Toshiba 52HMX84 52" Cinema Series® HDTV-ready rear-projection DLP TV

Rating:
Summary: Excellent set with vibrant colors
Review: I have suffered through the decision to purchase HD set for several years. Now I have decided that the time has come and I could never catch up with the technology. After researching this field for a while I have decided to purchase the Cinema series 52HMX84.
I have also considered Mitsubishi's WD-52725 and Samsung's new HL-P5085W. After thorough comparison I have excluded the Mitsubishi just for their Mirror-like front screen. Even on 725 series, they failed to make it anti-glare. You could see yourself reflecting in that tv, not to mention lamps in your living room. It is a great-looking TV, and you could remove the screen, but I did not feel like spending that kind of money and then mess with screen removal. Samsung also looked great, I just thought that colors on Toshiba were deeper and richer. All the rave reviews on the internet helped too. I bought it from a local retailer that had no return policy - he is the only one carrying Cinema Series in the DC area. I was freaking out because of that, but after they delivered the set and I hooked everything up I was simply stunned. I have Denon DVD 2910 dvd player and Monster HTS 3500 power conditioner (that DOES make difference) and HDMI cable from Monster. Finding Nemo was so stunning, like you watch aquarium screen saver on your PC. Indeed, sometimes you do see rainbow effect - but only when very bright white is on black and you move your head - but my wife could not see that. I find this tolerable because it does not happen often. I chose Cinema Series because it had 2 HDMI inputs - if you do not have AV receiver that could switch those, you would need 2 - one for your DVD and one for satellite receiver. HDMI or DVI are unquestionably better than component inputs. TV has plenty of customization options and I do plan on having it calibrated. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning HD
Review: I've owned 3 HD sets. A week ago I purchased a new 50" LCD RPTV. A few days later I exchanged it for the Toshiba 52HMX84 that used DLP technology and I'm much happier. The problem was with the screen-door effect that is most obvious in the LCD RPTV technology. If you get a 42" set or smaller that utilizes this technology, I doubt it will be much of an issue. The Hitachi 42" LCD had a gorgeous picture! But if your in the market for a 50" or greater TV, you really should spend the extra 10 to 20% and get a set with either DLP with filled vias, LCOS or DILA (JVC's LCOS) technology. These technologies do not produce a bothersome screen-door effect.

My set is going in a great room that has large windows in it that bring a lot of light into the room. The Toshiba was the brightest set, by far, out of 8 that I looked at. The JVC was every bit as good as the Toshiba in so far as clarity, but it came down to a question of style and availabilty for my purchase. I liked the Toshiba styling the best and the picture was just superb using the latest HD2+ DLP™ Chip with Full 1280 x 720 Mirrors with Filled Vias. I love the 52 inch size and I recommend not getting the 62" if you're going to use this in an average sized living room. You really need to be sitting 15 to 20 feet away from a 62" not to see any video artifacts inherent in the design. So if you like a big picture for the theater effect, go with the 52" if your sitting 8 to 15 feet from the set. If your sitting closer than 8 feet, then consider the 42" size which will give you greater clarity. Whatever you get, don't freak out when you get it home and turn it on for the first time. The first thing you're apt to view is something in 320 standard definition. Analog or Digital, it doesn't matter; they're going to look crappy on 50" or larger sets. 320 lines of information is just not enough data for a large TV. DVD (480p) will look great, but the Toshiba 52HMX84 will look stunning when watching programs like CSI:Miami and Law & Order both of which are broadcast at true uncompressed 1080i over-the-air (Be aware that cable and satellite co may compress the HD signal). The Toshiba has two HDMI inputs for a future HD-DVD player along with your existing STB. In my case I use a Hughes HTL-HD Direct TV set top box with a DVI out. My STB is only 6 months old and already the industry has switched from DVI to HDMI connectors. When I found out they moved the target on me again, I had to go see my therapist! Anyhow..the internet retailer, svideo.com has DVI to HDMI cables for $20! So don't get stiffed buying a hyped Monster cable for $120 or one of those fake gold plated adapters for $50!

The Toshiba has great features and excellent remote, solid connectivity options, beautiful styling, plenty of aspect ratio otpions, extensive POP and PIP even for HD. It's probably going to take me a couple months to find all the bells and wistles. Best of all Toshiba is offering 18 month interest free financing right now at Video Only which is where I purchased my set. If you dont like buying over the internet, many retailers will come close if not match internet + shipping pricing these days.

Good Luck!