HT Rookie Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 hi all, it's me again, even more confused than when I first started my quest for a new system. I think I have finally decided on my speakers RF-25 for the fronts, RB-25 for the Rears, 2 RC-25's and 1 RW-10. The RF5 and RF7's are just too big for my room. Prewiring for my new house is happening this weekend & I only have 2 1/2 weeks left before I have to make all the final choices for all of my components. I am seriously confused on which TV to select. I can not fit anything larger than 55" I intially was going to buy a 55" Mitsubishi, b/c of all the hype over mitsubishi. Then I looked at the Samsung DLP and fell in love with the picture. Then I read reviews on both of them and found that they each had their quirks. I really was not impressed with the picture quality on the 55" Mitsubishi w/the intergrated HDTV tuner. I saw some of the Pioneer Elite TV's and thought they had a slightly better picture than the Mitsubishi. So it brings me to wonder, is Mitsubishi as good as people have made them to be. Or has some of the other companies just caught up and possibly surpassed Mitsubishi as a better product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUTiger Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 When comparing the TVs, be sure to check the contrast and brightness settings. Many stores have the those settings turned way up (torch mode) to make the TVs stand out. Different settings can make comparing TVs difficult. DLP TVs do look nice but I think that they might have issues with displaying blacks and contrast with shades of black. I have a Mitsubishi Platinum Plus 65" that I am quite happy with. I use an external HDTV tuner (Zenith 1080). If you do buy a RPTV, then be sure to turn down the brightness and contrast to prevent burn-in. Preferably, use a turning disc (Avia, or such, to set it properly). David Front: RB-75 Center: RC-35 Surround: RS-35 Receiver: Denon AVR-3803 Subwoofer: James Loudspeaker EMB-1000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygmn Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 I think best is in the eyes of the beholder......... Like ART a picture is personal.... I do suggest checking with local TV repair man and calibraotrs to get their opinions TV's they have a wealth of knowledge and experience.... Good Luck PS sometimes price will make you get something a bit less or more then you first expected so be prepared..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 check out the sony 50 and 60" grand vvegas. they are lcd-rptv's w/1366x768 resolution vs. 1024x768 for some other brands/models. very nice picture, not succeptable to burn in, very shallow depth (16-18"),unique esthetic look. if i had to have only ONE display, i would have a 60" grand vvega. sony is in the video biz from broadcast hd cameras(jay leno show)to movie production(columbia/tristar)to video displays. across-the-board they make the finest video products in the industry,imo. avman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand11 Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Be careful with LCD, LCoS, or DLP fixed-pixel digital televisions. The internal scalers arn't nessisarily that good so it's absolutely critical that you see them displaying a standard 480i signal if you plan on doing any regular TV watching. Most stores will be showing off the HD signal. I've heard many testimonials from people that bought a new DLP set only to find out that regular TV viewing was a huge drop in quality from thier old CRT TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onionrings Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 ---------------- On 9/17/2003 6:28:31 PM Grand11 wrote: Be careful with LCD, LCoS, or DLP fixed-pixel digital televisions. The internal scalers arn't nessisarily that good so it's absolutely critical that you see them displaying a standard 480i signal if you plan on doing any regular TV watching. Most stores will be showing off the HD signal. I've heard many testimonials from people that bought a new DLP set only to find out that regular TV viewing was a huge drop in quality from thier old CRT TV. ---------------- I agree with those testimonials. I own the 60XBR800 and there is a noticable difference between regular tv channels as compared to a digital cablebox. But, I do all my watching with my cable box so it doesn't bother me. Once you watch this set calibrated and showing a HD signal you will fall in love. If you've ever watched a hockey game in HD you'll know what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 HT Rookie, If you haven't already, you might want to head over the the Home Theater Spot (www.hometheaterspot.com) There is a huge contingency of Mitsubishi RPTV fans on the forums there, and yes, I am one of them... Having said that, you should know that the reason the HTSpot exists seems to be because Mits sets have traditionally required tweaking to be their very best; and yes, the picture quality is excellent, but not out-of-the-box. I have a friend who recently bought a Hitachi 51" widescreen... I came over with a fistful of tweaks I had gotten from the internet, along with the Avia disc and some DVD's I use as demos. I was surprised (pleasantly) to discover that the PQ of his Hitachi was excellent as delivered (except for the contrast, which he had already reduced per my advice). Fleshtones were accurate, and there was a mild case of red push, but it was not obvious or distracting on the material we viewed. I especially liked the look of the on-screen menus (but did not really like the way they were accessed... too much rigamarole to get where you wanted)... they looked much more professional than the cartoony font on my 2002 Mits. I would seriously compare sets on showroom floors if I were you; try to make sure the settings are similar on the sets you compare. The 2004 Mitsubishis are supposed to be terrific, and include user-level settings to alter the color-decoder settings, so you won't have to live with Red Push... the AVIA disc, though it may seem like a lot of money for one disc (you can find it for about $37 on-line, retail is $50), is invaluable for setting up not only your RPTV, but your audio system as well. Whatever you decide on good luck, and become as informed as possible before and after your purchase, and you will enjoy your set for a long time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO1 Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 A very well known Canadian ISF tech told me that out of the box Hitachi & Mitsubishi were the best with just basic user calibration. Panasonic was one of the worst out of the box but a good tech could make it look like a Pioneer Elite and Pioneer Elite was the benchmark for PQ. That's if you're talking CRT RPTV's now if you're talking DLP RPTV's it's a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinoloco Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Philips makes a fine RPTV. With their MATCHline products, the regular analog signals are clean up alot so they look alot better. Pioneer Elite TVS get rave reviews too. I was not that happy with the Mitsubishi RPTV, so I got a Philips Matchline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Always consider Toshiba. Economical and well reviewed by Perfect Vision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 ---------------- On 9/17/2003 7:00:15 PM onionrings wrote: ---------------- On 9/17/2003 6:28:31 PM Grand11 wrote: Be careful with LCD, LCoS, or DLP fixed-pixel digital televisions. The internal scalers arn't nessisarily that good so it's absolutely critical that you see them displaying a standard 480i signal if you plan on doing any regular TV watching. Most stores will be showing off the HD signal. I've heard many testimonials from people that bought a new DLP set only to find out that regular TV viewing was a huge drop in quality from thier old CRT TV. ---------------- I agree with those testimonials. I own the 60XBR800 and there is a noticable difference between regular tv channels as compared to a digital cablebox. But, I do all my watching with my cable box so it doesn't bother me. Once you watch this set calibrated and showing a HD signal you will fall in love. If you've ever watched a hockey game in HD you'll know what I mean. ---------------- Surprisingly, the best DLP for 480i representation I've seen is the Samsung. Easily eclipses P-Scan picture quality on standard broadcast TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HT Rookie Posted September 18, 2003 Author Share Posted September 18, 2003 Thx all for the responses. A couple of years ago, I really liked the way the Toshiba Cinema Series looked. I liked it better that the Mits, but since I have moved, there are no Toshiba Cinema Series where I am. I have already seen the new 2004 Mits, and granted the new options are great, but the picture quality of the Siler Series Plus (last years gold series plus) was horrible. Of all the sets I saw in the store, the Samsung 46 and 56 inch DLPs looked the best. But I did not ask them to show them to me on a non HDTV source. I will need to look into that. I guess where I may have some major confusion in is how all of the tweaking will play into it. I mean, until I started doing research and coming to the forums, I never knew that TV's could be tweaked through convergence, calibrating and other steps. My issue now is, I can see which TV is best out of the box, but WHICK TV will be BEST after completely TWEAKED. Also, how many times will it need to be tweaked, is it an easy process, are there tools required. I will definitely invest in the AVIA disc and a SPL (I think that's a sound pressure thing for my speakers) I really appreciate all of the advice all of you have given. I have found this site to be the friendliest, easiest, non-judemental and non arrogant forum I have been to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 I always get a laugh when my friends watch a movie on my mitsubishi.Most wives will say,what kind of tv is that,its got a great picture,then look at their husband and say,well what kind of tv have we got.I don't know mitsubishi is best,but its the best I found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 I have a Mitsu WS55819 but for a dedicated HT with controlled lighting I like the size of a projector. I'm watching an NEC HT1000 with Bravo DVI DVD player and find the big screen is TRUE HT. My 55" is a big TV...not a HT although I enjoy it. Projection has it's downside...it sure looks washed out with the lights on, etc. My neighbor bought the thin DLP Sammy and loves it--he wanted the extra feet of room space back and likes putting his center speaker below the Sammy. I think the RPTV market has matured and the deltas have been reduced between brands. Mitsu, Pioneer, Toshiba, Hitachi, etc. ...many of them are pretty close. What if you can save $500 on one brand vs the other of a similar model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 I've seen some excellent rear-projection offerings of late in the 50" to 65" range from Pioneer Elite, Hitachi and Toshiba. The latter two of which also carried great pricing. (at Circuit City). -Picky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygmn Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 For the record I do like my Hitachi.....Great pic out of box...and better yet after adjustment using AVIA....No red push or nothing...right on ... Great value too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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