If you’re seeking a bare-bones HDTV option that just gets the job done for your bedroom, den or kitchen, make sure to take a hard look at Toshiba’s 43-inch Fire TV Edition.

And right now at Best Buy, there’s a nice little sale going on that takes $70 off this set, so all you’re responsible for is a measly $210.
Despite this tiny price tag, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by what you’ll be receiving. No, this panel won’t come close to matching up with the much more expensive OLED (and danger of image retention and burn-in) and QLED HDTVs, but this 1080p TV will silently chug along to show you the news, weather reports and late-night talk shows hiccup-free.

This Fire TV boasts a 60Hz panel refresh rate that does a valiant job in reducing motion blur, but keep in mind that there is no support for the much-coveted HDR features and most other ancillary perks that come with HDTVs that cost thousands of dollars.

But even when watching action-heavy Marvel films or playing games on a PlayStation, the screen action is fairly smooth and the color spectrum is on full display. If you’ve been keen on doing any research on lower-tier TCL or Hisense HDTVs, know that this Toshiba set can hold its own against those two Chinese brands.

What really jumps out at you is the clever tie-up that Toshiba has forged with e-commerce giant Amazon. Now with the highly regarded Amazon Fire TV and Alexa under its panels, it really has become a solid option for many budget-conscious folks out there.

With Alexa handling all communication between you and the TV, it’s like having an Echo or an Echo Dot without actually paying for one (that’s like knocking off $30 to $80 from the overall price of the TV). And it is fully capable of giving you access to all of your favorite apps like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+, as well as obviously Amazon Prime Video. Similar to Roku TV, Amazon’s streaming content choices are seemingly endless.

For $210, be aware that this TV’s speakers are understandably lackluster, though they should be fine for smaller spaces. If you do desire a more immersive, bass-driven audio experience, getting yourself a decent soundbar will help immensely.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.