Customer Reviews

Mitsubishi WD-73738 73-Inch 3D DLP HDTV

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'd like to make two points clear at the outset. One, I have always been a bit suspicious of glowing reviews I've read out here, suspecting somehow they had been written by people associated with the company producing the product being reviewed. And two, although I have purchased other less expensive items online, I have always had a great fear of buying large ticket items, such as this television set, online.

I had resisted buying an HDTV mainly because I wasn't comfortable with the drawbacks inherent in each type of set, e.g. burn-in for plasma sets and dropped pixels for LCD sets, plus the fact that the picture on most of these sets gradually deteriorated as each day went by. My current set had been a 45 inch Mitsubishi DLP television, whose picture was still as sharp and clear as the first day I turned it on back in 2001, despite the fact that the original lamp had never been replaced. So I was definitely a Mitsubishi fan, despite some of the problems I'd read about with certain of their earlier DLP high definition models.

But the thing which really motivated me to finally purchase a Hi-Def set was the day I watched my first 3D demonstration at a Best Buy store. It was amazing and all I could think of after that was watching my favorite sports teams in 3D. So I began a long and very arduous research process, mainly online. It finally brought me to this particular Mitsubishi 3D ready set, despite the negative reviews given to certain earlier Mitsubishi models, whose warranties Mitsubishi did extend for two additional years. And, it seems as though many people bought these Mitsubishi sets without ever being aware that, under varying circumstances, they may have to replace their lamp from time to time.

At any rate, I eventually took the giant leap of faith and ordered my new Mitsu 73 inch HDTV from Amazon.com., mainly because I had made other smaller buys from Amazon.com with no problems and I have to admit I liked the idea of free shipping and no state taxes on a large ticket item like this, which saved me around $260.00. Anyway, the big day arrived and while I had had many earlier concerns over how the delivery would be handled, I was delighted to find how smoothly the actual delivery process went. At the time of purchase, the delivery was scheduled for 7/22/10 between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM. They actually arrived at 10:15 AM on 7/22/10. As I was extremely relieved to find, the two men handling the delivery actually brought the stand and set inside my apartment, in that order, and carefully unboxed each item. They then gave me plenty of time to carefully inspect each item for any exterior damage. They then carefully placed the set on the stand and even turned on the set to make sure the initial blue screen appeared. So, it turned out all my delivery fears were absolutely unfounded. The delivery could not have gone better.

After they left, I waited for a bit and then began hooking things up. After plugging everything into my new surge protector and making the required connections, I turned the set on and went through the required set-up routine, making all the picture settings which had been recommended on several Hi-Def forums for the earlier version of this model. These seemed to give me a very nice initial picture, although I feel I may have a bit more tweaking to do to suit my individual preferences. But after briefly watching some college football and professional golf, as well as an episode of The Sopranos, I believe all my research has been well rewarded and that I have purchased the perfect set for me. There have been a few who told me they would never have anything to do with Mitsubishi sets, but as I told them, I will remain a fan until such time as this set proves me wrong. In addition, I will mention that I did purchase a SquareTrade extended warranty for this set, as I would have done for any item costing this much. The cost was little enough to provide peace of mind for four years. And, as I later learned, my Visa card automatically extends the warranty for a fifth year.

So I suppose this review is exactly the type that would have inspired me to believe it was written by a Mitsubishi employee. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just feel I did my homework and bought this item from a reliable E-tailer and hopefully, I will be enjoying my new Mitsubishi 3D HDTV for many years to come.

I'm back with some additional information as I've decided to include the basic settings I've come up with to obtain what I think is an excellent picture on this particular HDTV set. They are as follows:

Color 40, Tint 27, Sharpness 31, Color Temp. Low, Video Noise Med., Edge Enhancement On, Deep Field Imaging Off, Smooth 120 Off, Picture Mode Natural, Contrast 33, Brightness 31. I might also add most of my viewing is done in pretty dim lighting, which I think very much contributes to an optimum picture.

I'd also like to add that the 3D picture on this set, using the Panasonic DMP-BDT350 3D BluRay player, is absolutely phenominal. My only other experience with 3D television viewing was at a Best Buy Store where I watched a 3D demo on a 55" Samsung LED set and the 3D effect with this 73" Mitsubishi is far better. It is true that the more immersive the experience (the larger the screen), the better the 3D effect is. Now I am simply waiting for my upgraded (HR21 and above) DirecTV receiver so I can begin viewing some of their existing 3D sports channels.

Well, here it is in my second week and I just received (finally) the DirecTV receiver (HR21-200) I needed to receive their on-air 3D programming. After calling DirecTV to activate this new receiver I hooked up the Mitsu 3DG-1000 adapter kit, chose 3D programming on my Mitsu 73738 HDTV menu, put on my 3D glasses and sat back to enjoy some of the most amazing television I've ever seen. I watched a 3D program on Channel 104 called The Universe and after watching the asteroid belt head directly into my living room, followed by a close-up of the surface of the sun (which appeared to be hovering about six inches above my coffee table)I knew I was hooked and hooked BIGtime!!! And if that wasn't enough to do it, I then watched some lions and a cheetah roaming the veldt, with their heads occasionally poking into my living room, and that absolutely finished off the job! I am now officially a 3D addict! Lower prices and more extensive 3D programming be hanged! I bought now and I'm glad of it! Now just bring on my first 3D football game!

Just another note to mark the passing of my first month with my new Mitsu HDTV. Everything still working great! I have been very much surprised to find a group of people out here who are definitely anti-Mitsubishi. Some of their reasons seem no more substantial than possibly having to replace the lamp in a Mitsubishi set. To my way of thinking, that's kind of like buying a Hummer and then asking the dealer what kind of gas mileage it gets. If you're spending $2,000 + for a great 3D HDTV and you occasionally have to replace a hundred dollar part (which incidentally will restore your set to having the same great picture you had on Day 1) then that's no biggie at all.

For you people out there who have DirecTV, I might suggest when you set up your new 3D receiver that you pick the "Non-natural" option in the video set-up. If you don't, every time you switch programs to one with a different resolution, the screen will briefly go blank and you will hear eight or nine loud clicking noises before the new program begins. After awhile it became very irritating so I decided I'd rather do without it.

Well, here I am back again at just about the end of month two with my Mitsu 73737. Everything still works fine. I'm mainly here to comment on the 3D programming I've watched during these almost 60 days, particularly the sports programming. Tennis was a disappointment. Since the camera coverage is usually from behind one player and because most players spend their time at the baseline, then you're not going to get much change in depth, which definitely diminishes the 3D effect. Plus, the court itself is flat, unlike the rolling hills of a golf course. Golfing was very enjoyable to watch in 3D because everyone is constantly moving around and changing depth in relation to the camera positions. Motocross X Games were fun; watching those bikes do 360s high above uneven ground. Basketball offered pretty good effects but football was my favorite of all, especially when covered with multiple cameras, including overhead views. There was one particular pass play during the Va. Tech./Boise St. game where the pass came right at you into the end zone. Really great 3D effect! But the one sport I'm still really anxious to see is Boxing! I think that might turn out to be the best sport of all for 3D viewing.

However, I feel the features made especially to demonstrate the 3D effect remain the best source of amazing 3D programming. There is one in particular and it features various jungle animals, including a rather large snake, which uncoils directly toward the viewer. I defy anyone to sit and watch this snake move directly into your room and toward your face without unconsciously moving backwards and/or putting your hand up to protect yourself. I've watched it 4 or 5 times now and I still can't just sit there and watch it without physically reacting.

And for you videophiles out there who complain because these particular Mitsubishi HDTV sets use the checkerboard format for 3D viewing, which reduces the resolution from 1080 to 720 for each eye, I can only say it's a total
non-issue as far as I'm concerned and I doubt the majority of viewers could even tell the difference anyhow. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the audiophiles from back in the day when Hi-Fi first appeared who complained because a certain speaker's upper limit was too low, when in truth, most listeners couldn't even perceive sounds in that particular range to begin with.

Since I've just hit my one year anniversary with this set, I thought it only appropriate to briefly summarize my experiences over the past twelve months with my Mitsu 73738.

First of all, I am amazed at the reduction in price of this set since I bought it in July of 2010. I paid just under $2,000.00 and thought I was getting a real bargain. At the under $1,200.00 they are going for today, I simply cannot understand why anyone would be buying a 55" LED set and paying more for it.

I have been using my set 9-11 hours each and every day since the first day I turned it on. I am still using the original bulb in my set and to me the picture looks every bit as sharp and clear as it did the first day I turned it on. This goes for the richness of the colors, as well. The only odd experience I have had with this set at all is the four times (by actual count) when I turned it on and the picture appeared with either a green or reddish tint. I turned the set off and then back on and each of the four times it then came back on looking exactly as it should. I kind of consider this a personality tic unique to my set.

I have tried to pay attention to the comments and inquiries that have appeared in this thread over the past year and by doing so I feel I have learned some valuable information, particularly from RAINIER ROCKS. This individual really knows their stuff, electronically speaking. They helped me update my firmware, thereby allowing me to view 3D media without the adaptor that was originally required.

In summary, I am still enjoying this set every bit as much as I did the first day I turned it on. This goes double for the 3D programming. It still brings a goofy grin to my face whenever that damn snake uncoils into my living room and I find myself instinctively leaning backwards. I can't help but feel vindicated in buying this set when there were any number of naysayers who advised me against having anything to do with a Mitsubishi big screen set. And, if anything I have written here over the past year has helped anyone in any way regarding this particular HDTV, I will really be pleased. I would make this buy over again in a heartbeat!

I'm no videophile, but I know what I like, and I like this TV.

First of all, I've read a lot of feedback on the other 73" models before I decided to go with this later version.

Among the complaints I read about the earlier models were that "the sound was insufficient, the remote was hard to figure out, the on-screen menus were hard to figure out, and the picture was too bright".

Well, the picture was too bright out of the box. I have to wonder if it's because it was made in Japan, and the picture was adjusted by Japanese. I simply went to an HDMI message forum and found some settings from users of previous models. I used the simplest settings I could find, then tweaked to my taste. Took all of about 10 minutes total.

Regarding the sound, my "great room" measures 33' x 18', with a very high ceiling. It fills the room just fine with the factory speakers when we're watching AT&T U-verse Cable. I had to crank it all the way up to work with my Sony Blu-Ray player, watching "3 Days of the Condor". So maybe the problem others have isn't with the TV, but with the source audio, be it the player or the media.

The remote is simpler than many others I've seen, and the menus on-screen are easily navigated. The only complaint I have, as others have mentioned, is that the remote isn't lit. I think that's silly, since everyone likes watching movies in a darkened room.

The Mitsubishi MB-S73A stand fits perfectly, just as the PDF for this TV's specs says on Mitsubishi's website.

Everyone who's visited is amazed at the picture on this TV, even in SD. Some friends and family were over when I played "3 Days of the Condor", and they were absolutely stunned at the HDMI picture. I can't wait to see a modern film on this TV.

We have a Denon DHT-591BA home theater surround system, but I've yet to wire it in, so I can't comment on that.

The TV recognizes products plugged in via HDMI ports, pretty much immediately.

If you decide to get one of these, I highly recommend the matching stand. The stand comes assembled, you only have to use four screws and two pins to mount the shelf where you want it, slide the TV into the matching slots, then four screws fully secure the TV to the base.

I gave it five stars, because they don't offer a six-star option.

Just received the newest version of the 73 inch DLP yesterday. I was a little skeptical coming from a plasma TV to a DLP which I almost bought last year but the picture at the store just wasn't as crisp as the plasma. Well, I hooked up the TV last night using the cable/HD 1080i. Unbelievable is all I can say. I watched the NFL game, I felt like I was on the field, HD was so nice. I called the cable company to make sure my settings were correct on the box and was informed that they now have a 1080p HD box which I will be going to get Saturday.

3D in my area right now only has ESPN which I will check that out this weekend. This TV does not need a 3D adapter. Everything is in the TV with this version, one of the reasons I bought this TV. All you have to do is change the input to 3D, turn to the station and put the glasses on which came with my TV. I have heard that 3D sports are something to see. Also, this TV comes with 100 internet applications, including AP news, FB, Vudu, weatther to name a few, which will run as a ticker on the bottom of the screen if you choose, haven't set this up yet but can't wait. I am using the Sony blu-ray player with this TV, which will play 3D movies as well. Needless to say, I am very impressed with this TV and I haven't even tapped into all of the features it comes with. If you have any doubts, don't, you won't regret purchasing this TV, I have had 50 inch plasma and LCD and for the price and the features, so worth it. If this was a LED TV you would be looking at arund $10,000. Very impressed....

Great TV with great picture quality. The factory picture settings were a bit harsh so I followed the suggestions of other reviews here and changed some of the picture settings. It is a very easy process and you will be happy you did it. If not, you can simply click 'restore defaults' and you are back to where you started. It was very easy to get on the Internet and I immediately recieved a firmware update that allowed several newer forms of 3D decoding. I would have rated this TV 5 star if not for the Mitsubishi 3D glasses issues. This TV will support 'DLP Link' glasses, yet Mitsubishi's glasses do not use this format. They suggested I buy their 3D Starter Pack and use the Emitter type glasses in the kit. The kit only comes with 2 glasses, and there are 4 people in my family. Mitsubishi does not sell glasses only and suggested I buy Samsung glasses. It appears Samsung makes the glasses for the Mitsubishi kit. The problem with all of this is I paid extra money for a 3D TV instead of a 3D Ready TV and I still needed to spend an additional $400.00 for the Mitsubishi kit. If I had known all of this, I would have bought a 3D ready TV since the Starter Pack will do all of the additional decoding needed for a 3D picture. I have paid for this decoder twice. If you purchase this TV, I suggest you do not buy the Mitsubishi Starter Pack, and purchase cheaper 3rd party 'DLP Link' decoder glasses. It will save you hundreds of dollars.

I first bought a Vizio xvt553sv and it was bright and beautiful and I was completely satisfied with my purchase except for the cheap remote and the cheap bezel on the set. I got that set because of the stellar reviews, the cnet award and the fact that I didn't care about 3d and of course LCD and Plasma dominate the market right now and that's all that anyone talks about. Bored one day, I checked out some reviews of 3d tvs and home 3d in general in AVS forums and before doing research I understood the new 3d tvs and the technology they employ to be too new and too gimmicky. Well, I gradually started to want 3d based on impressions I was reading. When I tried to find the best overall 3d tv all I found was LCD and Plasma - again. That is until I read about Mitsubishi's DLP - how they're less expensive, bigger, and produce better 3D than LCD and Plasma. "What?" I thought, "They still make DLP sets?". Yes; and apparently mitsubishi is the only manufacturer that continues to do so. I was thinking that DLPs must be like the old rear projection screens I had seen on numerous occasions in years past - washed out, terrible viewing angle, grainy picture - just plain blah; especially compared to today's super bright LCDs and Plasmas. Well I kept on reading and found that the brightness on DLP is comparable and the viewing angle, while not 180 degree awesome, isn't that bad on the latest DLPs. I found that I could get a MUCH bigger screen for less money PLUS 3D with a DLP tv... AND it wouldn't get dimmer and dimmer over the years until the picture is terrible but rather only require a new bulb for a very reasonable cost a few years down the road ( I want to keep this thing as long as possible) AND if one of my kids somehow smashes the screen it isn't GAME OVER but rather a new screen which is also pretty cheap.

So I returned the Vizio and got this 73" Mitsubishi set + 4 year warranty + 4 3d Glasses + a harmony one remote for just a bit less that what I paid for the VIZIO. I was worried that I would have to just accept obvious compromises in picture quality - boy was I wrong. Once you get the settings right (use the "bright" power setting) - this thing looks as good if not better than the VIZIO - and the Vizio was damn good.

Screen size: The 73" inch screen, while I initially thought it would be almost too big, turns out to be damn near perfect in fact I almost think I should have gone with the 83 - almost. This thing at fist looked monsterous in my living room but after a month of viewing it seems like the only way to go - bigger really IS better. It's truly a home theatre. I love it, the wife loves it, and everyone who comes over thinks it's freaking amazing.

Deeper cabinet: The depth isn't really an issue - only 10 inches or so deeper than the vizio LCD and I am using a stand and don't care about wall mounting either way and no one goes back behind the tv anyways plus it's shallower than you would think a rear projection screen would be. With this 73 inch bohemoth in front of me, I don't even care that it has a little bit more depth to the cabinet.

3D: Awesome. You need it NOW - yes YOU. Right NOW. It took me awhile to get all the components set up for 3d (PS3, Ultra-clear DLP link 3D glasses, 3D material (Crysis 2, Megamind 3D)) but holy crap is it amazing. It looks phenominal and it's totally worth it RIGHT NOW - I don't care what anyone else says about it being gimmicky or wait until they get things standardized, blah blah blah. For 3D games alone it's worth it, even if there's only a coupld of dozen games out that support 3D. The ones out right now are awesome and will keep you satisfied for years and more will come as 3D catches on - and it will. It totally adds to the immersion of movies and especially games - it's like you're looking into a window to another world - and for FPS games like Crysis 2, you which you can move around in that world at your whim. Really, it's one of those things that you just have to see for yourself to fully appreciate.

All in all: Awesome size, picture, price, features (3D!!!), future proof - you can't go wrong.

On Dec. 29 ordered Mitsubishi DLP from Amazon. It was delivered on 01/07/2011. July 4 2011, it died, refused to respond to power button or remote. July 5 2011, I contacted Mitsubishi customer service, explained problem, and was given the name & phone # of recommended service tech. Contacted service tech, I was asked about the problem, I explained, and was told it was the power supply. After a 2 week wait, it was installed to no advantage. I was then told it was the main board and they would order same, turns out it was back ordered (just how the manufacturer can claim a part is on BO status baffles me, they make the part after all so, just make some more). Finally Aug 6 2011 service tech installs new main board. Unfortunately it was not tested for function because as he explained latter, he could not figure out how to connect a coax cable to the antenna input and do a channel scan. Coming home after work that night, being very tech savvy (righty tighty, lefty loosey) I connected coax. I was rewarded with problems. I had to reset multiply times for it to power up. No HDMI inputs worked correctly, but external antenna did. Next the screen was mostly green, I tried to adjust via tint and color controls to no avail, but I did have a picture of sorts, if you liked green people anyway. Contacted Mitsubishi several more times, was told to contact service tech, I did. Fist answer was that it needed a software upgrade, I countered that I had already done that. Next guess was that main board needed to be replaced, seems like I had heard this story somewhere before. Called Mitsubishi and requested to be connected to a supervisor and was sent back to the automated phone hell. Called again, made same request, was told they are not allowed to do that. Sooooo..

Just got our Mitsu 738 last week and we are delighted with it. It fills up our rather large family room and the picture is fabulous. At first we were using the "brilliant" setting but have now backed off to "bright." We did find the "normal" setting to not have very good color reproduction (watching Patton, the flag in the first scene is orange, white and blue--but in bright it's perfect).

We got a panasonic 3d bluray DVD player on the recommendation of the sales rep. Panasonic seems to be a better match for Mitsubishi's 3d system. It upconverts our regular DVDs to HD quality and most of our DVDs have never looked so good (we even have a Pioneer DVD recorder and the recordings we made look very good).

I like the remote control. It is very intuitive in its layout and button names.

We just got the 3d package so I'll update this and tell you how that worked.

This is by far the best projection TV I have ever owned. The picture is near perfect and when watching football it is truely TV Heaven. I would recommend this TV to anyone. I would have gotten the 82" if I had a wall or an entertainment center big enough to accommodate it. The only negative was the delivery service would not remove the TV from the box and make sure it powered up before they left as instructed on the packing slip.

It's here!
The set up was very easy. And, mine came with the updated firmware, so I was able to use DLP Link 3D glasses, purchased for $49 each, without buying the emitter or adapter or downloading the latest firmware version. 3D is amazing. I've watched several things on DirecTV's 3D channels. Space Station IMAX, which sells for $40, is playing for free on DirecTV. Time to use the HD DVR. I actually stretched out to grab the 3D images. The picture, from Blu Ray, is just fantastic. I've watched a western called Big Country and Star Trek 09. There really is no substitution for Blu Ray. I got the Sony 1000 watt Blu Ray 5.1 sound system (bdv-e780) with wireless rear speakers, built in wifi, and 2 HDMI inputs on the back for $460 from Techonweb; Very nice system. Easy set up. 'Purchased 4 year extended from Square Trade for less than $200, just for the peace of mind. The T.V. itself was only $1350.

I looked at plasma, led and dlp. All have pros and cons. What it comes down to, is deciding what's important to you. Plasmas and LED's are very bright with "deep black levels". But, in the end I wanted a big picture to watch movies on. I've watched some HD sports and football replays from last year. Needless to say, if we have football in 2011 it will be here every Sunday. The HD images look fantastic on this set. Even the my DVD's look great, especially with the upgrading feature on the blu ray player. My friends boast about their 50 and 55 inch plasmas and LED's. My t.v.? It's 73 INCHES! LOL

There is no included wifi dongle. That has to be bought separately. My blu ray player, as most bought these days, has built in wifi and internet content. So, I watch my internet content from there with no issues. I'll have to buy a dongle eventually, I guess, to get firmware updates. Thought about getting the 82 inch, but 73 is plenty big! Also, another post stated that the bulb in the 73 inch is the same one in the 82.

They only sent one delivery guy to move this 73 inch T.V. into my house! So, I had to help. Bought the WD-73738 and there was no way the 82 inch would have fit up the back stairs to the 2nd floor destination. Just a note, if you buy this set, the shipping information is enclosed with the delivery email. Give them a call and request 2 guys to deliver it. First floor delivery might not be a problem. But upper floors really need 2 guys/gals.

Check out HonestAbe's review and comments. There's a lot of valuable information about updated firmware and picture settings. Also, give this baby a little space behind so she can breathe.

It's here and hopefully I can enjoy it for many years to come.
I will try to give updated posts as well as the months roll by. I think I can now say I've seen Star Trek 09 ten times on the big screen! LOL

Wow! Has it only been 3 months? NFL games look great in HD on this set! There's noticeable eye strain if you've got the settings on Ultra Bright. So, I'd adjust to the Natural settings. There are times I would like to have the 82", but it was another $650+ and wouldn't have fit up the stairs. PS3 games are great! Especially split screen games, because each screen is big. Great party T.V. because of the size! Most angles are good, might not get as bright picture if you're viewing while laying on floor. I love it though, 3 months out!

6 months out now and T.V. is awesome. I highly recommend, especially, for watching sports in HD.

Let me say this TV is big and beautiful. The picture quality is amazing, I wasn't sure what to expect as I have never owned a DLP. The blacks are close to what you see in a plasma but the realistic look and feel to the colors is beyond what I have in my plasma and LCD's. The sound is the best I've heard with no sound bar in quite a long time. Menu's are easy to access and the tv was a breeze to calibrate. I never thought I would say this, but I like this better than my 50" Samsung plasma and its not even close. You will not be disappointed and when you look at the value combined with the size and PQ there is no other option. Highly recommended.