Im interested in the 65" 2004 Diamond Series model. From what I've heard Mitsubishi is supposed to be top notch, however I know nothing about this subject matter and was wondering what the infinite wisdom of the board has to say.

TIA...DD out!!  

I have a 60 inch Mitsubishi that is 4 years old. It has a fantastic picture and has given me no problems whatsoever. I can recommend it.

Yes.

Mitsubishi has their act together when it comes to rear projection TV sets.

I'd recommend either a Mitsu or a Pioneer if it was an Elite series model.

But please, PLEASE, heed this warning:

Projection TV's are not maintenance free and they can be damaged by improper setting of the brightness and contrast controls.   In practice, these settings should be kept in the middle part of their ranges, or somewhat less.   Anything higher drives  the phosphors on the CRT's harder, and leads to the phosphors darkening (we say burning in the trade) and causes a loss of brightness in those areas.   Anything that leaves a static image on the screen can cause this, too, and probably will if left on long enough.    So for that reason, don't hook up your XBox or PlayStation2 to the set very often or for very long.    

Don't set the brightness and contrast any higher than is necessary in order to get a good picture. Any extra brightness beyond that point is unnecessary wear on the tubes.

The maintenance issue:   You will become acquainted with a feature called "convergence" which is how you align the three separate pictures from the red, green, and blue picture tubes so that they are perfectly aligned to each other.   The set can be expected to need a little touchup on the convergence settings from time to time, and if you go ahead and learn how to do it,  it will reward you with a picture that remains sharp for a long time.

Several years down the road,  the picture on your set may start to get a little bit murky, like it's being viewed through dirty water.

This isn't a serious problem.   What has happened is that there is a cooling fluid in a chamber located between the face of the picture tube and the first lens in the tube's lens assembly, and that fluid eventually goes bad.  It's actually a bacterial growth!

The cure is to carefully remove the entire picture tube and lens assembly from the chassis, drain out the fluid,  take the assembly apart, thoroughly clean the picture tube's face and all the internals where the fluid was held, and then reassemble the assembly carefully and add new fluid, which is available from the Mitusbishi dealer.  The fluid may come with new gaskets, too, in which case you should use them.   Then you reinstall the assembly in the chassis, carefully,  reconnect everything, correctly, and reassemble the set.    This will have to be done for the green tube and one other, usually the blue.  Red light from the red CRT tends to inhibit the growth of that bacteria so it remains clean in there.  No need to clean the assembly if it's still clear.

But you won't have to have that process done for at LEAST five years.  Maybe longer.

If you're thinking about one of the new DLP projectors,  consider this:  Their light source is an expensive lamp that costs several hundred dollars to replace, and it has a limited lifespan.  Someone whose TV is on all day will be buying a lamp every couple of months.  It gets expensive.

CJ

The Mitsu's are pretty darn good sets.....future father in law has had three of them that are still running after 10yrs or so each......one crapped, but was replaced under warranty.

The picture quality is top shelf in the price point in which is competes.

Thanks for the info so far gent's. Granted, it's all going over my head. There is so much info out there as well as choices my brain housing group is just fried.

Taking the info I did understand along with price etc all into consideration I have narrowed it down to the TV in question. That TV being the 2004 65" Mistubish Diamond Series.

Here are the specs:

[url]http://www.thebigscreenstore.com/html/specs/diamondSpecs2003.pdf[/url]

This model is on sale for $4000.00 and has zero payments and zero financing until 2005.

What do you guys think? Good TV, Good deal or wait and keep on looking?

Thanks, DD out!!  [sniper]

Looks good.  It's got a very nice feature set.  I say go for it.  You won't be disappointed.

Personally, I'd be looking at the 73" model because it has 9" CRTs in it instead of 7's.  That means still better definition in the picture in addition to its being a bigger picture.  But of course it'll cost more, too.

Me, I'm running a 120" diagonal screen...but it's a $30K front projector.  (Got it from gov't surplus...[:D]  )   So yeah, I have a taste for the really big picture anyway.   A 45" screen is a PIP window to me!

CJ

Not sure what model it is but I have a 72" mitsu I picked up from a friend for $1000 when he moved to a smaller house.  Its about a year old and supports 1080i (not like I have anything that outputs that) but my dvd player and gamecube are both using the HD in and look awesome.

Just bought a 65413...  Love it!

CM, I wish I could buy you a six pac of beer and 500 rounds of SA surplus so you could show me how to change the cooling liquid on my Magnavox, fix the one convergence adjuster that is stuck and how to clean the dust off of the back of the electrical stuff in the back without getting zapped.

I did manage to clean the lenses and the mirror and I sealed up the interior with flat black duct tape.

Yeah go for the Mitsu, they cant be beat.

From a TV repairman (not me, but one I talked to):

best TV's on the market are Mitsubishi and Hitachi, followed by Sony and Panasonic.

I bought a 50" in 1993 and it is still working fine.  The only problem I had was when my brother's seven year old kid accidentally entered some freaky code in my remote and reset everything back to some factory default that resembled a test pattern.  None of the TV repairmen around here had a clue, so I had to search the internet for information and was finally able to get it set back to normal (it was like trying to solve a rubix cube!)  Keep your remotes out of the hands of little goofey kids.  

Not for nothing but its December 7th, have a little respect.   FUCK mitsubishi.

[marines][marines][marines][marines][marines]
[marines][marines][marines][marines][marines]
[marines][marines][marines][marines][marines]

Take a look at the Sony VPL-HS20.

Front projection can far exceed rear projection if light control is possible.

The VPL-HS20 will project a screen up to 300", is HD compatible and has a fantastic picture.

Jeez, guys. I'm still watching a 30" Toshiba that's almost 10 years old. I feel like poor relations.

Don't know much about Mitsu, but I do know I LOVE our Sony 57 inch RPTV.

Oh, yeah, can be less expensive as well.

I've had a 65" Mitsubichi Medallion for a few years and it's really nice.
We are now the Super Bowl Party for our group.
I would imagine that the Diamond is better.
With all purchaces like these it is a negociation.You should be able to get them to go down a little and if your good get them to give you an extra channel changer.My bird destroyed mine and they are near $90.00.
Them cheapo remotes are better than not but limit your ability to properly opperate the TV.
I also went with a Mitsubichi DVD and really didn't need to.
Expect on paying alot for a decent set of cables.I couldn't believe what they are selling for.
Mitsu's are the top of the line for their job.

My parents bought a "big screen" 48" rear projection TV about 15 years ago.  Three years ago, the picture began having problems (wavy picture) and needed 2-3 minutes of being turned on until the TV picture was viewable.  It officially died a year ago.  Lasted a long time.

Personally, I have a Sony 61" TV and couldn't be more pleased with it.

I got a 60-inch Mitsubishi in 1995 and I don't think I'll be replacing it any time soon.  

The picture went out last year and I paid about $200 to have someone come to the house and fix it (some wires had to be resoldered or something), but other than that, it's performed admirably.

Maggotboxes are pretty easy to change the coolant on.  

Just remember to ground the anode lead to the chassis, using a LONG screwdriver, after unplugging the unit and before trying to disconnect the anode cap!

If you understood that, you're going to make it through the fluid change just fine.

First, unplug the unit.   Then, take the lower back panel off.  You  will then be able to look and determine if the upper back panel (the big one) needs to come off, as well.

Heck with it.  Take it off anyway because the rear mirror probably needs a good cleaning in any event.  That'll help the picture quality out noticeably.

The tube and projection lens assemblies are secured to the chassis with four bolts.  Note carefully the orientation of the tube, the mount, and the lenses.   Mark them or take pictures if needed, because you can reassemble the unit incorrectly and then nothing will work right.  The cables won't reach the connectors and the expansion chamber will be on the wrong side.

Remove the anode lead from the HV splitter block by twisting the cap and pulling the lead out. (On most maggotboxes, that's all there is to it. If it doesn't come out easily, DON'T pull harder!)   Keep your distance from the open end of the anode lead because it's in need of discharging.  Discharge it only to the metal chassis frame,  with a long screwdriver shaft.  Screwdriver to frame FIRST, end of lead to screwdriver shaft SECOND.   Discharge it several times over the next minute to be sure it's dead.


Disconnect all the cables and the ground straps.

Carefully pull the CRT/lens assembly out of the projector, being extremely cautious so as not to knock the connector end of the tube on anything.  If you break that glass, you're hosed.  New tube time.  Money.

You now have the tube assembly out of the projector.

Got a plastic drain pan handy?  You'll need it.

Unscrew the white plastic reservoir and drain the tube assembly into the pan.

Remove the four bolts that hold the lens assembly to the frame that the CRT is mounted in.  The lens can now be separated from the CRT, and here comes some more fluid dripping out.

Using WINDEX and not some other brand of glass cleaner, (because you need ammonia and some other brands don't have ammonia in them), thoroughly douse and wash out all the lens surfaces and the interior of the coolant cell.
Be very thorough and let it dry totally before attempting reassembly.  Even go so far as to rinse out the white plastic reservoir.

The gasket MAY be reusable, but it's better by far to buy new gaskets from your Magnavox service center.  And if you're dealing with those idiots, get some of THEIR coolant fluid while you're at it, too.

The job really isn't all that tough.  It's an evening's work to do two tubes if you take your time and haven't done it before.  

Stay cautious.  Don't bugger the neck of the tube!

CJ

Assembly is the reverse procedure.