I finally did it.
I gave in and bought a big screen TV.
I was initially interested in DLP sets because of the “bang for the buck factor”. Big DLP screens are cheap compared to LCD/Plasma. They also have the advantage of being able to change the bulb and prolong the life of the set… that’s another plus in my book. When I first started browsing the internet for pricing, DLP seemed to be the TV of choice… and then I saw one.
Most DLPs were very dark and unpleasant when sitting next to their LCD/Plasma competition. LCD sets were usually the brightest sets I saw, almost to the point of being too bright. Then again, that’s sitting in a showroom, what would they look like in my home? I saw a few DLPs and talked to people that owned them. Brightness and glare were their only real complaints. Seeing as I have a giant window on the right side of my living room that causes horrendous amounts of glare, DLP suddenly didn’t look like the best solution.
… And then I saw the Mitsubishi Diamond WD-57831 … it sold me at first glance.
I had to have it. The new Mitsu Diamond DLP BLEW AWAY the others. Sitting next to Samsung, Toshiba, and even the other Mitsus, the Diamond ALWAYS had the brighter picture. To the point where you can identify the Diamond in a group of TVs from across the room. It’s that much of a difference. You’d think it was LCD. I went back to the internet to research and sure enough, the Mitsu web site indicated that they came up with a new DLP lighting engine for this years’ Diamond. And boy did they knock it out of the park with this one!
$2600 + Tax at my local shop (which runs right in line with the cheapest internet price of $2599 + S&H) and i’m there. What a deal! Internet pricing and i’ll have it in my living room later on this evening! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
Anyway, long story short, this is an amazing unit. Here’s my rundown.
Pros
- Bright, beautiful, clear picture. Even with the settings on normal (not in vibrant mode or anything like that).
- Almost immune to glare. If you look at my photo gallery, you’ll notice that you can clearly make out the picture on the TV in each shot… the irony there is that it was like 1AM with poor overhead lighting so I fired the flash! You can see how much it affects the screen when the TV is off. If the TV is on, you can’t see the glare from the flash. Amazing.
- NetCommand KICKS ASS. Very neat technology that’s easy to program and even easier to use. SUPER NEAT feature if you don’t already have the universal remote setup and such. Even if you do have the universal up and running, you may find NetCommand more to your liking. (Attention Harmony users, stay with the Harmony. It’s still better overall. The IR repeater in the TV comes in handy though!)
- If you’re looking for bang for your buck. This is the TV to beat.
Cons
- Slow startup time (4s+ depending on how warm it is already) can be tricky for some macro based universal remotes w/o a delay feature. (The Logitech Harmony works like a champ on it though.
- Component Input will not do 1080p. 1080p is available only through DVI or HDMI. (Note : This seems to be a standard thing with most TVs I looked at. Only a select few would do 1080p over component)
- You will quickly become an HDTV bigot. 480i/p signals from cable / satellite are blocky b/c of the compression and the fact that you’re blowing them up to 57″. (I can see the compression on my 27″ & 36″ CRTs, so it’s REALLY apparent on the 57″) The Mitsu does a great job with it and all, but you’ll really see where your cable / satellite company is cutting corners and compressing the crap out of the signal! DVDs in 480p look good. HD-DVD in 1080p is significantly better.
The Xbox 360 will blow your doors off at 720p or 1080i… Everyone says i’m crazy, but I honestly like 1080i the best for the 360. I really don’t even see the need for the 360 Elite b/c it’s BUAUTIFUL in 1080i. - Be prepared to spend all of the money you saved by going with DLP on extra components / cables / mounts / entertainment centers to make it all work the way you want it to.
If anyone cares, here’s the photos.
My new TV