I've Narrowed It Down to TWO!!! (1 Viewer)

[Kirk_T]

Well Folks,

Several Months Later, about 6 to be exact, I believe I have narrowed my next TV choice down to 2. Would Love any input you knowledgable people may have as to which way YOU would go and WHY?

I have chosen to go with a 56" RP HD set. I believe it will be big enough but not too overwhelming. Not to mention it will be going into a built-in Wall Unit.

The two sets I am considering are the JVC Designer Pro 56FH96 and the TOSHIBA Cinema Series 56MX195. Both sets are pretty new to the marketplace. Especially the JVC.

They seem to both have added technology which improves the picture quality when viewing non-HD content. This has been a serious issue with me and every HD set I have seen to date.

Even the new Sony SXRD (which didnt work for me due to the speakers on the side) looked HORRIBLE with a bad source. It was a basketball game broadcast on TNT and I wouldn't have been able to watch the game it was that bad!!
The salesman just shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious he didnt know what to say.

Anyways, I have heard some wonderful things about the TOSHIBA HM series and Viewed the MX Cinema Series and it had a much improved picture with Analog sources. I have also heard some great things about JVC Picture Quality (but also some negatives). I am really curious as to what their Designer Pro Series is all about.

I do like the idea behind the D-ILA technology above DLP and the fact that it is a true 1080P resolution and not some wobulation thing.

Has anyone viewed the New JVC FH Series?? I believe the 62" sets have been out for a little bit now and everyone seems to be waiting on the 56".

Any coments and thoughts are appreciated,

Kirk

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

You're always going to be at the mercy of your sources. With more HD becoming available through broadcast cable and satellite, plus the launch of HD-DVD (format war aside) coming next year, you may want to consider what delivers the best image period when driven with a clean source. I read a great review on that Sony in WSR and it sounds like a very compelling product. I would also be hesitant to base a buying decision on a retailer's floor unit. The likelihood of a proper calibration in a proper environment is exceedingly low. If you're able grab last month's and this month's WSR as they have not only the review of that Sony but also a three-part (I believe) shootout of LcOS RPTVs. This month's issue carries part two.

Now, if the Sony's side mounted speakers make the unit too wide to fit in a pre-defined space then all bets are off.

 

[Kirk_T]

Jay,

Thank you for your input. Yes the speakers on the side really limit what I could do with the Sony.

I will look for and read the WSR articles you mentioned as soon as I know what WSR stands for.

I was looking for specific input regarding the two displays I refered to above.

JVC Designer Pro Series 56FH96
Toshiba Cinema Series 56MX195

Does anyone own the new JVC??

Thanks again Jay....and WSR?

Kirk

 

[Leo Kerr]

A word of warning about digital video noise reduction, and other tricks to "improve" bad signals.

There are numerous ways to do it, and each adds its own signature to the image. The question may turn oout to be, "can you stand the DVNR effect?" Or, perhaps, "is the DVNR effect worse than the bad picture to start with?"

A few words of warning about "signal improving."

1. Upscaling. Depending on how this is done, this can help a lot - or not. Interlaced sources are not easy to improve this way.

2. inter-frame NR - this is a cross-time smearing technique, averaging areas that remain constant across frames, up to as many as sixteen frames. This often looks extremely artificial, and also usually includes a certain amount of edge enhancement. It also tends to make the picture look like a stained-glass image - until something moves.

3. in-frame smoothing - Three years ago at work, we got a brand new Samsung (the only 68" at the time,) plasma with this. It was like the front piece of glass had been replaced with that sort of 'scalloped' shower-stall glass. Yeech!

4. Do nothing: subject to "worming" and other curious artifacts. Sometimes, this is the least offensive way to handle things.

I don't know the particulars of either display, but perhaps the best rule of thumb is this:

One can not create information from a signal where there is none.

Leo Kerr