Toshiba's 23HL85 is an attractive 23-inch LCD HD-ready TV with a wide-format screen, which is ideal for watching high-definition programming and widescreen DVD. A PC input even allows it to function as a computer monitor. The silver cabinet is very compact, with stereo speakers built-in below the screen. The included tilt/swivel stand can be removed for mounting the 23HL85 on the wall, although an additional bracket is required.

The picture is sharp and clear on the flat-panel screen, which has a native resolution of 1,366X768 and a contrast ratio of 500:1. HD content is displayed at 720p, although an external receiver is required to display HD programming. A 4MB 10-bit 3-D Y/C digital comb filter with vertical contour correction does an excellent job removing interference.

There is a choice of five picture formats for adapting standard content to the wide-format screen. Movies can be viewed using 3:2 pulldown, which eliminates the uneven motion that results from the film-to-video conversion process. With only 10 watts of total output, the 23HL85's audio performance is not a particularly strong point, but it can be configured to simulate surround sound or to maintain a steady audio level regardless of channel changes or commercials.

The 23HL85 has a number of useful features including a sleep timer, channel and input labeling, and a trilingual on-screen display. A game timer turns the TV off automatically after a set amount of time, and the 23HL85 then requires a password to turn back on.

This LCD TV is well configured for use with other video sources, as it offers an RF input, front and rear composite video inputs, an S-video input, a component video input, a digital-to-digital HDMI input, the PC monitor input, a headphone jack and a set of audio outputs. The four-component universal remote control is an illuminated model, so it's easy to use in darkened rooms. The 23HL85 brings HD compatibility to a high-performance, yet compact screen.

Warranty
1 year parts and labor