Best upgrade for TV EVER
355057
The Bolt is our 3rd TiVO. We upgraded originally to a HD unit that would use a cablecard when Comcast forced that on us. We recently decided to update to a Bolt for the added storage, and awesome features available. Blasting through commercial breaks in the blink of an eye is the best feature in my opinion. We are still getting used to the operation and features, but have zero regrets about the switch. This unit is so compact and quiet.

I'll admit, we did try the box our cable company supplies, and it was so clunky and cumbersome, we couldn't give it back fast enough.

Now, to convince the wife to get the mini's!
3289187
Work's great. Can now play old PlayStation games on newer tv's. The picture is AWESOME.. way way better than before..
4622425
Over the last month I've upgraded my home AV entertainment system from a Sony 27" picture tube TV, a non-HD cable TV subscription, a non-HDMI AV receiver, a non-HDMI DVD, CD, and (don't laugh - the LDs still play great) a LaserDisc player, and a 2.0 speaker system.  We now have a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/VIZIO-XVT553SV-55-Inch-Class-Full-Array-TruLED-with-Smart-Dimming-LCD-HDTV-240-Hz-SPS-with-VIZIO-Internet-Apps/dp/B003GDHI12/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">VIZIO XVT553SV 55-Inch Class Full Array TruLED with Smart Dimming LCD HDTV 240 Hz SPS with VIZIO Internet Apps</a>&nbsp;(5 HDMI connections with 1 being ARC capable), a HD cable box (1 HDMI connection), an&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Onkyo-TX-NR609-7-2-Channel-Network-THX-Certified-A-V-Receiver/dp/B004O0TRD8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Onkyo TX - NR609 7.2 Channel Network THX Certified A/V Receiver</a>&nbsp;(6 HDMI connections plus 1 HDMI Out connection to the HDTV), and a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Panasonic-DMP-BDT310-Integrated-Wi-Fi-3D-Blu-ray-DVD-Player/dp/B004LNOSQO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Panasonic DMP-BDT310 Integrated-Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player</a>&nbsp;(2 HDMI connections - 1 to the HDTV, 1 to the AVR).

With all the new HDMI components I needed high quality, reasonably priced HDMI cables to connect them all together.  Well known brand cables were available locally but I didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices (2 to 3 to 4 times more for the same functionality - no way!) so I researched the internet and decided on Mediabridge HDMI cables.

The quality of construction is outstanding - the cabling is flexible and "beefy"; the plastic molding is flawless; and especially important for the vertical, downward hanging connections on the HDTV, the metal connectors fit nice and tight.

Each cable is individually packaged in a hardy cardboard box, each connector is protected by a plastic cap, and the cable is not too tightly coiled (allowing for a quick "straightening" prior to use).

As expected with HDMI (and HD technology overall), the "A" and the "V" in my new AV entertainment system is outstanding.

I was so impressed with these Mediabridge brand cables I've also purchased a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mediabridge-Ultra-Series-Dual-Shielded-Subwoofer-Cable-RCA-to-RCA-Gold-Plated-Pro-Grade-Connectors-25-Feet/dp/B003FVX9FO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mediabridge Ultra Series - Dual Shielded Subwoofer Cable - RCA to RCA Gold Plated Pro Grade Connectors (25 Feet)</a>&nbsp;cable for the subwoofer in my new&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Onkyo-SKS-HT870-Home-Theater-Speaker-System/dp/B002C73WRW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Onkyo SKS-HT870 Home Theater Speaker System</a>&nbsp;7.1 speaker system.

The high quality of this Mediabridge HDMI cable with the very reasonable price make this an outstanding value.  Mediabridge will get my first look for all my future cable requirements.
709570
Everytime I turn this tv on, it brings a smile to my face.  The picture quality is the best I have ever seen, especially the THX mode. Blu-ray discs become a must.  The black levels are so good you may find yourself picking out blu-ray movies that feature dark scenes just to see how well they look.  Dark games like Fallout 3 or Arkham Asylum look simply incredible.  3d Works well, I have tested it with the Killzone 3 demo on PS3 and you feel totally immersed.  I did not see any "ghosting" affects.  One complaint is I wish it had a wireless capability. It requires a wired connection or you need to purchase a separate adapter for wireless.  Viera Cast stuff is good.  Netflix is included as well as YouTube, Pandora, Amazon etc.  Youtube for some reason has a pared down interface and I wasn't able to select HD resolution like I can from PC.  But they could fix this in a firmware update and it can be done from PC so no big deal.  I don't think there is any better TV you can buy at any price point, unless you are just getting a bigger size.  The new vt30's will probably best this tv but they will cost a lot more.  Recommend!

Edit: 3/17/2011.  Unfortunately, the TV has burn in issues.  We were very diligent during the first 100 hours, but then we started playing games thinking it was safe.  My wife had been playing Fallout 3 the last month or so and the HUD from the game is now burned into the screen.  Unbelievable that Panasonic isn't warning customers about this possibility.  Instead, the warnings are focused on only the first 100 hours.  We play in THX mode, contrast and brightness set to 70.  I was led to believe that burn in was no longer a problem on these sets after the first 100 hours.  Unfortunately, this is NOT the case.  Lowered my rating of the set to 3 stars.  It is great picture, but susceptible to burn in.  Now our tv is apparently permanently compromised.

Update: 4/8/2011  The burn in is still there after running the tv's own anti-image retention tool and also running third party tools designed to remove it for many days on end.  This TV is severely flawed and I don't recommend that anyone buy it with these kind of problems unless you plan to baby sit your tv all the time.  If you search online for vt25 burn in you will find many cases of what I'm talking about.  Don't watch anything that has a static image on the screen with this tv, and heaven forbid you forget and leave something on the screen for a couple hours -the tv could be permanently damaged if you do.

Update: 4/16/2011 We played Bioshock for about 2 hours, then watched a movie.  Afterwards it took a full night to remove the image retention from Bioshock HUD using slides and the tv's own anti image retention scrolling bar feature.  The next day we played 2 hours again followed by other content.  It has taken over 2 days to remove the retained image.  Unless we have a lemon, this tv is completely unfit for gamers.  If I could I would return it and I will probably never again buy a Panasonic or any other plasma tv unless they stop excluding IR issues from their warranties.

Update: 06/20/2011  The burn in is still there and does not appear to be diminishing.  We no longer play any games on the tv, only on my 23" work monitor.  Also, standard definition content creates black sections on the sides.  We run the scrolling bar and full color slides every time after watching standard definition content.
4466043
Super cool addition to any room with a flat screen t.v.!!!
3622960
Purchased two of these on Amazon's Prime Day sale.  So far so good.  Replaced a brand new tv from Best Buy that was fine until I turned the sound as high as it would go and it came out tinny.  Which the salesperson said was because I didn't pair it with a sound bar.  I disagreed. I think it's a pretty simple principle that if your tv volume goes up to 100 it should work well up to 100.  Sound bars simply amplify existing quality.  I digress.  Enter the TCL 40in Smart tv.  At it's highest it has excellent sound quality, clear sharp picture image and user friendly settings.  Assembly and connection took less than 30 minutes for both, without help from my honey.  My only issue and it's a big one for me, is that the hdmi ports are placed vertically near the bottom of the unit.  What's wrong with that?  I'm glad you asked.  Take a look at the picture accompanying this review.  See that rectangular depression on the lower right?  That's your hdmi port.  They must not have any common sense courses at MIT because why in the hell would you design a space that was specifically included for attaching media hardware without making accommodations for the size of hardware it's meant to house?  In anticipation of this purchase, I had 2 alexa 2nd generation firesticks waiting for new homes.  Guess what?  Can't use em.  "Alexa, find me an electronics Engineer who can do basic 3rd grade math" returns no results.  Nothing was wrong with my 20 year old fatbacks.  The only reason I bought smart tvs was to replace the cable mafia with firesticks.  You will be able to install a 1st gen (original model) firestick on this tv.  You'll need a metal ruler, some nasa-level precision and a pitcher of sangria.  Via con Dios.
4364368
If you have an old TV Set, this one is for you! You can have Netflix, Youtube, etc on your old TV with this device. It connects to your TV with the provided A/V Cable since my TV doesn't have a HDMI port and setting it up with your wireless network is a charm. I said that I'd change my old TV for a newer version until it dies because I don't need anything else on it. My TV went from dummy to smart in 3 minutes.
920791
I actually had the first generation of WD TV, and getting this was actually leaps and bounds better than the original of course. My old one finally broke on me the previous week, which prompted me to get this. It plays everything I throw at it. I am very heavy into watching anime, and having the ability to watch an mkv with subtitles on a television was the deciding factor in why i purchased the first generation WD TV. As I type this, I am streaming a file from my computer to the tv that has the WD TV live plus connected. I am using a linksys N router with a linksys wireless adapter attached to me WD TV. From what I've been testing, it doesn't stutter, pause, or drop in quality. Keep in mind that I do attach my desktop computer via direct ethernet connection to my router so the experience may vary among other users with different routers and setups. One issue that the original WD TV had was handling a 1080p encode. So far I've tried 3 different 1080p encodes of a movie, animation, and tv show. All have worked flawlessly via usb and streaming.

I have tried some of the networks apps like youtube, netflix, and pandora. I preferably browse youtube through an actual computer, netflix I prefer on my xbox, and pandora is something I would rather listen to something more portable like my notebook computer. They are nice to have features though. I can't vouch for anything else as I don't use them.

Now for the negatives.
Subtitle support is neat, but many (not all) videos I have tried with subtitles (mkv softsubs) seeem to have them set sort of high. Not too high, but higher than what I am used to. Changing text size doesn't seem to resolve the height issue neither. If there was an option to set it slightly lower, then I would love to see it. I also have no options in changing the font nor having custom font sets.

Fast forwarding can be a pain at times. I wish there was an option to skip increments of time to speed up the process of going through a file that doesn't already have built in chapters. A psp has that function, and its a technologically inferior item in terms of video playback. I'm hoping a firmware update would remedy this. If I am completely blind and there really is this feature, let me know.

Menu navigation has improved since the first device, but I still don't like how sluggish the menu feels. Typing is still slow, but I did expect that. I've read in various places that I can attach a wireless keyboard. The unit itself tends to be quite hot when I shut it off and have it plugged in. This was the same with the first WD TV i had, and I do unplug my unit when I am done with it.

TL;DR: Plays what I want, makes it look/sound good enough. There is still room for improvement, but I am quite satisfied with my unit and will gladly purchase a more advanced unit in the future after this breaks. I had the first unit since i bought it in early 2009, and I am quite surprised it lasted that long with all it's flaws. Lets hope this unit brings out more updates and lasts a long time.

Note: as of this review, I am using official firmware 1.06.16 on the device.
1701431
Improved the HD picture more than i expected.
2489533
Cable isn't available to me, and I found satellite TV to be very unreliable and costly.  So its just me and my game systems (all 3 next gen + Dreamcast, NES etc..)and my collection of DVDs and Blurays that will be giving this LCD a workout.  Incorrect as I now get stunning HD reception on channels that previously were unwatchable (compliments of PBS HD and CBS HD) for free with an old UHF antenna.  I call this set the natural enemy of the couch or a gamers best friend either way its hard to tear your eyes off the 1080p image.  Initially I tried out my 360 through the COMPONENT and SVGA connections available on this set, component cables showed ghosting compared to the VGA input, and HDMI proved to look the best.  Next up was the Wii and without a set of component cables this system looks a little blurry in its non HD display, but the widescreen makes the Wii and it's games more playable and appealing.  Finally I hooked up the PS3 with HDMI and, WOW this system looks and plays great on this TV, 1080p can tend to show jaggies sometimes but the resolution is overwhelmingly superior to anything I have experienced that I find myself playing better, and for longer lengths of time (particularly with FPS games).  I recommend a PS3 or Samsung upconverting DVD player for old DVDs, as the image particularly with animation and CG is vastly improved.  The weaknesses of this amazing monitor/TV are the somewhat weak 10 watt speakers (they still have decent seperation/depth but they are little puny for the size of the image), also the super glossy finish of the frame may bother those with very brightly lit living rooms or lots of interior lighting, but in my batcave I don't notice this at all. PIP on this set might as well not exist as it only shows non digital AIR channels and poorly at that.  The OSD and remote take a little getting used to, but are laid out well for the most part.
This television is a solid value, with the right amount of care put into its design, (stand, light, input options) and a superior image to most HD sets I have seen.  Side note playing with the settings(contrast brightness, backlight) on this TV will result in a much better picture out of the box as factory settings are way too bright IMO. Same goes for the speakers equalizer settings.
2932292
I have an older model television and this works great for it! Just hook up the cables and start streaming. Best purchase I have made!
3515697
I love this tv.  I got it today and haven't taken my eyes off it.  This thing makes everything look great.  It's so big and clear and awesome.  I use Comcast HD digital cable and an Xbox 360 for dvds and gaming.  I upgraded to HDMI cables for the cable box, but to be honest I don't see much difference.  The Xbox games look tremendous.  Gears of War is a whole new world of HD fun.  I guess I have to upgrade to the Xbox HD DVD player now.
3707303
Wow!!! Right out of the box this picture is unbelievable!! I hooked it up to my computer (built for watching 1080p+) HDMI hi-speed 1.4 cables work fine no need for 2.0  cables yet. Everything is routed through Onkyo receiver. Menus very easy to navigate. the entire experience is very intuitive and easy. I'll be using a calibration DVD soon to get the best picture. I'll update review as I go.  So far very pleased.

I had to install the 2.0 cables which fixed a grainy picture as well as a flicker. I also bypassed the ONKYO Receiver and ran the HDMI cable straight to the Computer Video Card. Picture is absolutely perfect again and the TV has had ZERO problems!! 04/03/16.

11/28/2016
UPDATE: No problems at all. Upgraded to a Onkyo 1030 AVR so now my HDMI cables are going through the AVR again to the TV. 60hz 2160 signal is perfect.

UPDATE: 11-11-2016

Little over a year of using this TV/Monitor every day for at least 3-4 hrs. and  ZERO Problems This has been a trouble free TV.
1686294
This Ultra HD TV upscales beautifully!  I'm an old guy with DVDs and my cathode ray tube TV finally bit the dust. With some misgivings but hoping for the best I bought this unit, bypassing regular HD LED TVs. This TV took the component (Y-Pb-Pr) video signal of my old JVC (DVD player/5.1 sound system in one unit) and upscaled it way beyond expectations. It also takes HDMI from other newer upscaling DVD players and makes it look so much better than I expected it to look. Don't get me wrong - DVDs aren't going to look like Blu-ray Ultra HD or 4k content, but this TV has so many menu options for tweaking the picture that if you're not satisfied after a few days of tweaking then YOU are the problem.
3377692
This product is great. Plays all formats and much better on DivX stuff. It also does a great job on up converting to 1080. My TV is maximum 1080i not 1080p,so player auto detected it and automatically switched to the proper mode. It worth to by it, rather then arguing with Phillips regarding an update for your old model. It also smaller and looks better. And there is no more annoying RED POWER LED - it is green now.!
4309666
I was using the first, original Roku player, but needed to upgrade when I found the older model does not support all of the new channels the service offers, like PBS. I cannot be happier! This device was super easy to install and works faster than the older model. The newer interface is really nice and much easier to use, as well. The remote allows you to plug in the included ear buds and listen in quiet, which is a nice touch.

This upgrade was precipitated by us finally cutting back on our cable TV bill to the bare bones minimum, which truly is bare bones; the channel selection is horrible and the programming even worse. We now use our Netflix and Amazon Prime subscriptions daily, as well as several of the other channels that Roku offers.

Roku offers several different models at different price points. Check them out and compare before buying to make sure the model you select fits your budget. The Roku 2 is all we need, and we really are happy with it.
61937
I've had one set for several months now and they are great.  This was used for cable and Xbox going to a HD tv, routed in the wall to hide the cables.  The picture quality improved so much the SO even noticed and she is not one to notice/care about tv quality.  I just recently ordered another pair and again the quality upgrade was noticeable.  This time going from a docking station to a HD tv for a monitor.