|
Review 4 of 6
Price Paid:
$1799.00
from Sears Summary:
(Comments are for DVD, DirecTV, C-Band, and standard broadcast via cable. I have no high def source yet.)
1. Very good picture out of the box and excellent after calibration by an Imaging Science professional ($125 well spent - check the IS website).
2. HUGE improvement over my 11-year-old 53" Sony XBR which cost twice as much back then.
3. I have seen slightly better overall picture quality on $15,000 - $25,000 plasma displays, but even at those obscene prices they were not as good reproducing black as the Hitachi.
4. Sears did a good job of getting the set to me in the time promised. Strengths:
1. As fine a value for a high definition TV as can be found
2. Excellent picture quality with better blacks (properly calibrated) than plasma, LCD, or DLP sets
3. Good array of video and audio controls
4. Easy convergence method (but don't count on the auto convergence mode to get it right; you'll have to finish up manually).
5. The Imaging Science tech commented on the set's design quality and its virtual absence of reported problems. Consumer's Report gives it one of the better frequency-of-repair records.
6. Excellent NTSC tuner - local broadcasts on cable are much cleaner than either my old Sony, the cable company's box, or through a top grade Panasonic VCR.
7. You can select either 540p or 1080i display, but don't expect a noticable difference on non-high def sources.
7. Remote handles well by feel (except as noted in "Weaknesses"), which is my acid test for a remote.
8. No need to buy a progressive scan DVD; the set does the 3:2 conversion quite well.
9. The giant carton it comes in makes a great playhouse for grandkids.
10. It has all the inherent strengths of a rear projection CRT set. Weaknesses:
1. The set converts all video to either 540p or 1080i (user selected) and does not directly display 740p, which is ABC's high def standard.
2. That dumb little control stick on the remote is prone to causing errors.
3. Only some of the remote buttons are backlit.
4. Supposedly universal, the remote fails to operate my Chaparral C-band satellite, Sony CD player, and Lexicon MC-1 processor.
5. The set's connectors are not gold plated: disappointing and inexcusable.
6. The screen is very reflective, although I don't notice any problem when it's turned on.
7. Why only one DVI input?
8. "Magic Focus" is a really dumb name for convergence.
9. It has all the inherent weakness of a rear projection CRT set. Similar Products Used:
none
| 
5 of 5
4 of 5
