[Jim Wilke]

I have an older 61" 4:3 XBR200 Sony that I want to replace. My wife and I watch 70% digital cable and Dish with a lot of our material coming via recordings off a TiVo or Dish 510 PVR. That leaves maybe 30% for DVDs, probably less. HD is coming - slowly - and our cable company just released a new HD package with more to come so we need a new display. We have a very bright room, especially in the summer and we can't easily control the light - darn windows! - so that takes front projector out of the mix and essentially leaves me with RP. Now, we have a 61" set, space is not an issue and I want the best picture I can get in with as large a picture as I can get. Virtually everybody makes a very good 65" set but the resulting 16X9 picture is actually a bit smaller than what we have now. Other than a few hyper-expensive plasmas, the only thing bigger than 65" is the 70" LCD Sony and the 73" CRT Mits. Oh, and the $20,000 82" Mits which is out of reach. I've seen both of the others and I really wanted to like the Sony but the picture was flat and lifeless and just didn't do it for me. I saw the 73713 Mits and was impressed; it had a great picture even when fed the worst cable source we could find and the 4:3 to 16:9 stretch modes work pretty well. I actually went back to the store 2 days later with a check in my pocket and found they'd sold the only 2 they had; the one on the floor had been packed up and delivered. Shipping delays have held up the next one but it is supposed to be here in 9 days, a week from Monday. My question:


Is there anything coming in the next 3-6-9 months worth waiting for in 70"+? A new 73" Toshiba or Hitachi? Sony seems to have abandoned CRT but is anybody else still working there? I've examined all the CES reports and it appears there are advances in many areas but no bigger screens. I realize CRTs are on their way out but this is not likely to be the last TV I buy. If it gets me through 2-3 years until LCoS or DLP get cheaper, bigger and better, that's fine with me. Thoughts?

 

[John Mason]

Recall wondering how quickly my 9-in-CRT Philips would be outdated when I bought it more than 3 years ago. While I'd like the digital inputs included on the 9-in-CRT 73713 Mitsubishi, still don't think the Philips lags in display capability. Similarly, don't think an owner of the new Mits needs to be concerned about being outdated any time soon.


I was intrigued by JVC's entry into DILA RPTVs at CES. But their largest 61-in set doesn't meet your size criteria. It'd be interesting to learn whether JVC's 'natural progressive' video processing is akin to their FP hybrid progressive/interlace technique in which 1080 HD 'leftover' pixels that won't fit their DILA chips are 'stuffed' into the 2nd 1/60th-sec TV field. Not everyone thinks that's the most desirable 1080 video processing technique; others have raved about DILA's 1080 imaging. -- John

 

[Jim Wilke]

I just came back from looking at the 70" Sony LCD again. It just ain't there. The salesman tells me that LCDs are improving, are the wave of the future and are going to get much better....but that doesn't help that $7,000 set sitting in the showroom. Oh, and the stand is another $900.


They had a 65" Sony RPTV in there as well, much better for less than half the money. Too bad Sony's giving up on CRT, I'd like to see them keep working on both, at least until the LCDs are better than comparable CRTs. Right now, IMHO, they aren't.

 

[Jim Wilke]

Any other input?

 

[Dominus]

My only input is that what someone sees in a TV is subjective. I, myself, think the new Sony XBRs (60" and 70") are stunning and if you think their other RPTV or CRTs are better, well, go for it and buy one. I don't think it's close.


I did see a Mitsu Platinum 65" WS (I think 713) just a few hours ago that was very nice for a CRT-based RPTV. Just way too big in sheer size for me.


Give me the 60" XBR and I'll be on my way, though granted, not perfect.


Good luck in your choice.


For your arrangement of budget and size, the 61" Sammy is a good choice.


Dom

 

[Mark Norman]

Jim,


I am in the same boat as you, so I feel your pain. In my previous house I had a 12 x 20 dedicated HT Room with 110" screen FP setup. The new home is setup differently and does not allow me to do a dedicated HT. So I have a Media/family room in the lower level that is 25 x 27 with tons of ambient light and a designer ceiling (no place for a FP). I am now having to finish off the area for a RPTV setup and want the biggest I can get short of the 20k MIts.

I went to several local B&M stores to compare the Mits 73 and the Sony 70XBR. One store the Mits 73713 looked considerably better. The next store had them side by side and there was no comparison, the Sony took the cake and ate it too! Since the image is only as good as the feed, I decided to take in my Smsung HD1000 DVD player and hooked it up to both units at the same time(dual comp out) with the scaler set to 1080i on the DVD player. The results where mixed. I did spend a little time trying to calibrate the picture in each units user menu, but success in that environment was limited. However, both units looked very good to the avg eye. Here is what I concluded: The Mits is more ideal for a light controlled room, and the veiwing angle is key for a good picture. THe Sony looked far brighter and vibrant with a wider viewing angle. The resolution and detail of the XBR looked much better than the Mits. When the lights were turned down the Mits looked great, but when the lights were turned up the mits just lost its pic in a hurry. That is where the Sony really shined. I tested both Film and video based material. I also tested 480i, 480p, and 1080i from the Samsung.


I'm still holding out for the price to drop on the Sony while I finish the cabnet built-ins in the media area.


Hope this helps.


Mark