Toshiba 37RV753 review

If you were to make a virtue out the 37RV753's Wispa-light features list it would be that it includes nothing to frighten even the terminally technophobic. The remote control is a rudimentary affair, with diddy buttons and a lightweight, throwaway feel. Naturally, it doubles up as a disc deck controller if you flip the toggle switch on the top.

The set does at least have a Freeview HD tuner, which sets it apart from the screens in the really cheap seats, though.

Backside connection options on the set will be adequate for most. There are three HDMI inputs (the third of which can work with a feed from a DVI source, via an adaptor), component video, a PC input with minijack audio, an Ethernet LAN port, and stereo phono and optical digital audio outputs.

There are also two Scarts for older standard-def kit and, interestingly, a phono output designed to feed a small active subwoofer. The two-channel stereo audio is filtered in the set with mid to low bass routed out to the sub, so you'll not get the same type of LFE feed as a .1 channel in a surround mix. Still, it will help the screen make a more rambunctious noise.

On the right hand side of the set are some addition ports. There's a fourth HDMI, a CI (Common Interface) slot for pay TV services, analogue AV inputs and two USB sockets. One of these is designated for media playback from a USB device while the other is for a Wi-Fi dongle.

Eco warriors will be pleased to see the manual power switch on the left side. There are also some basic hands-on controls.

Naturally, the player is compatible with the CEC interoperability standard, called RegzaLink. Rather infuriatingly for consumers, different companies have different interpretations of CEC, so you can never be clear if one will work with the other. For this audition, the 37RV753 enjoyed only partial interoperability with a Sony Blu-ray player.

The set is DLNA certified, which might lead you to believe it offers some meaningful level of multimedia file support. However, this is not the case; the 37RV753 fails miserably when it came to video streaming. While it can see NAS storage devices and PCs, it steadfastly refuses to play video test files including AVIs, MKVs, AVCHs... Apparently it works with MPEG files, but what would be the point of that?

Music however, seems more agreeable to this set; it will sing along to some MP3s without issue, although it can't display any cover art.