Sections
- Page 1 Toshiba 32D3454DB Review
- Page 2 Picture Quality Review
- Page 3 Sound and Conclusions Review
Toshiba 32D3454DB: Sound Quality
The 32D3454DB sounds slightly better than average for the budget small-screen LCD TV market. But that’s hardly a ringing endorsement considering that the typical budget small screen TV audio performance tends to be thin, harsh, and practically devoid of bass!
The 32D3454DB is itself pretty much a bass-free zone, and its speakers are so limited in power that even at pretty much maximum volume it struggles to fill anything more than a small room. However, at least the speakers don’t distort or cause the cabinet to rattle; the mid-range doesn’t sound excessively compressed; and treble information isn’t excessively harsh.
Other things to consider
Presenting a DVD to the slot on the right side of the set’s rear thankfully reveals that Toshiba’s 32-inch combi avoids two of our pet built-in DVD peeves. First, the disc mechanism senses the presence of a disc and sucks it in even if you’re not already switched to the DVD input. Second, you put the disc in with the labelled side facing towards the screen, as feels logical, rather than having to insert it facing the other way.
Shifting focus to the 32D3454DB’s onscreen menu system, we couldn’t help but notice that the menus are basically identical – bar a different colour scheme – to those seen on recent TVs from Finlux. Which suggests strongly that the 32D3454DB originates from the factories of Turkish manufacturer Vestel.
Any 32-inch TV has the potential to find itself doing games console monitor duties at some point. So we’re happy to report that with its Game picture preset selected we measured a respectable input lag figure of 33ms that shouldn’t be enough to provide you with a technical explanation of why you keep getting your backside handed to you at Call of Duty…
Should I buy a Toshiba 32D3454DB?
With its small screen, built-in DVD player and Wi-Fi-based online/DLNA capabilities the 32D3454DB certainly ticks a lot of feature boxes for anyone after a decent but affordable 2nd-room TV. And actually there’s surprisingly little competition out there that offers so many content options – especially if you’re keen on the DVD player.
The set’s a fairly mundane picture performer, though, at least with dark content. So while we’d say the set is fine for fairly casual use with, say, daytime TV broadcasts or ‘background’ movie viewing, it comes with strings attached for serious movie or game fans.
Verdict
The 32D3454DB offers plenty of features for your buck, but its picture quality is nothing to write home about.
How we test televisions
We test every TV we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Features 8
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Value 8
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Smart TV 6
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Image Quality 7
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Design 8
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Sound Quality 6
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
