Hello all, first post in this forum -

I'm in the market for a new TV in my living room. The old Mitsubishi CRT, though once great, is really showing it's age and is having more and more problems with light output, blooming, and the fact that it's a 4:3 dinosaur. So, time for a new TV.

The seating position is about 15 feet from the TV, if not slightly more, so I'm looking for something pretty large. Initially I was looking at plasmas with the new 1080p panels, but anything below 60" was too small, and the nice 65" Panasonic that I saw cost $8000 and I don't know if I'd like to spend that much.

So, I'm here. I was at Magnolia Audio/Video last week got a chance to look at two huge TVs from Sony and from Mitsubishi. The Mitsu was 73" and the Sony was a 70" or 72", if memory serves. They both seemed to have really great picture quality, and to my eyes they looked bright enough for daytime viewing.

That being said, I NEVER buy components without being able to talk model numbers and specs, and without knowing what's best I'm very leery of moving forward. So, I guess I'm looking for suggestions for something around 70" that's going to have the best picture quality and brightness, and reliability to boot. Realistically, I don't want to spend too much over $5000, but I will ALWAYS pay for quality when it's worth it.

So, suggestions?
Thanks,
Ryan

So, after a bit more looking, there's two other models I see, outside of Mitsubishi. Forgive my ignorance, but I'm really in the dar when it comes to RPTVs.

Sony Class Grand WEGA XBR 70"
Samsung HL-T7288W
Mitsubishi WD-73734

And I don't really know what Mitsubishi's Diamond class is. As far as the three above go, I really like the Sony's appearance, though I didn't pay too much attention to picture quality. I know the picture quality was great on the Mitsubishi. And I just checked the (600!) page thread on the Samsung, and am a little worried because the whole page was about problems people are having with their TVs. Of course, that's probably just the outspoken minority.

EDIT: The Mitsubishi Diamond WD-73831 really looks fantastic. I checked the owner's manual and it has the support to input at 1080p/24, which is nice, and all the other features look top notch, with the price being in line with what I'm looking for. If I don't hear anything contrary today, I'll probably go with that.

Sony XBR2, Samsung DLP, Mits DLP - take your pick, they are all great. It just comes down to personal preference, so go with whichever has the features you want and the PQ you prefer. I generally prefer Samsung since 1) it accepts 1080p over all inputs (HDMI, component, and VGA), 2) the professional calibrators claim it is the most accurate after calibration, and 3) my 4 year old Samsung DLP has worked flawlessly all this time.

My Be Your Answer (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&productId=8198552921665156111&langId=-1)

One suggestion, if you like the 70 or 73" size, don't opt for the 60". I have regretted buying my 60XBR2 instead of the 70" and I already have a dedicated theater room!

By the way the new Mitsubishi 73" is incredibly priced and coming out very very soon.

You might want to add to your list the 70 inch JVC D-ILA. Same type of display technology as the Sony, similar quality and performance, substantially lower price. My 2005 D-ILA has been great after two years.

So, after a bit more looking, there's two other models I see, outside of Mitsubishi. Forgive my ignorance, but I'm really in the dark when it comes to RPTVs.

Sony Class Grand WEGA XBR 70"
Samsung HL-T7288W
Mitsubishi WD-73734

And I don't really know what Mitsubishi's Diamond class is. As far as the three above go, I really like the Sony's appearance, though I didn't pay too much attention to picture quality. I know the picture quality was great on the Mitsubishi. And I just checked the (600!) page thread on the Samsung, and am a little worried because the whole page was about problems people are having with their TVs. Of course, that's probably just the outspoken minority.

EDIT: The Mitsubishi Diamond WD-73831 really looks fantastic. I checked the owner's manual and it has the support to input at 1080p/24, which is nice, and all the other features look top notch, with the price being in line with what I'm looking for. If I don't hear anything contrary today, I'll probably go with that.
Don't go with Mitsubishi, Unless You like spending money on New Lamps for the TVs($180 to $249 each, Square Trade makes a 3 Year warranty for 10% of the cost of the lamp). Mine burned out after 4000 hours(8 months), So now My 57" WD-57731 is quite dark until the Lamp is replaced(I have to wait until August 1st as I only have $150 right now), Get an LCD or Plasma Based HD TV instead (Westinghouse makes a 47" LCD based HD TV[TX-47F430S], I wished I'd bought one like My relatives did, But I'm committed now) and save Yourself the heartache, Besides Mits customer service sucks. Of course the 27" Proscan keeps on ticking and will do HD in a pinch with a Vip211 Dish Network box for a while longer.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n107/JokerCPoC/New%2057%20inch%20TV/FrontRoom005.jpg

Theres a huge difference in size looking at LCD's and a 70-73" though. If you can fing a 70" JVC, that may be your best performance wise.