Toshiba's 42-inch 42HM66 is a stylishly designed DLP HDTV that packs a long feature list and great performance into an unexpectedly compact cabinet. The 42HM66 measures less than 13 inches deep, and it keeps the front panel clear by placing quick-access inputs out of sight on the side. With its CableCARD slot and QAM tuner, this HDTV is digital cable-ready.

The 42HM66's projection lamp can automatically switch from low power at night to high power during the day, which helps compensate for ambient light. Regardless of the time, the 42HM66 presents a sharp 720p picture, thanks in part to a 3-D Y/C digital comb filter. A host of other technologies contribute to the clean edges and accurate colors, including black level expansion, vertical contour correction and digital noise reduction. Multiple picture formats are available to adjust the image to the wide-format screen, and movies are presented with 3:2 pulldown conversion to eliminate uneven motion.

The sound system produces a total of 20 watts of output, and the 42HM66 includes audio options like automatic volume leveling and simulated surround sound. Other convenience features include memory for favorite channels, on/off timers and a channel return button on the remote that can scroll through previously viewed channels.

You will no doubt want to incorporate the 42HM66 into a larger home theater system. This set provides a wide range of input and output connections to make it possible. You have a choice of an RF input, a composite video/S-video input, two HD component video inputs, one HDMI digital-to-digital input, the CableCARD slot, an optical digital audio output and a composite video output. The universal remote control has dedicated buttons for four separate components, and the buttons glow in the dark.

With its great performance, comprehensive features list and compact cabinet, the Toshiba 42HM66 proves to be an attractive choice among small rear-projection HDTVs.


Pros: Compact cabinet, good audio and video performance, digital cable-ready
Cons: No PC input

Warranty
1 year parts and labor