Mitsubishi WS-48413 48 in. HDTV-Ready TV

Before I start, I want to point that I am still disturbed about 2 reviews written prior to mine, about this product. It's a shame that people with such a shallow knowledge would sit down and write a "review". It's a shame that someone could be stirred away from this great product, just cause "reviewer" here didn't know what he/she was writing about.
I am not some expert on TV sets, neither am I a professional reviewer, but I know this :
1. One reviewer is writing about the need of professional to calibrate this unit ???
This is the ONLY TV on the market, that I know of, which is offering 64 points of individual convergence, versus others which offer 3 to 9 points. And one needs professional for it ? Also, there is AVIA CD out there for $30-$40, which can guide ANYONE step by step to calibration.
2. The other one is even better :
Complaining about number of inputs/outputs on this unit ?????
There is total of 39 of them. How many did he need ? 850 ?
Very same person than writes about bad picture quality, yet uses S video over superior Component video connection ??? Blows my mind.
Now that I have this out of my hair, let me start.
I have Mitsubishi tube TV set for over 15 years now. Not a single problem. It still works flawlessly. It was about time for me to buy the bigger screen, and after some research I decided on HD ready Projection TV set. I narrowed it down to 3 models/manufacturers :
Mitsubishi – cause of my previous experience with this manufacturer
Sony – cause I love their TV's, and also have one
Hitachi – cause I saw the picture quality on them and I learned that this manufacturer is one of the major suppliers of parts for Sony.
I was lucky enough to see them all lined up next to each other. Right of the bet, Sony was out. I learned fast that when it comes to tube TV sets Sony is hard to beat, but when it comes to projection TV's it has little better than average product. The picture on their sets is not bad, but standing next to the other two, it was inferior to the coloring, sharpness and contrast. So it was down to Mitsubishi and Hitachi.
Because of the size of my room (17 X 13 feet) I was looking for screen size of 48" or 51". The Hitachi in store had the size for me but with DVD player installed in the set. I never liked buying combo units. Simple reason : what good is that DVD which is part of the set, if TV dies on me ? So, it was Mitsubishi and I am glad.
Design of this model is average. It is not some flashy model which will make your room look better. This was not important to me. More important was the performance and the features of it. Boy, does it perform. For the first time in my life, I used the component cables for my video and fiber optics for my audio. Unbelievable. First it's unbelievable that one has to spend $ 300 plus on the cables today in order to have the maximum performance out of the equipment. Secondly, after the pain is gone for spending this much on the cable, performance is unbelievable. Most of the use for this TV set will be for watching DVD's. I don't care much about broadcasting and only occasionally I watch it,
(news and football). That's why I don't want to spend lot's of money on Satellite or Cable TV subscription. I have basic cable subscription from Comcast, and my signal is analog.
Even with analog signal, this TV is giving me great picture and sound.
But when you turn on the DVD and Home theater than this set really shines. Which leads me to think that HD broadcasting on this TV has to be phenomenal.
Just MAKE SURE you supply this set with top of the line cables. You don't buy Ferrari and than fill it up with the cheap gas.
Also, MAKE SURE, when you start shopping, to bend down and look at this set at the Eye Level (which would be just about the level when you sit down, or lay down, to watch TV) . If you are looking at this screen while you are standing, you will have FALSE impression of the picture quality.
This set has too many features to write about, so I'll give you just few which I was impressed with : I already mentioned 64 points of calibration, versus 3 to 9 of the competition. My understanding is that calibration is important for projection TV's and one should perform it about twice a year.
This unit is so rugged . You can BANG hard on this screen without damaging it. It's because it has double screen. They call this protective layer "Diamond shield" and one can very easy take it off and mount it on. If you have kids, that may be important. Also, it's kind of nice for cleaning (washing) the screen.
It has PIP and POP feature. You can watch up to nine (9) programs plus main screen at the same time. You could watch split screen (side by side) two programs, and it's just like having two regular TV sets next to each other.
It has V-chip technology which allows you to restrict programming by general contents, specific contents or by time.
IR Input with IR emitters can be used to control external devices (DVD, VCR, Cable boxes, Satellite boxes) via TV set.
Overall, I am very impressed with this TV set, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good projection TV, with outstanding performance, and great durability