An old man was walking on a path by himself. He looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure if I recognized him. Then I saw the familiar bald head and heard the English accent. I had found the first episode of the show Star Trek: Picard, and it was all thanks to Alexa that was built into my TV.
For only $250, the Toshiba 43-inch 4K Smart LED Fire TV is a smart choice because you can use the Alexa bot to find a needle in a haystack. Using the included remote, you press and hold to ask Alexa questions, such as: ‘Show me new TV shows’. It can declutter your entertainment choices in a way that is incredibly helpful. I asked Alexa to show me apps like CBS All Access, read my Audible books, and show me the local weather.
It supports live television apps without a lot of fuss, too. I found one called Pluto TV and was able to watch a live feed of CNN without even registering, and then found an old 80s movie just as easily. The television has a normal coaxial cable as well which you can use for an HD antenna, satellite, or cable. I skipped those hard-wired connections because of the Pluto app.
The remote I mentioned has quick access buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, and PlayStation Vue (a service that is actually going dark this month). I liked being able to quickly punch up Netflix using the remote or by voice. Buttons were easy to find with one large circular dial for flipping through the apps available.
The 43-inch television is quite nice to look at as well. At this size, it’s perfect for a main floor living room like mine. Not overwhelming and gargantuan, but big enough to see famous bald heads from across the room. Surprisingly, the Toshiba has spectacular sound quality with a rich bass that seems unusual for a thin, widescreen 4K television. With HDR, the color quality looked rich and pleasing -- red shirt crew members looked vibrant, photon torpedoes filled the screen in a blaze of light. I watched a 4K video on YouTube showing someone on a rollercoaster at DisneyWorld and felt like I was in the car myself.
Overall, I was impressed with the HDR color quality, the superior sound, using Alexa to find shows and movies, and the live television app. Alexa does just about anything, too -- including ordering the movie popcorn from the Amazon store.
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