Toshiba 65L9300U: A 4K HDTV With HDMI 2.0 Support
With Ultra HD monitors becoming more prolific, we thought it was time to check out a 4K HDTV. Toshiba sent us its 65-inch L9300U LED panel. This TV offers 3D and cloud features in addition to a high pixel count. We put it through its paces in this review.
Toshiba 65L9300U Physical Characteristics
The 65L9300U is part of Toshiba’s premium line of HDTVs, and therefore comes with a fairly comprehensive set of accessories. Included in the box is a wireless keyboard with touchpad to help navigate the Cloud TV interface. You also get four sets of 3D glasses. There is no printed manual, though you can pull the instructions up on-screen once the 65L9300U is online. This doesn't make much sense to us. How do you connect to the Internet to read the instructions if you were previously having trouble connecting to the Internet? Fortunately, setup is quite easy. But if you really need it, the manual is also available on Toshiba's website.
Product 360
Again, this is a high-end TV, and it looks the part. The panel’s front layer is glass with an anti-glare coating. It only does a fair job of eliminating reflections, so care should be taken with the TV’s placement. The bezel surround is matte-finished aluminum like the base.
The aluminum base and chrome-plated support column are made from solid pieces of metal. You can swivel the panel about 15 degrees either left or right.
Measuring 2.8 inches-thick, Toshiba can't claim to offer the thinnest panel out there. But it's worth noting that some of depth is attributable to a bulge along the bottom edge. Otherwise, the thickness measurement would be closer to two inches.
Three of the four HDMI inputs are on the left side, along with USB connectivity and an SD card slot. Wall-mounting is easy with the included 400 mm VESA fittings around back.
Inputs are split between a side-facing panel and the back. As you might imagine, connecting devices is easy, unless the TV is wall-mounted. In that case, accessing the VGA and Ethernet ports is going to be more difficult because they are rear-facing. The analog component inputs point to the back as well.
You get one optical audio output and one 3.5 mm analog connector. The SD card slot is cool, but hard to reach when the TV is wall-mounted. There had to be a better place to put that.
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Toshiba bundles the same Bluetooth-based keyboard we got with the 50L7300U. It works via a tiny receiver plugged into one of the TV's USB ports. Pairing is immediate when you power the keyboard on. It also has a touchpad for controlling the on-screen cursor. The keyboard itself is great, though the mouse action is laggy and imprecise. Using the Tab or arrow keys to navigate the browser and other cloud-oriented apps is quicker.
The remote is also similar to the 50L7300U's controller, with two important exceptions: it’s backlit and has a 3D button. Backlighting should be standard on every A/V remote, regardless of price point, and we’re glad to see it included with this premium display. The 3D button toggles between 2D and stereo mode whether the content is native 3D or converted 2D. Once the TV is in 3D mode, you can adjust the depth of the effect using the Quick Menu.
This wand can be programmed to control other devices, and it works fairly well within a reasonable distance and angle from the set. Our only nitpick is that the directional keys work differently than the other buttons. They click loudly and feel cheap, and for some reason they aren’t backlit.
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Prev Page Toshiba 65L9300U HDTV: 4K That Doesn’t Break The Bank Next Page OSD Setup And CalibrationChristian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
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Someone Somewhere Argh. Why do people still make TVs with rear-exit connectors? That was the #1 hardest to find criteria last time we got a new one.Reply -
SteelCity1981 Toshiba still holding onto the 3D in their TV's. I got caught up in the hype and bought me a 3D TV two years ago and honestly I have only used it maybe 4 or 5 times if that. It's something now that I look back on I could have really done without and saved money on a regular HDTV, but live and learn. a cheaper non 3D version of this would be nice. I, like most people can do without the 3D function on a TV, esp if it will reduce the cost on the TV itself. It is nice to finally see a 4k TV come with HDMI 2.0 support, something that 1080p TV's don't need but 4k do in order to take full advantage of it by allowing 60fps.Reply -
cats_Paw Untill we get 4K contenent or GPUs can manage 4K resolutions in AAA titles with highest settings possible, 4K makes as much sense as a fast car in a 50 Km/h town.On the 3D matter, it does look cool on a projector if you get a 120+ inch screen, but in tvs, it looks like a gimick to me.Now... The HDMI improvment is something I want. Ive been wanting Full HD 60Hz 3D for a long time, and it seems 3D has been so unpopular that it didnt even make sense to invest in improving bandwidth.Reply -
Someone Somewhere You can do 1080p120 (equivalent to 60Hz 3d 1080p) over HDMI 1.4a easily... same bandwidth as 1440p60.Reply -
alchemy69 4K TVs are bought by the same people who buy $100 Monster hdmi cables because "they give a better picture".Reply -
Someone Somewhere Actually, 4K TVs can bring a better picture. Especially if one has 4K content, or is viewing pictures or text.Reply
Monster cables are definitely crap though. -
TheDane Argh. Why do people still make TVs with rear-exit connectors? That was the #1 hardest to find criteria last time we got a new one.
Argh. Why don't people use a cheap angled adapter. -
TheDane Like this: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahdmi%20angle%20adapterReply