Toshiba 62HM116 at Costco, 1080p, good buy? (1 Viewer)

[Joshua_M]

I saw this at my local costco for ~$2700, seems like a really good price for a 1080p set with a stand and costco warranty compared to best buy or circuit city. What you guys think? What does this compare to on the Toshiba site? I am also looking at the following TV's at Costco:

Mitsu WD62526 for $1999
Sony KDFE60A20 for $2299
Panny 50 Plasma for $2799

Costco seems like the best deals but if there are better ones let me know. This set will be used for HD satellite, DVD's, and some xbox.

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Arthur S]

All I can tell you is that according to another poster who was interested in Toshiba, the bulbs don't last very long. He said that in reading up on Toshiba, bulb life could be less than 1000 hours.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Toshiba rates their Lamps to be 6000 hrs. to 8000 hours like other DLP Mfgs.

Toshiba did have defective Lamps issues with some 2005 models and so they extended (see Toshiba website - identified by Serial No.) Lamp warranty an additional year = 2 years.

My (Feb. 1, 2006) 56HM195 (MFG. DATE: Sept. 2005) from Amazon.com qualified under this extended warranty and rightly so since my original Lamp lasted only 570 hours. It went really dim Thursday night (4/20/06), ... I called Toshiba Customer Service Friday morning and my Lamp finally died that night!

I received my warranty Lamp next Wednesday (4/26/06).

I didn't have any HDTV down time since I had an eBay backup Lamp already, which I used for 30 hours then re-boxed after replacing it with my warranty Lamp.

So far, this warranty Lamp usage has approx. 650+ hrs. and is going still strong, .... been watching a lot of HD DVDs lately!

After Video Calibration (using Digital Video Essentials DVD w/Test Screens & BLUE Filter), this set has consistently displayed all Video INPUT sources as good, as their respective video sources can be shown in a digital TV format.

High Definition TV broadcast topping the 1080p PQ scale! If the TV broadcast is top notch, it doesn't matter if it is 720p or 1080i resolution, the sharp, clear and detailed color accurate images looks glorious!!! Color saturation is just right, separating the colors brilliantly (Miami CSI) with pop-off-the-screen impact and depth, while maintaining the subtlety and super clear details that 1080p resolution can deliver.

Watching my new HD DVDs (Serenity, Sahara, Bourne Supremacy, etc.) just rounds out the 1080p HiDef banquet eye candy feast and so I can honestly say that my ...

SATISFACTION = 100% - since it impresses ALL my friends and family, especially HDTV broadcasts, HD DVDs and upconverted high quality 480p** to 1080i DVD > 1080p blockbuster movies (**see some sampled un-retouched digital pic's - linked below my signature - photos reflect about 80% of the actual PQ quality vs. in person)!!!

FYI: Read my 56HM195 Calibration, Subjective Review & Product Life Cycle Notes.

Phil

 

[Joshua_M]

Since this is a special model number, which model on the toshiba website would it be closest to? Do you think I should take a look at any of the other tv's I listed or does the 1080p make this one in a league of its own? Also what are the downsides of a DLP such as this?

 

[Phil Iturralde]

I'm guessing that it's a re-badged (for Costco) 62HM196, ... it's listed just below the 62HM196 in this CableLabs Cetification Document (pg. 10).

So, I'd say if it's less expensive than the model 62HM196, then it's a great deal since all the features & specifications would be identical.

Phil

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Read over this FEB. 2006 Home Theater Magazine "The Great 1080p HDTV Face Off " to get an idea how they evaluated these 1080p HDTVs. You'll see what they looked for and later, you can compare their actual HDTV Benchmarks.

Otherwise, if you can, view the HDTV's on your list.

I personally bought my 56HM195 sight unseen and based on my previously owned 50H81 CRT HD-Ready RPTV. I still have a 1995 35" Toshiba Direct View TV @ my vacation house and think their products are excellent value vs. performance.

Love my 56HM195!!!
Phil

 

[Arthur S]

Great information Phil. I wish I had known this 4 weeks ago when another poster was agonizing about buying a Toshiba because of the bulb issue.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=239119

 

[Joshua_M]

This tv doesn't accept a 1080p signal correct? Does it do a good job of upconverting the signal? Would I be better off just getting a tv that is not 1080p or is the processing good enough in this Toshiba to make it worth it?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Phil Iturralde]

If your budget fits the 62" 1080p DLP Toshiba @ Costco, I'd recommend going that route for the price vs. performance.

Have fun deciding,
Phil

 

[Jeff_CusBlues]

Just an update. I have the Toshiba 72MX195 and the bulb has been going dim for about 5 days and last night went "pop". I've only had the set about 4 months and am guessing I have around 500 +/- 50 hours on the bulb. The repair guy is coming today to replace the bulb. I could replace it, but why when it is covered by warranty. I'll try to remember to ask the tech how many hours were on the failed bulb. Like Phil said though, the Toshiba DLPs are great sets. Hopefully, after replacing the original bulb, I'm good. I'll keep you updated if anything new transpires.

Jeff

 

[Jeff_CusBlues]

They replaced the bulb on my Toshibas a few days ago and everything is great now. The tech said the bulb had 549 ours on it, and it was the earliest failure he has seen. I mentioned that Toshiba was granting an extra year warrantee (two years total) on the bulb and he didn't know anything about it. I told him where to find the info. Just curious, if your bulb goes out after one year but during the two year period, are you required to replace it yourself or does the extra year include replacement labor? It's not a big deal since bulb replacement looks simple, but I'm just curious. Thanks.

 

[Contrasteve]

I have a quick question , I just picked up a Tosh 62HM116. I have not had a problem with the lamp. Hoevevr I would like to check the hours and I think there is a little to much blue in the grey scale. I know there is a service mode to make these checks and adjustments , how do I get into it?

 

[Craig]

Just wanted to post this for anyone still interested in a Toshiba DLP. Amazon has the Toshiba 57" 1080P (57HM167) for $1299 with free shipping.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

As of a couple of days ago, they also had the 65HM167 for $1599.