DeepBlue

I returned my Panasonic and now I am looking into Mitsu.
Any Mitsu owners would like to share their experience when it comes to performance, repair history, and price? Any forums out there that discuss Mitsubishi?

I went and looked at some sets, the picture seems to be good; sales guy recommends 42", 48 max (viewing distance will be 6 feet). Also he said that they do in-store calibration BEFORE they deliver a new tv to the customer. I remember reading somewhere that tv set should be calibrated after 'break in' period. Is it important to wait and should I insist on them delivering the set brand new and untouched?

I would appreciate your input because I am new to this and my experience with Panasonic wasn't very good; I want to make sure that this time everything will work out better and I will actually get to have some fun with big tv and my dvd collection :-)

Thank you for any info.

p.s.
After watching 53" for a few weeks, going for 48" seems to be so small

BernieStolar

I have a 48511. I've had it for 2 weeks now. I love it. I researched a lot and looked at the panasonic because of the price and a lot of other sets just so I could say I did my homework. The mitsu blows them all away. The downside is I noticed as soon as I bought it that the color red was very prominent in the picture, but www.hometheaterspot.com helped me adjust that. I really reccomend that site for mitsubishi owners.
I calibrated my set with avia before the break in and it looks great. maybe I will do it again in few weeks to see if anything changed.
To sum up, mitsubishi makes an awesome hdtv. If you have anymore questions ask away.

DeepBlue

thanks Bernie.

By the way, how far are you from your tv set?

drmoze

I second the SPoT site. The Mitsu is very tweakable, and access to the service menus is easy. (Gotta be careful though!) Ask the guy what they calibrate: Do they adjust the overscan, square up the geometry, etc? Or just the contrast/color/tint, which is a no-brainer? Best bet is to learn and do it yourself after it breaks in. It's not hard at all, and you can do allthe basics with Avia or S&V Setup and info from the SPoT. The picture after that will be awesome compared to any setup you see in as tore, and to most friends's ets too, I bet!

We have a 65" and are only about 8-9' away, no prob. And you will have to recalibrate after the set breaks in (a month or so minimum of normal usage.) But do turn the contrast down to a bit below halfway immediately!

I'd go with the 411; there isn't enough HD source material for me to justify the extra $$$ for the built-in tuner. Plus, external HD tuners will just get cheaper later, when you want one.

I have no hesitation in recommending Mitsus. they have the best picture of any rptv in a 'reasonable' price range after DIY tweaking. Why pay more for something that may look a bit better out of the box, when with minimal effort you can get a picture that looks much better?

BernieStolar

I'm about 8 feet from the set. it's in a pretty small bedroom, not out in an open living room type environment. I think the distance is perfect. farther away the tv seems smaller, if i get closer my eyes start to burn and i cant take in all the glorious images.

Darthkim

I would definitely go for the 55411. There is really nothing wrong with the 42 or the 48, but unless you don't have the room, i would go as big as possible.

These tv's have a tendency to "shrink" after a couple of weeks, hence buyers remorse.

Also, unless you are in an area which receives at least 50% of the OTA High definition (like the major markets, like los angeles) I would stick with the 55411.

Having HD builtin is a dream if you can get them (i have a 65611) but right now x411 series is the best value for the money. It gives you plenty of options (ports) and the better tubes.

Good luck in your decision... can't go wrong with a mits!

Sonicflood

In-store calibration on a RPTV? That's a waste, unless you are going to live in the store and it won't be moved. Does the set have auto convergence? If not, then laugh at them.

You are correct about the calibration after a 'break in' period. You should ask them to forgo the in-store calibration and give/loan you an Avia disc! Either way, calibrate it yourself with Avia, Sound & Vision or Video Essentials DVD at first and call an ISF after a the 'break in' period!

For some great info and professional advice, visit the AVS Forum

HERE

Best of luck

Sonicflood

DeepBlue

Thanks everyone, you are very helpful.

Bernie,
8 feet from 48"? Hmm, I guess I should forget 55 then. My bedroom is small too and I CAN NOT go more then 6 ft. And I can't take the wall out, Condo Association doesn't allow that.

Darthkim,
I know what you mean, we used to have 65" Pioneer Elite and we kept moving the sofa closer and closer and closer .... Yeah, this is not for regular tv watching, just dvd's, so 55411 would be fine.

I endured another agonizing visit in the store today. I looked at 48511 and 55511, they are placed next to each other, so it is easy to compare, and they both look great from 6 feet.
55411 which I am thinking of getting doesn't look as good as those other two sets, but maybe because 55411 is placed in a weird corner and there is a big light right close to it, so it is hard to tell.

LOL Sonicflood.
There were laughing AT ME!
Getting a sealed box will be a major problem with those people.
They laughed at me when I brought up the 'break in' period for calibration, and said they never heard of it and that nobody should let the tv run uncalibrated for 2 or 3 months. I told them about AVIA disk (which I used on my 53" Pany and it was very easy), and they laughed again and said that AVIA doesn't do that much for picture improvement. I don't want to offend you guys here, but it looks like this home theater business is 'a guy thing', and I will have to borrow somebody's husband - or just grab an innocent man from the street - to go with me to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, this is the only store here that sells Mitsu (and Best Buy, but I am not buying anything from BB anymore) .

Anyway, thanks for your advice. I will try one more time Sunday. I want to take some of my favorite dvd's there and compare the picture. I will keep you posted

BernieStolar

get the 55511. I think 6 feet isn't too bad of a distance. I wouldnt like having to go down in size on a TV.

drmoze

2 things: Don't go by relative picture quality of the display sets in the store. ANy of them will look great when properly adjusted/converged. (BTW, the Mitsus have a 64-point convergence that is done using the remote, from the regular user menus.)

ALso, the store guy is *partly* correct. You do want to at the least turn the contrast and brightness down to (roughly) a bit less than 50% right away. The contrast is at 100% out of the box, which can lead to quicker burn-in problems. Of course, I think it resets to factory defaults when unplugged for a while, so an 'in-store' calibration before delivery would *still* be worthless!!!

The Avia adjustments (plus the SPoT adjustments for geometry/overscan) will give you an awesome picture with little hassle on any of these sets. Don't believe what they say.And you're the customer: you *can* and should insist on a sealed-box delivery, or else shop elsewhere!! Some other stores further away may deliver, and you may even get a better deal.