Toshiba 50A61 50-Inch Projection TV

Among the 50A61's other image-enhancing features are flesh-tone correction and a color-detail enhancer, video noise reduction, black-level expansion, and color-temperature control (warm, medium, and cool).

This Cinema Series television uses Toshiba's TheaterShield Plus, an improved version of the acrylic shield the company uses to protect its screens. Standard TheaterShield incorporates a special hard coat to resist scratching, while TheaterShield Plus adds an antireflective layer to the surfaces of the shield. This additional layer reduces reflectivity by over 50 percent and improves the set's overall contrast.

Working in tandem with TheaterShield Plus is Toshiba's TheaterBright technology, which--between improvements to the projection lens and the screen--grants a wide, 160-degree viewing angle for use in any room. TheaterBright uses a double lenticular (two-lens) projection configuration, combining a Fresnel lens and a fine-pitch (0.72 millimeter) BlackStripe screen. The screen is tinted for increased contrast, and Toshiba has incorporated a surface layer diffuser, which concentrates the tinting on a thinner layer of the screen's surface. The result is a high-resolution, high-brightness, and--with TheaterShield Plus--high-contrast screen.

In the audio department, the set works either as a monitor in conjunction with your surround receiver and speakers, or as a self-contained audio-video entity, boasting 15 watts per channel through front-firing stereo speakers. Toshiba's Sub Bass System (SBS) ensures dramatic low-end performance with movies and music videos, and MTS Stereo/SAP (with dbx surround sound) delivers impressive broadcast audio. A center-channel audio input lets you enjoy 5.1-channel surround even if you have surround speakers but lack external front left, center, and right speakers. You'll also enjoy: variable audio outputs, PIP sound, and Stable Sound for minimizing the garish level hikes when the station cuts to a commercial break.

Other conveniences include an illuminated (backlit) AV universal remote control, color-icon trilingual onscreen display, direct video input selection, Movie and Sports modes, individual AV settings for inputs, Favorite Channel, and V-chip parental control.