Bought the Toshiba 75" C350 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV (75C350KU) for $499.99 on December 18th from Best Buy. I set the delivery for 12/24 so that I could find the television in a store and cancel if it did not meet expectations. Even the stores that stocked this set did not have it on display, so this review is after having the television in my home for a week.
I was very impressed with the packaging. The box comes in two pieces -- a short base and a tall 'cover' held together with four plastic clips which can be reused if the set is returned. The set was held firmly in the middle of the box by Styrofoam packaging with an air filled 'pillow' and cardboard protection between the screen and the box. Hard plastic strips protected the screen from careless handholds. A plastic sheet that covered the screen was easily removed without leaving any kind of residue.
Out of the box, no dead pixels, no physical damage, and nothing missing. Good start.
I attached the stand, plugged in power, and powered on the set. Once I logged in to Amazon, I could access my antenna via an Amazon Recast -- wirelessly. Upscaling on this set is outstanding. SD looks great. From the westerns of the 50s and 60s to the dramas of the 80s and 90s to modern HD programming, everything is clear and properly sized/scaled.
Then I plugged the TV into my antenna. The picture quality was better than through the Recast. UI was still Fire TV. For television, I can choose a grid style guide that integrates antenna and streaming. Top of the screen is a description of the selected show. I like that. So, I plugged in a TiVo. The TiVo autoscales to 1080p. It looked almost as good as the antenna. Good enough for me to choose the TiVo input over the antenna input...sometimes. New Year's Eve, I was hopping among inputs watching a New Year's Celebration and the 1080i programming looked great via the Recast, the TiVo, and straight from the antenna. For the most part, I am watching the antenna plus streaming media via the Fire TV grid style guide.
Audio is very good. There are two 10w speakers. I'm not an audiophile, but they sound fine to me.
My desk is on the same wall as the television in my bedroom. From my desk, the viewing angle is probably around 160 degrees. The viewing angle of this television is excellent. Not as bright as head on, but very watchable.
The remote resembles a Fire TV remote. It is about half an inch longer. There are four additional buttons for TV control -- channel up/down, guide, recents, and quick settings. There are also four additional buttons for Prime, Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. The remote contains a mic and the TV is Alexa enabled. On a couple of occasions, pressing a remote navigation button once has caused multiple actions.
There are four HDMI ports, one USB port, one LAN/Ethernet port, one digital audio out port, one RF input (antenna), one headphone out, and one AV input. Movies, music, and pictures can be played off a device attached to the USB port. The port powers drives that require up to 500mA. I am using the port to power a Roku that requires 5V/1A. No problem -- not even the expected Roku INSUFFICIENT POWER warning.
The TV has a Native refresh rate of 60Hz with a Motion Rate of 120Hz. I did not experience motion blur watching basketball or football. Hockey will be the ultimate test.
Documentation is less than sparse and completely unnecessary. Complete specs are available on the Toshiba web site.
If this television proves to be durable, it was a steal for $500.
| Brand Name | TOSHIBA |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 37.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 48.5 x 2.9 x 28 inches |
| Item model number | 55C350KU |
| Color Name | Black |
| Special Features | Screen Mirroring |
| Speaker Type | Built-In |
| Standing screen display size | 55 Inches |
