Pros & Cons Mitsubishi VS. Toshiba HDTV (1 Viewer)

[John Berggren]

I've narrowwed down my new HDTV search to the following. Please offer any pro's and cons between them, or offer further advice:

Toshiba 50H82

Mitsubishi WT-46809

I'm still trying to swallow the idea of an RPTV. From what I've seen they look good. I have a lot of long-standing prejudices against them though.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Hi John, well I can speak to the Mitsubishi. I own a 65807 65" Widescreen RPTV it's about a Year and a Half old. Overall I've been pretty pleased with it. Out of the Box you can do some very basic tweaks and get a really nice result. The only issue the mits has is with Red Push. Red Push is an overabundance of Red in the picture. Normally this would be adjusted by a calibrator but Mits locked this out in their Newer models. It can be fixed now by using an attenuator you can build for about $5 or by a Calibrator professional who can reprogram the set's eprom chip.

Don't let any of this scare you off, most sets have this issue and even with the slight Red push the set look great.
I have found that having an ISF Tech calibrate your set eventually raises the bar from Great to Stunning. But this is also probably true to all sets.

I use my set mostly for DVD Viewing. Be prepared that most Widescreen Larger sets do show up limitations in the signal for Television, cable or Sattellite. Heavily compressed Direct TV pictures on my set do look like crap. The mits line doubler might slightly figure into this. Hi Def signals like HBO or HDnet thou look fantastic. Garbage in Garbage out.

I Just watched Speed on my set last night and I was blown away.

Hope this helped

 

[Marc Alexander]

Toshiba will not display native 480p signal. Upconversion to 540p softens the pic a bit. Mits will display 480p native.

 

[VicQ]

Mitsubishi is gonna replace the 46" with a 48" which doesn't need a stand. I'd wait and check this one out before you make your purchase.

-Vic

 

[John Berggren]

Do you know what the timeframe is on that 48"?

 

[Juan_R]

Mits highs are,

480p natively
great HD pic

Lows

strech mode
line doubler
red push

Toshibas highs are,

great HD pic
line doubler
better strech modes
no red push
160 degree view (Mits 130)

Lows

540p upconversion
ghosting (not on all)

 

[Jan Strnad]

The 540p upconversion problem is much less serious than you might conclude by reading posts. First, it's unlikely that you ever notice it watching anything but an Avia test pattern; secondly, most DVDs won't output the resolution necessary to see the difference; and third, the new models have much better scaling, so that the problem, even on an Avia test pattern, is all but gone.
For screenshots and analysis, check out Michael TLV's updated report.
Toshibas also have a very small footprint compared to other RPTVs. That small footprint causes a red shift toward the right of the screen which is noticeable mainly on b&w movies, and it can be corrected but it takes someone who knows his way around the innards of an RPTV to do it.
I had a Mitsubishi direct view 35" set for about ten years and loved it, and I hear very good things about their RPTVs. I can't testify about their line doubler or stretch modes vs. Toshiba since I haven't seen the Mitsubishi's.
I'd think you'd be happy with either set. You might do some measuring to see which fits better, and of course, there's "the deal." I think you could hardly go wrong either way.
Jan

 

[John Chevalier]

ey, on that test pattern, my tv is messed up on that. what is that pattern? When those images are on my TV, they become warped and move around when it gets fine. What is that?

 

[John Berggren]

I've picked up the 50H82. It delivers on Wednesday .
I'll be stopping by Time Warner Cable for a new box tomorrow.
Can't wait!

 

[Juan_R]

Congrats on your new TV, make sure that the first thing you do, after you turn it on, is to turn down the contrast between 40 and 50% as well as the brightness. Get yourself either AVIA, Video Essentials or the Sound and Vision Home Theater Tune-up.

 

[JimC_A]

Also, I'd call Time Warner to come out and make sure you are getting the best signal possible. When I got my H82, I called them and they put a gizmo on there to strengthen the incoming signal. My picture was definitely better. Happy watching!!!

 

[John Berggren]

Any pros and cons on Sound and Vision versus Avia? The savings on S&V are attractive to me.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I own both AVIA & Video Essentials and while we could Argue back & forth about the best calibration disk versus those two, there's no comparing S&V to either. I Would give a slight nod to AVIA over VE, but either one is better than S&V

S&V is cheaper but the old addage applies

 

[Chuck Frady]

John,

I can comment on this issue, having owned and sold my Toshiba 57HX81, and just recently purchasing the Mits WS-55809.

When I bought the Toshiba, it was after many weeks of reading forum after forum, opinions either way, pro's, and cons, and decided on the Toshiba because of Aesthetics and the remote as both sets compare favorably.

After living with the 57HX81 for about three months, I could no longer stand the "Anti Glare Screen" that was like I was looking into a mirror no matter the viewing time of day. Forget about having a lamp on behind you at night.
I didn't want to mess with removing screens and such like some say to do...heck with that.
Also the Toshiba had a somewhat soft picture to me and definitely would not hold it's convergence worth a damn. I had to adjust it daily. Also, the silver case caused light reflection that got tiring after awhile.

The Mits seems to be a great set so far and I have no complaints. I am going through various settings tweaks now, and I can say that so far, I am very pleased with this unit.
The 64 point convergence is far superior to the standard 9 point convergence adjustment that the Toshiba gives you without getting deep into the service menu's.

The Mits has a flat black case that absorbs stray light and does not shine like the Toshiba did. Also, the Mits has a real Anti Glare screen that is not all that bad compared to the Toshiba.

Ulitmately, it will come down to what you like best. Both units are great and will please when watching your fav movies...

Chuck

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Hmm... well the Mits does ship with the screen off so you could have kept it off. I don't see what the difference would be between them. If you live in an area that has light directly on the screen it gonna suck whether you own the Mits or the Toshiba. I kept my screen on my Mits because I have a highly controlled area where no light gets on the screen.

 

[John Berggren]

The Toshiba 50H82 is going in a room that is in the process (done tonight) of being painted dark purple. There is one window source in the room which will be coverred at all watching times.

My next task is to find a matching DVD player. I'm weighing Malata, Toshiba, and others.

 

[greggor]

Can someoene please explain to me the difference between the Toshiba 50H81 and the 50H82? I too am interested in purchasing a new RPTV and am particularly interested in the Toshibas.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[John Berggren]

The 50H82 is DVI upgradeable. The 50H81 is not. The 50H82 is the newer model.

 

[Jan Strnad]

Well, here I am, mentioning a problem that I've seen as a non-problem: 530p upconversion.
The new models (xxx82) do a better job of it than the older models (xxx81). I call it a non-problem because the upconversion isn't likely to be noticeable even with the older sets unless you're looking at an Avia test pattern. Most DVDs don't output a high enough resolution for the "problem" to be visible.
But, for the record, the xxx82's have pretty much eliminated the problem anyway.
You can read all about it here.
Jan

 

[Mike-NC]

John,
Congrats on the new TV. I'm actually here in the Raleigh area as well and after much consideration just bought the 50H82 this weekend (but not taking delivery for a couple weeks). I'd love to hear your first reactions to the TV and also the signal you get with the new Time Warner box. Is there still no wait for the HD boxes? Where'd you make the purchase?
Mike