[soarski]

I'm considering a Toshiba HX93 series TV. From some of the threads I've picked up on reliability/quality issues with Toshiba. Could anyone enlighten me on some of the issues or point to some existing threads.

I've done some searching on this forum but not getting results.


By the way I currently have an unopend Mitsubishi 55613 that I'm considering exchanging for the Toshiba. Any thoughts?

 

[Marc Alexander]

Why would you want to exchange the Mits?

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings


Toshiba sets generally don't come OOTB looking very good and they tend to have purple blacks.


Regards

 

[ccrooster]

Soarski:


I have had a Toshiba 57HX93 for 3 weeks now and it was pretty darn good "out of the box". The blacks are very black and no distortions or uneven colors anywhere. I had to do a manual convergence/alignment to initially clean it up, but since then, its great.


In all fairness, I have not had a big screen before, but I make a living on high def scientific imaging, so I am pretty critical. The integrated tuner is a nice feature that I use for OTA and direct cable HD. However, it does take time (1-3 secs?) to change channels compared to analog; perhaps this is the norm for digital, as a newbie, I would not know. What I really like about the set is the "cinema series theatre-wide" feature which makes 4:3 viewing palitable in stretch and DVDs properly maximized.


My view is that you can find technical issues with just about any set discussed on this forum. I checked this forum out for many months before taking the leap and I am not sorry with the Tosh's price-performance. Your Mitsu is probably quite good, if not excellent too. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[soarski]

Why would you want to exchange the Mits?


Marc Alexander


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I haven't been able to compare these two TV's side by side because no store in my area(St. Louis) carries both brands. I find that looking at TVs in most stores is quite challenging because of awful lighting conditions, bad signals(noise) to the TVs, none are adjusted/calibrated properly, etc. Many stores do not put comparable models side by side with the same programming. I've looked at the same models at many different stores with no consistency in the pictures. It's an absolute nightmare trying to compare big screens. Given these factors, I partially rely on TV reviews such as Feb 2004 issue of Home Theater Magazine. The Toshiba did get top honors by a panel of judges. Although I hate to rely on a magazine and other reviews that may or may or may not be biased, I just don't have the means properly compare the two TVs, unless I bought both, reviewed them in my basement and returned the one I liked least.


The mits does have a very sharp picture. The picture at my local store seemed to lose some of the picture in very dark scenes. In the Hitachi I could still make out the backround scenery in dark scenes. This was my only complaint.


I'm just wondering if the PQ gets better with the Toshiba? If anyone on the forum has any thoughts that I should be considering please let me know. I think most TVs like the HX93 and 55613 are comparable in price and features. Which have better pictures OOTB and after calibration? Do some brands have more calibrating options that enable them to be better calibrated? I'm not sure. These are many questions that the average store doesn't have the answers for.


My requirements for a TV are first picture quality. I would prefer less screen glare however since my TV will be in the basement with very few windows I can control light. A logically laid out remote with menus that I can easily figure out without having to use the manual(Hitachi and Sony seem to due a good job of this). It may be up to a year before I can afford to have it professionally calibrated so OOTB PQ is a plus but not necessary.

 

[steviedude]

I agree with the post by ccrooster above as I to had the 57HX93

delivered about 3 wks ago and after reading this forum for several weeks,

I decided on a rptv. I am very happy with my new set. After about 100 hrs. or so, I did the manual converg/align and it really looks great. It looked very

good ootb as well and even better after alignment. I have digital cable on about 20 channels and they all look almost as good as dvds. Hoping to get

ota hd antenna soon to take advantage of the tuner. I chose this set mainly on the pq which I compared to Hitachi, and Mits in the store. IMHO you will be very happy with the Toshiba! Good luck!

 

[Marc Alexander]

I have owned and ISF'd many sets including Toshibas, so I will try to appear as unbiased as possible (I currently own a Mitsbushi and a Hitachi set).


I have calibrated a Toshiba 51HX93 and out of the box the color temperature measured between 1200-1500K! It calibrated quite decently as the gray scale tracking was better than Hitachi (+/- 200 or so vs +/-350). There was no way for me to calibrate the color decoder (fortunately there was very little red push and a slight green pull). The picture it produces is quite nice.


That being said, Mitsubishi's gray scale tracking is about the best there is (+/-100) and generally is much closer to 6500K out of the box. Mitsubishi also allows full access to the color decoder in the user menu (perfect color).


If you just want to plug your TV in and go...Toshiba is a decent choice.


But if you want the best possible picture, planning for professional calibration or tweaking yourself...Mits is hands down superior.

 

[Deja Vu]

Soarski,


How about some more information about the Home Theater shootout! Where did the Mits and Hitachi place? Why did they like the Toshiba so much?


I am going to look for the Feb. issue, but don't know if I'll be able to find it.


Thanks,


Grant