Toshiba LED 3D TVs can't compete with Samsung and Sony

It wasn't all that long ago that LED was best known, and in some ways only known, for its Christmas lights; now, it is the way of the future for flat panel, high definition, 3D TVs. Following the LED TV trend, late comers are now evolving into the already established, LED market with new models and new features. Toshiba is the latest to test the LED waters, but the question is, can it stack up against the industry's best?

Toshiba, in preparation for the CEDIA Expo, presented its WX800 line of 3D LED TVs that will utilize Yahoo! Connected TV. The WX800 Cinema Series features a 46-inch and 55-inch display and is the first of its kind from Toshiba.

For Toshiba,the introduction of a 3D LED TV this late in the game requires precise market positioning. Quality, price and/or additional features are a must to draw interest and get consumers excited about the TV.

The new Toshiba WX800 Cinema Series is interesting because it certainly cannot compete with Samsung and Sony's elite models. Both Samsung and Sony have thinner and bigger 3D LED TVs that Toshiba's new models do not compare to.

The Toshiba WX800 Cinema Series instead is positioned closer to the high tier, older Samsung 8000 Series and the Sony HX800 and NX810 Series.

At a high level, when it comes to quality, a lot of the advertised SPECs are the same across the board for comparable models of Toshiba, Samsung, and Sony. All have 1080p High Def, 3D, 240 Hz refresh rates, and great contrast ratios.

Samsung's comparable model in price has the thinnest screen at .9" which is nearly .3" thinner than the Toshiba TVs. Samsung's precision dimming is also highly touted as it utilizes technology that gives the appearance of both edge-lit backlight and full array local dimming.

Sony offers three tiers of TVs at each size, 46-inch and 55-inch, that are differentiated mostly by the lighting with the best being Intelligent Dynamic LED backlight. The better the lighting performance, however, the more the TV drastically increases in price and no longer compares to the Toshiba TVs.

When it comes to price, Toshiba offers a similar price to that of Samsung and Sony.

As mentioned, Sony offers three tiers of TVs at each size depending on the dimming. The 46-inch Dynamic Edge LED backlight HX800 Series runs at $300 less than the Toshiba WX800 Cinema Series while the NX810 Series, which would be comparable to Toshiba's lighting, utilizes the local dimming and runs at $200 more. The 55-inch Sony models are similar in proportion to the price differences with the HX800 Series running at about $500 less and the local dimming model at $400 more.

Samsung boasts prices just above that of Toshiba for the same size models for its 8000 Series. Both are $200 more than the Toshiba price, but both feature Samsung's superior precision dimming.

Toshiba, like Sony, uses edge lighting with local dimming. It is certainly not nearly the caliber of a full array local dimming, but it offers a high quality lighting system that allows for ultra thin displays.

One advantage that Toshiba believes it has in the market is its 3D technology called 3D Resolution+. It supposedly improves the picture quality and reduces the amount of crosstalk.

As for features, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba all have online features. Samsung uses Samsung Apps, Sony uses Bravia Internet Video, and Toshiba now uses Yahoo! Connected TV. All allow for online streaming and videos, as well as other unique features.

One feature that Toshiba does not offer is the 2D to 3D converter. Considering the limited amount of 3D content available at this point, this could be a major issue for early adopters of 3D TVs.

Overall, it looks like Toshiba pinched itself smack dab in the middle of two titans already fighting for treasured buyers. Without much of a competitive advantage (a slightly lower price and a slightly better 3D picture quality), it will be very difficult for Toshiba to win over buyers.