Like a drill sergeant haranguing new recruits to speed it up, Toshiba is among the first to produce an LCD flat-panel TV that features twice the normal screen refresh rate—120 frames per second instead of 60. The intent is to improve visual detail in scenes with fast motion, which has been a weak spot for LCD TVs. Toshiba dubs this technology Clear Frame, and it’s available on the company’s top-of-the-line Cinema Regza 1080p sets.

Toshiba converts conventional 60-hertz video to 120 hertz in the most effective but expensive way, analyzing adjacent frames and inserting an intermediate frame between them. This method requires a video processor with substantial horsepower.

When I receive a review sample of the company’s new 46LX177 46-inch LCD set, I am eager to find out how well Clear Frame works, so I immediately load a high-definition test disc: the Blu-ray version of Silicon Optix’ HQV Benchmark DVD. I call up a 1080-line interlaced test pattern with a rotating white bar. With the Clear Frame feature turned off, I can easily see typical LCD behavior, with the white bar’s leading and trailing edges smearing as it rotates. With the Clear Frame function activated, the smear is almost eliminated. Other elements of the test pattern confirm that the set’s video processor is doing a fantastic job of upconverting the 1080i pattern into a perfectly rendered 1080-line progressive image, a feat usually possible only with high-end video scaler chips from such companies as Faroudja, Gennum, and Silicon Optix. I switch over to broadcast HD programs, and seek out live sports, including golf, car racing, and extreme BMX biking, and find that while very fast action scenes seem to benefit little from the Clear Frame processing, I do notice improvements when the camera pans at a slower rate. The effect is not dramatic, but it is definitely an improvement over 60-hertz LCD screens.

Within the picture adjustment menu, I find an option to switch the set’s processor from Video to Film mode, which I evaluate with a 24-frame-per-second 2:3 pulldown 1080i test pattern. After the brief moment that it takes it to recognize the clip’s format, the TV produces a perfect result, with a rock-solid and crystal-clear rendition of all elements of the test pattern, a feat again usually only attainable by other sets equipped with one of the high-end scaler chipsets. I go back to video-originated, 30-frame-per-second 1080i material and find that the Film mode works equally well with that pattern—so you can just leave the set in Film mode all the time for the best picture.

The Film mode also reveals another feature, Film Stabilization, which Toshiba does not describe in its promotional materials. It’s an attempt to improve upon the inevitable "judder" that occurs when 24-frame-per-second film content is mastered to 30-frame-per-second video. During any filmed scene with panning or zooming, the relatively slow frame rate of the original material produces noticeable frame-to-frame jumping of objects on the screen.

I go to the first scene of Vertical Limit (in 1080p, on Blu-ray) and see the familiar judder as the camera pans slowly across the landscape. Once I activate the Film Stabilization mode, I am shocked to see that the judder disappears completely. Jumping to other scenes, I activate and deactivate the Film Stabilization feature dozens of times, and every time the judder is eliminated when it is engaged. I hook up a standard-definition (non-progressive) DVD player to the Toshiba, and with a DVD version of the same move, I note the same impressive improvements. Of course, the picture is nowhere near as sharp as the Blu-ray version, but my, oh my, this Film Stabilization feature is wonderful. For me, it eclipses the improvements provided by the Clear Frame processing. That you get both in one set only adds to the appeal of the 46LX177.

The 46LX177 is delivered in the so-called Sport mode, which produces a garishly bright and horribly oversaturated picture. When I switch to the Movie mode, the set’s behavior improves substantially, with a color temperature that is only a few hundred degrees below the ideal 6,500 degrees Kelvin target. Within the advanced menu, I found picture drive adjustments that let me further fine-tune the color temperature. After calibration, I’m rewarded with quite possibly the flattest and most accurate gray scale I’ve yet measured on any display. It produces deep blacks as well, and has none of the detail-obscuring "black crush" typical of the LCD breed.

This is the first LCD flat-panel TV I’ve come across that could easily be mistaken for a high-end plasma model (but only after proper adjustment and calibration, mind you). While the Clear Frame 120 Hz function does provide some picture detail improvement, it is the Film Stabilization feature that has me enthralled, and eager to give the Toshiba my most enthusiastic recommendation.

DESCRIPTION
LCD flat-panel HDTV with swivel stand. Can be wall mounted with optional bracket

DISPLAY CAPABILITIES
Widescreen 1080p LCD panel operates in both 4:3 and 16:9 modes. Accepts 720-line progressive and 1080-line interlaced and progressive HDTV, and 480-line progressive and interlaced standard definition signals. Includes analog and digital broadcast tuner with digital cable (unencrypted) tuner

RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080 pixels

CONNECTIONS
Three HDMI 1.3 digital video/audio inputs, two component video inputs, S-video input, two composite video inputs, RF input for antenna or cable, five analog stereo audio inputs, DB-15 connector for computer video, RJ-45 Ethernet jack, optical digital audio output, two analog stereo audio outputs, 3.5mm jacks for RF in/out

DIMENSIONS
30.3 x 44.7 x 13.8 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: $2,699
CONTACT: 800.631.3811, regzalcdtv.com