TOSHIBA 50UK4D63DB

How does a TV this cheap get so good?

“THERE’S NO

FADED OR WAN LOOK TO SKIN TONES, WHILE HEAVILY SATURATED HUES DON’T TIP OVER INTO GAUDINESS OR UNNATURALNESS”

This Toshiba’s star attraction is that it offers 50 inches of 4K HDR pictures for the frankly miserly price of £329. In our experience, this sort of small price/big picture combination often turns out to be nothing like the awesome deal it first appears, as the low outlay is rewarded only with lifeless pictures and flimsy sound. The 50UK4D63DB, however, has more to offer than the majority of its cheap peers, from its connectivity to its features and, more importantly, its picture and sound quality.

Toshiba’s set uses a native 4K VA panel with direct LED lighting, a combination that usually delivers better contrast than Ips/edge-lit rivals – though the VA panel does mean you will see a significant reduction in contrast and colour saturation if you watch from too much of an angle. HDR support is impressive, boasting Dolby Vision as well as HDR10 and HLG.

Picture quality is far better than you would reasonably expect of such a low cost 50in TV. Its HDR pictures are noticeably brighter than we typically see at this level, particularly in its Cinema preset. We are not talking about brightness levels to rival those of any current premium OLED or LCD TVS, of course, and there are mid-range LCD models that can go brighter still. But by budget standards, the 4D63DB produces comfortably more light with both full-screen bright HDR images and

The TV is heavy on the plastic but still manages to be an attractive set small HDR highlights than expected, which holds up even within already bright shots too – adding up to a more consistent and convincing HDR experience than you would normally see at this price point.

Genuine 4K feeling

Helping its HDR performance is the way the TV retains better black levels despite its brightness than typically found on budget TVS. Inevitably there is a degree of greyness lying over dark scenes that you hope not to see with high-end TVS, but it’s not nearly as pervasive as it is with other such affordable sets. It seldom breaks your immersion in whatever you may be watching, especially given that the 50UK4D63DB is surprisingly good at reproducing low brightness details in dark areas.

The 50UK4D63DB achieves a genuine 4K feeling with the sharpness and detail density of its pictures. It maintains that clarity better than most when there is motion in the frame, too, and while it is clearly at its best with native 4K, it upscales HD very credibly and naturally.

The Toshiba punches above its price with its colour, too, achieving saturation levels we’ve seen TVS costing many times as much fail to achieve. Aside from some occasional loss of shadow detail in the very brightest, peak luminance parts of HDR images, the degree of colour saturation always feels in harmony with the available light. There’s no faded or wan look to skin tones, while heavily saturated hues don’t tip over into gaudiness or unnaturalness.

Built-in Dolby Atmos audio is joined by a DTS Virtual system, both of which are nice to find at this price point – especially when backed up by a startlingly strong sound system developed with renowned audio brand Onkyo. With Dolby Atmos soundtracks, the 50UK4D63DB produces a much more open, detailed and clean sound than you have any right to demand of a TV costing so little. Voices sound clear and reasonably well contextualised without becoming too bright or boxed in. There is good separation to left and right, and the sound has a reasonably ‘forward’ quality, rather than everything sounding as if it’s happening behind the screen. There’s also the power to push it to high volumes before anything sounds uncomfortable.

While the Toshiba 50UK4D63DB can’t fully escape its budget nature, there’s no other 50in TV that currently offers a better all-round combination of features and performance available for such a low price.