lovedrummin Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 I'm getting ready to start drooling over TVs and I'm considering the following rear projection sets: Mitsubishi 42" WT42311 Sony 46" KP 46WT500 Panasonic 47" PT 47WX42 Hitachi 43" 43FWX20DB Right now the above is pretty much my order of preference. The room size is 12'X12' which I know isn't the best for HT sound or viewing, but it's the best I can do as rest of family could care less about HT. If anyone has had any experience with the above models or has any other thoughts or considerations I'd appreciate the input. Thanks in advance folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 I went for MITS for a 43" and a 55" HDTV. Love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerSix Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 I second the Mits. From my perspective, they seem to be the most flexible when it comes to user adjustments and fine tuning. Out of the box, the picture is average (most RPTVs are), but with a little patience and tweaking you have a picture that will knock your socks off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Just recently spoke with a Tech of SOME regard regarding RPTV's. His answer to my question about the current average life of a RPTV was, nowadays around 12 years. His answer to who, in his opinion, currently offered the highest quality RPTV's was, SONY. Take it for what it is worth. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancestorm Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 ---------------- On 5/18/2003 7:23:47 PM lovedrummin wrote: If anyone has had any experience with the above models or has any other thoughts or considerations I'd appreciate the input. Thanks in advance folks. ---------------- Yes, I do. Why only RPTV? Have you looked into FPTV? Would you a large enough of a room to project an image onto a screen? I think FPTV not only takes up much less space than a RPTV, but doesn't have such a small viewing angle, and you can get double (even triple) the size of an image that you are looking for...If you're interested in FPTV let me know and I can let you in on what I know. There are many forum members with FPTV setups for their home theaters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzoz01 Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 DLP rear projections are also really slick, although a bit spendy when compared to a normal RPTV. I have a Pioneer Eliete HD530 pro 53". I've been very impressed with it over the last few months. I picked it over the diamond series mits, thought the picture was a bit nicer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 DLP's also let you have a great degree to look at the screen without getting a shady picture. One benefit of MITS RPTV's... guarenteed upgradable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovedrummin Posted May 19, 2003 Author Share Posted May 19, 2003 Thanks for the info guys. I'm thinking the Mits might be a good size for the room it will be in. Also it's a rather light weight (@ 110 lbs.)unit which would be good on the A/V stand I have for my HT gear and TV. There's going to be a 30lb. RC3II sitting on top of it. I think the next thing I need to do is get out there and check out these models in person. There's rain in the forcast in my area from about Wed. through Mon. Hmmm? Might be a good time to go check out these bad boys. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 OK - couple misconceptions to clear up and a bit of advice to offer (from the other side of the cash register ) 1) Sony may build a decent TV, but here's what your TECH didn't tell you: - Sony's tech support and warranty service is absolutely abysmal. I know - I spent several hours on the phone trying to resolve a customer issue with them. They are quite convinced that any problem you have is YOUR problem, not the EQUIPMENT's problem. - Sony RPTV has one fatal flaw: NO MANUAL CONVERGENCE! This means that the first time your tubes get too far out of line for the touch-focus to fix (or the first time the touch-focus doesn't do the job), you've got a $300 repair bill on your hands. (P.S. - the only RPTV on the market that has both touch-focus and manual convergence is Toshiba) - Sony HD in general has one thing going for it - better 480i to 480p upsampling. Problem: You love that feature right now, you won't care about it in two years. Mitsi, Toshiba, Panny, and Pioneer ES all do a lot better HD reproduction than Sony. 2) You need to consider whether you want to hedge your bets about the DVI battle or go for picture quality. If you think Hollywood will win the battle for control of your TV (via the DVI format), then go Sony, Toshiba. If you want the best picture quality your HDTV can deliver, then you'd better go Mitsi. Mitsubishi doesn't even adhere to the DVI format. Why? Because DVI sends a straight digital path to the TV, which then has to convert it to analog before it sends it to the tubes. What's wrong with this? What is a CRT tube if it is not an RF generator? Why do you care? Because RF interference is the #1 problem with picture quality from any source on any tube-based TV. 3) Indeed, DLP monitors are going to offer superior image quality over RPTV. Hell, I've got a Samsung 50" DLP in my showroom that puts LCD Hybrids and traditional RPTV's in my showroom to shame. It even dogs similar cost range Plasmas (of course, $4000 only gets you into an EDTV plasma, but...) - if you've got the extra dosh, DLP is a great compromise between the perfect picture of a plasma and the cost effectiveness of a RPTV 4) FPTV is a hell of a lot more expensive than any other format - but if you can handle an entry price of about $10K, you'll get more picture for your money than any other format as well. Finally - about that Panny 47" - No screen shield included, so you'd better not have kids... If you don't have kids, I'd still take the Mitsi 42" - its screenshield is removable, so you can enjoy glare-free, yet benefit from that extra protection when you're not there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancestorm Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 ---------------- On 5/20/2003 1:06:04 AM Griffinator wrote: 4) FPTV is a hell of a lot more expensive than any other format - but if you can handle an entry price of about $10K, you'll get more picture for your money than any other format as well. ---------------- WRONG! The prices in RPTV have dropped significantly over the past 3 years. You can buy RPTV's that rattle the big $10kers for under $3000. Prime two examples? Sony HS-10 and the Panasonic L300U. It is finally becoming a good market for those that don't have the $10000 wallet. Also, I feel that this is where the future in home theater is going in the next 5 years: the masses. Just this past weekend in the Best Buy ad they had the X1 projector for $1099. A good entry-level projector for the nOOb. Finally people will see what they are missing and get over the RPTV hype...I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancestorm Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 ---------------- On 5/20/2003 7:15:01 AM lancestorm wrote: WRONG! The prices in RPTV have dropped significantly over the past 3 years. You can buy RPTV's that rattle the big $10kers for under $3000. ---------------- That part I really meant FPTV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 ---------------- On 5/20/2003 7:15:01 AM lancestorm wrote: WRONG! The prices in FPTV have dropped significantly over the past 3 years. You can buy FPTV's that rattle the big $10kers for under $3000. Prime two examples? Sony HS-10 and the Panasonic L300U. It is finally becoming a good market for those that don't have the $10000 wallet. Also, I feel that this is where the future in home theater is going in the next 5 years: the masses. Just this past weekend in the Best Buy ad they had the X1 projector for $1099. A good entry-level projector for the nOOb. Finally people will see what they are missing and get over the RPTV hype...I did. ---------------- We may be carrying the X1 projector for $1099, but it's a piece of trash. For an extra couple hundred I'd take a 42" Toshiba RPTV over that clunker. One other thing you're not considering is the installation costs associated with FPTV. If you want maximum picture, you're shelling out beaucoup extra dosh for a proper screen, which of course you don't want hanging there all the time, so there goes more bucks for the motorized retractor, plus mounting of the projector, plus rewiring your entire HT (either some REALLY long video cables to run to the projector, or moving your whole system to the back of the room and rewiring your speakers. I'm not suggesting that RPTV is superior to FPTV. It isn't. But, as with any format, you'll get out of it exactly what you put in. You buy a $1099 projector and aim for your wall, you'll get exactly $1099 worth of picture, which, even in tubes, ain't much. The great FPTV systems have several thousand wrapped up in everything that goes with the projector, never mind the projector itself. BTW - someone commented on the "Mitsi guaranteed upgrade" This "upgrade" is already available through Mitsi. It costs $800 plus whatever your local guy wants to charge to install it. It essentially gives you an integrated over-the-air HDTV tuner. Fat lot that does you on cable or satellite. For $800, I'd buy the Samsung T-160 DirecTV receiver and a nice set of component video and optical cables, and wind up with a bit of spare change. What I like about the Mitsis is that they give you three component ins instead of two and a DVI port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audionut Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 ---------------- On 5/20/2003 1:06:04 AM Griffinator wrote: OK - couple misconceptions to clear up and a bit of advice to offer (from the other side of the cash register ) 1) Sony may build a decent TV, but here's what your TECH didn't tell you: - Sony's tech support and warranty service is absolutely abysmal. I know - I spent several hours on the phone trying to resolve a customer issue with them. They are quite convinced that any problem you have is YOUR problem, not the EQUIPMENT's problem. ============ I have to agree with you Griffinator: Several years ago I worked for a company that performed authorized service on Sony office products. We had 3 digital dictating machines in the shop with the same symptoms. Calls to Sony tech support were not getting us anywhere. All they told us is that we must be missing something. Yet each time we checked through the schematic and service manual, signals and voltages were as described. Finally, I called them back again and got a technician on the line who told me that "Yeah, I've seen that one before. If you add a capacitor between this point and that one, the problem will go away, but I didn't tell you that." (Paraphrased) I thought, how arrogant Sony must be for their technicians not to feel comfortable enough to reveal possible design problems with their products, even to their factory authorized service people. The consumer is definately not the winner in a situation like that. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 Don't know about misconceptions but I do know this, I have 3 Sony TV's that I've owned for 11 years, 10 years, and 8 1/2 years. Just recently had to have the first service call. I believe this problem is one that could have been avoided, but that's another story. Warranty=insignificant. I called Sony about 10 days ago and asked about availability of a part that I thought needed replacement. The person I spoke with told me yes, the part was available and gave me the part number, location on the circuit board, and price. My service person is installing that now. I've owned many brands of TV's over the years and the best have been Sony. As with other things in life you generally get what you pay for. If you're lucky. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 ---------------- On 5/20/2003 8:47:12 AM talktoKeith wrote: Don't know about misconceptions but I do know this, I have 3 Sony TV's that I've owned for 11 years, 10 years, and 8 1/2 years. Just recently had to have the first service call. I believe this problem is one that could have been avoided, but that's another story. Warranty=insignificant. I called Sony about 10 days ago and asked about availability of a part that I thought needed replacement. The person I spoke with told me yes, the part was available and gave me the part number, location on the circuit board, and price. My service person is installing that now. I've owned many brands of TV's over the years and the best have been Sony. As with other things in life you generally get what you pay for. If you're lucky. Keith ---------------- Sure you did. Even as recently as 8 years ago Sony was building one of the best TV's on the market. I'll tell you that from my showroom alone I've had to send three Sony TV's (two tubes, one projo) off to be repaired in the last six months (out of a total of 10 on display). The projo suddenly came up with a green cast over every picture, a 36" tube HD had a transformer failure (turned on OK, but promptly shut off after 15 minutes), and a 32" analog tube's component video input failed. The fact is, Sony is not the same company they were 8 years ago. They charge too much for inferior product. I guarantee you that 9 out of ten Sonys I sell tomorrow will quit within 5 years. Why do I sell them? Because of diehard Sony people who insist that Sony is the best, even when confronted with obvious inferiorities. There's a reason why Toshiba is the highest rated tube TV on the market right now, where Sony was a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
space_cowboy Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 OK, I'll chime in on the Hitachi. I almost bought the one you listed but went with the 51UWX20B for a few smackers more and haven't looked back. My owners manual includes the 43 model in the specs, so some of these must hold true that some replies mentioned: - Hitachi Magic Focus which includes Auto Digital Convergence and Manual Adjustment - Velocity Modulation - Motion Compensation - Screen Shield I'm pretty low tech, but looked for a few days and decided on Hitachi although the dealer show rooms can be so wacko to do comparisons. My personal opinion (biased of course), is that mine looks better than friends Toshiba and Pioneer, and better than what I saw at the dealers, including the other brands your considering. BTW, I have the KLF-C7 beast sitting on top, and being on casters, it's a snap to move around. Check out the Hitachi web site and go look around, let us know your decision. Regards, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Ah. I stand corrected. Hitachi and Toshiba both do manual convergence + touch focus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmaple Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Griffinator, I have a couple of questions. I have just began to think about a HD TV. Probably a RPTV but maybe a FPTV. Do you have any experience or thoughts on the previously mentioned Sony HS-10 FPTV. I've read good user reviews of it and it's $2500-$3000 price tag is appealling. Also, why did you say that "of course you don't want (the screen) hanging there all the time"? Is there a performance reason for that of just a cosmetic preference? I currently own a 8 year old 32" Sony XBR and a 5 year old 53" Sony XBR. Both have been excellent! I found it interesting that you indicated Sony is not what it was just a few years ago. Thanks in advance for any comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Nevermind how small you think your room is.I prefer the Mits products. I'm not sure of this years quality with their sets but do yourself a favor and get the largest screen you can afford or go the projector route for the bigger bucks.You will see what I mean after you have purchased one. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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