Toshiba 46TL968B review

It may have show-off TVs like no other - such as the Toshiba 55ZL2 glasses-free 3D TV, which also happens to have an Ultra HD resolution, too - but Toshiba is a brand that likes to concentrate almost entirely on good value at low prices.

There's consistently an extra HDMI slot, a third USB or £100 knocked off most Toshiba televisions, and in many ways this 46-inch set from its new TL968 Series continues that trend.

Priced at £749 (around AU$1,139/US$1,199) but spotted for closer to £600 (around AU$912/US$960) online, this Edge LED-backlit TV nevertheless has a few shortcomings. It's also a glasses-free 3D TV, though not in the way we would like; although fitted with active shutter 3D tech, there are no 3D specs included in the box. They'll cost you £50+ extra.

Elsewhere, the 46TL968B is your regular Toshiba package. Outed by the brand in September and only just going on sale now, Toshiba's unique habit of releasing TVs mid-cycle (most new TVs appear in March and remain there for 12 months) has paid off, with a bounty of features for relatively small spend.

The most attractive is probably smart TV, though BBC iPlayer and Acetrax remain the highlights on the otherwise relatively scant Toshiba Places portal.

The hardware is more impressive, with integrated Wi-Fi, four HDMI inputs and two USB slots provided. A 100Hz panel, the Toshiba 46TL968B also includes Clear Scan for introducing hyper-real images from Blu-ray.

On the outside, the 46TL968B is pure Toshiba, with a slim 9mm bezel around the panel that looks like brushed metal, but is in fact fake plastic. A glassy stand adds to the illusion nicely, and confirms that the TV is punching above its weight.

Also available

Accompanying this 46-incher in the TL968 Series is the 40-inch Toshiba 40TL968, which costs around £600. It also features Wi-Fi, Toshiba Places, active shutter 3D and a plastic-metallic slim bezel.

These last two features differentiate the TL968 from Toshiba's other new series for the beginning of 2013, the RL968. The Toshiba RL968 Series is a little smaller in stature, comprising just the 32-inch Toshiba 32RL968 and the 40-inch 40RL968.

These two Full HD LED-backlit LCD TVs are standard 50Hz TVs and have a slightly less powerful form of what Toshiba calls AMR (Active Motion Resolution), an anti-blur frame interpolation technology. Both RL968 televisions have three HDMI inputs.