Does this set look good or what...need feedback.

[Britney meyers]

Hello fellow Audioholics

I'm getting rid of my 65 inch Mits for something smaller and so far I'm leaning towards to Hitachi Ultravision 57S715 rear crt projection. My local dealer steered me in its direction. He tells me that Hitachi makes most of the parts that goes into all other sets (Toshiba, Mitsubishi and a few others but I don't remember) He said if I was looking at all the major chain stores Hitachi is probably the most superior rear projection crt out there. The sales man was really nice and he seemed really informed with the products but I wanted to run that question by all you guys.

I was looking at the LCD and DLP but I think the Technology is still farley new and I know CRTs are proven and have pretty much peeked when it comes down to it.

I loved the pictures on the DLP & LCD sets (plasma to spendy for me) but I know I'll buy another set in 10 years and it should be a different story then.

So, does anyone know if there's any truth to what my salesman is saying about Hitachi and or should I be looking at a different brand.

Here is a link to the specs..............I'm at $1850.00 in box and out the door and he's offering 130.00 for 3 year warranty.

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/projection/pdf/57S715.pdf

I respect everyone's opinion here and would feel a whole lot better if I I got some feed back first. :)

Thanks a bunch
Brit

[MBauer]

This is going to be a real oversimplification on a subject that you could write a book about.

CRT driven sets are generally said to have better black levels than Microdisplays (DLP, LCD,, etc) Thjey are also said to have a more film like appearance. Black levels are really important for movies. As you have already found out they also have a lower price point than their competitors.

There are three real downsides. One is their physical size and weight, a 65" set is big, deep, and heavy. Two, they also will require more alignment than the others. Three, They don't have a high light output and need a more light controlled viewing area.

So if you have the room, the ability to control ambient light and mostly like movies or productions like movies, TV ensemble pieces etc then a CRT will serve you very, very well.

Regarding the other technologies, yes they are newer, but they are very reliable and you shouldn't let their newness concern you. They work very well and in many normal household conditions have real advantages, such as brightness - you can watch them in a well light room and they will perform well and they take up much less space.

Complex subject, mainly decide on what you can afford, like to watch and where you'll put it.

[Westrock2000]

I'm not much into extended warranties, but $130 sounds very reasonable. CRT's may be proven, but there are still issues that pop up here and there.

I'm in the market for a big TV (65") and I started looking at DLP's, but I might be able to live with a CRT (my house is fairly dark and bulkiness isn't a huge deal) to get the picture quality and great price.

I'm assuming your Mitsubishi was a CRT as well, was it a HD unit or an older model? I'm looking at the Mitsubishi's, maybe some Sony's and Toshiba's.

[Britney meyers]

Yeah my current set is HD well HDready it's displaying a 1080i picture. I wish I could stick with 65 but the set takes up too much room.


Something else the salesman mentioned was that DLP sets display a better picture when ambient light is present and that it actually is recommended.

Anyone ever hear of this??

[MDS]

Something else the salesman mentioned was that DLP sets display a better picture when ambient light is present and that it actually is recommended.


Yes, when compared to a CRT. LCD is even brighter, relative to a DLP, and also better than CRT when there is too much ambient light.

[Westrock2000]

Plus the off axis is much better with DLP and LCD (and plasma is great). However its usually off axis side to side, the Samsungs for sure if the TV is lower than you its start to loose its brightness. But the side to side is a good improvement.

Flat screens usually have a matte type finish to the screen, so you don't get the glare in overly bright rooms. Same with computer monitors, sometimes is was impossible to see the screen on a CRT if the Sun was shining behind you, but with LCD's its not as much a problem.

Every technology has plus and minus, you just have to figure out which is best suited for you and which you can live with.