Toshiba U79 and U80 Owners Discussion And Review !!

[vaibhav007]

That only works when you have enough stock. If you can't import enough units, what's the point of giving units to reviewers. That's what I meant above.

Assume two scenarios:

Scenario 1: You only have 1000 units to sell. You want to get more units, but the government is blocking imports heavily and it won't be solved for a few months. You have a demand of at least 5000 units. In this case, Toshiba will like to sell the 1000 units instead of giving 50 units to reviewers and selling only 950. Also in this case they'll just anger consumers who watched the reviews and couldn't get a unit.
However, once you get enough stock in a few months, you'll get review units out to increase demand from 5000 to 50000.

Scenario 2: You have 100000 units but only demand for 5000 units. In this case, you'll send 50 units to reviewers and get good reviews out(only works if product is good or you pay the reviewer). This will increase demand and you'll be able to sell way more units.

Again, as you see for the products Toshiba has stock for (U50 and below) they have sent out review units. However, for U79 they haven't and it's still out of stock. There's no point of getting reviews out because the product won't be in stock for a while. When they get enough units in for U79 and U80, they'll get the hype going by getting reviews out.

It's all about timing with marketing. You don't want reviews out when people can't get the product itself. That leads to hype dying out by the time product is already out and people forget about it.

Also, it's Toshiba and not Hisense. Hisense owns a majority stake in Toshiba and hence gets all the profits, and Toshiba gets to use Hisense tech. However, Toshiba has its own brand identity and as usual in these sorts of cases, they do have the freedom to innovate and differentiate for better or for worse. For example, OnePlus, Vivo and Oppo all are owned by BBK electronics and yet their phones are very different. The ownership only controls where the profits and tech transfer happens, but not about ideas or products 100%. Similarly with Toyota and Lexus or Volkswagen and Audi in the car world

That only works when you have enough stock. If you can't import enough units, what's the point of giving units to reviewers. That's what I meant above.

Assume two scenarios:

Scenario 1: You only have 1000 units to sell. You want to get more units, but the government is blocking imports heavily and it won't be solved for a few months. You have a demand of at least 5000 units. In this case, Toshiba will like to sell the 1000 units instead of giving 50 units to reviewers and selling only 950. Also in this case they'll just anger consumers who watched the reviews and couldn't get a unit.
However, once you get enough stock in a few months, you'll get review units out to increase demand from 5000 to 50000.

Scenario 2: You have 100000 units but only demand for 5000 units. In this case, you'll send 50 units to reviewers and get good reviews out(only works if product is good or you pay the reviewer). This will increase demand and you'll be able to sell way more units.

Again, as you see for the products Toshiba has stock for (U50 and below) they have sent out review units. However, for U79 they haven't and it's still out of stock. There's no point of getting reviews out because the product won't be in stock for a while. When they get enough units in for U79 and U80, they'll get the hype going by getting reviews out.

It's all about timing with marketing. You don't want reviews out when people can't get the product itself. That leads to hype dying out by the time product is already out and people forget about it.

Also, it's Toshiba and not Hisense. Hisense owns a majority stake in Toshiba and hence gets all the profits, and Toshiba gets to use Hisense tech. However, Toshiba has its own brand identity and as usual in these sorts of cases, they do have the freedom to innovate and differentiate for better or for worse. For example, OnePlus, Vivo and Oppo all are owned by BBK electronics and yet their phones are very different. The ownership only controls where the profits and tech transfer happens, but not about ideas or products 100%. Similarly with Toyota and Lexus or Volkswagen and Audi in the car world.

Makes sense. I only wish the very best to the company. I hope they will be able to do well with their product line. I wish 7980 becomes the gamechanger in the budget tv segment like what xiaomi mi3 did to the budget phone market at the time of its launch.

 

[Infamous]

Also, it's Toshiba and not Hisense. Hisense owns a majority stake in Toshiba and hence gets all the profits, and Toshiba gets to use Hisense tech. However, Toshiba has its own brand identity and as usual in these sorts of cases, they do have the freedom to innovate and differentiate for better or for worse. For example, OnePlus, Vivo and Oppo all are owned by BBK electronics and yet their phones are very different. The ownership only controls where the profits and tech transfer happens, but not about ideas or products 100%. Similarly with Toyota and Lexus or Volkswagen and Audi in the car world.

Toshiba is a great company but lets not kid ourselves. Its Hisense who is calling the shots here with the TVs. In India, Hisense is just using the Toshiba name for brand value. I doubt they are gonna ever gonna put a Toshiba in US. Only gonna do it in markets where they don't launch the good stuff.

And I disagree as to your reasons as to why they didn't market it or get enough stocks. Easy to blame govt and import duty* but the simple fact is Hisense is just testing the waters this time. They are launching FALD sets in a chill/no pressure schedule and just see how much ripples they cause. That's explains the old models and less stock. Its simply not high priority. And to their point, it is a slow year. They know their strategy with U50, its tried and proven so why take so many efforts for something new that too in this year? Too much work/risk and less reward even if its a blockbuster. My point is, its a conscious decision. Nothing else.

*Another point against the import duty excuse companies and well meaning people here want you to believe, Samsung Frame in India is priced lower than in US. Its an online only model and this removed the need to add the distributor/retail stores profit. And in the US, they priced it higher than even the q80t (I think) by giving them the "its a premium decor artistic piece of tech. You could like.....make your living room an art gallery" reason.

Here, what is sold by big brands is "Your government puts heavy taxes, so we can't give you good things at US prices" and smaller brands sell us the "Your people don't have buying capacity. Its a price sensitive market". Both are just playing their target audiences and both are doing good business. Until now. Now, both lines of reasoning is proved wrong by the likes of U79/80 and the Frame. Something good and at the same time lower priced. Next year is gonna be a banger! Everyone is gonna up their game in the Indian market. Thanks to Hisense for not playing by the old rules.

 

[lightgamer]

Toshiba is a great company but lets not kid ourselves. Its Hisense who is calling the shots here with the TVs. In India, Hisense is just using the Toshiba name for brand value. I doubt they are gonna ever gonna put a Toshiba in US. Only gonna do it in markets where they don't launch the good stuff.

And I disagree as to your reasons as to why they didn't market it or get enough stocks. Easy to blame govt and import duty* but the simple fact is Hisense is just testing the waters this time. They are launching FALD sets in a chill/no pressure schedule and just see how much ripples they cause. That's explains the old models and less stock. Its simply not high priority. And to their point, it is a slow year. They know their strategy with U50, its tried and proven so why take so many efforts for something new that too in this year? Too much work/risk and less reward even if its a blockbuster. My point is, its a conscious decision. Nothing else.

*Another point against the import duty excuse companies and well meaning people here want you to believe, Samsung Frame in India is priced lower than in US. Its an online only model and this removed the need to add the distributor/retail stores profit. And in the US, they priced it higher than even the q80t (I think) by giving them the "its a premium decor artistic piece of tech. You could like.....make your living room an art gallery" reason.

Here, what is sold by big brands is "Your government puts heavy taxes, so we can't give you good things at US prices" and smaller brands sell us the "Your people don't have buying capacity. Its a price sensitive market". Both are just playing their target audiences and both are doing good business. Until now. Now, both lines of reasoning is proved wrong by the likes of U79/80 and the Frame. Something good and at the same time lower priced. Next year is gonna be a banger! Everyone is gonna up their game in the Indian market. Thanks to Hisense for not playing by the old rules.

I never mentioned import duty, but import restrictions this year. The customs department is not allowing a lot of shipments to go through, causing delays in stock. And it's not just Toshiba, but a lot of LG/Sony TVs are delayed too. I was eyeing a bunch of LG monitors which didn't launch, Google pixel 4a/Google TV got the same fate and so on.

The restrictions are especially tight on Chinese imports. Even my $20 network card from AliExpress has been stuck for a while. And it's not just India, but all over the world that imports and launches are delayed.

Regarding Toshiba vs Hisense, the TV might have different processing than the H8F. We just don't know. I quite like how it looks, but have no way of comparing it to how the H8F looked. And regarding the lower end models (U50 and below) they are different TVs than Hisense and made in India, so that's there. Obviously you can't expect Toshiba to make hardware when Hisense is so good at it. Just the processing.

 

[BLASTO]

Hisense had a low bar to beat when they arrived. And they met and overtook it. TCL was just slogging.
Toshiba had very good tech back then. I got the TV advertised for cricket series and processing was absolute delight. They used real 10 bit panels in 32" TVs back then and it showed. Colours for normal SDR content itself is unbelievable. Too bad korean competetion with passable processing won the game.
If they are bringing in hisense hardware with toshiba processing, iam all game for it. It is a win-win. But not very sure.

 

[Yogesh]

Hisense had a low bar to beat when they arrived. And they met and overtook it. TCL was just slogging.
Toshiba had very good tech back then. I got the TV advertised for cricket series and processing was absolute delight. They used real 10 bit panels in 32" TVs back then and it showed. Colours for normal SDR content itself is unbelievable. Too bad korean competetion with passable processing won the game.
If they are bringing in hisense hardware with toshiba processing, iam all game for it. It is a win-win. But not very sure.

We need to understand, These TVs have nothing to do with Toshiba Company. Hisense bought the TV business from Toshiba company. The TVs are just Hisense products which are labelled as Toshiba. Whatever Good/bad experiences of ours with Toshiba TVs in the past now hold no good.

 

[BLASTO]

We need to understand, These TVs have nothing to do with Toshiba Company. Hisense bought the TV business from Toshiba company. The TVs are just Hisense products which are labelled as Toshiba. Whatever Good/bad experiences of ours with Toshiba TVs in the past now hold no good.

Alternatively, why would Hisense acquire Toshiba if they were to not make use of the tech? Is it only for the name? How much would the name cost?
Hisense acquired Toshiba around 3 years ago. If you think about it, they became very popular in the US only from 2018. You never know what tech they are consuming. I am not saying they do but there is always a question mark.

Hisense looks to turn around Toshiba TV unit in 3 years

Chinese electronics maker's chairman sees value in brand, technology and talent

asia.nikkei.com

Above article would give some insights on why the acquisition could be more than for just the name.

 

[Yogesh]

Alternatively, why would Hisense acquire Toshiba if they were to not make use of the tech? Is it only for the name? How much would the name cost?
Hisense acquired Toshiba around 3 years ago. If you think about it, they became very popular in the US only from 2018. You never know what tech they are consuming. I am not saying they do but there is always a question mark.

Hisense looks to turn around Toshiba TV unit in 3 years

Chinese electronics maker's chairman sees value in brand, technology and talent

asia.nikkei.com

Above article would give some insights on why the acquisition could be more than for just the name.

We don't know if and how much of it got through. And whatever got through, the effect of it would have now been evident for long. It wouldn't have to wait for Toshiba name & India launch.

But, I understand what you are hoping for as you were very impressed with original Toshiba picture processing.

 

[BLASTO]

We don't know if and how much of it got through. And whatever got through, the effect of it would have now been evident for long. It wouldn't have to wait for Toshiba name & India launch.

Taking one more post to get the point across since it could be relevant.
They advertise the CEVO 4k engine with Toshiba TVs but not hisense branded ones, CEVO 4k used to be very good in upscaling in general and specifically in colour reproduction.
Videos like the below give you hope that it might have gotten through to Toshiba branded Tvs. Because the expectations and output are similar.

Again not very sure.

 

[Yogesh]

Taking one more post to get the point across since it could be relevant.
They advertise the CEVO 4k engine with Toshiba TVs but not hisense branded ones, CEVO 4k used to be very good in upscaling in general and specifically in colour reproduction.
Videos like the below give you hope that it might have gotten through to Toshiba branded Tvs. Because the expectations and output are similar.

Again not very sure.

Great! If CEVO gives such excellent results, Hisense shouldn't limit it to Toshiba brand only and use it extensively.

 

[bipin1143]

U80 update

I just had a conversation with Toshiba customer care guy named madhan to enquire about u80. He says he's not in a position to reveal information "perticularly U80" but kept on saying they are in planning to release "very soon" I really don't know how soon it would be but guessing by his words it's going to be on Flipkart and Amazon sale dates.
And also I enquired about the services they provide after sale and they sounded quite responsive. Still fingers crossed investing on U80.

Toshiba at reliance digital gets 3years warranty 2+1 on panel and electronics

 

[lightgamer]

I've done a bit more research on the U80 v/s U8QF v/s H9G and this is what I found:

• All 3 look the exact same from the front and the back (the different back was from the 55" U8QF, but the 65" models of all 3 look the same)
• All 3 have a different sound system. H9G has usual back speakers, U8QF has a JBL 20W soundbar, and U80 has a 24W Hisense soundbar.
• All 3 seem to have the same panel, which has same specs and performs the same (at least in H9G and U8QF)
• The U8080 name sounds suspiciously close to U8QF (just food for thought)
• Both the U8080 and U8QF run on VIDAA 4.0, while H9G on android TV. The U8080 runs on VIDAA 4.0 despite the other, lower-end models running on VIDAA 3.0.

So there's a good chance the U80 is just a U8QF, with a different soundbar. As for processing, it will likely be different for the U80 from the U8QF since it will use the CEVO tech instead of Hisense tech. There should be a reason Hisense put money in buying Toshiba rather than just the Toshiba trademark (which would have allowed them to use the Toshiba name without the extra cost). Unfortunately, due to absolutely zero decent reviewers in India, we'll never know how the TV performs. Seeing the positive reviews of the Realme TV has made me lose the little faith I had left in them. So waiting for it might not be that fruitful.

If I were you and I needed a new TV now, I'd get the 55" U79 instead of making a dice roll on U80, then upgrade next year or the year after that. If it's the U8QF without processing difference, that one has horrible processing which makes it even worse than the lower specced U7QF. That would be a sheer waste of 1 lakh rupees. If you want the best TV, just go for the LG CX and spend a bit more. That will be significantly better than even if it was the H9G.

 

[lightgamer]

U80 update

I just had a conversation with Toshiba customer care guy named madhan to enquire about u80. He says he's not in a position to reveal information "perticularly U80" but kept on saying they are in planning to release "very soon" I really don't know how soon it would be but guessing by his words it's going to be on Flipkart and Amazon sale dates.
And also I enquired about the services they provide after sale and they sounded quite responsive. Still fingers crossed investing on U80.

Toshiba at reliance digital gets 3years warranty 2+1 on panel and electronics

Can you ask him whether it's the U8QF or the H9G? Also, ask him when the VIDAA 4.0 will arrive on the rest of the lineup since the U80 is already shipping with it.

 

[bipin1143]

Can you ask him whether it's the U8QF or the H9G? Also, ask him when the VIDAA 4.0 will arrive on the rest of the lineup since the U80 is already shipping with it.

I highly doubt that the person behind the phone really knows if its h9g /u8qf or NOT
but ill try and ask him on the future software updates

 

[Rajeev-23]

I've done a bit more research on the U80 v/s U8QF v/s H9G and this is what I found:

• All 3 look the exact same from the front and the back (the different back was from the 55" U8QF, but the 65" models of all 3 look the same)
• All 3 have a different sound system. H9G has usual back speakers, U8QF has a JBL 20W soundbar, and U80 has a 24W Hisense soundbar.
• All 3 seem to have the same panel, which has same specs and performs the same (at least in H9G and U8QF)
• The U8080 name sounds suspiciously close to U8QF (just food for thought)
• Both the U8080 and U8QF run on VIDAA 4.0, while H9G on android TV. The U8080 runs on VIDAA 4.0 despite the other, lower-end models running on VIDAA 3.0.

So there's a good chance the U80 is just a U8QF, with a different soundbar. As for processing, it will likely be different for the U80 from the U8QF since it will use the CEVO tech instead of Hisense tech. There should be a reason Hisense put money in buying Toshiba rather than just the Toshiba trademark (which would have allowed them to use the Toshiba name without the extra cost). Unfortunately, due to absolutely zero decent reviewers in India, we'll never know how the TV performs. Seeing the positive reviews of the Realme TV has made me lose the little faith I had left in them. So waiting for it might not be that fruitful.

If I were you and I needed a new TV now, I'd get the 55" U79 instead of making a dice roll on U80, then upgrade next year or the year after that. If it's the U8QF without processing difference, that one has horrible processing which makes it even worse than the lower specced U7QF. That would be a sheer waste of 1 lakh rupees. If you want the best TV, just go for the LG CX and spend a bit more. That will be significantly better than even if it was the H9G.

Spend a bit more and get LG CX? Your bit more is 1.30 lakhs!!!!!

 

[iambatman28]

Spend a bit more and get LG CX? Your bit more is 1.30 lakhs!!!!!

It's shocking at first but it's the truth. I was initially researching for good TVs around 50k and eventually realised that if I actually want the quality I'm looking for its OLED or nothing. At the end of the day, anyone spending 1L on a TV wants great PQ and OLED is miles ahead of any other TV in the market.

 

[Rajeev-23]

Our forum members brought u79 and they r saying it’s a really good tv. FALD 700 nits 60hz U79 is good then FALD 1000 nits local Dimming pro 120hz tv will be better. I think we should give credit to Toshiba for introducing u80 at 1 lakh in India. Let the model comes out then we can review it and advice other members to go for it or spend more and get other TVs.

 

[Rajeev-23]

It's shocking at first but it's the truth. I was initially researching for good TVs around 50k and eventually realised that if I actually want the quality I'm looking for its OLED or nothing. At the end of the day, anyone spending 1L on a TV wants great PQ and OLED is miles ahead of any other TV in the market.

You are right. Agreed. We can say that spend double and get Lg CX. Not like spend a bit more and get CX.

 

[lightgamer]

Spend a bit more and get LG CX? Your bit more is 1.30 lakhs!!!!!

The CX isn't 2.3 lakhs. You should be able to get it for around 1.8-1.9 lakhs in Diwali.

Our forum members brought u79 and they r saying it’s a really good tv. FALD 700 nits 60hz U79 is good then FALD 1000 nits local Dimming pro 120hz tv will be better. I think we should give credit to Toshiba for introducing u80 at 1 lakh in India. Let the model comes out then we can review it and advice other members to go for it or spend more and get other TVs.

That's because the H8F had excellent PQ. However, if this is the U8QF, this will have issues with processing. On the other hand, it could be a great TV as well if the processing is on par with or better than the H9G.

But it's an unknown for now. If you want the best PQ, definitely spend the 1.8 lakhs and get the CX. Spending 1 lakh on a gamble that is the U80 just doesn't feel right to me. And the CX is worth the extra 80%. You get way better customer support, HDMI 2.1, OLED, better PQ and better OS inside.

Spending 1 lakh is only worth it if we're sure it's the H9G or at least better than the U8QF. However, since there are no good TV reviewers in India, you won't be able to determine that unfortunately unless someone knowledgeable from this forum buys and reviews it.

 

[lightgamer]

It's shocking at first but it's the truth. I was initially researching for good TVs around 50k and eventually realised that if I actually want the quality I'm looking for its OLED or nothing. At the end of the day, anyone spending 1L on a TV wants great PQ and OLED is miles ahead of any other TV in the market.

Yeah, gambling on the fact that it's not the U8QF on 1 lakh rupees just doesn't feel right to me.

There are two scenarios:

• It's the H9G or has even better Toshiba processing: In this case, it'll be a great buy. However, even if you spent more for the OLED, you won't regret it since you spent more for better quality.
• It's the U8QF: In this case, you wasted your 1 lakh rupees since the TV's processing is garbage tier with lots of artefacts.

I would have waited if there was a way to determine how good the TV is. Unfortunately, the review scene in India is non-existent and you will have to take the risk. The U7980, on the other hand, I can personally vouch for, and also it's so much cheaper. For the 47k/67k you spend, you are getting more than your money's worth. Since I was getting them for my parents, I couldn't have gotten OLED since their usage will be lots of news/DTH which will burn-in the panel.

If I was personally buying for myself, I'd either get the 55" U79 and wait a couple of years. Or get the 55"/65" C9/CX.

 

[lightgamer]

I highly doubt that the person behind the phone really knows if its h9g /u8qf or NOT
but ill try and ask him on the future software updates

Yeah, but there's no harm in trying to get that info. Even if he doesn't know it, maybe someone else he knows does.