Mitsubishi WD-82737

Absolutely a five-star product in every way, backed by one-star customer service (5 + 1 = 6 divided by 2 = 3, hence the 3-star overall rating). First the good news: My entry into the world of bigscreen… hi-def was a JVC 61" 720p resolution LCOS about four years ago. I liked the color saturation and balance of LCOS better than the early DLPs, but obviously DLP won this fight. The overall improvement moving to the Mitsubishi 82-inch 1080p DLP is as great as when I moved to the JVC (which still looks pretty darn good) from the 60" Mitsubishi 4:3 standard def it replaced. There really is that much difference. Whether it's a 1080i (HDTV broadcast) or 1080p (Blu Ray) signal, the picture is real-life accurate, and huge! Most people don't realize the 82" Mits model this replaces debuted on the market at $25,000 (I'm an early adopter, but not THAT MUCH of an early adopter), so the be-the-first-on-your-block prices this new model is selling for are relatively reasonable by comparison. I paid $3600 with tax, dropped on my curb, about $1,000 less than the JVC four years ago. If you're patient, it'll probably be in the $3,000 range by Christmas and $2,000-$2,500 when the competition heats up. For now, Mits has the 7' screen HD internal projection market to itself. I found the up-converting DVD approach satisfactory while the format battle was still running, but now that it's over, I decided to upgrade to Blu Ray at the same time. BluRay "Blackhawk Down" on the Mitsubishi with the upgraded sound capability on the surround sound processor? Two words: INTENSE!!!! and WOW!!!!!! My son and I watched "The Bank Job" on HBO HD the other night and I was completely blown away again. About two-thirds of the way through, I realized my pulse was pounding even though I've seen the movie a few times and know what's going to happen next. My viewing distance is between 9 and 10 feet, and this puppy fills almost 100 degrees of my vision. Summary: The TV itself absolutely rocks, is absolutely worth every penny, and is not only the biggest, but the best internal projection HD picture I've ever seen (and I look around a lot). I don't know HOW they do it and I don't really care. Five stars for the Mitsubishi geeks who figured out how create a real-life quality picture on a 7' screen. PS -- I researched before I bought, and a few reviewers have whined about the different control protocol and menus Mitsubishi introduced with this product line. They're definitely different, and I agree that Mits seems to have solved a non-existent problem, but it's still very intuitive and easy to figure out, and a total no-brainer once you get used to it. I totally agree with the comments on the crappy remote control they ship out with this model. What's up with that? I buy a $[...] TV, and Mitsubishi supplies a remote that looks like I could buy it for $4.95 off the impulse rack in the grocery store checkout line, that doesn't even have backlit keys? The toggle ring around the "ENTER" key isn't contiguous or round, it's a four-section rounded square. I've got fingers the size of Hygrade Ballpark franks, but even someone with normal-sized fingers would have a hell of a time not pushing two buttons at once on this tiny controller. Hello? [...] The truck driver who delivered the TV stood by while my son and I de-boxed it. There was no shipping damage, everything was fine. However, the clear polyvinyl chloride protective tape Mits wrapped around the frame and the edge of the display screen for shipping left a residue on the screen when I removed it and to a lesser degree, took flakes of black paint off the frame. The owners manual says not to use anything stronger than non-abrasive soap and warm water, which took off most but not all of the residue the PVC tape left behind. There was a minor item I first called about which turned out to be related to the control protocol (and my not having read the owners manual before starting). [...] Final note: If you're OCD about this stuff like I am, if your surround processor is HDMI-equipped and you can use it as a video switcher (like most of the new ones), you'll want to check its video and HDMI protocol to be sure they're current with the latest technology. I had a great Yamaha system that was three years old, and wasn't, so I "had" to upgrade the sound system at the same time.

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