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Best picture
Pros
Picture quality. Features.
Cons
A little flakey on-screen menus.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A solid buy. Go for the 725 if you don't need of want the built-in PVR, it is the same TV otherwise.
For my budget DLP looked like the best picture quality versus screen size. Mitsubishi looked like the best picture quality and feature set. It has none of the drawbacks of the plasmas (delicacy, non-HD) and rivals the quality of image at a much lower cost.
The Mitsu comes with a plethora of inputs and outputs. It is CableCard ready, so you don't need yet another box on your A/V cart. The 825 models include a 120GB PVR (Tivo-like recorder) which operates pretty well, though you need to watch what it is recording. Mitsu customer service claimed a firmwarae upgrade was in the works to allow recording of one channel while watching another.
Speaking of upgrades, this TV has media card slots in the front. This is also where you upgrade the firmware. It couldn't be easier. I got the upgrade which installs the TV Guide Onscreen service. This is a free on-screen guide and recorder queueing application. However, two weeks later I still have no listings for all my channels. A call to Customer Service has generated a trouble ticket and a tech will be sent. If this works it will be great. Much better than the cable provider's guide, because this one is integrated with the PVR.
On to picture quality. On HD programming this TV is awesome. The color definition is jaw dropping, and the resolution is stunning. It up-converts all signals to 720p, which is a better setting resolution-wise than even 1080i. On SD analog programming it looks OK, but you see just how bad analog NTSC really is. Digital SD is sharp and clean. You can individually adjust inputs and even channels to fill the screen. You get several choices and the StretchPlus seems to have the least amount of distortion.
Brightness is incredible. Contrast is beyond reproach, some of the blacks are too black. We're used to the light-toned blacks from CRT SD TVs and the poor blacks in movie theaters. These blacks are well beyond these, and take some getting used to. You can individually adjust the picture for each input.
DVDs look fantastic, even with my old-school 480i DVD player.
The TV audio will output digital 5.1 surround sound to your A/V receiver via coax. I caution you to mute your TV when listening through your receiver. There can be the slightest of delays from the TV speakers and your room speakers which gives a noticable reverb.
Ergonomics. The remote is easy to use and it works with my older receiver and DVD player. It is lighted. I haven't tried the Netcommand stuff yet. There is a cooling fan for the lamp with a noticable sound but doesn't detract from the viewing. At 165 pounds the TV is lighter than CRT projectors. I got a table from IKEA instead of the stand from Mitsu. Glare can be a problem with flat screens but this Diamondshield makes it less of a problem.
The Mitsu comes with a plethora of inputs and outputs. It is CableCard ready, so you don't need yet another box on your A/V cart. The 825 models include a 120GB PVR (Tivo-like recorder) which operates pretty well, though you need to watch what it is recording. Mitsu customer service claimed a firmwarae upgrade was in the works to allow recording of one channel while watching another.
Speaking of upgrades, this TV has media card slots in the front. This is also where you upgrade the firmware. It couldn't be easier. I got the upgrade which installs the TV Guide Onscreen service. This is a free on-screen guide and recorder queueing application. However, two weeks later I still have no listings for all my channels. A call to Customer Service has generated a trouble ticket and a tech will be sent. If this works it will be great. Much better than the cable provider's guide, because this one is integrated with the PVR.
On to picture quality. On HD programming this TV is awesome. The color definition is jaw dropping, and the resolution is stunning. It up-converts all signals to 720p, which is a better setting resolution-wise than even 1080i. On SD analog programming it looks OK, but you see just how bad analog NTSC really is. Digital SD is sharp and clean. You can individually adjust inputs and even channels to fill the screen. You get several choices and the StretchPlus seems to have the least amount of distortion.
Brightness is incredible. Contrast is beyond reproach, some of the blacks are too black. We're used to the light-toned blacks from CRT SD TVs and the poor blacks in movie theaters. These blacks are well beyond these, and take some getting used to. You can individually adjust the picture for each input.
DVDs look fantastic, even with my old-school 480i DVD player.
The TV audio will output digital 5.1 surround sound to your A/V receiver via coax. I caution you to mute your TV when listening through your receiver. There can be the slightest of delays from the TV speakers and your room speakers which gives a noticable reverb.
Ergonomics. The remote is easy to use and it works with my older receiver and DVD player. It is lighted. I haven't tried the Netcommand stuff yet. There is a cooling fan for the lamp with a noticable sound but doesn't detract from the viewing. At 165 pounds the TV is lighter than CRT projectors. I got a table from IKEA instead of the stand from Mitsu. Glare can be a problem with flat screens but this Diamondshield makes it less of a problem.
