So, I’m putting together my first home theater system. I’ve done a ton of research, and narrowed it down to a couple of models of TV.
I’m looking for 60" +, DLP rear projection. Most people seem to agree that the Mitsibushis are great TVs in this space. I’m a little confused by the plethora of models - WD-62525, -625, -725, -825. The only comparison I could find was this:
They seem to be saying there’s hardly any difference, except for a glare filter on the higher models and a PVR on the 825 (which I don’t need, since I’ll be using a cable box.)
Does anyone know what the real scoop is on these difference models?
Also - would anyone recommend anything else? Plasma is out of my budget, and I’m wary of the “fades after a couple of years” issue. How does LCD projection compare with DLP projection?
One more question - it seems you can save several hundred dollars by buying over the net, vs. getting the TV at a local “big box” store like Best Buy. Anyone had experience with this? Would I be crazy to buy something this big and expensive online?
I think DLPs are far far far better than plasmas, but can be a bit off if the source isn’t HD.
The TV won’t matter nearly as much as the sound system, though. I would recommend strongly against Bose. Klipsch is a good money maker for stores (high markup) so they’ll push you that way. I’ve always like Sony sound products.
Don’t bother with a plasma screen. After a few thousand hours of use, the gas in the screen will begin to de-ionize or somesuch, and the picture quality will quickly degrade to zero.
All of my friends in the video end of my business swear by Mitsubishi for any RP big screen. Not sure where you live, but you might want to try calling some AV presentation services companies and see if they have last years models that they would be willing to sell. Most companies like this replace their monitors every year or two, so that their top-dollar corporate clients always are getting the latest and best technology.
Another thing to think about is front projection LCD. If you have the room for it, it’s not hard to install a trapdoor in the ceiling that lowers the projector to the right position to project on a screen that lowers from a slot in the ceiling as well. The picture quality on the new small LCDs is great, and a lot of them are cost comparable to big screen RPs.
I recommend you avoid Sony like the plague, for any hardware.
The OP pretty much nailed the differences between the -525, -725, and -825 models in their 2004 DLP line (there’s no 625, and the first two numbers are the screen size, i. e. 62725= middle-of-the-line 62" DLP). I think the -525s are black and the -725s are silver.
Some have complained about the highly reflective glare screen on the -525s; you can remove it if you don’t have little kids or a lamp directly in front of the screen.
Now, those are the 2004’s. The 2005’s are actually being released right now, and in Southern California first, you lucky dog! Here’s the press release, cribbed from the aforementioned avsforums.com:
So there’s something else for you to chew on.
Let me also advise you against buying from an online retailer. They’re dependent on another company for delivery and they probably won’t bother with setup. And forget about service if the damn thing doesn’t work or breaks soon after you get it. It’s not worth the hassle.
Another vote for spending a good portion of your money on the sound system.
Look into Paradim speakers - very good quality in the middle to low price range.
After that, invest in good stereo equipment - I personally like Harmon Kardon but liseten to a wide variety and decide for yourself what you like. Don’t be determined to pick something in a weekend - take your time, listen to a lot of different stuff.
Darn, just when I thought I had it - Mitsubishi goes and releases a 1080p.
FilmGeek - can you elaborate on why you don’t recommend Bose? At this point it’s academic since I’ve already acquired a Bose Accustimas 15 set-up, 5.1 with powered sub-woofer. They sounded great in the store and come highly recommended by a couple of HT buffs of my acquaintance. I also got a Panasonic SA-XR70S receiver. Everyone I’ve spoken to has emphasized not to skimp on the sound system or cables; a friend gave me his box of premium Monster cables and told me to have at it, so I’m lucky there.
Regarding the online retailer thing: it is so tempting; for the same model, I can have the TV in my living room for $600 less. I hadn’t thought of the whole set-up issue. I’m pretty competent with electronics - is that something I could handle? I understand the need for caution - if I went that way I’d definitely use a credit card with suitable purchase protection. It’s really difficult to know what to do. I’ve ordered stuff online a lot, but never anything this big and expensive. I know what you mean about hassle if the thing goes wrong, too. That’s what’s pushing me towards a local retailer, or at least someone like Amazon with a good reputation for customer service.
The general feeling about Bose is that their products are superbly marketed, but low in value. In particular, the acoustimass system suffers from a flaw, and that’s those tiny cubes. The very small speakers on them cannot reproduce the lower midrange well, and the Bass module doesn’t go high enough, so there’s a ‘hole’ in the spectrum where the gap exists. One test report I read showed that the frequency response of the acoustimass system was not accurate to within 10db, when speakers from other manufacturers are typically flat within 2db to the lowest and highest frequencies where they begin to roll off. That means other speakers are more accurate in reproducing what’s in the movie.
Bose does things to keep people from noticing this like setting up their speaker demonstration kiosks off by themselves so you can’t do A/B comparisons with other manufacturer’s products. Also, they tend to demo them in displays where the speakers are very close to your ears, and they can sound quite good. Then when you put them in your room they sound much weaker.
They are, however, very attractive and very small, making them easy to hide. So they make a fine mass-market speaker system for people who want ease of setup, unobtrusiveness, and who are happy if their audio is ‘good enough’. There’s nothing wrong with that.
If you don’t mind having larger speakers, you should check out Paradigm’s home theater systems, or other similar manufacturers.
If you have a room with total light control, you should give serious consideration to a front projector. You can buy entry-level models now for a thousand bucks that will produce a much more enjoyable picture than a much more expensive RPTV, simply because the picture is much bigger. Watching a movie on a front projection screen feels like being at the theater. Watching an RPTV feels like watching a really nice TV. But there’s still a very tangible difference with a screen four times the size. However, if your room gets any natural light at all, and you can’t or don’t want to block it all out, then front projection won’t work.
And don’t forget about your room acoustics. The best speakers in the world will sound like crap in a poor room. Make sure you have plenty of soft surfaces, and treat the first reflection points on the walls with acoustic panels. Room treatments are the best bang for the buck in home audio.
I’ll throw in another idea for you: CRT projector.
For a truly amazing home cinema experience - it’s the best. LCD, RP, Plasma… all are blown away. They’re expensive. And the fan noise might be too high. But picture quality is awesome.
I would not recommend CRT anymore. For one thing, the new crop of high-rez DLP projectors are just about as good as CRT - certainly if you spend the money for a new CRT, you can get a DLP that will perform as well or better. A CRT projector is very large, often requires special blocking in the ceiling to hold it, needs regular calibration, and generally isn’t as bright as the better DLP projectors.
CRT was king five years ago. Now almost no one buys them. Perhaps at the ultra high end, like the Sony G90, they still find their way into a few home theaters, but then those CRT machines are tens of thousands of dollars. For a fraction of that you can now get a native 1080P DLP with four times the brightness and a 3000:1 contrast ratio.
The only time I always agree with Sam is when he’s talking home theaters. If nothing else, DLP is preferable because there’s usually only one lamp to replace, and lamps can cost a surprising amount. An amazing amount. My boss has a pile of CRT projectors out back that are worth less than it would cost to relamp them. And they’re big; I’ve owned cars smaller than some of them. Sam is also right emphasizing contrast ratio over ANSI lumens, which is usually the reverse of what dealers will do. Higher contrast will look more natural and less washed out.
OK, I’ll shut up
The newer chips by Texas Instruments give better blackness, which was the problem with older DLP’s. I’m about2 years behind on studying the issue.
I still say a projector is the way to go. Those RP sets are bulky and ugly. With a DLP it’s easy to connect the computer and a tv-card which opens endless possibilities.
Whatever you do, make sure you get something meeting the HD standard, as many of the cheaper things that are available right now won’t have 720 lines height.
The thing that bothers me about DLP is the color wheel. Basically the DLP chip is a bunch of very tiny mirrors. Light bounces off the mirror to the screen. To get color the light goes through a spinning wheel with different colored films (I’m not sure if it happens befor or after the light hits the mirror).
Som people see a “rainbow effect” from the spinning wheel. I haven’t viewed a DLP in person so I don’t know if I’m affected or not. But the idea just seems so archaic to me. (some early color TV sytems also used a color wheel)
The ARE DLPs that use 3 chips - one for red, green, and blue and therefor no color wheel - but those systems are ~$15000.
I’m not nearly as knowlegable as Sam and many of the others above when it comes to specs and techs. I did though do a fair amout of shopping around and saw and heard a lot of systems head to head. What I decided on is within your description and I must say I’m quite pleased with it.
I went with the 60" Sony rear projection LCD (KDF60WF655) and upgraded my Dish to HD, plus got a local HD antennae. The picture is supurb, both in color and clarity. The refresh rate is more than adequate too, as even Formula 1 doesn’t display any “skittering”. Bulb replacement should be about every 5 to 7 years depending and run about $250.
Paradigm does make an awesome speaker but I’d always been a Klipsch guy and found it just really hard to get used to anything else. Maybe it’s just because they’re so efficient but instead of replacing the pair I already had I ended up buying more Klipsch to complete the set. Mains are Chorus IIs, center is the RC7blk, don’t remember the surround model but they weren’t terribly expensive and I went with the Velodyne DLS3750R for the sub.
This is my third Yamaha receiver, the RXV1500. It’s got I think about 120 wpc, 7.1, component and THX, plus it has a microphone you set in the viewing area and it will equalize all your speakers for maximum, customizable effect.
A line conditioner and surge protector is probably a pretty good investment. The Panamax MAX 4310 was used for my set-up.
Again, Sam and others are the experts but for wiring I went with Direct Connect’s RG6Q Quad Shield Coax cable, Tributaries Delta Series Interconnects and Ixos 15 gauge speaker wire w/ gamma tech.
Happy hunting. This kind of shopping is actually enjoyable.
Oh, one more note… don’t know if you’re planning on putting your TV in an entertainment center but we found it very difficult to find any that will accomodate a television wider than 60", that’s > 60" wide on the set, not a 60" diagonal. Our 60" set is 62" wide and there were exactly two entertainment centers in our large city that could hold it. We had to pay about 1.5 times the cost of the TV (brand was Hooker) and the other was 11K. :eek: So keep that in mind if it’s a consideration.
If nothing else, DLP is preferable because there’s usually only one lamp to replace, and lamps can cost a surprising amount. An amazing amount. My boss has a pile of CRT projectors out back that are worth less than it would cost to relamp them. And they’re big; I’ve owned cars smaller than some of them. Sam is also right emphasizing contrast ratio over ANSI lumens, which is usually the reverse of what dealers will do. Higher contrast will look more natural and less washed out.