Toshiba 49U7763DB

Few people would have £450 leave their bank account without noticing, but in terms of 4K televisions of this size, the Toshiba 49U7763DB represents a decent buy. So, providing this set works and the picture isn’t offensively bad, you might assume that this Toshiba would automatically receive a positive review. But that isn’t what’s happened here – this is simply a thoroughly good set.

The trend has been to almost entirely eliminate the frame from around the screen, but Toshiba has bucked that by allowing for front-firing speakers across the base of the 49U7763DB, making a sound bar an option rather than a necessity.

It doesn’t skimp on connections, either. There’s even a scart input, that sits alongside four HDMI and three USB inputs on the 49U7763DB’S spec sheet. Of course it has the obligatory ethernet and TV antenna ports, and outputs for headphones, optical digital audio and a subwoofer.

Fit for purpose

The 49U7763DB isn’t the glass-pane thin set we have become accustomed to, but at 55mm deep, it’s far from bulky either. The stand extends that footprint to 19cm, but, with Toshiba opting for a centralised plate design, it won’t require a table top the same width as your television. Generally it’s a well thought out design, fit for purpose rather than mere aesthetic.

The only area in which we’d question the build quality is the remote control. Again it’s a practical design, with nice big buttons, but it is really quite flimsy. It isn’t unusual these days to find lightweight remotes, but given that Toshiba has got everything else right so far, it is a caveat worthy of note.

There are plenty of Smart TV features, including catch-up apps from all five terrestrial channels, and Netflix and Youtube for access to streamed 4K content – Amazon Prime is not included, though.

We have the 49U7763DB up and running in next to no time, and we delve into the picture settings. Thankfully, for those who lack the patience to spend ages optimising the picture, there isn’t much tweaking to be done. We begin with the advanced settings off, such as the dynamic contrast, and by the end of our fine-tuning, the 49U7763DB needs only a little assistance with motion and noise reduction to show us its best.

Toshiba’s UI is neatly laid out, and we have no trouble in locating the settings and services we need, which can’t be said of every TV we test. It is quite lethargic at times, keeping us waiting a few seconds as pages load, but it’s a compromise we’re willing to make at this price, as long as the picture makes it worth the wait.

Easy on the eye

Overall it does. Detail is impressive, with the 49U7763DB doing a fine job upscaling live TV to 4K. There’s no discernible graininess, even with standard definition content. You’d need to spend more than this, or downsize, to get a sharper picture.

Colours, too, are well rendered. Skin tones look natural, even when set against the gaudiest of daytime TV sets and, while overall the Toshiba’s palette is made up of relatively soft tones, thankfully there is no needlessly retina-singeing brightness.

Motion can also often be an issue for these budget TV sets, but even when we test it with a Match Of The Day stream from BBC iplayer, the 49U7763DB has little trouble tracking the flight of the ball or swiftly panning cameras with decent smoothness, neither juddering nor blurring.

Playing a 4K Blu-ray of Deadpool offers a clear step up in the Toshiba’s performance. We wouldn’t expect the sharpest Ultra HD picture, and there isn’t the most stunning detail in the darkest scenes, but the set offers a fair representation of 4K.

While the performance is good at this price, there is a lack of punch to the 49U7763DB’S picture. Given the choice between a marginally over-subtle palette and an unnaturally aggressive one, we'd opt for this, but still, we’d like colours to pop more and deeper, more detailed blacks.

But if you want a big, affordable 4K television, there isn't a massive amount of choice. The 49U7763DB was never going to trump the performance of tellies with premium price tags, but for £450, this really is a solid product indeed.

“If you want a big and affordable 4K television, you’re unlikely to find better value elsewhere”