t get on the Toshiba. The Philips’ image high quality is crisper and fewer affected by backlight inconsistencies, too.
The Sony 55XE70 delivers a superior sensible system (mercifully freed from the clunky Android TV interface Sony usually resorts to with its TVs) and a few wonderful 4K SDR photos. It lacks the brightness and distinction to do HDR effectively, however then the Toshiba doesn’t do HDR in any respect.
Verdict
The excellent news is that the 55U7763DB is best than Toshiba’s cheaper U6763DB vary. The unhealthy information is that this isn’t, in reality, saying very a lot. Whereas the 55U7763DB’s further color vary unlocks extra element in its 4K display and delivers extra persistently pure trying brilliant scenes, it nonetheless struggles an excessive amount of with distinction and movement for consolation.
- For some higher picks, take a look at our information to the best 4K TVs