Originally posted by rc-zombies
or you can go to TAP plastics and get a non-glare lexan cut to size to fit the 525's for about $30-50

Alrighty then. Went to TAP today and they very diligently told me that this would make me very unhappy because the "opacity" is not right for use with a tv.

Now I'm leery about being the guinea pig on this one. What do you think rc?

If the anti-glare screen on the upcoming 52725 is anything like the anti-glare screen on the MIts 55813 CRT, it is not going to completely eliminate glare. The most effective way to eliminate the glare is to remove the protective screen.

The anit-glare screens on the Samsungs, Toshiba's and now Panny DLP's(just seen that one at Anderson TV & Stereo) does something to the picture that I just can't discribe. I does something to the viewing angle, I don't know how to discribe the effect I'm looking at.

The only really effective way to eliminate glare is to turn off the lights that are shining off of it. If you're not willing to do that then Auditor55 has it exactly right--you have to get rid of the screen.

I don't really have too much against people who can't live with glare. What you could do is get some of those solar filters for telescopes and look through them and not see anything. Then you could post in and tell all the CRT lovers to shove it because your display shows REAL blacks!

Originally posted by sbtv
One more point of information on the Mits Diamond Shield on the 525. I called Mits parts department to see if the 725 detachable anti-glare screen could be fitted to the 525. They said the parts are not interchangeable though I find it hard to believe they wouldn't be. Maybe they don't want to cannibilize 725 sales as the replacement screen is $200 which is less than the difference in price between the 525 and 725.

I can certainly understand your point.

It would seem that there are (at least) two parameters that would determine whether or not a shield is interchangable.

#1, it has to physically fit, and

#2, it has to be compatible with the TV, i.e. not produce luminance or chrominance or other INACCURACIES that render your $5000 investment HANDICAPPED.

So back to my post from a couple days ago, which is:

If you put a "better" shield on a "lesser" TV, will it still be able to be accurately calibrated by an ISF tech?

Go ahead and flame me, but all this talk about "red push" and "black levels" and "sharpness" and "film-like" and yada-yada is often based on the author viewing a TV that hasn't even been setup properly!

Yeah, it costs a few hundred dollars to adjust it right, but that's only 10% of the equation. If I buy a $500 TV, I'll just fiddle and tweak the knobs 'till it's as good as possible, but when I plunk $5K down.....


Comments ?? ............

sbtv, I was wondering where you got that stand, and if anybody else knows where to get a darker stand...looked at IKEA per post, but didnt see anything that was a dark wood that would hoold the Mits....

On the stand... I'm looking at the black stand for the 52" LG DLP. I think it's about the right width and I like that it has wider shelves than the Mitsu stand.

Originally posted by Reynard
Alrighty then. Went to TAP today and they very diligently told me that this would make me very unhappy because the "opacity" is not right for use with a tv.

Now I'm leery about being the guinea pig on this one. What do you think rc?

worked fine on my mits CRT RPTV.. :) I replaced the glare screen with it which is similar to the 525 series..

before you try though...If you ask...tap plastics will give you a 6x6 sample piece to take home a test out.

technik, I'm a big fan of the Salamander Designs cabinets. You can get them in a very dark wood stain (walnut) or just black if you really want to go dark. Google for them.

On removing the protective screen: I didn't find it difficult at all, once I found just the right tool, that is. :) I used an old 59 cent, 2 inch plastic putty knife from Home Depot. You can find them in the painting section. It is exactly what the manual called for and worked like a champ. I inserted the tip of it right where each clip was and the clip just popped right out. It was very counterintuitive, as I didn't expect it to come out so easily. I had been messing around with a screwdriver, and that wasn't working out well at all. Something about the pressure of the plastic putty knife against the side of the case just made the clip pop loose. If you do it this way, clip by clip, it will be very easy to control the screen. There are three clips on each side, one each at the top, middle, and bottom. The bottom of the screen fits down in a little groove, so when you flex the screen in the middle to pull the top out, be ready to go ahead and pull it up as soon as the top releases. The screen is very flexible, by the way.

Auditor55, I don't know about the Toshiba and the Panny DLPs, but the anti-glare screen on the Sammy is the exact same material as the inside screen on the Mits. With the protective screen off the Mits, you cannot tell the difference between the two in terms of glare. Now, the PQ is a totally different story. The Mits blows the Sammy away. Some of it (most of it?) is the HD2+ chip, I'm sure. But I think the processing (AVMP2 on the Mits) is a little better as well.

Originally posted by technik
sbtv, I was wondering where you got that stand, and if anybody else knows where to get a darker stand...looked at IKEA per post, but didnt see anything that was a dark wood that would hoold the Mits....

I think the stand is a Sanus but I don't recall - it's 6 years old. I like the Salamander too, looks good, has different color options including black and cherry (or some other wood look).

On removing the screen, I like rtmoore4's description. I also used a putty knife (the manual actually suggests this) but I slipped mine in BETWEEN the clips rather than into the clips. That probably explains why I had to do more prying.

All Thanks 4 the stand info, I 2 am looking at getting the 52525, was thinking about waiting on the 725 though. Nice to know that removing the shield brings the glare inline with the sammy, am still curious as to 1-- What dif the 725 or 825 shield will bring and 2-- if either will fit the 525.... guess thats the waiting game, unless someone has got a response from Mits with the answer.

IMO..the Mits blows the Sammy away as far as PQ and features go!

Originally posted by technik


IMO..the Mits blows the Sammy away as far as PQ and features go!

1.Which Sammy?

2.Which features?

:cool:

Was referring to the sammy HLP5063...

For one the int HD tuner is nice...no external box needed for OTA HD signal, and The HD picture just looked more realistic on the Mits to my eyes...although SD I think was probably more of a toss up... I also like the Netcommand feature from what Ive seen

Orginally I was looking at the Hitach 50v500's and the Sammy's, then the Mits caught my eyes. Im still on the sideline at this point and reading all I can.

I have been watching for a year also. (Nothing like HTwaits) I do like those features mentioned but I am not sure if I will use Netcommand and of course the old argument about Set top Boxes (which are two way communicators and are upgradeable) vs the convenience of internal cable-card (which I assume is upgradeable also) will always come up. My choices are limited because of size and speaker location on the sets. My main concern is determining how much SD programing vs HD programing will be watched over the next couple of years.
I am trying to decide between :
Samsung HLP5674W
Samsung HLP6163W
Mitsubishi WD-62725 series

I think the HD3 chips are less "sharp" and still deliver good HD, but their strength is that they show SD better than the HD2+ chips (which show HD more 3D like). Oh! to live in the present or the future?
I like the 2 Digital inputs on the Samsungs but like the other features as mentioned on the Mitsubishi.

Samsung has a great track record of improving their TV's concurrently with their production so as problems arise they are addressed.

Mitsubishi is just starting to learn their issues.


May be drawing straws for the final choice but for now I am leaning toward the Samsung HLP5674W.

jdmoser: I think you're leaning in the right direction, but the Mits 725 might have a great picture--just pick whichever one you like between those two--either way I think you'll be pleased.

Samsung has a great track record of improving their TV's concurrently with their production so as problems arise they are addressed.

Mitsubishi is just starting to learn their issues.


May be drawing straws for the final choice but for now I am leaning toward the Samsung HLP5674W. [/B][/QUOTE]

Samsung is still having issues with their sets. Samsung has been in the DLP game longer than some competing manufacturers, but yet the likes of Mits, Toshiba, Panasonic and LG can come out with DLP's that equal or surpass the Samsungs.

Originally posted by Auditor55

Samsung is still having issues with their sets. Samsung has been in the DLP game longer than some competing manufacturers, but yet the likes of Mits, Toshiba, Panasonic and LG can come out with DLP's that equal or surpass the Samsungs. [/B]

Mits, Toshiba Panasonic and LG are also having issues with their sets, the rest is individual opinion.

Originally posted by jdmoser
Mits, Toshiba Panasonic and LG are also having issues with their sets, the rest is individual opinion.

Amen.

Randy

After waiting a year for the new DLPs, almost purchasing a CRT, and then finally going to back to the DLP, I just purchased the Mits 525... will be here Saturday of this coming week :D :D

Now, I need a stand. I went to Ikea, but nothing fit the bill. What heights are people using? I was thinking something around 18" high. If I can't find anything, I'll just go get the matching stand. Can't wait till saturday :D :D

I made my own stand and I will recommend 20" high.

Does anyone have specs on the matching stand's dimensions? I can't find them anywhere...

I would use my current TV bench since it is 50" wide and 23" deep. Bad thing is that it is 26" tall... just too much for the optimal seating height.

Havent seen the HLP5674W ...they havent hit the street yet have they??

The 52525's matching stand is: 49.75" wide, 14.75" high and 16.5" deep. It has the exact footprint as the set.

Hope this helps...JL

thanks! :D

only 14.75" high though? I would have thought it would be higher than that.

Just read through the threads on 74/77 conf....that samsung doesnt even have a release date, same pic as the "kirk", which IMO didnt look that great...

Think im STILL leaning towards either the 525 or 725....

Well, my local BestBuy just put the 62525 on the floor last night and I just got back from purchasing it :) The $500 difference made me jump from the 52" to the 62" so now I'm anxiously awaiting a Tuesday delivery! I talked them into getting 10% off the tv and the stand, free delivery and the free xbox so I'm pretty excited so far ;)

One of the biggest reasons was cablecard. I will split the cable so my hd dvr runs from one cable and the other goes directly into the tv. Then I have sd and digital thru cablecard and hidef through dvi getting the best of both worlds :)

We'll see how I like it on Tuesday. I'm just hoping it's the answer to my prayers. I had the first gen Sammy dlp and hated the black levels but the new Mitsu's definitely look much better. I will be removing the screen ASAP and I read earlier in this thread that Mitsubishi will be releasing a new trim piece that we can buy soon. Is this verified? as that would be sweet to just buy a trim piece in black with the mistubishi nameplate on the front. That's it for now. I'll keep reading your updates and will post more on Tuesday. I do know I bought the Mitsu stand because it was very low and did what I wanted which was keep the middle of the screen somewhat at eye level.

Steve

Also, I bought the 399.99 service plan as they states it covers the bulbs now too. Has anyone seen this in print and verfied with the service plan company?

What is the optimal viewing height? When seated, eyes at mid screen level?

What is the ETA of the 62725?

Originally posted by StrangeMan
What is the optimal viewing height? When seated, eyes at mid screen level?

In all my measurements, the very top of the set should be at about 52" - 57". That is for the 52" version.

I have the 52525 on the matching stand and the top of the unit is 51.5" from the floor. From my experience, you get the optimum image & PQ when your eyes are at the same height as the middle of the screen. I watch the 525 at a 45 degree angle and the middle of the screen (and my eyes) is approx. 36" from the floor. The viewing angle is not as important as the viewing height.

Hope this helps....JL

On 5 AUG 2004, my Pioneer Elite PRO-610 (ISF Calibrated) developed a bad power supply and was working intermittently. I decided to get the new Mits WD62525 DLP. I have never owned anything other than Pioneer Elite and regret they don't make a DLP. Anyway, On 6 AUG 2004 (Friday) I bought the Mits with 5 yr warranty and was delivered about 10:00PM that night by the Ultimate Electronics salesman who lives in my town (very nice of him for free delivery).

So far so good, I think I've put 20 hours on the set so far. This morning after turning it off and then trying to turn it on again, I had to do a reset. Other than that nothing else. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have the Dish Network 6000 receiver and I upconvert all programming to 1080i. This makes SD channels like CNN, FOX News, etc. all very nice. For a DVD player I have the Pioneer Elite DV-38A and it has internal video adjustment parameters. Turning up the block and mosquito noise reduction, progressive DVD playback is some of the best I've seen using "Matrix Revolutions" as my test disc. I did not notice any of the pixelization on any fast moving scenes that I saw in the shop. I'm using an OTA antenna for local HD channels and find that the Mits takes a bit longer to switch to those channels. This new HD2+ chip is quite good and the advantages of a DLP TV seem overshadow CRT based TVs.

I found with CRTs, the average cost of purchasing and maintaining a calibrated RPTV is about $1000 a year. I will not do an ISF cal on this new set and expect my annual cost to be somewhat less. No matter how much anyone pays, if you like the home theater experience, you will be buying new largescreen within 7 years.

rsg_1,

Does the dish reciever output a 720P signal? If so have you tried that? I would expect the 720p signal to look better on the mits since it is a native 720p device.

Also, the one thing I haven't had a chance to try out on the mits is it's ability to handle details in dark scenes (i.e. something like some of the darker scenes in LOTR)... would you say that the mits is pretty close to your Elite in this regard?

Netcommand rocks!!!

After playing with my set some more, I decided to give the Netcommand a try. I bypassed it during initial startup, and I was all prepared to hate it whenever I did try it. I thought, "Why would I want to waste a bunch of time configuring everything just so the TV knows what is connected to it? I don't plan on using the recording feature from the TV, so who cares?" Boy, was I wrong. The beauty of it is that the TV knows all of the remote control codes for your various devices. Who needs a universal remote? Your TV remote is now one! If the TV doesn't know the code for a particular device, you can tell it what type of device it is and then program the codes into the TV just by hitting the corresponding button on the remote you want to learn from while pointing it at the TV. It is much easier to setup than I thought, and quite functional. When you change inputs, the TV automatically knows what codes to send to any given device. For example, when I switch to DVD, the TV automatically turns the DVD player on and enables the "play, pause, etc." buttons on the remote. Although it doesn't know about any specialized "programmable" buttons on your device-specific remotes, the ones on the Mits remote suffice for most operations. I rarely need to reach for another remote anymore. I do wish Mits didn't sacrifice so much remote real estate to the PIP function, though. I can't say as I will ever use that.

Sigh... I have been bypassing my Netcommand setup for almost a week now. I see I will have to bite the bullet and just get it set up.

I did manage to get an antenna put up today to give the OTA tuner a test. Wow, HDTV really is amazing. Hopefully my cable company will come through and call me back about getting me a cablecard so I can try the cable HDTV channels.

Originally posted by rtmoore4
Netcommand rocks!!!

After playing with my set some more, I decided to give the Netcommand a try. .

How did you set it up?

I keep trying to do it but the remote does not control anything. Do you have to use the IR cables?

Has anyone hooked up the 525 to a computer? Is the hook up "plug and Play"? Does the 525 come with a display driver for the PC?

BigAL,

The Dish Network Model 6000 is 1080i only. I think the newer Model 811 may have 720p, but I'm not sure. I've been told that the Model 6000 is more reliable. Probably upconverting to 720p would be better on this Mits.

I looked at the dark scenes in "Matrix Revolutions" and I was very pleased with what I saw. True, the best CRTs are a shade better than this particular Mits, but the problems of focus (mechanical + electrical), geometry and convergence are gone. The resolution, in that sense, is better than CRT based RPTVs. I played around with 0 IRE and 7.5 IRE settings on my DVD player and can get excellent black levels. I have yet to play with Video Essentials and at that point, I'll have a better idea of this RPTV's capability. The DVD player that I have that is great, Pioneer Elite DV-38A, is known for its chroma noise problem. On this set, the noise was not noticable to me.

By the way, I'm still looking for the rainbow effect on these Mitsubishi DLP's. I've munched Fritos while watching and shook my head until I had a headache and didn't see anything.

What I would like to is take a fully calibrated Mits Diamond Series 65" set with 9" CRTs and compare it to the 62" Mits DLP. Overall, I think we have a winner here.

I too love netcommand... I've set it up on a couple TV's now and the more I use it the more I like it. I have not setup the latest Netcommand 4 but I think most of this is the same.

I'm not going to cover exactly how to do this as the onscreen instructions as the manual and on-screen instructions cover most of it, however I will provide a couple tips.

***NOTE*** The TV has all the codes, not the remote. When you use netcommand you ALWAYS leave the remote set to the TV device... you select the device on the TV device menu (not on the remote) and the TV knows which remote control commands to send to the selected device. Because of this you have to set the TV device on the remote to netcommand mode... I think it's TV device code 935... but check the manual.

To take advantage of netcommand, yes, you do need to use the IR emitters... of course make sure you point the emitters at the IR eye of the component.

When setting up devices...
-Change the TV input to the device you want to setup (so you can test out learned signals later on) then go into the TV menu, netcommand menu, and add a device following the onscreen instructions.
-if you have an AV reciever I would recommend doing that device first.
-If your device is not in the pre-programmed memory (and most aren't) select other as the device and then use the learn function to learn the commands from the original remote.
-Even if the device is in the pre-programmed menu you may want to use the learn function so you can assign functions to the remote buttons the way that you want them to be assigned.
-Always point the remote at the back of the screen... the ir sensor is down by the projector and the IR signals are reflected off the mirror on the back of the set.
-After you learn a command make sure you test it out.
-To rearrange icons use the Icon position function
-To remove unneeded memory card devices (or any other device) go into the 'review' option to unselect them.

In use...
-To power on/off a device, bring up the TV device menu, highlight the device then hit the power button on the remote.
-To have Netcommand switch the audio from the TV speakers to the reciever, hit the audio button and select the AV Rcvr to shut off the TV spkrs, power up the rcvr and set it to the correct input.

Hopefully this helps.

Al

Originally posted by rsg_1


By the way, I'm still looking for the rainbow effect on these Mitsubishi DLP's. I've munched Fritos while watching and shook my head until I had a headache and didn't see anything.


Stop! Don't try! I went to the stores trying to see the rainbows. After a couple visits I saw them, and now I see them frequently. Leave well enough alone!!! Don't make the same mistake I made!!!

(Probably would have seen them eventually anyway...)

rsg_1, thanks for the info... I'm looking to get one of these and the ability to accurately render various black levels was my final concern (outside of where I'm going to get the money to pay for it).

i saw the 52525 at Sears today. Reflections weren't as bad as I was anticipating. No worse than my 27 inch CRT.

Sears 3 year extended warranty, which includes the first year, was $499.00, and the 5 year, again including first year, was $899.00. It included bulb replacement and an annual cleaning and "tweaking". I like the Sears return policy (60 day money back guarantee) but this warranty pricing is rather steep. If the "tweaking" was an ISF calibration maybe it would be worth it, but something makes me think it isn't.

Is it possible to buy the 52525 from Sears but buy the extended warranty from someone else (i.e. Repairmaster)? Would it be cheaper? I could do without the cleaning and tweaking. I just wan't someone to fix it if something breaks.

Sorry, one more question. The manual for the 52525 states that the HDMI connector is not suitable for a PC connection. Is this because it is an HDMI connection and a PC would will not work on it but would require a regular DVI connection? I know the 52525 has a VGA connector for the PC, but it is an analog connection and DVI/HDMI would provide the best interconnect. Thanks.

I finally got my new 52525 today. Now I know what rainbows look like! This is my first big screen TV, purchased after 6 months of looking at every technology on the market. I tried and tried to see rainbows in the showroom, but never could. I thought I was one of the lucky ones who couldn't see them. So I set up my new Mits and popped in The Fellowship of the Ring. I was pretty satisfied right on into Moria. Then Gandalf lit up his staff and I saw rainbows. And saw them, and saw them! A short array of blue, red and green ghost images of the flaming staffhead. Torches and lit wizard staffs seem to be the primary suspects. And brightly highlighted weapons and armor against dark backgrounds. The Helms Deep battle scenes in The Two Towers brought bright flashes of pink out of the armor. Very annoying. Other than that I like the TV. Dark scenes can be kind of muddy, but not bad. I will give it a week or so to see if I can live with the rainbows, but I think I might send it back for a 55" Mits Gold Plus CRT and save $1500. In 5 years the various microdisplay technologies should be near perfection.

Pluses:

Picture Quality: Excellent! DVDs in film mode are very smooth, but still sharp. SD Satellite looks pretty good. I thought SD would clearly look best in 4:3 mode, but Stretch and Stretch Plus somehow look better. I haven't hooked up HD yet.

Colors. Very vivid but natural with only moderate tweaking. I am not a tweaking expert, but after just a little fiddling I had the palette looking very good. Great skintones.

Bright scenes: Spectacular detail and gradations. Extremely smooth picture.

Controls: Intuitive, easy to navigate controls.

Cabinet design: High-tech, but elegant.

Memory card slots: This wasn't a major factor in choosing this set, but after viewing photos from a SD Card I was impressed. To the point that if I trade it in for a CRT, it will have to be a CRT with a memory card reader.

Negs:

Rainbows: Wish I never saw them, but I did. And I wasn't looking for them at that point either. It just happened...

Dithering: Better than the Samsung HLN, but worse than the HLP. Sometimes flickering is very noticable, sometimes less so. Check out Connie Nielsen's face and neck in the "Am I not merciful?" scene from "Gladiator". Not very good, IMO.

Dark scenes: Tends to crush blacks a little more than I hoped for. Blacks look great in general scenes that contain a wide range of brightness levels, but predominantly dark scenes suffer. Dark shadows tend to be tinted quite a bit as well. Calibration might help.

Fan noise: Not too bad. I thought it might be a problem when I first turned it on, but I got used to it. It would be nice if it were a bit quieter though.

Neutral: Protective screen. It isn't a big problem where I have my set. But it is better without it. If I keep the set, I will definitely be interested in the frame that Mits is rumored to be producing to complete the unfinished appearance of the sans-screen set. Some say the frame is a certainty, other a rumor. Hopefully it's a certainty.

MD

In response to Fandb's questions:

1. Yes. My set has the very slight counterclockwise tilt.

2. Yes, two fans. The one on the right is always on.

3. Have not required "RESET" of unit. But I have only had it for 11 hours!

4. I removed the shield, but put it back on.


It would be interesting to hear what various users have their settings at. My 52525 is set up as follows (on Component 1):

Contrast - 50
Brightness - 28
Sharpness - 31
Color - 34
Tint - 31
Color Temp - Medium
Noise - Reduction
Definedge - Off

Magenta - 15
Red - 20
Yellow -20
Green - 20
Cyan - 20
Blue - 20

MD

Originally posted by BigAl
The sign prices for the mitsu dlp's are/will be:
52525 - 3999.95 - available now
52725 - 4199.95
52825 - 5499.95
62525 - 4499.95 - available now
62725 - 4799.95
62825 - 5999.95


Which one of these is the Diamond Series? What is the projected release date on those? Do you think its worth holding out for?

Also, is a cable card the way to go with these Mitsy's? It will probably save me monthly rentals from Comcast for thier DVR-Box but are their disadvantages of not having a cable box?

Chas.

the 52825 and 62825 are the Diamond models. The only thing these add is an on-screen guide and PVR with 120 GB storage.... plus an anti glare screen....

I have general timeframes on the release dates... nothing definite. The 725 series is slated for early to mid Sept, the Diamond series (825) is slated for October (this is very tentative at this point).

Things that the cablecard TV's do not do that a settop box will do...
-It cannot perform any 2 way functionality like On-Demand or PPV. The cable card stds forum (can't remember the name) is working on the 2 way spec... do a search on this or the HDTV hardware forum or on google for more info on this. You may be able to do PPV by calling in to the cbl company... some Cable Cos. supt this, some don't.
-The channel guide and program guides vary from set to set. The mitsu's will have channel view which will give you channel listings and 24 hours of program listings **IF** the cable company is kind enough to feed this data.

The diamond will also have an on-screen TV guide with a multi-day program listing.

If you've got the cash I would seriously consider waiting for the diamond series... the TV guide and pvr offsets (and then some) the on-demand and on-screen guide of the cable box in my mind... reducing the cablebox's benefits to only PPV.

At the store I saw dithering, but at home I don't see them or rainbows. Much is going to depend on the type of DVD player a person has.

Video Settings on Mitsubishi WD62525 62" widescreen diagonal:

Contrast - 45
Brightness - 31
Sharpness - 40
Color - 31
Tint - 31
Color Temp - Medium
Noise - Reduction
Definedge - On

Like I said, don't have enough time yet, but I'll put in the VE disc to set it up.

Thanks for the responses, I am learning exponentially!

I could also just go for a Medallion series and wait for the Mits HD-600 DVR/PVR box couldn't I? Won't this basically be the internals from the Diamond that I am missing with the Medallion Series? Any ideas on costs or release dates for the HD-600 box?

Chas.

One thing going for Mitsubishi televisions right now is the 24 month 0% interest financing. If you're spending over $4500, I think its probably worth seriously thinking about unless you have the cash upfront. I figured, I'll leverage my money thanks to Mitsubushi.

If you have 30 days, I suggest taking a little more time than a week to decide if you can live with rainbows. If you can't, the Mits CRT will still be there for you to purchase. Some people who see rainbows are annoyed enough that they will return their sets, some will decide to ignore them.

I see rainbows, but I decided to take the entire 30 days to determine if I can live with them. If you want to wait until the technology improves, I suggest waiting for a RPTV based Sony's SXRD technology. It doesn't seem like DLP with be introducing a 3 chip RPTV any time soon and from what I'm reading, that's is the only true way to eliminate the rainbow effect.

Originally posted by rsg_1
One thing going for Mitsubishi televisions right now is the 24 month 0% interest financing. If you're spending over $4500, I think its probably worth seriously thinking about unless you have the cash upfront. I figured, I'll leverage my money thanks to Mitsubushi.


yup... I did the 24 month same as cash financing... I guess I could have paid up front, but paying at your leisure certainly makes it easier :D

Update on the 62525 experience.

Have had the set for one week now and still in love with it. Have not seen any rainbows,even on LOTR over the weekend so I am no longer going to look, and stay lucky I hope.

Got the stand friday, and it is very nice, and does put the set at a good viewing height.

Had to use the reset Saturday. Turned set on and it came up locked with green vertical stripes. Reset worked. Anyone else experience this. Will post if it comes up again.

Get the Dish 811 and antenna mounted tmorrow. Hooked the antenna (Sensaur) up inside just to see HD, and was able to get some channels. OUTSTANDING. Can't wait for the Olympics and for FOX to get HD going for NFL. Wish Dish would carry WGN in HD.

Fan noise not a problem except for Sunday morning when I keep the recorded European golf down low.

Will give Netcommand a try later this week and followup on others experience. Looking forward to it. Wife really hates the 4 remotes on the coffee table.

The 6000 is going to be around $2000. I'm assuming availability will be around the same time as the Diamond DLP.

Originally posted by SamCarp
Update on the 62525 experience.


Had to use the reset Saturday. Turned set on and it came up locked with green vertical stripes. Reset worked. Anyone else experience this. Will post if it comes up again.


I had to use the Reset three times since I got the TV Friday. Sometimes I get sound without picture, or the premium channels freeze. I guess it has to do with the Cable Card.

$2000! WOW.

[Considering Diamond Series Seriously...]

Those Diamonds still wont do 1080i though will they?

Originally posted by BigAl
The 6000 is going to be around $2000. I'm assuming availability will be around the same time as the Diamond DLP.

And I thought the HD TiVo and Dish solutions were high!!! That piece of information might send me toward one of them, now....

Thanks for the info...

Randy

Got my 62525 over the weekend. The picture quality is outstanding for DVD and HD. Cubs-Giants game looked great on ESPN-HD. The SD quality isn't bad either. If you have a room where you can control the lighting, the glare isn't a problem at all. I have a finished basement with recess lighting, and if I dim the lights just a little, the glare disappears. If you are looking for a good stand, I chose the Bello AVS-2601, which fits this tv nicely.

One question: does anyone know if this tv has discrete IR codes? I want to program my Pronto to get rid of the extra remote...

Can you guys who posted your pic settings go back and edit your post to include the model you have? I'm sure it probably varies between the 52 and 62" models. I'll post mine tomorrow night after I calibrate my 62525 with DVE.

thanks

In regard to resets, I've had my 52525 for 3 weeks now and have had to reset 4 or 5 times. All but one have been because the TV did not respond to the remote or to the buttons on the front of the TV. I'm not a Cablecard user. The situation has always been the same - trying to turn the TV on. The indicator light turns on but the video never appears. I then go through the reset routine as described in the manual and all is fine.

The one other time I did a reset was when I lost my digital channels. I reset and rememorized with Prefer Digital and they came back.

The Tech I talked to from the ASC said it's normal to have to reset a few times a month. He likened it to a reboot with Windows for whatever that's worth (no comments, please!). I guess I'm on the cusp of normal with 4 or 5 in 3 weeks getting close to being more than a few per month.

On the topic of new bulbs and calibration, I got my Mits at Good Guys and they include new bulbs in the service plan and also include 1 calibration per year of the service plan. I don't know if it's ISF or not.

About the reset.

I've had to reset once and from what I can tell, if your input source device is on, the Mits is processing the source for display. If the source happens to be 1080i, then there is more to process for the Mits. And if you shut off the set, while the source is still on, then power back on, it may cause the system to hang; thereby forcing a reboot (reset). It maybe best to "gracefully" shutdown your system. First, turn off your source material, wait about 1 second until the screen is dark, then power off the TV using the remote. Never ever disconnect main power until the green LED stops flashing or until you hear the cooling fans stop. It seems, these DLP Mitsubishi RPTVs that have an integrated ATSC tuner are more like computers than televisions. It would probably be best to get a battery backup system to prevent damage to it if power failed. Could you imagine what would happen if the hard disk on WD-62825 crashed due to power failure?

It may be possible that Mitsubishi will have future firmware upgrades to this set to fix some of these bugs. Which is great I think.

So if you are using a cable card, I guess that means you are just SOL because you cant shut off your source material (no cable box)?

On another note, Comcast in N. VA just recently made Moto HD-DVR players available. I will FINALLY have HD (and the ability to record it) this Thursday! Just in time for Olympics too.

And at only $10 a month this is a serious no brainer. It will take me 8 1/2 years of paying $10 a month to cover the price increase of a Diamond over a Medallion Series.

For those of you who dont know I currently have a 55" Philips LCoS which Tweeter is letting me swap out for a Sammy HLP or Mits 62" DLP (I'm scouring the forums to help make my choice).

I still haven't made my choice but I'm 2 seconds away from calling Tweeter and telling them to switch my HLP order over to the 62525 !

Keep the advice and personal accounts coming and how come none of you have POSTED PHOTOS of you setup??!!!


Chas.

Not necessarily. The Mits should be smart enough to stop power to the card and then the rest of the set. This is just a guess. Whatever problems can be easily resolved with firmware updates.

In regard to resets, I've had my 52525 for 3 weeks now and have had to reset 4 or 5 times. All but one have been because the TV did not respond to the remote or to the buttons on the front of the TV.

This has happened to me 5 times in the last week. I also have the counter clockwise tilt.

I am a CableCARD user.

I love the set.

Originally posted by chaslum

On another note, Comcast in N. VA just recently made Moto HD-DVR players available. I will FINALLY have HD (and the ability to record it) this Thursday! Just in time for Olympics too.


Chas, how much for the Moto HD-DVR? Do you buy it or rent it from Comcast as part of the HD subscription? Comcast does cable in my area too but is NOT available in my town - yet. I'm interested for comparative purposes as a long time satellite DirecTV user who will have to spend $1000 for an HD Tivo.

Originally posted by sbtv
Chas, how much for the Moto HD-DVR? Do you buy it or rent it from Comcast as part of the HD subscription? Comcast does cable in my area too but is NOT available in my town - yet. I'm interested for comparative purposes as a long time satellite DirecTV user who will have to spend $1000 for an HD Tivo.


$10 a month thats it!!!

-No Multi-hundred $ start up costs (see tivo)
-no phone line required (see tivo)
-HOPEFULLY no crappy software problems (see Comcasts Scientific Atlanta SD-DVR box)

If it is indeed the Motorolla, I think it will record 8 hours HD (better than nothing) and 30+ hours of SD.

In other news...
I will actually be changing my order from the Sammy HLP to the Mitsubisi 62525 DLP.

I like the features better and have read much more positive feedback from people in the forums... although this "reset" thing makes me nervous...

Honestly, I think they are both great TV's and I just trust Mitsubishi more when it comes to the TV's.

Plus... it's PIMP!

Chas

Originally posted by BigAl
The 6000 is going to be around $2000. I'm assuming availability will be around the same time as the Diamond DLP.
Holy smokes!!!

I've been thinking I would use the 6000 instead of a HD Tivo because I plan to use a CableCard and the 6000 would connect perfectly with one of the 62525's firewire ports.

$2000 is a bit more than I was expecting... For an extra $1000 I might add a splitter after all...

-jb

Originally posted by chaslum
$10 a month thats it!!!

-No Multi-hundred $ start up costs (see tivo)
-no phone line required (see tivo)
-HOPEFULLY no crappy software problems (see Comcasts Scientific Atlanta SD-DVR box)

If it is indeed the Motorolla, I think it will record 8 hours HD (better than nothing) and 30+ hours of SD.



If Comcast's Motorola DVR software is anything like RCN's 6208 software it is VERY crappy. Really slow, ugly and not user friendly at all. DVR crashes regularly. And 8 hours of HD is pretty insufficient. The software on the Sci. Atl. DVRs (at least the Pioneer software that TWC provides) is actually much better. I used to use a Stand Alone Tivo but pretty much rely exclusively on my SA DVR now b/c it's just cleaner and lets me record on best quality w/ Dolby Digital, etc.

I didn't know it could be worse than the Sci Atlanta Crapcast Box. I am not familiar with RCN's 6208 software: was it used in another Moto Box? I will be sure to post my impressions though.

I dont even really care about being able to record programs HD because its usually sporting events and the occasional nightly talkshow (Leno Sucks) that I will be watching Live. So 8 hours is fine with me.

I know, I know, this isn't a DVR Box thread....

Which makes me continue to beg the question: Can someone please post some photos of their new Mitsy tv? If you are spending $4000 + on a TV I know one of you monkeys has a digital camera ! :)

Chas

Chas,

Relax buddy, the photos were posted way back in the thread. Read the whole thread before you flip out on us. ;) Who knows, you might learn something else new as well... :)

Yeah, 2000 is spendy for a PVR... it does have a few features that other pvr's won't (like netcommand) but I think the upcoming Sony Cablecard PVR's are going to be a much better value for most folks.

Also, the ETA's for the 725 series is the second week of Sept. We may have a few diamonds available by the end of sept.

A great movie to watch on the Mitsu DLP is Drumline. I just watched the ending of the movie with the band competitions. Lots of fast motion, bright colors, and shining instruments. I couldn't see any flaws or rainbows with the fast moving cymbals and drumsticks all over the place.

I was watching off of SD on my DirecTV-Cinemax channel 512. The picture was stunning! The Mitsu's coaxial speakers passed the test, too, I might add.

Not a bad movie, either...

How are the prices for the 525 expected to do once the 725 and 825 are available? I have a 90 day price guarantee on my 525... I am hoping maybe it comes down a few hundered within the next 3 months given the release of the higher end models... :)

I have a question for my fellow Mit 52525 owners. Tonight I am watching NFL HD for the first time ever (I will never be the same hehe) and love the amazingly detailed picture. My feed is OTA and seems to come in perfectly crystal clear. The picture is stunning and I can't see any motion blur or other digital artifacts in any of the plays, players or stands. One problem I do see is with the green grass. It is so detailed you can see blades but when you see a good portion of the field, it seems to not be keeping up. When the camera is not panning, it looks like it is trying to focus in on all the grass but has to refresh like 4 times a second. Note, everything else looks fine while this is going on except the grass. Is this a common HD occurance? Or is it a bandwidth problem? or do you think it is a TV issue?

Comments would be appreciated.

Lastly, it is far from a showstopper and is easily overlooked after a few minutes but still, it does make me curious.

Originally posted by StrangeMan
What is the optimal viewing height? When seated, eyes at mid screen level?

The optimal viewing height is 37.5" from floor to vertical midpoint of screen. That measurement is due to the fact that a normal size person sitting in a normal living room chair or sofa has eyes at 37.5" from floor. Measure your eyes from floor sitting in your viewing seat then that height should be at the vertical midpoint on your screen.

Actually, the folks into front projection technology are always saying the optimum height for a screen is to have your eyes at the midpoint of the bottom third of the screen.

I don't necessarily think there is any right or wrong answer to this, as it really depends on the configuration of the room, lighting, and personal preference. These new DLPs are not as sensitive to vertical viewing angles that are not perfectly 90 degrees to the screen as the older CRT sets are. Personally, I will be setting my 62525 on a 21" high Salamander Designs cabinet. This puts the bottom third of the set at exactly 38" from the floor. The midpoint of the set then ends up at 48", quite a bit more than most would say is "right". I will let you know how it looks when I'm done.

As I have already tested by sitting on the floor to watch the set as it is now and I don't think it will be a problem, I already have a plan if the viewing angle drop-off is noticable. I will put a couple of very small shims underneath the back of the set to tilt it forward a degree or two. That should be enough to bring the viewing angle right back in line.

IMO, the benefits of this "higher than normal" setup is that it gets the set even further off of the floor away from grimy fingers. :) It also allows people to sit on the bar stools in the room or stand up and see the picture just as well as sitting. In addition, while sitting, any light behind you will not produce as much glare, since you aren't directly in-line with the set.

-------------

My settings on component 1, DVD, after calibration with DVE:

Magenta - 30
Red - 37
Yellow - 32
Green - 32
Cyan - 28
Blue - 28

Color Temp - Low
Noise - Standard
Film Mode - Auto
Define Edge - On
Contrast - 40
Brightness - 35
Sharpness - 48
Color - 30
Tint - 29

I wasn't able to get the colors EXACTLY balanced per DVE, but they are very close with this setup.

Hi, all.

Sorry for the outrageous title but that's what I was told today at Harvey's here in NYC by two different salesmen at two different times. One actually said, "Mitsubishi stopped making tv's two weeks ago because they know they just can't compete." When I said I heard they were releasing a 725 series and a Diamond series in the next few weeks he looked at me as if I was an idiot and simply said, "No that's wrong."

My guess is that these two salesmen are the idiots and/or are trying to push something else instead. It sucks that there is so much misinformation and just plain dumbasses working in these stores. So many of these guys have no idea what they are talking about and are just looking for a quick sale. I could rant for a while but I won't.

Does anyone know of a good store in NYC where the sales people are knowledgeable and the selection is large?

Mitsu is still making tv's right?

Thanks,

bastid

Also a girl at tvauthority told me that they don't stock Mitsu's because they only deal with products that they can stand behind 100% and they can't with Mitsu's. What's the deal?

bastid

complete and udder BS

Originally posted by bastid
Also a girl at tvauthority told me that they don't stock Mitsu's because they only deal with products that they can stand behind 100% and they can't with Mitsu's. What's the deal?

bastid
What she must have been referring to is that they are not authorized dealers for Mitsubishi and for that reason can't support them. ;)

That's not in the same league with the other two guys.

Has anyone used a PS2 or XBOX on there 525? If you have did you see any lag in you games? Espically MVP baseball (Pitching) or football kicking?

Originally posted by bastid
Hi, all.

Sorry for the outrageous title but that's what I was told today at Harvey's here in NYC by two different salesmen at two different times. One actually said, "Mitsubishi stopped making tv's two weeks ago because they know they just can't compete." When I said I heard they were releasing a 725 series and a Diamond series in the next few weeks he looked at me as if I was an idiot and simply said, "No that's wrong."

My guess is that these two salesmen are the idiots and/or are trying to push something else instead. It sucks that there is so much misinformation and just plain dumbasses working in these stores. So many of these guys have no idea what they are talking about and are just looking for a quick sale. I could rant for a while but I won't.

Does anyone know of a good store in NYC where the sales people are knowledgeable and the selection is large?

Mitsu is still making tv's right?

Thanks,

bastid

PC Richards in Paramus actually has the 52" 525 on display right below the 62" 525. I think the BS the Harveys salesmen are giving you stems from the fact that Harvey's is really behind in new video technology. When I went to the Paramus store a couple of weeks ago all they had was HD2 DLP's, not even HLP's and the Sony LCD's. They were trying to tell me that one of the Samsungs they had, the HLN567W had an HD2+ chip in it. Avoid them for video purchases.

Originally posted by bastid
Also a girl at tvauthority told me that they don't stock Mitsu's because they only deal with products that they can stand behind 100% and they can't with Mitsu's. What's the deal?

bastid

One local store said the exact same thing about Samsung. He said they had so many returns on the HD2 models that they have dropped Sammy entirely.

I've seen the Mits 525 in preview mode where you have the left half of the screen show the current channel and the right half show 8 small PIPs. Can you easily switch between the previewed channels?

IE: If I have the NFL season package and have one game on the left side, and 8 other games on the right and something interesting happens on one of 8, can I quickly swap it into the big window?

Mitsubishi has a tighter dealer network... You can't find them everywhere and that is probably why TVA and other retailers do not carry the brand.

Originally posted by UMD_Terp
Mitsubishi has a tighter dealer network... You can't find them everywhere and that is probably why TVA and other retailers do not carry the brand.


When they were the big dog, this policy kinda worked. But now with so many other manufacturers in the game, they may be hurting themselves.

Originally posted by bastid
Does anyone know of a good store in NYC where the sales people are knowledgeable and the selection is large?


Unfortunately in NYC your options are fairly limitied. The best selection of DLPs I've seen is at PC Richards on 14th St. - they have the Mitsubishi's (52" and 62"), the new JVD D-ILA (not sure what size) and the Samsung HD3's. They should be getting the Samsung Pedestals (HD2+) shortly. However, I find the employees at that store to be fairly uninformed and less than helpful. Also the sets are all over the place, making comparisons difficult.

Circuit City and Best Buy currently only have the Samsung HD3. Best Buy said they would put out the Samsung pedestals this week and by the end of the summer would have the Mitsubishis and the Toshibas.

Good luck.

Originally posted by Orlun
I have a question for my fellow Mit 52525 owners. Tonight I am watching NFL HD for the first time ever (I will never be the same hehe) and love the amazingly detailed picture. My feed is OTA and seems to come in perfectly crystal clear. The picture is stunning and I can't see any motion blur or other digital artifacts in any of the plays, players or stands. One problem I do see is with the green grass. It is so detailed you can see blades but when you see a good portion of the field, it seems to not be keeping up. When the camera is not panning, it looks like it is trying to focus in on all the grass but has to refresh like 4 times a second. Note, everything else looks fine while this is going on except the grass. Is this a common HD occurance? Or is it a bandwidth problem? or do you think it is a TV issue?



I noticed the same thing last night on my WD-52525 (4 sec. re-focus).

I've noticed it even more during HD Arial shots such as flying through the Grand Canyon.

I've also noticed a lip-sync delay on certain channels. I'm starting to think the lip sync issue is common on all DLP's.

Eric, that PCR on 14th st is the Worst place to evaluate TV's. I told one salesman that they need to get a better display if thay want to sell any of those DLP and LCD sets. Unfortunately you have to go to the PCR uptown on 86th st or Paramus NJ to see sets displayed well.

Originally posted by bastid


Mitsu is still making tv's right?



Well, they did stop making direct views in '97 or '98... :D

I've been told they shut down their plant in '97, but I bought a 35" in July '98 and that was a closeout on the previous model year. I am pretty sure they had 36" and 40" models on the floor from the last model year at that time. Now my 35" has no green, so that is why I am scouring these forums.... :(

Randy

Originally posted by Mixdoctor
Eric, that PCR on 14th st is the Worst place to evaluate TV's. I told one salesman that they need to get a better display if thay want to sell any of those DLP and LCD sets. Unfortunately you have to go to the PCR uptown on 86th st or Paramus NJ to see sets displayed well.

Completely agree. They have the Mits 62" kind of right as you walk in, in a very brightly lit section of the store - can barely even see the screen. The 52" is in the back in the speaker room, which is nice and dark - too bad they have some crappy Matrix feed that has interference in it. The D-ILA is in the back w/ the crappy TVs - literally had to stumble by the thing to find it. But at least they carry a variety of models.

Best Buy and CC are just pathetic. I live about 2 blocks from BB on 23rd st. so I go there way too often. It infuriates me the way they have their DLPs set up - it's as if they don't want you to buy them. They have the 46" Sammy HLP about 4 ft in front of a cememt column, making it impossible to back up to a normal viewing distance. Then the 50" is in the back corner of the store by the other high-end TVs but it is so low that you literally need to sit down on the floor to get any idea of what the picture looks like. To make matters worse, they have a more elevated stand set up directly next to it that has been completely empty for weeks. I even pulled one of the guys in the store who seemed to look like he may know what he was talking about aside and explained that if they wanted to sell any DLPs they should probably re-evaluate the way they set them up - he said they have space constraints in the city stores forcing them to do less than ideal setups. But some of their setups are just plain stupid.

I already own a Sammy HLP (have for about 2 months now) so I just look around more for curiousity than to actually do thorough comparisons.

Originally posted by EricScott
I already own a Sammy HLP (have for about 2 months now) so I just look around more for curiousity than to actually do thorough comparisons.

Hi Eric,
Have you noticed the focus behavior described by Orlun and MarkMSM on your HLP? I am trying to decide whether to wait for the HD2+ (non-Kirk) Sammys, hit the PB for the current HLPs, or jump on the finance deal with the 62" Mitsus....any info is appreciated!

Thanks,
Randy

Oh no, thread hijackers! ;) j/k

Originally posted by MarkMSM
I noticed the same thing last night on my WD-52525 (4 sec. re-focus).

I've noticed it even more during HD Arial shots such as flying through the Grand Canyon.

I've also noticed a lip-sync delay on certain channels. I'm starting to think the lip sync issue is common on all DLP's.

Sh*t!! (holding hands over ears and closing eyes)

I have 99% made up my mind to go with the 525 over the 5085. I can buy it locally out the door for 4K with 3yr ext warranty.

I move into my new house next week and I need to wrap up 6 mos of research and waiting!! :)

Originally posted by IFLYSWA
Hi Eric,
Have you noticed the focus behavior described by Orlun and MarkMSM on your HLP? I am trying to decide whether to wait for the HD2+ (non-Kirk) Sammys, hit the PB for the current HLPs, or jump on the finance deal with the 62" Mitsus....any info is appreciated!

Thanks,
Randy

Don't want to "hi-jack" the thread :) but i was watching the game last night as well (my first NFL HD experience too) and didn't notice any issues. Thought the picture was stunning. Given that I bought this TV largely for football, I was hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed, despite my lofty expectations. I was very pleased w/ the results. Obviously couldn't compare it to the HD2+ (unforunately only room for one 50" in my 600sf apartment) but picture was clear and in focus the entire time.

Reset Button and Focus Problems and "Grainy SD" makes me nervous..

I do have a question though...

I am getting a Motorolla HD DVR box this week and it has DVI and Component outputs. If I go with the Mits will I not be able to take advantage of this output (HDMI only)? Or is there a conversion cord I can use? I am worried because the 2 Component inputs on the TV will be hooked up to my DVD and X-Box….

However, If I go with the Sammy HLP then I will have 2 Components, DVI and HDMI right?

Also will my PQ get better when I'm using Component Cables for viewing SD vs. using S-Video for SD?

Please advise…

Chas.

Originally posted by chaslum
Reset Button and Focus Problems and "Grainy SD" makes me nervous..

I do have a question though...

I am getting a Motorolla HD DVR box this week and it has DVI and Component outputs. If I go with the Mits will I not be able to take advantage of this output (HDMI only)? Or is there a conversion cord I can use? I am worried because the 2 Component inputs on the TV will be hooked up to my DVD and X-Box….


You can get a DVI to HDMI cable (or converter). Should work fine - no loss in digital quality.



However, If I go with the Sammy HLP then I will have 2 Components, DVI and HDMI right?


Correct.

Originally posted by rtmoore4
Oh no, thread hijackers! ;) j/k

Hey, I made sure to mention the Mitsus!!!! :D :D :D

Randy

I am pretty sure the issues I was seeing last night on the NFL HD game were feed related. I found the thread over in HD programming on the monday night game and there were tons of problems depending on the broadcasting areas. Like I said, I have never seen anything like the grass issue on any other HD broadcast I have seen so I am confident its not the set. I will let you know if other future NFL games show the grass like I saw last night.

Originally posted by chaslum
Reset Button and Focus Problems and "Grainy SD" makes me nervous..

.



Reset button issue is a legitimate concern if you are looking for the perfect set.

Focus issue is a red herring, don't worry about that.

What DLP doesn't exhibit a grainy picture on some poor SD signal? Samsung, Toshiba, Panny?

The biggest issues with DLP, Mits, Samungs, Toshiba etc. are "rainbows" and "black crush". It doesn't matter which brand of DLP you decide to purchase you're going to have to deal with those issues.

I'm aware that there is no "perfect set". However I am just looking for a best fit. What I really need to know though is how will the Mits 62525 handle SD compared to the 61" HLP?

Its size is also a concern as my 1 bedroom apt is almost maxed out with the 55" I currently have. I the depth is also quite a bit more than the HLP preventing me from flushing it with the wall as effectively.

I have seen both HLP and Mits DLP on the Floor at Tweeter but cant remember if I will be able to shelve a center channel on top of either. Any thoughts on this issue?

I like the Sony KD-50WE610 LCD Projection System over the new Toshiba.
The Sony KDF-50WE655 will be out soon.
Have not seen the Mits. or the JVC.

I know you cannot place a center channel on the Mits (well a really small one - maybe, but dangerous). The 62" Mits is 20" deep x 59" wide. The Sammy HLP is not able to handle a center channel on top either.

I saw the Sammy Captain Kirk yesterday at Best Buy and it is really a very nice set. There was the current LCD Sony and Panasonic next to it and playing the HD feed, the Captain Kirk was clearly superior in all aspects of picture quality. I however prefer the Mits, but I've set mine up somewhat correctly. Perhaps people should wait to see all HD2+ sets and compare all of them - Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Samsung before making a decision.

"I'm aware that there is no "perfect set". However I am just looking for a best fit. What I really need to know though is how will the Mits 62525 handle SD compared to the 61" HLP?"

The best sets for SD are analog direct view sets. For HDTV, I think the Sony LCD's do a better job than most DLP's. I don't think DLP's handle SD that well, that goes for Sammy, Mits, Toshiba etc. You will be hard pressed to make a decision on a DLP based upon SD performance.

The best thing to do is get a set, Mits, Samsung or Toshiba and try to tweak out the most acceptable SD picture you can.

For those that own the WD62, how's the weight factor, i.e., how easy/hard is it to move this set around?

Do you really feel a difference compared to the Samsung HLP's, and do you feel the weight is a plus (more solid) or a negative?

Thanks

sbrown02,

Well, I went from a 58" CRT RPTV >300 lbs. to the 62" Mits DLP and it weighs much less 165 lbs. and handling it is much easier, that is for two persons. I'm upconverting all of my programming to 1080i using my Dish Network Model 6000 receiver, so SD programming looks very good. I'm convinced DLP is the way to go. The newer HD2+ chips seem to blow away any advantage LCD RPTVs had. At one time I considered the Sony GWIII and I almost pulled the trigger on the Sony XBR 60" LCD, but I lucked out since the dealer didn't have any in stock.

I will look at the Captain Kirk (Samsung 5085) at BB.
But, I will probably go with the Sony GWIII or new GWIV due to very good SD and minimal artifacts.
But, I reserve the right to change my mind!

After lurking for several months, I'm ready for my first post.

I've been investigating rear projection HDTV for about 4 months. This site is FANTASTIC for info.

Finally broke down and bought the Mits 62525. Compared it to the JVC, HLN, HLP and felt the picute was best on the mits...even in a brightly lit BB. The only concern with the mits was reflections from the screen. I bit the bullet figuring I could return it if it was a big problem. Turns out glare is a non-issue in my basement as the lights are in my control.

After watching around 7 hours of programming, I am still impressed. The set has not yet been calibrated. HD is quite spectacular (Directv via HD10-250). No rainbows for me. The football game last night was amazing. I did see some of the issues posted above but I believe it is more feed related than anything else. I have not had any reset issues so far. In fact, I have had no issues at all to date. Hopefully that will continue. DVD via component input is quite good as well. One negative...I wish their were multiple digital inputs instead of one. I will need to test DVD play through DVI and Component to see if there is a difference. I've got 25 days left to return it if I want to.

BTW - SD was much better than I expected.

Regarding the weight, it is light enough the my wife and I could easily lift it onto the stand. I believe it is around 165lbs.

Once again, thanks for all the help in making my decision. This site ROCKS!

Originally posted by sleeds
Has anyone used a PS2 or XBOX on there 525? If you have did you see any lag in you games? Espically MVP baseball (Pitching) or football kicking?

I have both hooked up via component cables to my Yamaha HTR5280, then component out to the tv. The only lag I get is the occasional online connection lag, not controller input lag.

I bought this set as much to be a gaming device as well as a tv. So far so good. :)

Originally posted by dabish
After lurking for several months, I'm ready for my first post.

I've been investigating rear projection HDTV for about 4 months. This site is FANTASTIC for info.

Finally broke down and bought the Mits 62525. Compared it to the JVC, HLN, HLP and felt the picute was best on the mits...even in a brightly lit BB. The only concern with the mits was reflections from the screen. I bit the bullet figuring I could return it if it was a big problem. Turns out glare is a non-issue in my basement as the lights are in my control.

After watching around 7 hours of programming, I am still impressed. The set has not yet been calibrated. HD is quite spectacular (Directv via HD10-250). No rainbows for me. The football game last night was amazing. I did see some of the issues posted above but I believe it is more feed related than anything else. I have not had any reset issues so far. In fact, I have had no issues at all to date. Hopefully that will continue. DVD via component input is quite good as well. One negative...I wish their were multiple digital inputs instead of one. I will need to test DVD play through DVI and Component to see if there is a difference. I've got 25 days left to return it if I want to.

BTW - SD was much better than I expected.

Regarding the weight, it is light enough the my wife and I could easily lift it onto the stand. I believe it is around 165lbs.

Once again, thanks for all the help in making my decision. This site ROCKS!

I'm in the same boat dabish. I've finally decided upon the Mits too.

What/who are you going to use to calibrate the set?

Originally posted by alanpgh
I will look at the Captain Kirk (Samsung 5085) at BB.
But, I will probably go with the Sony GWIII or new GWIV due to very good SD and minimal artifacts.
But, I reserve the right to change my mind!

I would suggest waiting for the GWIV. Don't buy that GWIII, its dated now.

Originally posted by StrangeMan
I'm in the same boat dabish. I've finally decided upon the Mits too.

What/who are you going to use to calibrate the set?

For starters, I'm using the AVAI DVD. I am considering having Greg from Lionav come by in Nov to do a complete calibration. My thinking is that the few hundred $$$ is a worthwhile investment in a $4K tv to get it setup properly.

Audito55:

When will the GWIV be available?

Originally posted by alanpgh
Audito55:

When will the GWIV be available?

I heard next month.

I saw the WS62525 today and the picture quality (SD, DVD and HD) was very nice. I've also seen the Sammy HD3 and HD2+ (Kirk model) models side by side and I have to say that the HD2+ was noticably (IMO) better and is definately for me. I want a table top unit in a size at least 61".

The only thing that's got me questioning the Mits now is the digital inputs. I plan to get an HD TIVO that will connect via HDMI and a DVD player that supports DVI. What's really bugging me is why didn't Mits put 2 native (not compressed as I understand 1394 is via MPEG) digital (1 HDMI and 1 DVI) connections on the set? I know its got two 1394 connections, but I haven't seen any DVD players yet that would utilized 1394.

So my question for those of you that have bought the units is how are you connecting your digital TIVO, DVD and other equipment to this set to maintain a straight digital path from the source to the TV? I really don't want to buy a DVI switch. Seems like I'd be taking a step back. Is this a real concern or am I missing something about 1394 connectivity that sheds light on why I want two of them and only one of HDMI.

Also, pardon my ignorance but why isn't there an AVS powerbuy on these units? Does it have something to do with restrictions Mits puts on their dealers? Sorry if this has been asked before, I've read so much on this forum that it all starts to run together at times.

Thanks

Originally posted by sbrown02
... why isn't there an AVS powerbuy on these units? Does it have something to do with restrictions Mits puts on their dealers?

Yes.

Originally posted by sbrown02
So my question for those of you that have bought the units is how are you connecting your digital TIVO, DVD and other equipment to this set to maintain a straight digital path from the source to the TV? I really don't want to buy a DVI switch. Seems like I'd be taking a step back. Is this a real concern or am I missing something about 1394 connectivity that sheds light on why I want two of them and only one of HDMI.

I am connecting my HDTivo (HD10-250) via HDMI and my DVD (Sammy 841 soon to be Zenith 381) via component.

I too would like two HDMI inputs but don't know if I want to spring for a DVI swith box. I'm replacing the sammy with the zenith so I get upscaling via component.

dabish,

If you calibrated your Mits in an ideal situation, that is one where you can control the light in the room, then you should be able to use the same settings on all Mits DLPs of that type. I'm a firm believer in calibration, but a lot depends on the tech. Some are very good, like the guys from Lion AV, others are so so. I had two RPTVs calibrated and it cost me nearly $900 each time. The problem with DLPs are that the new chipsets come out every year and by the time the tech figures out how to do one brand for one type of chip, the next one comes out. I don't think the tech can do anything more than a greyscale adjustment using the user settings. I plan on relying on VE and the good people of this forum to make my adjustments.

Is the Sammy Captain Kirk model an HD3 or an HD2+ as found in the Mits DLP?

HD2+...

Randy

I have also asked about only one DVI/HDMI input and all of the firewire inputs. The only answer I get is that firewire is about the future, but I would like to be able to set up two digital inputs without a switcher NOW.

I'm also interested in uses for the 1394 connections. I know about camcorder connections and about ouputting to a digital VCR for high def archiving. What are other typical, current applications for the 1394? Preliminary word on Denon's new DVD player, the 3910 seem to indicate it will have a 1394 input / output. Are there other, hopefully cheaper, DVD players that do video out through 1394?

Barring any solution with the 1394, it looks like component for the DVD and HDMI for the HD Tivo is best. Gefen's switcher would be nice but for $250, I'll probably just switch manually as I only watch DVDs once or twice a week.

Sammy Captain Kirk HLP5085 w/ HD2+
Mits 52525 w/ HD2+

Has anyone compared these two sets next to each other?

I'm waiting for the HLP5674W with the HD2+ (thin bezel) to compare with the Mits. I would imagine the Sammy Captain Kirk would be similar to the HLP5674W.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I'm not trying to rain on anybody's Mits parade but I thought I might find an ear in this forum since no body is following the HLP vs. Mits DLP thread.

It seems that the cable card will most likely limit my choices rather than broaden them:
-No On-Demand
-Cant order Pay per View Events
-Wont be able to use my new HD-DVR box

In addition to all this the new Mits 62525 will be 60+ lbs heavier and several inches bigger in the back than the comparable 61" Sammy (I live in a 1 bedroom apt).

The Sammy will also have more digital connections and this is important because I will have a HD DVR box (DVI), X-box (Component 1), DVD Player (currently Component but will be upgrading to DVI,which is not additionally supported by the Mits). Also the majority of my viewing (Non-NFL that is) will be in SD it seems as though the Sammy's SD picture is smoother from what I saw yesterday in Tweeter. The Tweeter rep said he thought that the Mits SD picture was more sharp but when viewing SD it just looks more pixelated.

While the Mits label is typically superior in the TV realm and will promise more menu and tweaking features, I may go with the Sammy HLP after all for the above reasons. This is a very difficult decision. I am torn!

Chas.

I will be getting around that problem by splitting the cable. You have one cable going into the tv for cablecard and the other going into the hd dvr for ppv, hd, etc etc.

Maybe I am missing something but why use the cable card at all?

Chas

Because usually you'll get a better picture for SD and digital through coax and then thru component for hd. I'm checking to see how much this applies to my mits 62525. I may not even need cablecard if I think the picture is comparable thru component. I just got it last night so I have to checki it out some more first.

Chas, it appears the Samsung is a perfect fit for you. It seems like a no-brainer. I, however, will be getting the WD62725 as it is a perfect fit for me and, in my opinion, has the best combination of features and performance (going by the picture of the 52525 of course).

62725 - Besides the anti glare and TV guide On Screen (subcription fee?!) what other features make it a better pick over the 525?

I am still nervous about the ballast issues / blinking lights with the HLP's so its not a done deal yet...

Originally posted by chaslum
62725 - Besides the anti glare what other features make it a better pick over the 525?

I am still nervous about the ballast issues / blinking lights with the HLP's so its not a done deal yet...

Obviously the QC issues on the Samsung sets is a cause for concern but for the ballast problem, others have reported that the repair takes all of 3 seconds and does not involve major deconstructing of the TV - you literally remove one screw, slide out the ballast assembly and replace it. So while you don't want to have to service your new set, it appears that the majority of people with ballast problems have them resolved and don't need a subsequent fix.

IMHO the Mitsu is a better set than the HD3 Sammy 6163. The picture has more clarity and the blacks are blacker and the color smokes the older Sammy's. You would have to get a Kirk model to be able to keep up with the Mitsu, or at least wait for the table top models. Believe me if you see both set up properly you will see that the 62525 will look better that the 6163. The only factor may be price in which the Mitsu may cost more.

Originally posted by chaslum
62725 - Besides the anti glare and TV guide On Screen (subcription fee?!) what other features make it a better pick over the 525?


The anti-glare screen of the 725 will be little better than the 525 but still not completely eliminate the glare - removing the screen altogether will do that.

TV guide on Screen will be a very nice feature for cable card users. However, a previous post indicated that Mitsubishi is having some trouble with this feature and may not include it in the 725. I do not know if this is true or not, but we will see.

My price for the 725 is $100 more than the 525. I don't mind paying $100 extra for a better screen and the "possibility" of TV Guide on Screen.

I agree that the Mits. is overall a better set than any other DLP out there today in terms of picture quality and features. ( I should caveat the PQ... In terms of PQ, it's better than Samsungs's HD3 model and at par with all the other HD2+'s out there)

However, how can I enjoy the superior picture quality when I see my sliding glass door (with blinds), myself and my entire kitchen behind me reflected off of the glare screen during dark scenes. The only time this TV is tolerable is when the room is pitch black. I have both curious kid's and dog so removing the protective screen is not an option for me.

This is so frustrating. I want an HD2+ with a built in ASTC Tuner and CableCard, but the only one out there now is the Mits.

I'll either have to settle for a Sammy HD3 set, or a Toshiba HD2+, neither of which has ATSC or CC.

Wait for 52725 or the Toshiba's with the built in ATSC tuners.

Yeah, I have a dog too (who likes to occasionally snap at the screen when he sees something tasty). I disciplined the heck out of him but its still a risk I am not willing to take especially because I also have guests over a lot who are drinking.

How hard is it to make a tv with an anti reflective screen? I am really dumbfounded by Mitsubishi doing this. It seems like such a deal breaker for so many people that I'm sure Mitsubishi product design team is saying a collective "Doh!".

Originally posted by chaslum
I'

While the Mits label is typically superior in the TV realm and will promise more menu and tweaking features, I may go with the Sammy HLP after all for the above reasons. This is a very difficult decision. I am torn!

Chas.

It sounds like the Sammy is the set for you. There's no raining down on anyone's parade, you don't have choose Mits because other have and think its the best. If the Sammy is a better purchase for you, nothing wrong with that.:p

Originally posted by chaslum
How hard is it to make a tv with an anti reflective screen? I am really dumbfounded by Mitsubishi doing this. It seems like such a deal breaker for so many people that I'm sure Mitsubishi product design team is saying a collective "Doh!".

It's a way to sell the 725 and 825 models when they come out, which are largely undifferentiated otherwise (other than the TV Guide OS, which may or not be in the 725 and the built in PVR on the 825, which will record a whopping 10 hours or so of HD). Clearly a bunch of people are buying the 525's anyway and will either remove the screen (and potentially get the mod'd Mistu frame when it's available), buy an upgraded protective screen or live with it (don't care).

I agree it's annoying but not necessarily the worst idea from a business/profitability standpoint.

Originally posted by chaslum

How hard is it to make a tv with an anti reflective screen? I am really dumbfounded by Mitsubishi doing this. It seems like such a deal breaker for so many people that I'm sure Mitsubishi product design team is saying a collective "Doh!".


I don't think that its a deal breaker for a lot of people, only those who must watch TV in a brightly lit room. But for those who are more leaned towards home theater that are used to having controlled lighting, its not a deal breaker.

Keep in mind, when Mits added the protective screen, it was designed to be removed at users discretion, it not permanently fixed on to the screen like the anti-glare screens of competing DLP's. Those screens can get scratched up or messed up by unruly children, what will you do then.:o

I just had my 525 + matching stand delivered right now. :D :D I have no HD content yet or even a DVD player... just a coax connection from my crappy cable box. The only thing I can comment on is the SD performance.... and IMO, it looks much much better than I expected. I was expecting to see crap, but it looks just fine to me... even in stretch mode, it is definitely watchable. I am going to try and get a cablecard from comcast... I called them up this morning, but they were clueless as usual... I'll try them again. DVD player, antenna, and component cables for the PS2 and Xbox will follow :D

One thing I did notice immediately was the fan noise. Now I am coming from a CRT to this, so it is new to me... but it is definitely noticeable. Is there a fix for the noisy fan? I read earlier in this thread that there was. Also, are there two fans? I turned the set off and the loud fan went off after a minute or so... but there is still this much quieter fan that is running... any ideas?

Did anyone tried hooking this set to a receiver via digital output (off the tv)?

I have it hook up with digital and analogue (for the non digital stations) and a. with both didgital and analogue hooked at the same row (say TV input) I get no sound and if I move the didgital to Sat I can get both analogue and digital buy switching but if I change, say the strech my receiver freezes. I don't know if is due to the receiver or from a signal sent by the TV.

Does the 725 screen fit the 525? I saw in a previous thread that the Mitsu rep said no but if they are the exact same size......

Does the 725 screen fix the 525 glare problem or is it only slightly better? Has anyone seen them side by side?

Originally posted by dserban
Did anyone tried hooking this set to a receiver via digital output (off the tv)?

I have it hook up with digital and analogue (for the non digital stations) and a. with both didgital and analogue hooked at the same row (say TV input) I get no sound and if I move the didgital to Sat I can get both analogue and digital buy switching but if I change, say the strech my receiver freezes. I don't know if is due to the receiver or from a signal sent by the TV.

I have. I connected the Audio 2 and the Digital out from the TV to my Yamaha RX-v1300 to its D-TV/LD input line. However, you will have to switch the receiver from digital to analog depending on the station. For example, the HD stations will output both analog and digital audio, but the rest of the stations will output analog only, and my receiver doesn't automatically switch to analog.

Ben

Originally posted by Daranman
However, you will have to switch the receiver from digital to analog depending on the station. For example, the HD stations will output both analog and digital audio, but the rest of the stations will output analog only, and my receiver doesn't automatically switch to analog.

Ben

I can understand that but I don't understand why I cannot even connect them on the same line and why is crashing.

Originally posted by StrangeMan
Does the 725 screen fit the 525? I saw in a previous thread that the Mitsu rep said no but if they are the exact same size......

Does the 725 screen fix the 525 glare problem or is it only slightly better? Has anyone seen them side by side?

I have a message into Mitsu regarding this issue. Their contact page claims they will respond within 2 business days, but you probably know how that goes. I will post the reply if any. IMHO, the only folks qualified to answer this question is Mitsu engineering/applications. I'm being very picky and conservative on this because I intend to have my set ISF calibrated and the wrong screen could prevent a proper cal, even when accessing the service menu.

I have not seen a post from anyone who really knows whether or not they are compatible. Even if they fit physically, one needs to know if the PQ is not degraded (they are different materials, after all).

It's a bit like buying a new sports car and immediately changing the spark plugs on it in the hope of "better performance". Yeah, the top end may be better, but the idle might suck!

Originally posted by MarkMSM
.....

This is so frustrating. I want an HD2+ with a built in ASTC Tuner and CableCard, but the only one out there now is the Mits.

I'll either have to settle for a Sammy HD3 set, or a Toshiba HD2+, neither of which has ATSC or CC.

The Toshiba 94 series does have both ATSC and CC
see:
[Direct Dealer Link Removed]

I'm a longtime lurker but first time poster. I have yet to see anyone comment on this, so I guess I will.

I saw the Mits 52525 @ Tweeter last night and was immediately struck by the digitization of the picture whenever the camera moved. It was like it took a second of two for the picture to recompose itself. Having previously owned a Samsung HLN567W, I'm aware of the issues with DLP including dithering....but this was MUCH worse than anything I had ever seen. In fact, there was an HLN567W in the same room, and it did not have the same problem....yes, there was dithering on really fast movement (like the camera pan from QB to receiver in a football game)...but not this digitization effect on normal, slow camera movement.

Has anyone else seen this? Was it just a bad feed?

What Tweeter did you visit?

Originally posted by mattymorning
I'm a longtime lurker but first time poster. I have yet to see anyone comment on this, so I guess I will.

I saw the Mits 52525 @ Tweeter last night and was immediately struck by the digitization of the picture whenever the camera moved. It was like it took a second of two for the picture to recompose itself. Having previously owned a Samsung HLN567W, I'm aware of the issues with DLP including dithering....but this was MUCH worse than anything I had ever seen. In fact, there was an HLN567W in the same room, and it did not have the same problem....yes, there was dithering on really fast movement (like the camera pan from QB to receiver in a football game)...but not this digitization effect on normal, slow camera movement.

Has anyone else seen this? Was it just a bad feed?

my guess would be bad feed... I sat in front of the same TV for an hour looking at an HD feed... no dithering, artifacts, etc during fast movement.

When are the Samsung 4674 and 5674's going to be available?

Originally posted by alanpgh
When are the Samsung 4674 and 5674's going to be available?

Supposedly in October (although they've missed a number of deadlines on these models already). The october (74) models will not have a ATSC tuner. The 77 models, which will have an ATSC tuner will be released in Q1'05.

Originally posted by mattymorning
I'm a longtime lurker but first time poster. I have yet to see anyone comment on this, so I guess I will.

I saw the Mits 52525 last night and was immediately struck by the digitization of the picture whenever the camera moved. It was like it took a second of two for the picture to recompose itself. Having previously owned a Samsung HLN567W, I'm aware of the issues with DLP including dithering....but this was MUCH worse than anything I had ever seen.

Has anyone else seen this? W

I have seen this on several different makes of DLP which leads me to believe that its a technology issue. There are feed issues that can contribute to it, but when it also did it at my home via DVI with assorted true HD content, it convinced me even more that its a limitation of the DMD/DLP process. You see the same kind of thing when there as a screen full of motion like snow falling or water in high motion. I think that it may be something that has to be pointed out like rainbows for some to see. Sometime happiness is not knowing!!! :)

Tweeter in Framingham, MA.

Barrybud,

But this is not something I noticed on the Samsung HLN (w/older HD2 chip)....is it indicative of issues with the Mitsu, specifically? I've seen only positive reviews of the Mitsu on this site, so it surprises me that noone else has noticed this.

Originally posted by mattymorning
I've seen only positive reviews of the Mitsu on this site, so it surprises me that noone else has noticed this.
I don't think you have seen all the Mitsubishi comments. Others have seen the same thing under similar circumstances.

htwaits,

Really? Can you point me to some of those threads? I've been rummaging through trying to find a reference to that, but have not seen anything.

Many thanks!

I called a local authorized service center for the fan noise and the guy said that he had not heard of a fix from mitsubishi.. he basically told me to go back to the store where I bought it from and tell them to give me a new one... Has anyone here gotten the fix from mitsubishi? Has anyone had there TV replaced because of it?

I called up comcast twice about getting a cablecard and each time I have been told someone would call me back about it... no calls yet.

I have seen several posts on this thread asking about PC input thru DVI converters into the HDMI port and haven't seen any answers. Has anyone tried this? Can this set synch a good PC Image thru the HDMI or are we stuck with VGA.

Right now I am split between the Mits 525 725 825 or waiting for the Samsung HD2+ tabletop models. The Samsung HD3 based models don not look as good with a PC thru DVI as did the old Samsung HD2 models so those models are out of my consideration. So are all the Sonys for lack of 1:1 computer input modes.

As I see it Mits is positioning these sets for people with Digital cable and/or DVI or HDMI switching receivers who want the set automating everything so there is one HDMI port.

Mits Pros
firewire (if devices show up for it)
IR control of external devices
Replacable top screen (protective)
cablecard (which I can't use)
ATSC tuner
Digital tv audio to receiver
bulb price ($200 from Mits with trade)
Card reader which shows pictures at HD resolutions.

Mits Cons
only one HDMI
Current screen is too reflective
lack of firewire devices for satellite/dvd/receivers
cost of HDMI switching receivers to use multi HDMI/DVI
50% heavier

Mits Unknowns
PC capabilities.

Sammy HD2+ Pros
non glare to start with
excellent PC cababilities (if the new models are like the Kirk)
two HDMI
Great weight

Sammy HD2+ cons
No connectivity outward (firewire ir etc)
no protective screen at all (equiv of mits lower screen is exposed to be scratched)
$400 bulb price from Samsung if they are in stock

Sammy HD2+ unknowns
Unknown if ATSC tuner will be built in
Bulb design has changed several times with Samsung models also
so not easy always to know if getting correct bulb.

Right now I lean to the Mits -- someone tell us how the PC connections work especially if 1:1 mapping is doable thru the HDMI.

Originally posted by UMD_Terp
.....

I called up comcast twice about getting a cablecard and each time I have been told someone would call me back about it... no calls yet.

You'll be waiting for the phone call when the moon turns blue... Comcast Promised to call me when HD was available... it's been available for 2 months now...and no call. Had to go to the Local office and pick-up the HD box.

so that's it then... I guess I'll be taking a trip down to the local office with my old cable box in hand to see if I can exchange it with a cablecard...

Like Mattymorning above, I've been lurking about for well over a year, using AVSF to help guide me in my search for all things AV. Since much of the upcoming NFL season is in HD this coming year (with D* ST), I decided that now was the time to upgrade.

I saw the mits 52525 at a local magnolia, and then a few days later looked at the 62525 at Fry's. One of the Fry's computerside minions was hooking up a Media Center PC to the 62525, and I helped him get the PC tuned while seeing how well the system handled the various inputs we could throw at it. When I saw the WM9 calibration video, playing in 1280x720 HD on the mits, my decision was made.

A couple days later, the other half and I went back to Magnolia, and did some significant comparisons against the HD3's and the Sammy Kirk, as well as the "older" Mits Diamond and Pioneer Elite CRTs. Other than the glare screen, our consensus was that the Mits was right for us.

In the ensuing week, I've had the 62525 delivered (an upgrade of my 5-yr old 50" Tosh Cinema Series), and I've plopped a Silver Sensor on the fireplace mantle nearby, getting excellent reception of all 6 primary locals + pbs. The Monday Night Game was awesome.

My ancient Sony S7000 DVD player, connected via component, worked great with the few movies I've put in so far (tomb raider, plus monster's inc is incredible), and D* SD looks as good or better than my old 50" Tosh. As long as I don't switch from an HD channel to the same SD channel...

XBox works great, too -- I enabled widescreen and all three HD modes (480p, 720p, 1080i), and I was amazed at the picture. In fact, I put in DOA3 in "watch" mode, and just let it run for 10-15 minutes.

Haven't had any reset issues yet (in one week of use). The biggest problem we've had was finding an appropriate stand. Primarily because I've got a setup in a corner, and there were few corner TV stands that were of an appropriate size. We finally settled on the Norrebo corner stand from Ikea, put it together last night, and finally our living room is looking back to normal.

Next challenge is getting the HD discount from D*.

Anyway, sorry for the long, rambling post, but I thought I'd jump in with my thoughts. So far, I'd have to say I'm a satisfied Mits customer.

Xiu, I was just looking at that Ikea stand as well... does it fit the TV pretty well? Are those drawers removable so you can use them for component shelves?

Originally posted by Xiu
XBox works great, too -- I enabled widescreen and all three HD modes (480p, 720p, 1080i), and I was amazed at the picture. In fact, I put in DOA3 in "watch" mode, and just let it run for 10-15 minutes.


Perv! ;)

Games really do look great on this set. I have some screenshots if anybody wants to see them.

Paul_PDX, I will have a pc hooked up to mine in a couple of weeks (waiting for a friend of a friend to get me a free case) & I'll let you know how it goes. I was planning on using the VGA port and not sure why that would be a bad thing (as you seem to imply). I thought that was why it was there in the first place. :confused:

Does anyone here think the fan is really a problem? I am sitting 12 feet away from the set and even with the volume on the set at 10, I can hear it... Anyone else hear the fan as loud as me?

BigAl - The Norrebo corner stand ended up being perfect. The TV sits about 6-7 inches back from the front edge of the stand, allowing for my center channel speaker to be right in front. The edges of tv do stick out 2-1/4" over the edge of the stand on the sides, but it is near the wall and isn't noticeable. The drawer pulls out on wheels (sits on the floor), and they didn't have other shelves available to fit in that space, so I've got the xbox+games+controllers all in the drawer. If you have many components, you'll need another rack or shelf nearby. We bought the 60-buck "shelf extension", assembled it without the lower legs, and it ends up as the exact height of the TV stand - so I've got the DVD player on the bottom shelf of that.

Paul_PDX - as I mentioned above, when I was looking at Fry's they had a PC set up through the VGA port, with the resolution set to 1280x720. The picture was great, but had about 1/2-inch of black space around the edges. They didn't have Powerstrip, but I'm sure it could be adjusted to fit properly. Text looked great, though I didn't see any big docs opened.

UMD_Terp - I haven't noticed the fan, but with the heat around here my house air system is likely louder. I suspect I'll notice it later this year when it cools down a bit. It is less loud than my xbox, though... for a while I used Xbox as DVD player, and couldn't stand it due to the noise.

I would like to see the game pictures.

52525 delivered today....

I had originally purchased a Samsung HLP-5063W, but the first one died (3 blinking lights issue) and the second had a bad pixel. Anyway, I've only spent 2 hours in front of the mitsu and def love it!!!.

Now i need to figure out to use all technology in the machine.

See my message about Mitsubishi having a fix for the "reset" problem.

Mitsubishi xx525/xx725 “Reset” Problem (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=432813)

Originally posted by mattymorning
Can you point me to some of those threads? I've been rummaging through trying to find a reference to that, but have not seen anything.
I've been reading this thread since June 30th so that's probably where I've seen some negative comments. But remember that showroom setups can be misleading.

Here is a link to a thread that includes a possible fix for the "reset" problem.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=432813

UMD_Terp:

Who did you buy your set from and what was your experience with them? Have you called them about your concerns with the fan?

Thanks for any inputs.

fyi... the first few mitsu dlp's were recalled due to a fan problem. I thought they caught all of these before they got into customers hands but contact your salesman first, then mitsu if your salesman doesn't know how to help you out.

I bought the set from The Big Screen Store in Ellicott City, MD ... it is the one on route 40 for any local guys here...

The buying experience there was pretty good. They gave me a pretty fair deal. I just had the set delivered this morning and only sat down in front of it for 30 minutes tops when I got it. I've been playing around with it some more, but no extensive viewing yet. It just struck me as odd that the fan was that loud... most likely because I am not used to it. I will call the store tomorrow asking them about it.

But for those who have the set, how loud is the fan? It is very noticeable when you have no audio? I'd say that it is as loud as the PS2 or Xbox... but even with the TV volume set to like 10, I can hear it from 12 feet away... Is there any way visually to tell whether the fan is in there incorrectly?

I just went and compared the fans on the Xbox and PS2 to the TV... the TVs fan drowns out the fans on both the game consoles... it is much louder...

I sit about 8-9 feet from my 62525...the fans don't bother me at all. I hear them when I shut the TV off, but that's it.

The one thing I di notice, though, is a fan-like noise when the TV is off. When I wake up in the morning, I can hear something back there.

My PS2 fan is a lot louder in my opinion.

As far as the reset problem goes, I haven't had that. I've had the TV for a week now and no issues at all.

I took the "glare" screen off today. It doesn't look as sharp when it's just sitting there, but the PQ great-with no reflections.

I noticed the second fan as well... it is hardly noticeable and in comparison to the main fan, it is nothing at all.

Originally posted by DCinDC
UMD_Terp:

Who did you buy your set from and what was your experience with them? Have you called them about your concerns with the fan?

Thanks for any inputs.


The fan in the Mits set was installed wrong and needs to be reversed. That is the fix. You can get the fix via authorized service centers. Its fix that should take about an hour to complete, so I was told.

A few more observations about the fan. Kind of long, sordid story but hopefully it will help in regard to the fan fix.

There are two fans - one on the left side of the 52525 (as you face the front of the TV). This fan is on when the TV is on and turns off approximately 30-45 seconds after the TV is turned off. The second fan is on the right side and is a "stand-by" fan. This fan is supposed to be on all the time (as the authorized service center tech tells me).

When I first received the TV I noticed the left side fan noise but not the right. I called the ASC. They were aware of the problem and dispatched a tech to come fix it. He had a bulletin from Mits describing how to fix the problem. He disassembled and pulled off the back panel. He reversed the right hand side fan (this is the fix) and put it back together again and then left. This took about 45 minutes.

After the "fix", the left hand fan volume is the same as before. The right hand fan now is annoyingly loud - it could be described as more of whirring sound more than a whooshing sound.

My conclusion from this is that the my Mits was normal to begin with and that the fix actually induced the original problem. I thought the left hand fan was a problem simply because I read about it here in AVS when it was really probably normal operation.

My conclusion from all this (just personal observation - unconfirmed) is that the left hand side fan operation is normal (a low level fan-like whoosh while the TV is on followed by 30-45 seconds of operation post power off of TV and then shut-off. By low-level I mean only audible when the TV volume is lower than normal viewing level like when your housemates are sleeping and you don't want to bother them). The right hand side stand-by fan should be on all the time but should be even lower volume than the left.

I explained the new problem to the tech by phone. I told him I noticed on the back of the TV that my Mits 52525 had a label stating manufacture in July, 2004. He is now going to check my serial # to determine if it was manufactured before or after the fan fix bulletin came out from Mits.

I'll let you know how this all turns out. If you are bothered by left hand fan noise and not the right, it's probably normal. If you're bothered by the standby, right hand fan, and it's louder than the left hand fan, you've got a problem but it is easily fixed.

I miss the days when you just bought a TV with no research, brought it home, and it worked for 10 years.

Well, the right side fan is really really quiet. When everything is off, I can hear it if I get up close to the set, but otherwise, it is inaudible. The left side fan is really loud if you ask me... when I have the TV volume set to 10-11, I can still hear it from where I sit...

My TV was built in July 2004 as well... what is you serial number?

Thanks to rsg_1 for the reset work. It will be wonderful it Mitsubishi stays on top of problems as quickly in years to come.

Got the Dish 811, the HD programming, and antenna installed yesterday on the 62525. Actually think the SD stations were better from the Dish 522, I am really getting spoiled by this set. Fan noise still not a problem.

Put a DVI-HDMI cable on yesterday. Percieved a slight improvement, but really couldn't say it was a great improvement.

Any other experience with the HDMI vs component cables? Don't recall a thread on this.

Thanks. HOpe everyone gets to enjoy the Olympics in HD.

Originally posted by UMD_Terp
Well, the right side fan is really really quiet. When everything is off, I can hear it if I get up close to the set, but otherwise, it is inaudible. The left side fan is really loud if you ask me... when I have the TV volume set to 10-11, I can still hear it from where I sit...

My TV was built in July 2004 as well... what is you serial number?
I will pm you.

Originally posted by sbtv
I will pm you.

thanks :D

General Question: When the set is off (cold) how long does it take to start up before you have a fully bright picture?

I think it takes around 30 seconds for the picture to be at full brightness...

I just got off the phone with Mitsubishi. They confirmed that the original fan issue relates to the fan that constantly stays on when the TV is plugged in and not any other fan. They also said that there was a very small amount of sets that had this issue and that Mitsubishi tracked them all down. Apparantly my serial number does not match with the range of bad sets that they have. I guess the fan noise is normal to some extent, although it does seem a bit much probably because I am not used to it.

UMD_Terp,

I can confirm that one fan is always on when the set is plugged in. I found it to be very quiet and didn't notice until I woke up early one morning to unplug the set due to an oncoming thunderstorm. The noise level is about the same as the hum of 7" CRTs in an RPTV when in operation. It may be that your room is acoustically more conducive to the frequencies of the fan noise. You may consider re-arranging your room or acoustic treatments.

yeah... the small constant running fan has a very slight 'whoosh' noise to it, but is very quiet. I can only hear it if I get up real close to the TV. The main fan noise just kind of stuck out since I wasn't expecting it... I can actually see how the fan noise can be a problem in my setup. The TV sits in a 3 feet deep alcove in my room and one side is against the wall and the back of the set is 18" or so from the back wall. I bet the fan noise is reflecting from the back wall and side wall out to the other side which is open.

By the way, the Mitsubishi rep told me that there are actually three fans in operation when the TV is turned on...

UMD_Terp: You are correct regarding the TV fan volume and its proximity to walls. Before I moved my 525 closer to the back wall, I didn't notice the noise at all. Based on the size of the fan and the speed it it spinning, it is not unreasonably loud. The fans in my desktop PC and Nakamichi A/V receivers are louder than the two Mitsu fans combined.

Regards....JL

I have read a few posts to the effect that Mitsubishi is aware that some consumers might not care for the unfinished styling of the sets with the glossy protective screen removed, and that Mits is working on a trim frame to be attached in its place. This sounds like a good idea to me. A better idea than using the 725-series anti-glare protective screen...the less material between the DMD and your eyes, the better the picture. Does anyone have any concrete info on the trim frame for the 525-series?

MD

Last Friday I had a cable card install and today I had to take out. Too many issues. The good news is that next Tuesday I will have the HG DVR from TWC. That should replace the Card and the box.
Did you guy tried both Components and HDMI? Is the picture much better through HDMI?
Or should I connect via Firewire if the DVR supports it?

I am getting my cablecard installed next Thursday... what issues are people having with it? Is it on the cable provider end, or actually the TV itself? If it is the reset issue, there is a fix apparantly for that...

It is of my humble opinion that this thread is now officially too long. Most of the recent questions have already been addressed earlier in this very thread & I can understand what a PITA it can be to read through all these posts trying to find the answer you're looking for.

Not that I'm going to let that keep me from adding to it's bandwidth though. ;)

Originally posted by sleeds
I would like to see the game pictures.

Ask & ye shall receive! :D

PGR2
http://premium.uploadit.org/reynard/Gaming/340r-resize.jpg

Amped 2
http://premium.uploadit.org/reynard/Gaming/Amped2-resize.jpg

Rallisport Challenge 2
http://premium.uploadit.org/reynard/Gaming/Rallisport-resize.jpg

and the greatest Xbox game of them all, Steel Battalion - Line of Contact
http://premium.uploadit.org/reynard/Gaming/Slug-Cockpit-resize.jpg

http://premium.uploadit.org/reynard/Gaming/Slug-Outside-resize.jpg

Keep in mind that I have a ton of games & they all look pretty damn good on this set. It's just that a lot of them are hard to get a good "still" screen to take a pic of but you get the idea.

Nice man! I assume the Xbox is hooked up with the hi-def cables?

I have PGR2 as well and can't to play it on a Mitsu :D

The answer to your question can be found on page 31 of this thread, Post #609. :p

Ok I'll save you the trouble, yes it's hooked up via component cables through a reciever for switching.

too long. What do you suggest - Individual threads for specific questions?

After much confusion and phone calls with TWCNYC, I am getting the cablecard installed on 8/13 AM. I am hoping it will not be much of a problem and I am keeping the DTV DVR as a backup. I will replace the DVR once the HD DVR is available in NYC.

Regards....JL

Reynard: Stop teasing me with the HD motorsport shots!

Re X-Box posts: PHAAAAAATTTTT.

All those are great games too (haven't played Rallisport though).

Its crisp photos like that which make me lean back towards the Mits over the Sammy HLP. I still haven't made my decision.

Just an FYI, if you shot those photos with a digital camera you should be able to adjust the white balance to "Florescent Lighting" to counter the Blue Hue.

Originally posted by Reynard
[B]It is of my humble opinion that this thread is now officially too long. Most of the recent questions have already been addressed earlier in this very thread & I can understand what a PITA it can be to read through all these posts trying to find the answer you're looking for.



Yes, agreed. I started up a new thread for Mits DLP owners to share information about setting up / configuring their sets.

Go here -> Mitsubishi 525 Series Setup/Configuration (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=433919)

-eth2

p. s. I'll be taking delivery of my 52525 next Thursday. I'm counting the minutes. Thanks to everyone here for all the great info. Keep it coming!

What's the deal with these sets and the tilt issue ? Out of the four sets I have seen 3 had a slight counterclockwise tilt to the picture. Is there an easy fix for this ?

Originally posted by cjut01
Wow if this is true then Mits is out for me. Don't want to buy the 525 and the 725 glare screen if I've never seen it on the set!

Just received an email from Mitsubishi customer service. They say the 725 wil be avilable at the end of September. I am buying the 525. It looks the best compared to the Toshiba 52hm84 and the Sammy 5063. The screen glare doesn't bother me. I control the lights in my home theater. Not an issue.

Originally posted by UMD_Terp
I am getting my cablecard installed next Thursday... what issues are people having with it? Is it on the cable provider end, or actually the TV itself? If it is the reset issue, there is a fix apparantly for that...
UMD_Terp,
I am interested in the progress with your cable card installation.
Is Comcast your cable provider? I have called Comcast twice about the availability of a cable card and the answer both times was, "It won't be available 'til the end of the year"
I do have Comcast's 'limited basic' service and I am surprised by the number of channels I can get.

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
I have seen several posts on this thread asking about PC input thru DVI converters into the HDMI port and haven't seen any answers. Has anyone tried this? Can this set synch a good PC Image thru the HDMI or are we stuck with VGA.


Paul_PDX,
I have connected my 525 to my PC as a secondary monitor using a 15M DVI to HDMI cable. Images look great, test is very crisp, colors look good. The only problem is a maimized application overfills the screen both horizontally and vertically. Haven't had time to play with it and I don't know the best way to attack the problem. I did notice the nVidia driver has some of the custom timing adjustments that I used in the past with Powerstrip. I think I'll start there.

I am a new member, but I have to say that I just got the Mits 62525...it will be delivered tomorrow! I can't wait!

I know you all will appreciate this...I originally bought the set at Tweeter...10% off this weekend for customer appreciation. They promised delivery next weekend.

Well, I was in BB today...and there was the 62625...MAN IT IS AWESOME! I had not seen it yet, only the 52525. They had both the 52525 and 62625 side by side. The 62 seemed much bigger (and brighter) even though it was only 10 inches more! Anyway, I asked the salesman about the availibility and price match and mentioned that I just paid for one of these yesterday at Tweeter. After some haggling, we settled on the 62625 for $3975 (10% and $75 off), $399 for 4 year performance plan that includes bulb replacement, free X-box (current BB offer for all big screen TV purchases), approx $210 in BB reward zone dollars, white glove delivery tomorrow, and 18 months no interest.

Man, I am pumped! I am smilling from ear to ear!

Anyway, I have to cancel my order at Tweeter now, I do feel bad about that.

Thanks for all of the posts on this thread, it convinced me to get the Mits over the Toshiba, Samsung, and Panasonic (LCD and DLP).

Has anyone hooked up anything to the firewire ports yet, so we can see what they can and can't do? Since there are three, you would think someone could use them for something except for perhaps a camcorder.

Originally posted by SK8_MD
UMD_Terp,
I am interested in the progress with your cable card installation.
Is Comcast your cable provider? I have called Comcast twice about the availability of a cable card and the answer both times was, "It won't be available 'til the end of the year"
I do have Comcast's 'limited basic' service and I am surprised by the number of channels I can get.

I have comcast as well... I live in Montgomery County and they said they had just rolled out cablecard. I currently have a digital cable box but no HD... it only has a composite video output. I had to call comcast three times to get them to set up an appointment to install it for me. They are coming Thursday. It's strange that they told you it isn't going to be available... I though the FCC mandated that cable providers provide cablecard to whoever asks for it as of June/July of this year...

For those of you who do see rainbows, do you see them more or less on games?

We hooked up the Mits HD VCR and RCA HD hard drive unit to the 52525 via
firewire - it was able to display and control both devices. As far as other items
that use firewire - what else is there besides camcorders?

Originally posted by Auditor55
For those of you who do see rainbows, do you see them more or less on games?

When I see rainbows it is when there is usually a black screen with white lettering. If I move my eyes quickly over it, I see them for a split second. This usually happens with games for the PS2 which are running 480i... on progressive scan games or Xbox, I have yet to see a rainbow. On 4:3 SD feeds, if I try really hard and move my eyes really fast over something on the screen that is white in front of a completely black background, I sometimes see them... not always. Seems like 480i video can help me in seeing rainbows, but any other resolution does not work. For me it is not a big issue at all and unless I try purposely, it doesn't bother me.

For those who say the thread is too long, use the "Search this Thread" function for topics you are interested in. :) That is what it is there for.

It's much easier to find the information you are looking for if you only have to look in one big thread instead of a bunch of little ones.

To all the people stressed out about removing the protective screen on the new Mits sets, here are some thoughts for you:

I was EXACTLY like you before a very nice Tweeter salesman took the time to take the screen off of the set on his showroom floor to show me how easy it is and how nice the set looks without it.

The screen behind the protective screen is not the same type screen you might find behind a protective screen on a CRT RPTV. It is not soft or made of cloth. In fact, it is made of the same hard material as the default screen found on the Sammy HLP sets.

Let me repeat, it is the same type material as found on the Sammy HLP sets. That means if you remove the protective screen on the Mits, you will have the EXACT same look, feel, and protective qualities as the unmodified Sammy. It really doesn't make sense to say you want to buy the Sammy or some other set because you can't stand not having the protective screen. Note: There may be plenty of good reasons to go with another set instead of the Mits, but the "lack" of a protective screen is not one of them. :D

The underlying Mits screen provides the same anti-glare capabilities as the screen on the Sammy.

Mitsubishi included the instructions to remove the screen in their manual for a reason. They knew that a reasonable percentage of people would be installing their sets in a non-light controlled environment and would want to remove the screen.

Some people (my wife, for example) like the way the high gloss screen makes the picture look. That seems to be why Mits added it. Sammy (and others) decided not to bother adding something most people don't want. If anything, this is a benefit to the Mits as it means you have an option, whereas you really don't with the Sammy.

Hopefully, this information will help some of you. If not, don't take my word for it, go ask your local salesman to show you the Mits without the protective screen on it. Feel the underlying screen, tap on it, compare it to other sets. I think you might be surprised.

Originally posted by hodag17
As far as other items that use firewire - what else is there besides camcorders?

Well, the cable STB is "supposed" to output mpeg2 video on the firewire. The FCC mandates this be provided to consumers in June/July 2004 timeframe. There is another thread about this in AVS.

There have also been threads in AVS that indicate some Moto 620x boxes from Comcast have firewire video outputs enabled.

My own desire is to use firewire for the cable box (no Comcast cablecard support in my area yet), and HDMI for the DVD player. Would have tried today but got the wrong cable (need 6pin to 4pin cable).

Don't forget the Mitsu won't decode the DV format from most camcorders on firewire; your source must be mpeg2.

hodag17, does the RCA Harddrive unit work well? I'd heard there were hickups with the earlier Mitsu integrated sets and am curious if the new tuner works better. Would be kinda slick to pull up channelview, hit record and have it automatically record to the RCA HD.

fyi... the 525 and 725 series will not support Camcorder DV video input. These sets do not have the encoders to convert DV to MPEG2. The 825 series will support this (it has the encoders since it has an HD and SD PVR built in).

The past 4 or 5 pages address aspects like the fan and the reflective screen. I would like to hear some comments from owners of the 52" as to the picture quality (compared to LCD and Dila sets). Anyone have some comments out there?

Originally posted by rtmoore4

Some people (my wife, for example) like the way the high gloss screen makes the picture look. That seems to be why Mits added it. Sammy (and others) decided not to bother adding something most people don't want. If anything, this is a benefit to the Mits as it means you have an option, whereas you really don't with the Sammy.


My wife likes the glossy screen too. She thinks it makes the set look better. I wonder if there's an interesting demographic trend here. :confused:

From what I have read in this thread, it appears that the Mitsu while drivable from a PC to the HDMI/DVI connection has overscan - in other words, it does not have a pixel-to-pixel mapping mode. I take it that the Sammy units can be driven this way without overscan? Could someone please confirm this. Thanks.

I have read the entire thread here and all the good reviews about this set. I have not seen any mention though of discrete remote codes. Does this support them for on/off and input?

Thanks
Brad

fjerina,

I don't own a mits yet but I'll throw out my observations... take them with a grain of salt.

The JVC D-ILA is a very good first gen LCOS device. Good detail, color and brightness. Does a good job on SD content. Black levels in-line or slightly better than LCD RPTV's.

Of the LCD RPTV's I prefer the Sony's (I'm not a fan of the panasonics... their black levels just don't cut it for me). Has good detail, color and does a good job on SD content. Screen door effect on the Sony's seems very controlled.

DLP's... best black levels of the newer display technologies, especially the HD2+ sets. Very good brightness (usually too bright at factory settings) and very good detail that can be almost too much for SD content.

Fellow 525 owners - I'm watching the NBC high-def Olympics loop and noticing a few PQ things and am wondering if others are too. In particular, I'm watching the synchronized diving event and seeing pixelization (if that's the right term) where the divers sort of break up into squares as they dive - especially on the replays. This also occurs in the water at the point of the divers entry. The replays also close out with big Olympic rings crossing the screen fairly quickly. The rings also break up into squares. I'm watching OTA but NBC is the furthest channel from my antenna (SF Bay Area). I'm especially interested in the experiences of cable or satellite users who may be getting NBC directly via cable or a national feed rather than local OTA. Any cable or sat 525 owners seeing the same thing?

Basically the question is this pixelization the result of my OTA reception or the TV's inability to deal with fast movement in HD?

Most likely what you're seeing is compression artifacts complicated by a marginal signal. Even OTA signals are compressed these days as local stations divide the available bandwidth between multiple feeds. With satellite or cable, it can be even worse.

There's a long thread in the HDTV programming forum where some people say they've never seen a better feed than the Olympics, and others are seeing problems worse than the one you report.

Originally posted by abms

I asked the salesman about the availibility and price match and mentioned that I just paid for one of these yesterday at Tweeter. After some haggling, we settled on the 62625 for $3975 (10% and $75 off), $399 for 4 year performance plan that includes bulb replacement, free X-box (current BB offer for all big screen TV purchases), approx $210 in BB reward zone dollars, white glove delivery tomorrow, and 18 months no interest.

Man, I am pumped! I am smilling from ear to ear!


Nice deal abms! I'd be happy too.

I have a question for you and everyone about all these extended warranty/service plans that everyone wants to sell you. Some people think they're a waste of money, but with new technology and as many moving parts as DLPs have they seem like worthwhile insurance to me. So, let me throw two items out on the table:

1. LAMP REPLACEMENT: I've heard this from a bunch of people now, mostly quoting the salesperson. Can anyone definitively say that it is written down on their contract? Most I've seen say things like any part that needs replacing due to normal wear and tear are not included and I've been told that includes the bulb. Some contracts I've seen explicitly rule out bulb replacement. All of this is unless it's due to some manufacturer's defect, of course.

2. SERVICE COMPANIES: Any thoughts on the various companies that provide the service for these extended warranties? I've been to Tweeter, BB, CC, the Big Screen Store (a local chain), and Myer Emco (also a local chain). They all use different companies to service their warranties. Any thoughts on these companies based on your experience?

Thanks again to everyone for all the useful information.

Dan
Washington, DC

Originally posted by siegeld
From what I have read in this thread, it appears that the Mitsu while drivable from a PC to the HDMI/DVI connection has overscan - in other words, it does not have a pixel-to-pixel mapping mode. I take it that the Sammy units can be driven this way without overscan? Could someone please confirm this. Thanks.

The HDMI connection on either the Mits or the Sammy is NOT designed for displaying computer material and will NOT work right. Use the VGA connector. That is what it is there for. I run a HTPC through the VGA connector and I get awesome PQ for DVD movies. The PQ is actually much better than my progressive-scan DVD player hooked up through component. It's truly like having a 62" monitor. I haven't even started using ffdshow for image processing, either. It should only get better from here.

Most sets have some amount of overscan. The Mits is one of the best I have ever seen for displaying computer material, though. Set the format for the VGA input to the recommended setting in the manual (720p Reduce 1) and you get a perfect image with no noticable overscan. Granted, the rotation issue is there, but that appears to be fixable with the rotation settings mentioned earlier in the thread. I'm still waiting to hear how that turns out before I try it myself. :)

sbtv, that is mpeg2 compression artifacts. In really fast motion there is not enough bitrate for the video compressor to render all the detail of a fast motion scene. The results are blockiness of the picture.

I saw that this morning as well on my Toshiba CRT RPTV and an RCA DTC100.

I gotta say I was a little surprised at how much was there... I remember watching HD football and basketball (both of which have a lot of fast motion) and I don't recall seeing as much compression artifacts.

Originally posted by sbtv


Basically the question is this pixelization the result of my OTA reception or the TV's inability to deal with fast movement in HD?


Did you watch any of yesterday's Niners-Raiders preseason game that was presented in HD on channel 5 ? If so, did you see a problem with the handling of fast motion?

Originally posted by UMD_Terp
I have comcast as well... I live in Montgomery County and they said they had just rolled out cablecard. I currently have a digital cable box but no HD... it only has a composite video output. I had to call comcast three times to get them to set up an appointment to install it for me. They are coming Thursday. It's strange that they told you it isn't going to be available... I though the FCC mandated that cable providers provide cablecard to whoever asks for it as of June/July of this year...

I guess Montgomery County has rolled out cablecard before PG County. I haven't been able to find a link to the FCC mandate for my next call to comcast. It would be good to have the 'section x of document y' ammunition. Can anyone help me with this?
UMD_Terp, Have you tried hooking cable directly to your TV. I am currently receiving about a dozen HD channels and I am curious if this is due to PG county not being set up yet. :confused:

BB explicitly covers bulbs during the warranty period. I've heard CC only covers two bulbs for the same time period.

The salesman at a local CC told me they cover two bulbs. BB said they cover bulbs during the warranty and the extended warranty. Sears also covers everything if you take out their extended warranty.

Originally posted by SK8_MD
I guess Montgomery County has rolled out cablecard before PG County. I haven't been able to find a link to the FCC mandate for my next call to comcast. It would be good to have the 'section x of document y' ammunition. Can anyone help me with this?
UMD_Terp, Have you tried hooking cable directly to your TV. I am currently receiving about a dozen HD channels and I am curious if this is due to PG county not being set up yet. :confused:

Well, I think cable companies are getting around the mandate so far... I don't know what would happen even if you told them about the mandate... they most likely know about it anyways.

So you are saying that you took your cable coming from the wall and plugged it straight into your ANT-1 inputs and you are getting HD channels? Are they off the air channels, or stuff like Discovery-HD and inHD? If they are off the air ABC, CBS, NBC, you may be able to pick up the OTA broadcast without an antenna since you live close to the stations. I can pick up NBC OTA in HD without my antenna at all...

First of all...we just got the 62525 this morning! We watched Shrek and Nimo with our 4 year old daughter.
A few opening notes:
1. The demo loop kept appearing which was very annoying. Every 5-10 minutes, the Mitsubishi advertisment popped. No one told me about it and I do not remember reading about here. Near the end of the manual, p 102 after the trouble shooting section, I found the Demo mode in the additional information section. Mits calls this the Demo mode for use in retail stores. To turn this function ON/OFF press the following sequence:

MENU, 0, QV, 0

What a pain in the #!* to find this. I hope this helps some future new owners.

2. The picture..even on a non prgressive scan dvd...was awesome. The colors are vibrant with a tremendous amount of detail. My daugher kept saying...."we have our movie theather basement"...I was pumped!

3. My wife had not seen the TV yet...not even the 52525. I did not tell about the negative impressions about the glare from the shield. She actually made the comment that there was little glare and she loved the look! When I told her of others dislike of the TV because of the glare, she simply laughed. I do have to say that we have recessed lights and accent lights that are all on dimmers. Therefore, the really is no glare issure. BTW, she loved the picture quality...however as you can guess, she is not into the techinical specs.

4. The fan noise is noticible, but it is not erratic or overpowering. It is very soft. I think it would be more noticible if the speed changed, I guess the RPM's are constant. I equate it to the same level of noise from a dlp projectors used in conference rooms at work. To me, the background noise was not a negative. We were listening to the TV's native speakers...my 6.1 system (speakers and receiver are not here yet). When my NAD/Axiom/Velodyne system is set up.....what fan noise?

5. I read the BB service contract...the 5th bullet says "this plan covers manufacturer's defects in materials and workmanship that are the result of NORMAL usage"....the 13th bullet states "this plans provides coverage for product failures due to dust, heat, humidity and normal wear and tear."
It also covers surge protection, remote control damage and is transferable. It does not specifically list the bulb as an inclusion or exclusion. I was told by the salesman that it was covered...he kept calling it a Performance service plan....I am putting this receipt in the file drawer with all of my improtant papers!

6. The delivery guy told me and my wife multiple times...keep the box for 10 days. What is this about? Tweeter site specifically says they take the box with them. Why do I need to keep the box for BB? I did keep it and will drag to the street in 2 weeks(unfolded and uncut...Montgomery county resdents can do this).

That is about it for now. We are really happy. It is only going to get better!

The mits DLPs have builtin HD tuners for unencrypted QAM... i.e. with many cable providers you can plug the cable into the set and it will find the local channels in HD. The premium channels (inhd, ESPN, etc.) usually won't be available.

Originally posted by UMD_Terp
Well, I think cable companies are getting around the mandate so far... I don't know what would happen even if you told them about the mandate... they most likely know about it anyways.

So you are saying that you took your cable coming from the wall and plugged it straight into your ANT-1 inputs and you are getting HD channels? Are they off the air channels, or stuff like Discovery-HD and inHD? If they are off the air ABC, CBS, NBC, you may be able to pick up the OTA broadcast without an antenna since you live close to the stations. I can pick up NBC OTA in HD without my antenna at all...

Yup, straight cable in and I'm getting INHD, INHD2, ESPN-HD, ABC-NBC-CBS-Fox from both Washington and Baltimore, the WETA-HD and the MPT-HD channels. Not bad for limited basic but I don't expect it to last for long.
I also have an antenna installed in the attic. It does a good job for the Washington stations but can't get any of the Baltimore stations with it.

People mention that fan noise on the mitsu can be a bit annoying. Are the Sammy units quieter?

Originally posted by siegeld
People mention that fan noise on the mitsu can be a bit annoying. Are the Sammy units quieter?

I cant hear the fan on my 5085

Originally posted by Auditor55
Did you watch any of yesterday's Niners-Raiders preseason game that was presented in HD on channel 5 ? If so, did you see a problem with the handling of fast motion?
Yes I did watch a fair amount of the game - no artifacting there, nor were there any on CBS today with the PGA tournament (though they seemed to only have one HD camera per hole). I have also noticed the artifacting on basketball and lacrosse games on HDNet (OTA KRON 4.2). I went in to Good Guys this morning and saw similar stuff on their DirecTV feed though it was less noticeable. As long as football is good, I'm ok! I won't be watching swimming for another 4 years. :)

I saw the Mits Dlp again at Best buy today and my initial impression from the first have shifted. The picture had a slight shake to it where the image would not stand still, it also had alot of noise in the backround. Don't know how good the SD PQ is.

Today Shrek was playing, and WOW. The PQ was nice but the picture still had a little noise but not bad. The colors were some of the best i have seen on a DLP TV.

As for as PC connection, i was origionally dead set on the toshiba 62hm94 but, I also relized that after adding an HDMI swiitcher and changing my PC card it would cost me about the same.

I have heard, have not seen the Tosh yet, that the colors are not as good as on the Mits.

The only thing i worry about is the noise in the picture of the Mits tv. I was wondering if any Mits owners have a problem with this?

thanks,
tony

Originally posted by papaduxx
I saw the Mits Dlp again at Best buy today and my initial impression from the first have shifted. The picture had a slight shake to it where the image would not stand still, it also had alot of noise in the backround. Don't know how good the SD PQ is.


The only thing i worry about is the noise in the picture of the Mits tv. I was wondering if any Mits owners have a problem with this?

thanks,
tony


The Mits picture is incredibily smooth overall. I can see noise sometimes, but I have yet to see any HD set where I haven't seen some noise, including CRT RPTV. I was watching Bad Boy's Superbit DVD via component and smoothness and detail of the picture was amazing.

I suggest tweaking the Mits DLP as you would go about tweaking a CRT. When I first looked at SD on the Mits, I did like, I had to tweak it and now the PQ is decent, pretty smooth for a crappy 30 year cable signal.

Originally posted by sbtv
Yes I did watch a fair amount of the game - no artifacting there, nor were there any on CBS today with the PGA tournament (though they seemed to only have one HD camera per hole). I have also noticed the artifacting on basketball and lacrosse games on HDNet (OTA KRON 4.2). I went in to Good Guys this morning and saw similar stuff on their DirecTV feed though it was less noticeable. As long as football is good, I'm ok! I won't be watching swimming for another 4 years. :)


HDNet on Kron 4.2 has artifacts even on my flat panel LCD in my bedroom.

Does the Mits DLP support discrete inputs for both on/off and input?

Thanks
Brad

Originally posted by tboo
I cant hear the fan on my 5085

The Samsungs and Toshiba's are quiet.

The Mits and Panasonics have audible fan noise.

Originally posted by b_gable
Does the Mits DLP support discrete inputs for both on/off and input?

Thanks
Brad

Do you mean can you turn inputs on or off?

I am figuring that the source feed at BB was not that great and that helped add to the noise.

The major concerns i have are the so called "screen tilt" problem, loud fan and the misquito thing. Are they problem that are in every set and are noticable all the time?

Does the fan run all the timeand can they problems be fixed easily?
I am really gunning for the Mits 62 now instead of the Tosh 62

Originally posted by Auditor55

Does the Mits DLP support discrete inputs for both on/off and input?

Do you mean can you turn inputs on or off?

I believe he means, does the Mitsubishi allow you to access inputs directly or power the tv on or off (not toggle) with discrete IR codes - so you can properly program a universal remote?

Eric is correct. I would like to have a discrete on code a discrete off code as opposed to the toggle on/off code. In addition rather than 1 code the cycle through all the inputs a discrete code for each specific input. This way I can program a Phillips Pronto remote and have a button that says for instance Watch a Movie. When selected it will issue the discrete on code and if the tv is already on then it will stay on. Next the macro would select the input of DVI then set the receiver to DVD and issue a play command to the DVD.

I have all this working with my Pioneer Elite RPTV so whatever I replace it with must support discrete codes. I am leaning heavily towards the Mits DLP so I would like to find out if it supports discrete codes.

Thanks
Brad

The Mitsu DLPs use the same remotes as the Mitsu TVs that have used netcommand for the last couple years. I believe they have discretes for on/off (the advanced codes for JP1 remotes are 167/039).

Check harmony remote discrete hunter forum for discretes for the inputs or pronto hex format for on/off.

My 62525 arrived yesterday afternoon and I have been quite impressed. I have not yet modified any of the settings and, IMO, the PQ is outstanding right out of the box.

My major concern was the glare since the TV is located in a walkout basement but it has not been nearly as noticeable as the ones I evaluated at a couple of retailers. There is considerable glare when the TV is off but as soon as you hit that power button it just seems to disappear.

The only problem I have experienced is the lack of sound through the TV when connecting my DirecTV HR10-250 using HDMI to HDMI. I suspect the DBS is the problem since there appears to be a considerable HDMI failure rate with that unit.

The SD through D* is also quite acceptable.

Thanks again to the many knowledgeable members of this forum who made this process much less difficult. Like many others, my decision process spanned several months and several RPTVs starting with the Sony 60WE610, then to the Sammy 6163 and finally the Mits. After 36 hours with the Mits I don't question the decision one bit.

A few photos of the new addition...

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/7458049mitsu525.jpg

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/7458049Picture_003.jpg

SD...

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/7458049Picture_004.jpg

HT Setup (in process)...

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/7458049Picture_005.jpg

Originally posted by SK8_MD
Yup, straight cable in and I'm getting INHD, INHD2, ESPN-HD, ABC-NBC-CBS-Fox from both Washington and Baltimore, the WETA-HD and the MPT-HD channels. Not bad for limited basic but I don't expect it to last for long.
I also have an antenna installed in the attic. It does a good job for the Washington stations but can't get any of the Baltimore stations with it.

lucky guy... looks like PG county comcast isn't encrypting their HD channels... I'm not so lucky... :(

Wow those pics look great. I should be getting my 62-525 tom Around noon. Got the same deal where BB matched the 10% off from tweeter , 10% off stand, BB bux, and XBOX. I cant wait....guess there will be NO work tom...!! :-) I too have been lurking in the midst for a while, and AVS has been a great resource. I'll post again once its here.

Originally posted by papaduxx
I am figuring that the source feed at BB was not that great and that helped add to the noise.

The major concerns i have are the so called "screen tilt" problem, loud fan and the misquito thing. Are they problem that are in every set and are noticable all the time?

Does the fan run all the timeand can they problems be fixed easily?
I am really gunning for the Mits 62 now instead of the Tosh 62

The screen tilt seems to be on all the sets. It is not noticable unless you look for it on a PC input with text or a 2.35:1 anamorphic DVD (thin black bars at the top and bottom). More so on a PC input than the DVD. There does seem to be a fix for this. I'm still waiting to hear more on that.

Fan is not loud, IMO. My TiVo is louder. I don't hear the TV at all on anything greater than a volume of about 6. YMMV, as this will really depend on the configuration of your room.

I don't know what people are talking about with mosquitos. I haven't seen anything that looks like that.

rtmoore4,

does the fan on the Mits run constantly or does it stop after a couple of minute from being powered down?

on the screen tilt i wouldn't really mind it on the PC aspect but on the DVD part I would be alittle cautious.

and i saw you commented on the 'green outline" on the left side on the mits cable tuner.

Everytime i move all in to buy a tv i keep seeing these new (popular)problems pop up.

papaduxx,

Do a search for previous posts in this thread on the fan issue. The descriptions of the fan operation are quite good.

As I mentioned, the screen tilt is VERY difficult to see on anamorphic 2.35:1 DVDs.

Thanks

Technik...

BB diesn't seem to have the Mitzi 52525 on their website... is it in the stores now? My local store didn't have it last week, but as we know that changes on a daily basis.

BTW, could you PM me with some details of your purchase price? Tweeter seemed a bit high. I haven't tried Sears yet but they also offer some price matching if they actually carry the same product.

TIA!

Ok, I'm back. I checked out the Kirk 50" model today at CC and WAS NOT impressed. We hooked up a dvd player with component cables and I tried Pulp Fiction. No matter how I messed with it it looked muddy, soft and and I couldn't get it to look anywhere as good as my Mits 62"??? I was stunned and am beginning to think the Mits is the ultime DLP picture at the moment. Best Buy is scheduled to come get it Wednesday so I still have time to change my mind.

Any thoughts on fixing the fan problem? I don't think I have the problem that the early sets had but the fan still annoys me sometimes. Maybe I could construct some kind of little walls with soundproofing stuff on both sides or something?

I'm still amazed at the Kirk comparison and couldn't believe how much better the color, sharpness and black level seems to be on the mits dlp....

I think sound proofing material or even some kind of foam a foot or so behind the fan would help with the fan noise. I have yet to try this, but I think it will help noticeably. The original fan problem is unrelated to the fan that is on when the set is on... it was related to the fan that always is running when the TV is plugged in.