Toshiba 56HM195 56 in. HDTV DLP TV

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UPDATE NOTE:: My 56" Toshiba 56HM195 56" 1080p DLP HDTV DIED (September 13, 2006) and Toshiba replaced that set & matching TV Stand with the Toshiba 62HM196 & TV Matching Stand for FREE!

Thank You Toshiba!!!

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Purchased: Feb. 1, 2006 (Amazon.com - Authorized Dealer)
Order-Delivery: 7-days from on-line order (yep-in time for the Superbowl!!! - yes!)
White-glove Service: From Truck to my HT/Family room (no extra charge)

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June 20, 2006 UPDATE - located below original Review
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__ SETUP __

.... Relatively easy since the first screen is the TVGuide setup screens - just answer the prompts/questions. (NOTE: After 24 hours of idle time, TVGuide will store up to 7-days of programming - use it instead of the newspaper TV program guide!)

HDTV Menu operation and structure:
.... Easily access via the remote. The screen is clear and well organized! Highlight an Icon(s) and their section Description is displayed.

I located all the Picture adjustment controls / menu easily without consulting the instruction manual
........ NOTE: Previous experience with the Toshiba 50H81 helped!
.... New Picture control options were welcome and their use was basically Input depended.
........ Example: For DVD operations (HDMI & Component) - I Turn-off the DNR and MPEG options.


__ SUBJECTIVE COLOR BALANCE, CLARITY, DEPTH & SHARPNESS REVIEW __

Video Calibrated after 40 mins of 1st use, ... using Digital Video Essentials DVD
... a) Color & Tint: using the DVE BLUE Color Filter
... b) Brightness & Contrast: using DVE Pluge Test Screen
... c) Sharpness: Turned it OFF = 0 (recommended by an ISF calibrator that calibrated a 56HM195 last year - anything higher introduces video noise)

FINAL RESULTS:
Equipment: Panasonic DVD-S77s
Input #4: Component Cables / 480p
.... 480p DVD Results / HDTV Screen = Full:
......... Contrast: 55
......... Brightness: 49
......... Color: 36*
......... Tint: -7*
......... Sharpness: 0

Equipment: Panasonic DVD-S77s
Input #6: HDMI / upconverting 480p > 1080i
.... 1081i DVD Results / HDTV Screen = Natural
......... Contrast: 60
......... Brightness: 45
......... Color: 49*
......... Tint: 0*
......... Sharpness: 0

*Spot-on perfect - Digital Video Essentials, & verified by Original VE and AVIA using Blue Filters respectively.


__ DVDs __

1) Panasonic DVD-S77s HDMI / 1081i = EXCELLENT!!! Very Clear, Sharp, Smooth with Outstanding Detail(s).
.... a) Digital DVD transfer's = Excellent - near HD quality!!! More intricate details and colors are visible and clearly seen!!!
........ 1. i.e. Star Wars Ep. 2 & Ep. 3; Finding Nemo; Spy Kids; The Incredibles; etc.
.... b) Blockbuster DVDs = Very Good to Excellent
........ 1. Very Good = Older DVD transfers, i.e. Sum of All Fears; Bourne Identity; etc.
........ 2. VG to Excellent = Newer DVD transfers, i.e. Serenity; Mr. & Mrs. Smith; two Superbit DVDs - Fifth Element & The Mask of Zorro; etc.

2) Panasonic DVD-S29s Component / 480p = Very Good to near Excellent! Clear, smooth and very detailed.
.... a) Some elements of the background is a little more grainy vs. the HDMI Input.
.... b) Slow screen pans not as smooth as HDMI, the 480p Component view is a bit choppy vs. HDMI upconverted 1080i
........ 1. Ex. "Sahara" opening credits & room pan reveal
.... c) Most close-ups are near excellent - really depends on the quality of the DVD transfers, noted above


__ CABLE TV BROADCASTS __ (No box just coax - after scanning the channels except ABC Channel 7-1*)

1) Cable TV HD Broadcast = SUPER - EXCELLENT!!! Very Crystal Clear, Jaw-dropping Liquid Smooth with Outstanding COLOR, DETAIL & DEPTH!!!
.... a) CBS Channel 79-1 / CSI - all HD broadcast flavors; NCIS; The Unit, etc.
.... b) NBC11 Channel 116-1 / Olympics; Law & Order; etc.
.... c) *ABC Channel 7-1 / Desperate Housewives; Grey's Anatomy; etc. (via Zenith Indoor Antenna w/Radio Shack 10dB Amp - 31.8 miles from SF antenna)

2) Cable TV Digital non-HD Broadcast = Very good, to sorta' near excellent!!! Clear, sometimes very smooth with very good color & details.
.... a) Pretty much program and channel depended
........ 1. Example: ABC Channel 144-1 = Very good, to sorta' near excellent!!! i.e. Some programs and commercials = Very good / Superbowl = Very good, to sorta' near excellent!!!
........ 2. Example: KRON 4 Channel 144-9 = Consistently Very Good

3) Cable TV Analog Broadcast = Fair to Very good. Sometimes fuzzy with minor artifacts but clear with good color.
(NOTE: I don't watch any Cable TV Analog Broadcast presently though I will occasionally record them via my VCR!!!)
.... a) Pretty much channel depended (higher bands better vs. lowest)
........ 1. i.e. ABC Channel 7 = Very Good, sometimes fuzzy with minor artifacts but clear with good color and detail.
........ 2. i.e. KRON Channel 4 = Fair, really fuzzy with minor artifacts and video noise, somewhat clear with OK color and detail.
........ 3. i.e. KTVU Channel 2 = Poor, really fuzzy with minor artifacts & video noise, at times, a lot of RF interference and somewhat OK color. Actually looks worst vs. my roof antenna setup from years ago!


__ HDTV OPERATION AND DLP VISUAL OBSERVATIONS __

1) Fan Noise = Not intrusive, barely noticeable when Audio & HDTV is off

2) Microblocking = Observed in only some dark scene's & screens, as moving groups of artifacts - same color black. Overall - noticeable but since those scene's don't last too long it is not too intrusive.
........ a) Most don't see it, ... I was looking for it so I noticed it.
............ 1. i.e. "Zathura", just a few dark scene's. Majority of the dark scene's though were very detailed from the inky black on up, ... basically A-OK!!!
............ 2. i.e. "The Legend of Zorro" again, just a few quick dark scene's only - not noticed by my usual Friday NITE DVD crowd.

3) Rainbow = Not observed
........ a) Not an issue with me or the various group of viewer's I've had over the house the last week or so!

4) Lip-sync = Not an issue - all input sources (I don't play video games so can't comment on that!)

5) Color Banding = Visible when you look for it from dark to light colors - background gradation blends are not smooth, tend to band - though most in my usual once or twice a month Friday NITE DVD crowd don't notice this.


__ LAMP LIFE EXPECTANCY** __

1) Jury is still out based on my personal experience
........ 1. 380 hours so far on my original Lamp since Feb. 1st, 2006.

**NOTE: UPDATE - on the Lamp failure issue on some 2005 1080p DLP HDTV's ...

===Quote:====
Product Resource: Information for Owners of 2005 DLP Televisions

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/tacpassets-images/notices/dlplamp.asp

"To ensure the satisfaction of our customers and to maintain the integrity and quality of our products, Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is issuing an important product update.

Toshiba is committed to customer service and to continuously improving the quality of its products. It has come to our attention that the lamp life of some lamps in a limited number of 2005 DLP television models and serial number ranges may be less than our expectation. As part of our ongoing commitment to customer service, Toshiba is extending the warranty on the originally-installed lamp in those particular 2005 DLP television models and serial number ranges for one additional year (for a total warranty period of two years for the originally-installed lamp) to enable customers with those televisions to obtain a new and improved lamp free of charge if the originally-installed lamp fails. If you own one of the DLP television models listed below, please enter your serial number in the box below to determine if your particular DLP television qualifies for this extended warranty. The serial number can be located on the back panel of the television. Be assured that Toshiba DLP televisions are of the highest quality and this update regards a limited issue."
===End of Quote:====


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

__ VISUAL HIGHLIGHTS - AFTER VIDEO CALIBRATION __

1) Stunning Picture - HDTV Broadcasts & HDMI upconverted 480p > 1080i

.... a) Color accuracy, balance, smoothness and w/near 3D depth!

.... b) Very detailed picture that is crystal squeaky clean clear!! - HDTV specifically

.... c) Black & White programs & DVD's (Maltese Falcon, etc.) are excellent with inky blacks and showing super details from the subtle shades of dark gray up to white!

.... d) Geometry near perfect horizontally & vertically out of the box - no adjustments required!

.... e) Convergence = PERFECT - thank you DPL (No worries about burn-in either)

.... f) No visible pixel or raster lines @ 8-9 feet away (even if you stare at the screen from a foot away!!! - uncanny)


__ FINAL COMMENTS __

Toshiba reliability is one of the best and since they up the ante on the Lamp warranty up to 2-years on some 2005 DLP HDTV's S/N (check Toshiba's website) because some unit's early Lamp design failure, ... it's easy to recommend a product that performs exceptionally well @ 1080p but has a large Company that stands behind the product! Toshiba is having the Lamp redesigned to meet the published DLP Lamp expectant life specification up to 6,000 hours - low power mode.

Phil

NOTE:
1) Copy the following link to your browser ...

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/781539/an/0/page/0#Post781539

... to read my complete "56HM195 setup, calibration & subjective review " @ HTSpot.com

2) Copy the following link to see some digital pic's from unpacking, TV Stand & some sample actual DVDs / HiDef TV screen captures ...

http://community.webshots.com/album/547283085aQQRCi


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June 20, 2006 UPDATE:
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RELIABILITY:
1) HDTV = Outstanding (LAMP is another issue, see NOTE #2 & #3)
.... a) No Issues with any of the Video Sources (VHS; DVD; Laserdisc; Media Memory Cards)
.... b) Any minor HDTV hiccups caused by the Cable company updates or re-assigning channels is easily re-settable via the HDTV menu.

2) ORIGINAL LAMP = POOR
.... a) Original LAMP lasted 570 hours - finally popped on April 21, 2006
.... b) Used my eBay back-up Lamp until my replacement arrived.
.... c) View the blown LAMP @ my 56HM195 Webshots Album, copy the following link to your browser ...

http://community.webshots.com/album/547283085aQQRCi

3) NEW LAMP = So far so good w/280 hrs. of use.
.... a) Arrived 5-days on April 26, 2006 (including weekend) after contacting Toshiba's Customer Service.
.... b) Installed the next morning and stored my eBay back-up Lamp w/30 hours of use.

PERFORMANCE: Stellar since DAY-1 and everything I wrote above still applies - including the sections - ""HDTV OPERATION AND DLP VISUAL OBSERVATIONS" & "VISUAL HIGHLIGHTS - AFTER VIDEO CALIBRATION"!

After Video Calibration (using Digital Video Essentials DVD w/Test Screens & BLUE Filter), this set has consistently displayed all Video INPUT sources as good, as their respective video sources can be shown in a digital TV format.

High Definition TV broadcast topping the PQ scale! If the TV broadcast is top notch, it doesn't matter if it is 720p or 1080i resolution, the sharp, clear and detailed color accurate images looks glorious!!! Color saturation is just right, separating the colors brilliantly (Miami CSI) with pop-off-the-screen impact and depth, while maintaining the subtlety and super clear details that 1080p resolution can deliver.

Upconverted 480p to 1080i HDMI DVD is next on the PQ scale! (Panasonic DVD-S77s w/HDMI). High definition and digital video transfers look near HD, ... especially on close-ups, i.e. Spy Kids; The Legend of Zorro; Star Wars Ep. 2 & 3, etc.. Distance views are very good but not as liquidly clear as the better HDTV broadcast. I suspect that upgrading to HD-DVD or Blue Ray & playing their respective compatible HD DVDs will finally close the HD PQ gap.

SATISFACTION: 100% - since it impresses ALL my friends and family, especially HDTV broadcasts and upconverted high quality 480p to 1080i DVD blockbuster movies!!!

NOTE: Another update will come after 1-year of ownership (Feb. 1, 2007) or sooner if required.
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