Its elegant black stand doesn’t draw undue attention to itself, and sits under the screen’s central section so that it’s easy to fit the TV onto even quite narrow pieces of furniture. cm (55"), Display resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels, HD type: 4K Ultra HD, Display technology: LED, Screen shape: Flat, LED backlighting type: Direct-LED. Its presentation is compact but effective, for the most part tidily fitting its content links and apps into a couple of ‘shelves’ superimposed over the bottom few inches of the picture.

Picture presets comprise Natural, Cinema, Sports, Game and Dynamic, with the first two being the obvious go-tos. Effortlessly combining HDR10, our High Dynamic Range enhances colour contrast, making blacks darker and whites brighter. Contrast between the whites and blacks is noticeable when the Toshiba is presented with the harsh light and shadows of a scene in a boxing ring scene as characters find their faces half illuminated and half plunged into darkness. Both sets won Recommended awards when we reviewed them, in part down to their incorporation of Roku’s easy-to-use and comprehensive smart platform.It’s large and sensibly laid out, with quick access buttons to Prime Video, Netflix and Freeview Play. The panel is also a VA type rather than an IPS type, which again usually results in better contrast (albeit at the expense of comparatively limited viewing angles). The aluminium plate stand offers very little clearance, which means a soundbar will block off the IR receiver.

The ability to play audio/video files from the network is unreliable: the "audio video sharing" option often disappears from the list of sources, even though it is enabled in settings. Voices are treated with clarity, at least, and there are a few modes to play around with in Smart (which emphasises voices), News (which reduces music and other sounds) and Surround mode (which offers a slightly bigger soundstage if left on), but the first two modes produce an echo effect as if people were speaking in a chamber. If you’re still stuck with an older console like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One X or are looking for a cheap TV to use when your Nintendo Switch or Switch OLED is docked, it’ll perform just fine.

The sound also projects forward and sideways from the screen quite effectively, avoiding that feeling so often heard with built-in TV audio systems that sound only seems to exist behind the screen. It is a simple and clean-looking display that would look great in spaces like bedrooms or smaller apartments. Like the UK31, the UL21 uses the Linux-based Toshiba Smart Portal, and supports the HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR formats. The Toshiba UK31 comes with the full-set of Toshiba’s Tru Picture Engine features that cover motion (Tru Flow), upscaling (Tru Resolution) and contrast (Tru Micro Dimming). The animated Netflix series Dead End: Paranormal Park looked vibrant and eye-catching in Dolby Vision Bright mode, despite the lack of pop you’d get from TVs sporting brighter panels.