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Mitsubishi's $US7000, 65-Inch LaserVue HDTV Reviewed: (Verdict: Lasers Are Awesome)
Posted by John Herrman at 7:00 PM on October 10, 2008
With a history of giving great impressions reaching back to CES, expectations for Mitsubishi's 65in LaserVue TV are high. It's the first laser-powered TV, with completely new rear-projection technology that makes for richer, more accurate colours and significantly lower power consumption. Josh Quittner of Time Magazine got to take one home for a while to drool over/in front of it and, well, that's exactly what he did.
Colours are "sensational and bright" and the reviewer goes so far as to describe the TV ""the best home-entertainment display in America." Strangely there's no mention of the TV's built-in 3D capabilities and still no pricing information for the fabled 73-inch model, but it's only a matter of time. Check to full review at Time, though it's of a distinctly non-technical flavour (prepare lots of overly descriptive asides about his neighbour's "man cave"). The important thing is that this TV apparently is as good as it sounds. [Time - Thanks, Josh!]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Chris Lees
Posted October 13, 2008 10:15 PM
While I don't doubt that the LaserVue is probably the best TV ever sold in America, I'm sure it doesn't even come close to the picture quality that you get in LCDs and plasmas here in Australia. Yah it's big, but so is a Panasonic TH65PZ800A.
glenn Bates
Posted October 14, 2008 3:07 AM
Why do they need a distributor? Mitsubishi Electric are already here. The problem is that some clever dick decided two or three years ago that there were NO Australians who wanted rear-pro TV's. Just about the time I wanted to buy one. So Mitsubishi, which still sells rear-pro sets in the US, aren't likely to bring it here. But you can hope, if you like.
Mark
Posted October 22, 2008 2:46 PM
Unfortunately a Flat Panel/Flat Earth mentality prevails in
Australia. However Arasor the Oz company that devised Laser TV is hopeful that the LaserVue will sell in Australia. Mitsubishi Electric Australia is unfortunately uncommital at this stage. They only seem interested in selling front projectors. Perhaps they need to be persuaded otherwise?
Chris, why do you think Oz Plasmas and LCDs are any better than US models? I can tell you that quite often they're not. I'm sure the 65" LaserVue would more than match your Panasonic TH65PZ800A and consume only about a quarter of the power in the process.
yuriythebest
Posted 8:15 PM 10/10/08
so what? it's not stereo3d so to me it's obsolete of the shelf. next!!!
yuriythebest
MrBlahBlah
Posted 9:20 PM 10/10/08
Dear Mitsubishi,
Please make a $1,200 42 inch version available asap.
-MrBlahBlah
MrBlahBlah
Maniako
Posted 9:38 PM 10/10/08
I would really want to buy this TV, but my crappy Mitsubishi Lancer is at the garage for the 6th time since June, so i'm stuck at home. Thanks Mitsubishi....
Maniako
scarbrtj
Posted 9:35 PM 10/10/08
So many sharks have to be beheaded for this technology. Is it worth it?
scarbrtj
SamhitaJibber
Posted 9:43 PM 10/10/08
Hmm....I wonder if I sit right in front of it for long enough, will it also give me that LASIK treatment i've always wanted.....::rbreaks open piggy bank::
SamhitaJibber
Zargon
Posted 11:03 PM 10/10/08
@scarbrtj: I actually started laughing. Good call.
Zargon
fsusmithc2
Posted 11:38 PM 10/10/08
But seriously though, this stuff seems pretty cool. I can't wait until that $7000 is more like $3000 or something smaller for less. Then it'd be worth it. :)
fsusmithc2
markarian
Posted 11:36 PM 10/10/08
I still can't fathom how any rear-projection TV, laser or not, could stack up against a Plasma.
markarian
fsusmithc2
Posted 11:36 PM 10/10/08
Is it so much to ask...for TVs with laser beams inside their frick'n cabinets? Throw me a freakin bone here people.
fsusmithc2
Optimus-Prime
Posted 11:35 PM 10/10/08
I wish Giz would do a 3D Tv explained. Can it turn your standard DVD's and TV programs 3D? Does it need special content? Can that content be put on a DVD or TV broadcast? Viewing angles, glasses?
Optimus-Prime
Optimus-Prime
Posted 11:33 PM 10/10/08
@Maniako: haha, nice did you get it after watching 2 faster 2 furious-er-ster ?
Optimus-Prime
alohrey
Posted 11:58 PM 10/10/08
I wholehartedly concure with laser awsomness
Adam [www.hdupdate.com]
alohrey
Originalas
Posted 11:46 PM 10/10/08
Didn't your mom tell you to not look at lasers? :D
Originalas
Paul
Posted 12:19 AM 11/10/08
@brandoshido:
We all are now.
Paul
baltwade
Posted 12:17 AM 11/10/08
Is the picture so much better than a plasma or LCD that it's worth paying twice as much for??? Plus it's a rear projection. That means it has to be at least several inches thick, if not a whole foot, and everyone knows your tv has to be under two inches maximum. Thin is in, people.
baltwade
brandoshido
Posted 12:14 AM 11/10/08
im too poor to afford this.
brandoshido
bxstrb
Posted 12:42 AM 11/10/08
They still make rear projection tvs?? I thought we were all going flat now.
bxstrb
Slartibartfast
Posted 12:32 AM 11/10/08
@Originalas:
You're just not supposed to run with them. To be safe, you should wait 45 minutes after eating to watch it.
Slartibartfast
EricAlder
Posted 12:22 AM 11/10/08
(Don't listen to him; he's only got one eye!)
Yes, lasers are awesome. I think we pretty much agree on that point.
But does it make a better television, or is it just another marketing scheme?
EricAlder
Navin R Johnson
Posted 12:55 AM 11/10/08
@baltwade: It's a fact that LCD and plasma pictures aren't as good as CRTs, yet people pay more than twice as much for those all the time.
Navin R Johnson
reddingofish
Posted 1:32 AM 11/10/08
I suggested this to the Mrs. but the only place to put it in the den is in front of the only window. I said that a big TV is much better than a window. She disagreed.
reddingofish
Earthslide
Posted 2:13 AM 11/10/08
@yuriythebest: Asking for stereo3d is asking to be obsolete.
Earthslide
PoliticalScapegoat
Posted 2:08 AM 11/10/08
Real pics, or it didn't happen.
PoliticalScapegoat
LittleJon
Posted 3:01 AM 11/10/08
@baltwade: Yes. I need a two inch thick TV to put on my 18-inch deep stand!
LittleJon
LittleJon
Posted 3:00 AM 11/10/08
@markarian: Why can't you? Lasers can be tuned on and off at incredible rates, so contrast ratios and color separation can be higher than a plasm.
LittleJon
baltwade
Posted 2:55 AM 11/10/08
@Navin R Johnson: Yes, but they're flat and take up a lot less room. My 32" Sony Trinitron has the best picture I've ever seen on a TV of any kind, but it's huge and weighs a ton.
baltwade
LittleJon
Posted 3:02 AM 11/10/08
I'd like one for photo editing work, but I'd want higher resolution for that!
LittleJon
The Terminator
Posted 3:48 AM 11/10/08
Mitsubishi sucks
The Terminator
DoomGaZer
Posted 3:45 AM 11/10/08
SOoooo.....Ummmm.....does this mean we can buy it now? 'Cause otherwise I don't give a flying flip. Unless it is now on sale somewhere, like Circuit City (YES CC and NOT WorstBuy) then this article doesn't really mean anything. I knew about all of that stuff he was spewing long before this article came out. The sooner this thing goes on sale, the sooner it comes down within a reasonable price range and the sooner it blows away all the other manufacturer's crap LCD and Plasmas (you know, the ones that they add one feature to each year and jack the price up).
DoomGaZer
kaylix
Posted 4:27 AM 11/10/08
If you're interested in the tech specs go to www.mitsubishi-tv.com and choose LaserTV. They have three manuals available for download.
kaylix
Dreamwriter
Posted 6:22 AM 11/10/08
@yuriythebest: Actually, it is stereo3D. Not sure which of the many 3D formats it uses, though (there of course is nowhere near any standard for 3D TV yet).
Dreamwriter
CaitlynBabages
Posted 3:42 AM 11/10/08
Mitsubishi is known for making low quality rear projection TVs. The failure rate on their DLPs is huge compared to Samsung. I had a 52" Mitsu DLP that failed after 2 years. Luckily I had an extended warranty and when the TV couldn't be repaired in 2 months of trying I got a new TV. Several friends with Mtisu DLPs experienced the same problems, other friends who bought from Sammy had no problems at all. Will the MitsuFrickin' Laser TV have as many MitsuFrickin problems as the MistuFrickinDLP?
CaitlynBabages
commentotron
Posted 6:59 AM 11/10/08
"two-thirds less power than an lcd or plasma TV"
Since plasmas use WAY more power than LCDs this statement is bogus.
Why not just say: lasers are awesome.
I loved my old Mits RPTV, and later I had a mits projector that was excellent. But big floor standing boxes are lame.
commentotron
MikeK
Posted 7:19 AM 11/10/08
I checked this set out at CEDIA and it gave me a headache. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I find that a lot of the 1080p single-chip DLPs seem to do that for me, and this one was perhaps even worse because it was so bright. If you can reliably turn the brightness down and preserve contrast, it might look good.
MikeK
Evil J
Posted 9:30 AM 11/10/08
@The Terminator:
I'll bite.
No, really, I'm interested.
Only reason I ask is because my grandma is still rocking an SD Mitsu rear projector that's literally as old as I am.
Evil J
WMyers
Posted 10:20 AM 11/10/08
They had a Mitsubishi trailer parked in front of my local electronics store (Bjorns in San Antonio) last weekend so I stopped in. Yes, this TV is very, very nice and almost as thin as first gen flat panels. People already commented on how much less power these things use. Personally, I was more impressed by the fact that it weighs a third of a similarly sized plasma.
At the end of day though, it's not worth seven grand even if you factor in the "lifetime savings" on your electricity bill. For that amount of money, I can get a new 50" plasma for everyday viewing and a 1080p projector (with spare bulbs) for movies.
WMyers
ZafirCotys
Posted 1:05 AM 11/10/08
I saw a demo of LaserTV setup by Mitsu. They had it standing up next to a 63" Sharp Aquos LCD and a 52" Elite Plasma. It looked solid for the most part, but *everything* had a red filter on it. Like someone had pushed the red tint a little too far. A white shirt looked a little pink. But on the other hand, Red looked red, and not reddish/orangish. All in all the Elite looked the best of the three, and the Aquos and the Laser were pretty comparable. The reddish hue over the picture just rubbed me the wrong way. I also saw the 3D demo. It requires 3D mastered material. Doesn't make use of 120Hz. Items brought forward out of the TV looked crisp, back grounds looked blurred and washed out. Overall, It's a nice upgrade for DLP, puts it comparable to top of the line Plasma and LCD. For now I'm waiting on Sony's XBR8 line.
ZafirCotys