Toshiba TF-55A810U21 55-inch 4K UHD TV - Fire TV Edition

Review of Toshiba TF-55A810U21 55-inch Smart 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and DTS TruSurround TV - Fire TV Edition - Limited VersionPurchase Date: 29 MAY 2020Initial Review Date: 4 JUN 2020Initial ImpressionsI had an older 49in TV which had a backlight failure, so I was looking for a TV of equal or slightly greater size. I found this TV on Amazon and took a shot on it. When it arrived, it was packaged quite well. I took it out of the box and plugged it in immediately after checking the screen with a flashlight for damage during shipment. The TV powered on and the screen was not broken; a good start. I mounted the TV (it includes the screws to do so and recommends an M6 screw on the back of the unit) and found out you cannot do this mounting on your own. I had to hold the TV while my son connected all the inputs into the back of it. This TV is bulky, weighing around 32lbs. I was afraid that I would break it trying to get it mounted. Thankfully, I didn’t.Once mounted, we turned on the TV and began the initial setup. I plugged in an ethernet cable into the back of the TV (Ethernet still provides more stability and speed than Wi-Fi) and waited as it updated twice. I signed into my Amazon account and then began exploring the picture quality of the TVPicture QualityMy old set was a 1080p 49in TV without HDR. Even without 4k content, HDR makes a remarkable difference in the quality of the image, even in resolutions as low as 720p. Without seeing it in person it’s hard to adequately describe, but there is a sense of life in the image that wasn’t there prior. Not being familiar with it, I started to get a little motion sick; but once acclimated I began to appreciate just how much more detail HDR actually gives to an image; even in older movies. Certain elements in the foreground seem to pop out, making the image look almost three-dimensional. It’s a really neat effect which is enhanced even more when 4k content is played.Fire TV SoftwareI’m not a fan of Fire TV, having owned an original device I found that it lacks storage and it doesn’t seem to have as much polish as its competitors. However, the implantation on this TV isn’t that awful. The TV itself has 4.27GB of storage with around 2.02GB available after installing a couple of apps (YouTube TV, Disney+, Hulu, Fandango Now, Netflix). I don’t have a terrestrial antenna hooked up to the TV so I cannot comment on those features but there is a channel guide that pulls its information from Pluto TV, which I thought was a pretty cool add; especially since Pluto TV is free to use. I’d like to see more integration sources such as YouTube TV or Sling, but Pluto TV has a lot of content in and of itself. The channel guide and other quick settings can be summoned by holding down on the home button. This works when playing content or when just at the main screen of the TV. I enabled CEC so that my other devices could control the TV, but I found out that my particular model of soundbar, connected to the optical port of the TV, is unable to be controlled by the TV remote. Bummer. I’m hoping that could be addressed in a future software update, but maybe my naïveté is showing.ConclusionThis TV is an excellent value for the price. Its picture quality is astounding and the Fire TV software is neat, but not anything to write home about. I’m disappointed I can’t control my soundbar with the TV remote but the picture quality of the TV more than makes up for that shortcoming.

This TV is amazing for the price! Before purchasing this TV, you have to decide what you want in a TV. If you want the newest tech and high end features, keep looking. However, if you're like me and just want a nice TV that can do most things, this is it! The picture looks great and the operation of the TV is fairly easy and intuitive. We have an Amazon Fire TV stick and lately have been experiencing issues that are temperature related. This TV has built-in Fire TV and it operates smoothly and quickly. Also, the Fire TV portion detects my NAS and I can access all of my movies very easily. No issues yet! Note: the only thing I would negatively mention are the speakers. The sound is ok but not the greatest. We are deciding on if we want to get a sound bar or not. Bass and treble can be adjusted within the settings.

I bought a new TV for my guestroom. The question was... Is this going in the guestroom, or will it replace the one in my bedroom.The rest of this review is comparing this TV to my TCL Roku TV.Picture quality :I never use the factory settings and like to set everything manually. The best way to do this is having an input (like cable /satellite) so you can see what changing a setting does. Once I got everything the way I like it, it was close to the TCL. But the TCL is a little brighter and sharper.Winner: TCLSound: Fire TV has many options for setting sound. If I had external speakers, it would make a huge difference. But even using the built-in speakers, it's noticeable. No contest.Winner: Fire TVApps: Since I much prefer Fire TV to Roku, I have a Firestick plugged into my TCL. Thus, it's exactly the same.Winner: TieEase of use: the whole reason I wanted to try this in the first place. Not only do I have one fewer remotes to deal with, but it's MUCH easier to switch between satellite TV and streaming. No contest.Overall winner: Fire TVNo, it doesn't compare to my Sony OLED in the living room, but this was literally 1/10 of the price! It's decided, the Fire TV is going in the master bedroom 😁