CES 2012: Toshiba TVs get smarter, 3D goes all passive

Toshiba is here at CES showing off a TV line that adds more new Internet TV features, including full Web browsing and support for Vudu apps, and it's dropping active 3D by moving all its 3D models to passive technology.

The company has also partnered with Audyssey for a new premium sound system for its TVs. Toshiba sets have done very well in our TV Ratings in terms of picture quality, but their overall score has been consistently dragged down by poor sound quality, among the worst of the sets we've tested.

Also new this year is a slim Aero Design that features a "bezel-less" panel and a pedestal-style style. Some models this years will include a new dynamic mode, which pumps up the color saturation and brightness, that the company says will appeal to many U.S. viewers.

This year, Toshiba's flagship models will be in the L7200 Cinema series, 3D-capable sets in 47- and 55-inch screen sizes that feature 240Hz ClearScan anti-blur technology, edge LED backlights with local dimming, and 2D-to-3D conversion. The TV will use a dual-core processor and include built-in Wi-Fi and Toshiba's ePortal Internet platform with full Web browsing and Vudu Apps support. The TV, which can stream movies and TV shows from Blockbuster, CinemaNow, Netflix and Vudu, comes with a QWERTY keyboard. The TV also sports a ported speaker system and Audyssey Premium Suite sound enhancement.

Other TVs this year include:

• The L6200 series of 3D-capable 1080p sets in 47- and 55-inch screen sizes and many of the same features of the L7200 series except for 120Hz and no local dimming
• The L4200 series of smaller LCD TVs in 19-, 24- and 32-inch screen sizes; all but the 1080p 24-inch set are 720p models, and all have edge LED backlights and the same sound package found in the other sets.
• The L2200 series, a 1080p model offered in a 50-inch screen size. It uses what Toshiba calls "Direct LED" backlighting that's more cost-efficient than conventional edge LED backlights.
• The V4210 series, a 24-inch 1080p TV/DVD combo that has an LED backlight and a built-in standard DVD player.
• The E220 series, a 40-inch entry-level 40-inch 1080p LCD
• The C120, an entry-level 32-inch 720p set

—James K. Willcox