Toshiba 47L6453DB review

You can also choose from several other picture modes, including AutoView, Dynamic, Game, PC, Hollywood Night, Hollywood Day and Hollywood Pro, but we’d recommend sticking with Standard for most of your daily viewing. For example, the three Hollywood modes were far too dark for regular daytime viewing and even increasing the backlight to a full 100 per cent did little to help improve the amount of detail on show in night scenes. 

We were pleased with how the TV upscaled standard definition content as well. Noise reduction settings made a noticeable improvement to the amount of noise and jagged edges on show and text was clear and legible despite being a bit fuzzy round the edges. You’ll want to turn off the noise reduction settings when watching HD channels, though, as having both the MPEG NR and DNR settings on high made faces and clothes look very harsh and unnatural.

Smart TV services aren’t particularly extensive, but you still get major apps such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BlinkBox. You won’t find much else on offer, but this is to be expected on a TV of this price. You’ll need to connect the TV to the internet before you can use the home menu properly, though, as it locks itself into demo mode if you don’t update it.

We’re not great fans of Toshiba’s clunky Smart TV interface, as you’re instantly bombarded with lots of unnecessary features you don’t really want. When you first load up the Smart menu, for instance, you’re presented with a large TV-related Twitter feed in the centre of the page while personalised profiles and channel recommendations fill the rest of it. All the apps, meanwhile, are hidden off to the sides, and we would have much preferred these to be on the main home page.

Toshiba’s Smart TV interface is full of unnecessary features, hiding all the apps you’d actually want to use in other home screens

Smart TV menu aside, the Toshiba L6453DB is a great value TV for those on a budget. It has excellent default image quality so you can start using it straight out of the box, and its larger size makes it a great alternative to the slightly smaller Finlux 42FME242S-T. It may not be the prettiest looking TV out there, but those who want a large TV for less than £500 need look no further.