Kick-a** product, underwhelming customer service, September 19, 2009

Absolutely a five-star product in every way, backed by one-star customer service (5 + 1 = 6 divided by 2 = 3, hence the 3-star overall rating).

First the good news: My entry into the world of bigscreen hi-def was a JVC 61″ 720p resolution LCOS about four years ago. I liked the color saturation and balance of LCOS better than the early DLPs, but obviously DLP won this fight.

The overall improvement moving to the Mitsubishi 82-inch 1080p DLP is as great as when I moved to the JVC (which still looks pretty darn good) from the 60″ Mitsubishi 4:3 standard def it replaced. There really is that much difference. Whether it’s a 1080i (HDTV broadcast) or 1080p (Blu Ray) signal, the picture is real-life accurate, and huge!

Most people don’t realize the 82″ Mits model this replaces debuted on the market at ,000 (I’m an early adopter, but not THAT MUCH of an early adopter), so the be-the-first-on-your-block prices this new model is selling for are relatively reasonable by comparison. I paid 00 with tax, dropped on my curb, about ,000 less than the JVC four years ago. If you’re patient, it’ll probably be in the ,000 range by Christmas and ,000-,500 when the competition heats up. For now, Mits has the 7′ screen HD internal projection market to itself.

I found the up-converting DVD approach satisfactory while the format battle was still running, but now that it’s over, I decided to upgrade to Blu Ray at the same time. BluRay “Blackhawk Down” on the Mitsubishi with the upgraded sound capability on the surround sound processor? Two words: INTENSE!!!! and WOW!!!!!!

My son and I watched “The Bank Job” on HBO HD the other night and I was completely blown away again. About two-thirds of the way through, I realized my pulse was pounding even though I’ve seen the movie a few times and know what’s going to happen next. My viewing distance is between 9 and 10 feet, and this puppy fills almost 100 degrees of my vision.

Summary: The TV itself absolutely rocks, is absolutely worth every penny, and is not only the biggest, but the best internal projection HD picture I’ve ever seen (and I look around a lot). I don’t know HOW they do it and I don’t really care. Five stars for the Mitsubishi geeks who figured out how create a real-life quality picture on a 7′ screen.

PS — I researched before I bought, and a few reviewers have whined about the different control protocol and menus Mitsubishi introduced with this product line. They’re definitely different, and I agree that Mits seems to have solved a non-existent problem, but it’s still very intuitive and easy to figure out, and a total no-brainer once you get used to it. I totally agree with the comments on the crappy remote control they ship out with this model. What’s up with that? I buy a $[...] TV, and Mitsubishi supplies a remote that looks like I could buy it for .95 off the impulse rack in the grocery store checkout line, that doesn’t even have backlit keys? The toggle ring around the “ENTER” key isn’t contiguous or round, it’s a four-section rounded square. I’ve got fingers the size of Hygrade Ballpark franks, but even someone with normal-sized fingers would have a hell of a time not pushing two buttons at once on this tiny controller. Hello?

[...]

The truck driver who delivered the TV stood by while my son and I de-boxed it. There was no shipping damage, everything was fine.

However, the clear polyvinyl chloride protective tape Mits wrapped around the frame and the edge of the display screen for shipping left a residue on the screen when I removed it and to a lesser degree, took flakes of black paint off the frame. The owners manual says not to use anything stronger than non-abrasive soap and warm water, which took off most but not all of the residue the PVC tape left behind.

There was a minor item I first called about which turned out to be related to the control protocol (and my not having read the owners manual before starting).

[...]

Final note: If you’re OCD about this stuff like I am, if your surround processor is HDMI-equipped and you can use it as a video switcher (like most of the new ones), you’ll want to check its video and HDMI protocol to be sure they’re current with the latest technology. I had a great Yamaha system that was three years old, and wasn’t, so I “had” to upgrade the sound system at the same time.

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Who says size doesn’t matter?, January 19, 2010

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JOHN SPANGLER “Johnny Spang” (Ohio) – See all my reviews

  

Looking for a new toy? I think this monster might fit the bill! For me, I can honestly say I’m in high definition heaven. I bow down to Mitsubishi giving me more of what I love, a bigger screen! There’s really not much to say about it other than the size of this gargantuan beast. But one thing is very clear, I love it, 82 inches in all. Some people hear the word “projection tv” and run for the hills and think it’s a dying breed of technology. And while I do admit the picture is not as good as an LCD or Plasma, there is no denying it still looks good.

I’m running this tv through my PS3, XBOX 360, Direct TV HD, and Nintendo Wii and all look quite amazing. My only concern is that I wish the picture was a little bit more vibrant on the HD channels, most notingly the sports broadcasts. The colors seemed a little dull compared to what I’m used to on my Plasma or HD LCD. Friends have came over and said it looks good considering the gargantuan size. But as long as you got HD broadcasts, I think you’ll be pretty content.

One thing people have complained about in the past with most TV’s of this type is how it loses it clarity and brightness if you’re watching at an angle. I have two love seats sitting at a 45 degree angle on the left and right of the TV and the picture stays bright and crisp. If you’re really going to notice, you got to really get a high angle to lose the clarity, but the people who have the couch directly in front (and most probably will) you’ll have the best picture possible, and man, it is amazing.

The TV has 3 high definition component cable inputs (the red, green blue) jacks. I have my PS3, XBOX 360 and Direct TV and all work great on this monster TV. The 3rd high def input was actually hiding and is not directly in the rear (thank goodness) as I thought they got skimpy and only had 2. But the 3rd high def jack is hiding on the right backside of the TV. There are also 2 HDMI inputs for people who go that route. Chances are you won’t be using up all the ports, as I think this TV has plenty for most people’s needs. But HD guys will have a warm fuzzy feeling knowing this TV can handle all your high definition toys. If you don’t have high def, it’s got plenty of the regular audio/video jacks too, so don’t worry about that.

The TV surprisingly has its own speakers. I didn’t think a TV this size would have its own, but amazingly, they aren’t too bad for sound. But I’ll assume most guys who buy this TV will have an awesome home theater, which this TV most certainly deserves! The TV has a built in Stand that looks very nice but it’s not high enough where you won’t need a TV stand or credenza. I have a TV stand (credenza) and the TV fits perfectly on it. If you’re thinking about keeping it on the floor, I’d say it’s going to be too low to the ground for most users. I picked up a credenza stand at Wal-Mart. It’s a Sauders brand, (…). The TV is 150 lbs, so most of those can easily handle the TV’s weight.

The controller is a bit funky at first but most will catch on quickly. People used to a Sony or Panasonic might be shell shocked at first, but once you catch on, the controller was very easy to figure out. They even have XBOX, PS3 and Satellite automatically labeled within the TV so once you plug it in, you just have to assign the inputs to your toys.

So that’s about it. Basically I’m totally happy with my purchase and if you want to go big, this is the way to do it. I wish the picture was a bit more vibrant on certain brodcasts like sports, but overall, I give it my nod for a worth consumer. The delivery took about 12 days and I had it delivered to my work. It came in a semi truck, so if you order it for home you might want to check with the seller if they can come to places that restrict semis. I wish it would have been faster delivery, but for a TV this size and for the price I payed at the time (…), I really cannot complain at all.

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Panasonic Lover tries MITZ 82 inch, April 1, 2010

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J. B. Bormann (South Texas) – See all my reviews

  

Only after Zenith went kapoot, did I research and decide on Panasonic large screen plasmas. I (and most folks on various forums), agree Panasonic produces one of the better sets on todays market. So, jump forward to March 2010 when I wanted something larger than the 65 inch in the HT room. Even though DLP is showing it’s age with plasma, LCD and LED sets, it still holds it’s own in quality, and price value — unless you have an extra Hundred thousand dollars laying around to buy a flat screen tv the size of this Mitz. DLPs drawback of course is it wont hang on the wall, and does take a little space “depth” wise. In my case, there is plenty of room, so, no problem. The set arrived in the biggest cardboard box I have ever seen in my life. Unboxing was however, easy. Removing the protective film/tape around the edges of the set was more difficult than it should have been and Mitz should change this. The usual XBox, Wii, blueray equipment connects easy with RGB or HDMI outlets in the rear of the set. The set is extremely intelligent even turning its self on when you power up equpment like the blueray dvd. It even reconizes if you have connected a blueray, XB, or Wii to it if you use HDMI connections.

The set has a base stand, but setting it on the floor was to low for us, requiring the purchase of a Bell’O AVS 2763HG stand (from Amazon) — This stand is made specifically for the 82″ Mitz according to BellO. The stand, or should I say table, brings the set up to a very good height for viewing and also allows you to install the center channel of your surround sound speaker on one of it’s shelves directly under the center of the set.

The picture quality of this Mitz 82″ set is very good. It might not be as good as the panasonic 57″, but comeon, this set’s picture is 25 inchs larger and thus some loss of picture resolution should be expected. Dont get me wrong, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the picture, especially if the signal is a live hdtv feed from direct tv, like a sporting event.

Not a lot of problems with remote since I have small fingers, but the buttons are close and small and I do wish Mitz would have spend another 50 cents to put some back lighting for the remote controler’s buttons. The TV has it’s own speakers, but wont rate them since they are not used in our system. One of the best cosmetic features of this set is the very small trim surrounding the actual tv screen. When you look at the set, it appears to be “ALL SCREEN”.

OH, best of all, since this set is 3-D ready, I am told Mitz will have their 3-D equipment for sale including a kit with four shutter glasses, several 3d movies, and optical sync unit…. suppost to be out in middle of June. Understand the 3-D kit will sell for about four hundred dollars (hope Amazon has for less).

Side to side viewing is not bad at all and viewing up to at least 60* from center (max for our HT room) yields no loss of brightness or quality. OH, did I say that the DLP replacement bulbs are not near as costly as other brands (I wont say the four letter brand starting with the letter “S”), and replacing your DLP light source will cost you less than 100 dollars. No one at Mitz (or anywhere else) can give bulb life length, but hoping it wont be going out for a while.

Bottom line, if you have the space for this set, and want to have a really BIG and every NICE tv, you will have it with the 82″. So far I give it 5 stars (owner since March 2010)

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