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Toshiba M550
Toshiba M550
Toshiba M550

TV

Toshiba M550 : Top class TV at an affordable price

At the end of last year, Toshiba TV introduced the M550 TV line. Despite the presence of almost all modern image and sound enhancement technologies, the cost of new products has remained acceptable.

It seems that progress in creating new TVs has stopped. But this is not so – the focus has simply shifted to the software part of the products. Therefore, it is not surprising that the new TVs look as similar as possible to the models of 2-3 years ago. Screen frames can no longer be reduced, and switching to 8K resolution for consumer equipment does not make much sense yet.

Nevertheless, TVs are being upgraded: processing algorithms are improving, top technologies and components are gradually becoming more accessible. The new Toshiba M550 turned out to be quite sophisticated, while not very expensive.

Image and sound

Thin screen bezels have become a “must have” for flagship models. In Toshiba M550, they are also barely noticeable – only the lower one, with the logo, is traditionally thicker than the rest.

The legs are made in an original way: o&...
The legs are made in an original way: they have a T-shape, not a V-shape. The height from the surface to the bottom edge (when mounted on the surface) is very low. It is unlikely that a soundbar can be installed here, but the legs remain almost invisible from an angle in the center of the screen. 

By the way, on the left (if you look at the screen) there are convenient brackets for pulling wires. The brackets are made entirely of metal. The screen with a resolution of 3840×2160 has received almost all the latest technologies to improve the image. The matrix has wide viewing angles (178º) and, importantly, a high brightness of 450 nits. Brightness is of great importance if you are going to install the TV near or in front of a window.

In budget models, it is much lower, at the level of 250 nits – as a result, the image may become faded in intense daylight. Another trend of our time is a reduced level of harmful blue. Here it is certified by TÜV Rheinland. The response time of the matrix is ​​​​8 ms – this is a good indicator for a TV. It is worth paying attention to those who have a game console.

Two 10W speakers are responsible for the sound. Like many other Toshiba TV models, the new line supports two popular surround sound standards at once: both Dolby Atmos, which is relevant, for example, for Apple TV or ivi, and DTS Virtual X.

Hardware and interfaces

The image is processed by the NovaTek NT72671D processor, which is called the REGZA Engine 4K in the TV specifications. This is already a proven solution that supports AI algorithms and does an excellent job of upscaling if the content resolution does not reach 4K.

Toshiba TV usually does not skimp on different ...
Toshiba TV usually does not skimp on various interfaces. The M550 has enough of them: you can connect three video sources via HDMI, there are also a couple of USB ports, one of which is USB 3.0. Almost all connectors are grouped on the side of the case, so it will be easy to use them – no need to move the TV away from the wall. Only LAN will need to be connected on the back, but this procedure is usually performed only once when installing the TV. 

Smart TV

Smart functions are still implemented on the proprietary VIDAA OS. It is simple and clear, while not creating a large load on the processor. It is unlikely that you will have to face a shortage of applications: there are almost all popular ones. Many of them are placed on a separate button on the remote control.

It is convenient to search for content: the remote has a microphone, and you can give voice commands. What is important, when requested, the search is launched simultaneously on all available platforms. Almost like an internet search engine.

It is convenient to search for content: in the remote control ...

By the way, about the Internet. Both wireless and wired connection methods are supported here. Moreover, wireless works immediately in two bands: 2.4 and 5 GHz. We recommend using the latter as 4K content requires a high connection speed when streaming.

Conclusion

Toshiba M550 can be called the top line for the mass user. It does not have expensive solutions like OLED-matrix and 8K resolutions, so retail prices have not flown into space even in the current situation. At the same time, the quality of the image and sound will suit most fans of movies and TV shows.

StereoTech