Toshiba 50L1350U Review (50L1350)

50 inch 60Hz LED TV

by Robert Wiley, Senior Editor

The 50L1350 is a very interesting entry into the bottom of the line series of Toshiba's 2013/14 lineup. It is interesting because there aren't many 50 inch budget televisions out there. The closest TV in competition with it is Panasonic's TC-L50B6 LED TV. It has a few more advanced features, making the 50L1350 a true value option. It has the same appearance and design of the other Toshiba LCD/LEDs this year, so it keeps up in the looks department. This is the way to go for value shoppers looking to fill a large room with a budget TV.

Picture Quality and Color Rendition

The 50L1350 picture quality is definitely not top notch, but it gets the job done as a budget television. All of the mid to top tier picture quality features have been dropped to attain the budget value. You end up with a TV that will perform well in the office, guest room, or kid's room. In other words, you aren't going to find a TV suited for the home theater in this one. We found that the picture quality largely depends on the source material here. A standard definition signal is not going to look very good compared to a blu-ray or game console with an HD game. Color is another area where this TV struggles. Color accuracy more specifically. Colors may appear bright, but the level of realism doesn't compare with the mid to top level TVs.

Appearance

The 50L1350 goes with black instead of the gun metal coloring of the other TVs in Toshiba's lineup for the year. The frame has square edges on the top and rounded edges on the bottom for a streamlined appearance. The stand is a black plastic square with rounded edges and the arm holding the screen up is round and silver. It's a good look for a budget television.

Energy Star

The L1350 series is Energy Star certified. That means the energy consumption remains low and keeps the electricity bills in check. LCD TVs always have the advantage here. Energy Star LCDs take a few extra measures, like brightness adjustmenst and Energy Star modes, to become certified.

Having reviewed and written about Television Technology for over 10 years, Wiley never tires of researching the newest qualitative trends related to the technology. Most people do not get excited about possibilities behind the latest video engine...Wiley does. Read more about Robert