I recently got my wife to allow me to purchase this tv after much "discussion" and it's now on it's way to my house. I currently have a Mitsubishi 65-311 which I have been overly pleased with over the last 3 and a half years. I told her that the reason I wanted 1080p was because we have recently purchased both HD-DVD and Blu-ray(PS3) players and we weren't realizing their true potential. She insists that she will not notice any difference.

My question is: Will there be an obvious improvement in PQ with my various HD signals versus my current tv? If it's not obvious I'm going to have some serious trouble justifying this $2000 purchase so soon after my last HDTV. We sit 10-12 feet from the display.

Also, does anyone have any idea what a reasonable asking price would be for my Mitsubishi 65-311. It still works great. Thanks for any input.

Anyone?

Anyone?Is the TV that you ordered by any chance a HL-S6187? ;)

Where is Lewiston?

More to follow your reply. :)

Lewiston is in Maine 30 miles north of Portland. The tv is a 6187. My bad.

I currently have a Mitsubishi 65-311 which I have been overly pleased with over the last 3 and a half years.

My question is: Will there be an obvious improvement in PQ with my various HD signals versus my current tv? If it's not obvious I'm going to have some serious trouble justifying this $2000 purchase so soon after my last HDTV. We sit 10-12 feet from the display.If you are buying a new TV to take advantage of Blu-ray, you do not want to go smaller. If you have a 65" now, I would upgrade to the 70". Take a look at the Samsung HLS-7178W and Sony 70XBR2.

http://comcal.wboc.com/img/resvsdist.jpg

Find your viewing distance on the left.

With 1080p displays, the best picture with Blu-ray is obtained at the red line. For the best experience with a mix of SD and HD content, I recommend a screen size and viewing distance that falls somewhere between the green and red lines, i.e the red shaded area. However, if your viewing is primarily Blu-ray, DVD, and high-definition, you want to be as close to the red line as possible.

I told her that the reason I wanted 1080p was because we have recently purchased both HD-DVD and Blu-ray(PS3) players and we weren't realizing their true potential.There are forums for all high definition DVD topics here at AVS.

Blu-ray & HD DVD Areas (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=148)

Choose the first HD movie that you watch very carefully. Make it something you are sure your wife will love and one that the folks in the forums think is an outstanding transfer.

Use the suggestions from Eliab to set up your set and get a copy of DVE to calibrate the set a little better. I don't know if Eliab travels that far North, but given your investment in new DVD players you might want to think about a professional calibration (See below again).

Don't watch in a totally dark room. A dim (bias lighting) light behind the TV will improve picture quality and relieve eye strain.

My question is: Will there be an obvious improvement in PQ with my various HD signals versus my current tv? I don't know what a Mitsubishi 311 is. If it's a SD TV then the PQ will be better with HDTV.

If it's not obvious I'm going to have some serious trouble justifying this $2000 purchase so soon after my last HDTV.You must enjoy watching movies a lot to buy both kinds of HD players.

The best place to ask questions is in the owner's thread for your new TV.

Samsung 1080p Owner's Thread --- HLSxx87W/HLSxx88W DLP Models (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=665890&page=1&pp=30)

It's a giant thread so you might want to start at "today" for current events and learn to use the "Search This Thread" button at the top right side of each thread page.

Good luck.

If you are buying a new TV ...I think the tense is past as in "bought". ;)

I think the tense is past as in "bought". ;)
Unfortunate. If he previously owned a well-setup 65" CRT projection TV, he will see even less detail with the new smaller size, given the limitations of human visual acuity. Looks like his wife may be right.

I personally would cancel the order and opt for the larger version, if that is possible. If that isn't an option, and you've got to make the best of the situation, then I would do what htwaits suggested, and try to bias the initial experience in your favor by using one of the top-quality Blu-ray disks. Choose titles from the tier0 and tier1 categories in the The Tier System For Blu-ray PQ (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=753726) thread. I would pick Black Hawk Down, The Wild, Corpse Bride, Kingdom of Heaven, or The Prestige.

I would have loved the 7178 but if you knew how much "discussion" it took to get my wife to greenlight the 6178 then you would understand why this couldn't happen. This after purchasing a PS3 ($800 with accessories) and a Toshiba HD-DVD player($500) within the last 6mos. I was fortunate to get this tv and it's too late to cancel(it arrived today).

If I'm reading the chart right then 7.5 feet would be the optimum distance to watch 1080p at this screen size correct?

HTWAITS, the Mitsubshi tv that I'm selling is model WS-65311(1080i,480p,480i) and I paid $2700 almost 4 years ago. Do you think $800 is a fair price to ask?

Thanks for all your help guys.

capsfan,

Perhaps you can move the seating up a few feet while your wife isn't looking? :)

If you can move the TV from 10-12' to 8-10' then you'll see more improvement. Have your wife sit in the 8' spot while viewing a tier0 or tier1 Blu-ray title.

HTWAITS, the Mitsubshi tv that I'm selling is model WS-65311(1080i,480p,480i) and I paid $2700 almost 4 years ago. Do you think $800 is a fair price to ask?Sure. BUT ... I've never sold a TV anytime in my life. :rolleyes:

the Mitsubshi tv that I'm selling is model WS-65311(1080i,480p,480i) and I paid $2700 almost 4 years ago. Do you think $800 is a fair price to ask?
There is not much of a market for 3 1/2 year old displays since the technology changes so fast and prices drop dramatically. You really can't go by what you paid for it. I paid almost $4000 for a 56" 720p DLP 3 1/2 years ago, and one can buy one new today for about 1/3 of that. Many end up just donating their old sets to charity. I personally would not pay $800 for such an old set.

Well, I got the tv set-up and put Ice Age 2 and then Crank in my PS3. I have to say that there was a very big improvement in pq versus my old 1080i set. The wife agreed that it was a big difference from before so it's all good. :)

BillP, I agree about what you said about the prices dropping dramatically so you really can't compare(the same could be said about pc's). I'll probably just take any reasonable offer <$500 just to get it off my hands. I think that there is probably someone out there watching an old analog set that would be willing to pay something for a 65inch hdtv that still has a great 1080i image.

Thanks again for everyone's input.