Toshiba Cinema Series 52HMX84... ?

[aRHT]

I was reading Randy Tomlinson's (an ISF calibrator who writes for TPV) review of the Toshiba 52HM84, which was basically complimentary but had some reservations about the set's handling of the greyscale and about excessive edge enhancement via HDMIEd

do you hav a link to this review? i wuldnt mind reading it. i'mstill interested in this set. i keep going back to my local mass market chain which has a demo unit with a "crack on it" going for the same price as a new 52inch model with stand (dont understand that). wen i talkd to the sales rep he said they would drop the price even more for me. i tinkered with the set again, watching Finding Nemo being played through a sony progressive scan dvdplayer. i still wasnt too impressed with the picture until i physically walked around to
the back of the tv and flipped a switch to throw the dvd player into progessive scan mode.
the edges improved a lot and i found the picture much more pleasing. i culdnt tell too much about the muddy black levels or greyscale in the overly lit store. I'm also conidering the 50 inch lcd version of the panasonic dlp set which they are selling the demo off at $2999ca. any opinions on this set vs the toshiba? to me, the panasonic is sharper overall and has an additional pc input which the toshiba lacks but the toshiba packs 2inches more screen. would anyone here consider a floor demo? bad idea?

But, as you say, nothing at this point is going to beat a good CRT, whether rear-projection or direct view, for the kind of inky primordial darkness that most of us know and love. If it weren't for the convenience factor in the microdisplays' favor, CRT might still be king, though I don't think that CRT always deliver the kind of window-on-the-world three dimensionality that the best fixed-pixel displays can. Now, if the impending slimline CRTs can do the job that 9-inch CRTs have done in the past, just maybe CRTs will get a new lease on life, at least for a while with a few companies. But it remains to be seen how drastic cuts in cabinet size will affect their one trump card.
Ed

thats the only thing holding me back from getting another crt. size and wieght of the cabinet. but right now i'm considering getting a good 34inch widescreen crt (either a sony or pansonic) and then going with a dlp front projector for movies. the crt will be good for gaming and critical movie watching and tv. but for a movie theatre like evening, nothing can come close to the screen size of a front projector. but i'll be giving up a lot in terms of colour, contrast, clarity and sharpness... or will i? i've read so many good things about front
projection but there's so few places for me to see them. the biggest plus for them, i can carry my front projector under my arm when i move.this seem to be my best bet as i'm still not completely happy with all the microdisplays, yet front projection is even more lacking interms of the things i want? i'm so torn about what to go with right now.

The picture that you will see on them in most mass- market electronic stores, however, may look too bright, but they won't totally misrepresent their strong suits. Personally, I could live with the black levels on a Sony LCD; not everyone could.
Ed

theres so many choices to make.each technology has its good and bad yet none fit my criteria completely. I love the (apparent?) sharpness of sony lcds but am worried about their black levels where as the panasoinc dlp seem to get colours and black levels right and i honestly havent heard as many raves for the sony lcds as the panasonic dlps.I guess i have to wait.

[jocko_nc]

What's amazing to me is how lousy DVD's are. Even the "best" DVD's look pretty crappy as compared to a true HD signal. We can go round and round about which display is better, but the point is moot. The real shortcoming is the quality of the signal, DVD's included. If you are trying to use cable, don't even think about it.

From what I have seen, there are only a couple of truly HD channel being broadcast right now, particularly Discovery HD. Not only is the broadcast HD, more importantly, the material being broadcast is HD. It was filmed and produced in HD. ESPN HD is mediocre at best. Duh, the video they play during Sportscenter was made for cable broadcast and sucks. Most of the movies I have seen broadcast in HD are nowhere near maximum resolution. Much nicer than DVD, but not outstanding, I think the source is limited. Take a look at a good program on Discovery HD and see what these displays are capable of. It is flat-out amazing.

The only thing that is lacking right now is good HD content. Nature programs are going to become more popular!

jocko

[edtyct]

do you hav a link to this review? I'm also conidering the 50 inch lcd version of the panasonic dlp set which they are selling the demo off at $2999ca. any opinions on this set vs the toshiba? to me, the panasonic is sharper overall and has an additional pc input which the toshiba lacks but the toshiba packs 2inches more screen. would anyone here consider a floor demo? bad idea?

right now i'm considering getting a good 34inch widescreen crt (either a sony or pansonic) and then going with a dlp front projector for movies. the crt will be good for gaming and critical movie watching and tv. but for a movie theatre like evening, nothing can come close to the screen size of a front projector. but i'll be giving up a lot in terms of colour, contrast, clarity and sharpness... or will i? i've read so many good things about front
projection but there's so few places for me to see them. the biggest plus for them, i can carry my front projector under my arm when i move.this seem to be my best bet as i'm still not completely happy with all the microdisplays, yet front projection is even more lacking interms of the things i want? i'm so torn about what to go with right now.

theres so many choices to make.each technology has its good and bad yet none fit my criteria completely. I love the (apparent?) sharpness of sony lcds but am worried about their black levels where as the panasoinc dlp seem to get colours and black levels right and i honestly havent heard as many raves for the sony lcds as the panasonic dlps.I guess i have to wait.

(1) The Perfect Vision's site is called AV Guide, I believe. The print issue with the Toshiba review, bundled with a comparison to the Sony KDF-55XS955 LCD, is #59 Jan/Feb 2005. You can purchase it at the site for $3.50. You pretty much know what you're getting with an LCD, so far as picture is concerned. In general, their blacks suffer relative to DLPs, but so much depends on execution. Plus, price and features can place any degree of difference in this respect in altogether different perspective. We can make it seem like TVs that don't quite measure up in some relative sense are going to make us terribly unhappy. In my own case, I totally appreciate the strengths of a good CRT, but I now own an LCD rear- projection set that follows on the heels of three HD CRTs (one a Sony direct-view) and a plasma. For some of the viewing I do, the Sony LCD is hands-down the most satisfying of them all. Not everyone would feel the same way, but for my viewing habits of mainly well-lit HD material, it's great. The odd black-challenged film doesn't freak me out at all. Regarding floor demos, I'm sure there are people on this site who've had good and bad experiences with them. My feeling is if the price is right, the warranty is in place, and a thorough inspection of the set doesn't turn up any deal-breaking problems, go for it. Make sure that the store will pick it up within a specified amount of time if something goes wrong.

(2) Gee, if you can afford two displays to cover your situation, more power to you. I love the 34 inch Sony XBR. Back a couple of generations, it had trouble delivering both high resolution and brightness, but not any more. My only problem with it is that after seeing a larger display, my eyes are a little disappointed with the size. If it's for situational viewing, as in a bedroom, that's one thing, but if it is on a level playing field with another widescreen option, like a front projector, I'd tend toward the larger screen every time. In fact, with the proper space, lighting, screen, viewing habits, and connected equipment, a front projector seems to me the superior option, pure and simple. Front projection is always a degree of difference better than rear projection in every respect, and, for my money, you aren't giving up anything in color, contrast, and clarity, assuming that you've chosen one that fits your needs, and that your room is properly dim. Get a handle on exactly what it is that disappoints you with microdisplays, and you may well be able to find a fixed-pixel, or even a secondhand CRT, projector that flips your skirt. The video press, like The Perfect Vision, Widescreen Review, Ultimate AV (now online only), et al., dedicates a great deal of space to front projection. I think that you may be shortchanging it. I shoiuld tell you that I don't game, however.

(3) If you're leaning toward DLP, and many people do, I don't believe that sharpness will be a problem vis a vis a Sony Grand Wega. In fact, certain characteristics of Sony sets are genuinely annoying, like no independent programming per input and no direct selection of input. The most trying thing about audio/video, to my mind, is agonizing about what to buy. Every imperfection seems like the road to a regrettable mistake. But the truth is that once you reconcile to the fact that imperfection and compromise are the rules of the game, you can be pretty damn happy once you pull the trigger on a purchase. Very few displays that an educated, serious consumer will select will result in anything but unadulterated joy. True, those of us with this particular enthusiasm are always on the lookout for something new and better, but tempering that impulse with appreciation for what you actually worked hard to obtain will certainly pay dividends. If you don't mind my saying so, you seem like just the kind of person who'll go through the agony of making a decision and will come out of it with a very satisfying piece of equipment.

Ed