Toshiba's first UK LED-backlit telly

Toshiba Regza SV with LED backlight: just a large black rectangle when it's turned off
Toshiba Regza SV with LED backlight: just a large black rectangle when it's turned off

Toshiba has been a slow to jump on the LED bandwagon, but it's now firmly aboard.

The company today announced its first LED-backlit LCD television, the Regza SV series.

Like other manufacturers, Tosh's flagship flat-screen offers local dimming and an impressive dynamic contrast ratio - here reaching 2,000,000:1.

Bands on the run

Available in 46-inch and 55-inch sizes, the Regza SV uses 10-bit processing to create a palette of over a billion colours and, according to the company, "completely eliminate banding". The TVs use Toshiba's
Deep Lagoon styling, which has the exterior screen sitting flush with the front of the frame. The effect is produced by a panel that sits over the front of the TV, making for a unique design effect and, purportedly, improving contrast and colour ratios.

The SV screens all have Resolution+ (to upscale standard def sources), 200Hz motion scanning, AutoView (calibrating the screen automatically depending on ambient lighting) and MetaBrain control so all the technology doesn't just deliver a big, fat mess.

The SV devices are DLNA compliant, have four HDMI ports (on the sparse side these days), PC/USB inputs and use Dolby Volume to keep those pesky commercials in their place. The screens will be available in the UK shortly, at a price to be confirmed.

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.