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Last of great RP-CRT's? (Hit 57X500, Tosh 65HX93, ...?)

2220 Views 19 Replies 14 Participants Last post by inky blacks, Feb 26, 2005

gerryinnv

Discussion Starter · Feb 21, 2005

A couple of weeks ago I thought I had finally decided on my new TV...a Hitachi 57X500. I found one locally and the picture was incredible, only problem was they only had the floor model left and weren't getting any more new units. I did a little more research and looking around and decided I'd go with the Toshiba 65HX93, due not only to it's great picture quality but also it's 26" depth would work better than the Hitachi in my media niche. Struck out again, can't find this TV anywhere, floor model or new! In fact, I simply can't find any manufactuers high-end CRT's (Toshiba Cinema Series, Hitachi Directors Cut, etc.) anywhere....that is except for Mits Diamond Series)!

So this brings me to a few questions...

1) Is the 2005 Toshiba 65NH84 comparable to the 2004 65HX93 that is so highly rated?

2) Is it true that the lenses on the 2005 Toshiba's are actually of lower quality than the same model from 2004?

3) Is there going to be a 2005 version of the Toshiba 65HX93? 65HX94?? Can't find anything on the Toshiba website either.

4) Is there any 57+ Inch RP-CRT that you can get right now, in 2005, that are as good as the 65HX93 or the 57X500?

5) Why are the Mitsubishi's that get such poor reviews so readily available?

Just when I decided on RP-CRT because it gave you the best bang for your buck and it seems to be a nearly perfected technology, it looks like the manufacturers are moving on. Furthermore, it appears we are stuck in an awkward period of time when manufacturers are letting go of their nearly perfect RP-CRT technology and are dedicating most of their resources towards production of next generation LCD/DLP/HD-ILA, etc., which are less than 'nearly perfect.'

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1 - 20 of 20 Posts

rynberg

· #2 · Feb 21, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by gerryinnv
5) Why are the Mitsubishi's that get such poor reviews so readily available?

Quit reading Home Theater and Sound & Vision. The Mits Diamonds are some of the best CRTs made. They are also incredibly user-adjustable, which makes it much easier to get a good picture with all types of scan rates/inputs, even with just the AVIA/DVE DVDs.

mxanders

· #3 · Feb 21, 2005

I am on my second Mits RPTV first was a 55" diamond which i just replaced with a 65813 (which has now been replaced by 65815) I haven't had any complaints with either set.

As far as quality manufacturers, right now i would rank mits and hitachi virtually a deadlock for the best sets available. The thing that puts mits diamonds over the top for me are that the 65" diamonds use 9" guns which will give you most available resolution of any CRT based set.

gerryinnv

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 21, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by gerryinnv

2) Is it true that the lenses on the 2005 Toshiba's are actually of lower quality than the same model from 2004?

In trying to dig into this a little deeper I went to the Toshiba website. What's strange is you can pull up a full spec sheet on the 2004 57HX93 but there is nothing on the 2005 57HX94? I've contacted Toshiba directly and will post what I find.

gerryinnv

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 21, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by gerryinnv
In trying to dig into this a little deeper I went to the Toshiba website. What's strange is you can pull up a full spec sheet on the 2004 57HX93 but there is nothing on the 2005 57HX94? I've contacted Toshiba directly and will post what I find.

Just talked to Toshiba, they say the 2005 4 Lens system on the 57HX94 has a 30% higher contrast ratio than the 2004 5 Lens system. Does that make sense to you folks...?

OvalNut

· #6 · Feb 21, 2005

Quote:

Just talked to Toshiba, they say the 2005 4 Lens system on the 57HX94 has a 30% higher contrast ratio than the 2004 5 Lens system. Does that make sense to you folks...?

No.

And both you and they need to be more specific in regards to which lens system on which model #'s in order to answer your question.

Regarding the lenses:

The HC lens, also know as the ShortWing lens, is a 4 element lens used in all the recent Toshibas (H83/HX83/H84/HX84/H94/HX94), with the exception of the HX93 models.

The following description of the Shortwing lenses is from the Toshiba Canada website:

"With exclusive Toshiba ShortWing Advanced Lens Technology, each lens is specifically tuned to the colour wavelength of the CRT. Unlike conventional lens technologies, ShortWing involves an asymmetrical lens grinding process that delivers enhanced focusing and reduces lens flare. The ShortWing lens creates an extremely accurate beam spot for stunning HD picture quality."

The HCF lens, also known as the Niltava lens, is a 5 element achromatic lens system used only in the HX93 series.

The following description of the Niltava lenses is from the Toshiba Canada website:

"With Toshiba's exclusive Niltava Advanced Lens Technology, each lens is specifically tuned to the colour wavelength of the CRT. The unique asymmetrical lens grinding process provides enhanced focusing and optimizes light output. It creates an extremely accurate beam spot for stunning picture quality, and improves corner-to-corner edge detail over ShortWing lenses, specifically for use with larger screen sizes."

Niltava lenses are one of a few features specific only to the HX93. Seems Toshiba was trying to make this TV more purpose built for displaying high definition programming with it's integrated tuners. Speculation ranges regarding why the Niltava lens system was not used in the HX94 series, but many seem to believe that it was dropped in order to lower the unit production cost.

Tim

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DavidHir

· #7 · Feb 21, 2005

I would seriously take a look at the Sony KP-57WS520. I just got mine ISF'd, but out of the box, it was very close to the ideal 6500K.

Steve S

· #8 · Feb 22, 2005

Mits 65" with 9" guns is probably the best overall for HD right now.

On the other hand, I like the fact that Sonys will still do native 480p for dvd, something very few other mfgs still offer. Sony crt sets don't command premium prices but for overall pq with minimal tweaking, good performance with SD material, and good stretch modes for 4/3 stuff they really are worth a look. They hit a bad patch a couple of years back with the flicker issue but that's been resolved. I've got one of the pre-flicker HW-40s that's over 3 years old now. I haven't seen a better picture on anything in the stores to date, and it's been absolutely reliable in every respect. It's got something like 7000 hours of use on it now and looks as good as new, actually better since I did a few minor tweaks in the service menu during the 1st year.

Wrager

· #9 · Feb 22, 2005

I have a first gen Mitsu 65903 that despite the burn marks from too much 4:3 material ( I bought it in '98...not much 16:9 material), still looks amazing on HD material. I must have 5K or 6K hours on this set. This is an amazing TV. I just don't think any other TV would have been this good for this long. Of coarse I did pay almost $6K for it. Ouch!

OvalNut

· #10 · Feb 22, 2005

I gotta agree with Steve, the Mits 813/815 with the 9" CRT's is probably the best CRT that is still being made now. A close second would be the Hitachi X500, if you can find one.

Looking back on it now, I'm very happy to have gotten my Toshiba 57HX93 when I did, whew!

Tim

Paul Clancy

· #11 · Feb 22, 2005

As an owner of the hitachi ultravision 57s500 and former owner of the tosh 57hx82(3 defectives actually) and Sony 57ws500 I say get the mits w/9" guns. Likely won't be a better rpcrt made ever. I agree mag reviews are great bathroom reading but rarely have any truth. Advertiser driven. Otherwise why are most of these on a mission to replace rpcrt (many feel the best hd display tech) with first plasma and now microdisplay. All about $$....nothing about pq.

Drifty

· #12 · Feb 22, 2005

I purchased my 57x500 at Barretts Home Theater in suburban Chicago.

What state are you in? You do not have your location as part of your profile. Barrettshometheater.com has the 57x500 available at a great price and I know they will ship out of state. They also have the Mits813's on sale. You might check in to it.

I am extremely happy with my X500, its nearly 11 months old and its been a great unit. After 6 months I had Gregg Loewen calibrate the unit. Not because it needed it, but instead to maximize what it could get out of it.

Good Luck

gerryinnv

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 23, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Drifty
I purchased my 57x500 at Barretts Home Theater in suburban Chicago.

What state are you in? You do not have your location as part of your profile. Barrettshometheater.com has the 57x500 available at a great price and I know they will ship out of state. They also have the Mits813's on sale. You might check in to it.

I am extremely happy with my X500, its nearly 11 months old and its been a great unit. After 6 months I had Gregg Loewen calibrate the unit. Not because it needed it, but instead to maximize what it could get out of it.

Good Luck

I'm in Las Vegas, NV. Thanks for the info, I will definitely look into it tomorrow. The Mits 65 might be the best but the best for me would be either the Toshiba or the Hitachi just due to how slim it is. Thanks again!

gerryinnv

Discussion Starter · #14 · Feb 24, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by gerryinnv
I'm in Las Vegas, NV. Thanks for the info, I will definitely look into it tomorrow. The Mits 65 might be the best but the best for me would be either the Toshiba or the Hitachi just due to how slim it is. Thanks again!

I called Barrets but unfortunately they don't have any in stock. It did give me a good idea though, I called Hitachi and explained my dillema and they gave me some dealers in nearby cities...they were shocked that they did not have a "Hitachi Directors Series" dealer in Las Vegas. I still haven't found one I will order from but I will post what I find out and how much I paid. ...the first guy I called was trying to sell me an "Open Box" as brand new. He said the box will not be factory sealed because he has to remove the TV before they ship to make sure it's working properly! lol

pbmax542

· #15 · Feb 24, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by gerryinnv
The Mits 65 might be the best but the best for me would be either the Toshiba or the Hitachi just due to how slim it is. Thanks again!

Stop worrying about the thickness of the TV, and get a slimmer couch.

JohnnyG

· #16 · Feb 24, 2005

Hold a "Niltava" lens in one hand, and a "Shortwing" in the other, and the difference between them is immediately noticable. The Niltava lens is considerably heavier and 'bulkier' feeling, probably due to the fact that one of it's elements is real glass.

As far as I'm concerned, the HX93 was, and probably always will be, the pinnacle of Toshiba picture quality. The HX82 was close, but had it's fair share of image 'anamolies' which detracted from the overall presentation. The base model H83s and H84s are better than their predecessors, but the HX84 is a step back.

Bill

· #17 · Feb 24, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Paul Clancy
As an owner of the hitachi ultravision 57s500 and former owner of the tosh 57hx82(3 defectives actually) and Sony 57ws500 I say get the mits w/9" guns. Likely won't be a better rpcrt made ever. I agree mag reviews are great bathroom reading but rarely have any truth. Advertiser driven. Otherwise why are most of these on a mission to replace rpcrt (many feel the best hd display tech) with first plasma and now microdisplay. All about $$....nothing about pq.

And they get to sell you a stand too!

Artwood

· #18 · Feb 24, 2005

Best Bang for the Buck: Mitsubishi WS-55615 with EDF lenses. Greatest bamg for the buck ever: Mitsubishi 73615 with 9-inch guns. Greatest Rear Projection CRT currwently made: Mitsubishi 65813 with 9-inch guns.

Bill

· #19 · Feb 25, 2005

Originally posted by Artwood

Greatest bamg for the buck ever: Mitsubishi 73615 with 9-inch guns.

Also the 73713 which one still maybe able to get at closeout.

inky blacks

· #20 · Feb 26, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnnyG
As far as I'm concerned, the HX93 was, and probably always will be, the pinnacle of Toshiba picture quality.

My 51HX93 is great and I am glad I bought it when I did at such a low price last May. It has the same 7" guns as the 65" model, just focused on a smaller 51" screen. It is as bright as anyone would want and the blacks are in a sense infinitely deep. You just could not ask for better contrast. That said, I also liked the mid-priced Hitachi models I saw in the store when I bought my Toshiba. I went for the Toshiba because it had a built in tuner, but the Hitachi had a vibrancy of picture quality that I liked as well. The Toshiba looked more accurate, but the Hitachi was somehow more emotional. I don't see why you could not find lots of Hitachi sets of any size you want up to 65." Hitachi is a great manufacturer.

IB

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