Skip to Content

New to the Mac? Check out TUAW's Mac 101
AOL Tech

mitsubishi posts

Mitsubishi's 3D-ready and Unisen HDTV lines in the flesh


Toshiba already showed us what its freshest line of HDTVs looks like, and now its Mitsubishi's turn. The outfit was on hand in NYC to showcase a few of its now-shipping sets, including the 3D-ready Home Theater line and its speaker-infused Unisen crew. We won't bore you with the specs (which can be found here and here, respectively), but we will confess that the 82-inch WD-82737 has us squirming uncontrollably. Have a peek yourself in the gallery below.

Dallas Cowboys record breaking 1080p display caught on video before the stadium opens


It took long enough, but we've finally got video (embedded after the break) of the giant 159 x 72-foot 1080p displays facing each sideline of the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, playing back some highlights of a game vs. the Colts. We've seen the specs and the mockups of Mitsubishi's huge DiamondVision screen, but suddenly things look very different when the camera pans down and one realizes exactly how large these displays are. Once we've confirmed the stadium isn't built by the same guys that put together the team's practice bubble, we'll be making plans to head down and catch a game. Eat that, Dolphin Stadium.

[Thanks, Yaggs]

Mitsubishi introduces 16-speaker Unisen LCD HDTV line


With Mitsubishi's LaserVue lines humming along once more, it's time for the company to bust out a few more big announcements in the HDTV space. First up is the new Unisen line, comprised of the 151 Series (40-, 46- and 52-inches), the 153 Series (40-, 46- and 52-inches) and the high-end Diamond 259 Series (46- and 52-inches). Each set in the line comes with a built-in "5.1-channel" 16-speaker audio bar, much like the iSP LT-52149 that we reviewed last fall. Each model also incorporates a new UltraThin Frame design, Smooth 120Hz Film Motion technology, four HDMI 1.3a inputs and a USB media port. The top end crew also includes an iSP calibration microphone, Plush1080p 5G 18-bit digital video processing, a wired IR input and a few swank blue accents to really woo the ladies. The whole family should ship to the United States next month and range from $1,799 to $3,299. Exact pricing is just after the break.

Yankees new Diamond Vision HD scoreboard unveiled


Say hello to the Yankee's biggest and, in our opinion, best new acquisition. We've been all up and down the specs of the Mitsubishi built 101- by 59-foot LED display for the last year so we'll just sit back and let it wash over you, while we contemplate whether those luxury seats below block some of the bleacher seats, or the ant-sized players trotting around on the field below.

Mitsubishi affirms that LaserVue HDTV production is back on


After Mitsubishi suddenly and unexpectedly suspended production of its flagship LaserVue HDTV in early February, many took the liberty of believing that the end was nigh for this extremely high-end set (given the not-exactly-booming economy). We contacted Mitsubishi in order to follow up, and today we've received direct confirmation that the LaserVue is indeed "back in production." In other words, the supply channels are all moving smoothly again, and whatever caused the issue to begin with truly was simply a snag and not a foreshadowing of the set's death. Too bad this thing is still up near seven grand in many places -- after seeing one in action, it's hard to look at any other technology the same way.

Mitsubishi's HL2750U projector suits the "detail-oriented" crowd

We know, we could totally see you confusing "detail-oriented" with "high-resolution," but unfortunately Mitsu's not referring to those kinds of details. The HL2750U checks in with a barely respectable SXGA+ (1,400 x 1,050) resolution and a lovely 3,100 ANSI lumens for lighting up even mildly lit rooms. The 10.8 pound beamer also touts a lamp life of 5,000 hours, digital vertical and horizontal keystone correction, various lens options, Ethernet / RS-232c ports and an array of video inputs. Obviously, we'd recommend looking elsewhere for your dedicated home theater PJ, and we suspect you'll agree after swallowing the $3,995 MSRP.

Mitsubishi unveils LDTV146 and LDTV152 1080p LCD monitors

Mitsubishi may be having some trouble with its LaserVue set, but those in the commercial realm probably aren't too concerned. What they may be interested in, however, are these two. Mitsu has introduced the 46-inch LDTV146 and 52-inch LDTV152 at the Digital Signage Show in Las Vegas, both of which boast 1080p 10-bit LCD panels. These were designed to last and last (and last), with a backlight estimated to survive 30,000 hours -- or around seven years when turned on for 12 hours per day. Other specifications include a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 500 nits of brightness and $2,995 / $3,995 price tags, and if you're into either, you'll be glad to know they're available now.

Mitsubishi unveils prototype in-dash Blu-ray player


Difficult though it may be to believe, Panasonic showcased a conceptual in-dash BD deck of its own back in October of 2007. Obviously, nothing has really come of that, so Mitsubishi's stepping in with a prototype of its own. It's stated that the player has only a third of the volume compared to a traditional "home Blu-ray player," with it somehow being able to slip into a standard single-DIN opening. Better still, we're told that the final unit -- which is slated to hit production during fiscal year 2009 -- could also boast a mobile TV tuner in select markets, giving us even more reason to not pay attention to pedestrians, road signs and stop lights while taking that Sunday cruise.

Mitsubishi temporarily suspends production of LaserVue HDTVs


We had heard that certain Mitsubishi representatives had been telling Diamond dealers that production had been suspended on the outfit's flagship LaserVue HDTV, and sure enough, the story is true. We have confirmed with Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America that the outfit has "temporarily suspended production of LaserVue televisions due to a problem with manufacturing equipment used to produce LaserVue TVs." We're also informed that "Mitsubishi Electric engineers are taking the necessary action to ensure that the company resumes production as quickly as possible, while maintaining the highest standards for product quality and reliability." So far as we know, this isn't a sign of sudden discontinuation, as Mitsu has affirmed that it's "expecting production to resume in early 2009." We'll update with more as we get it in.

Update: We asked a few followup questions, and we did find that Mitsu isn't anticipating any supply issues, which indicates the problem may be short lived (or at least it hopes so). As for an official comment on what went wrong? "LaserVue production was suspended due to a manufacturing equipment issue." That's all we've got.

[Thanks, Chuck]

Mitsubishi's 65-inch Diamond WD-65835 RPTV HDTV reviewed


If you've been eying something a touch larger than Samsung's 61-inch HL61A650, why not consider Mitsubishi's WD-65835? The 65-inch Diamond series set was overshadowed by the altogether more intriguing LaserVue when it was introduced this Spring, but there's still a lot here worth loving. The surprisingly lightweight set was found to have accurate colors, "convincingly deep blacks" and a "bright, punchy, dimensional image," all of which sound characteristically Mitsu. Truth be told, critics had a tough time knocking the image quality at all under real-world scenarios, noting that its "exceptional contrast and solid blacks" easily trumped all but a few flat-panels. All that praise for a 65-incher under three grand? Smells like a winner if you've got the space.

Mitsubishi's 1080p HC7000 HD projector reviewed: it's a keeper


Mitsubishi's HC7000 1080p projector just started leaving the docks not too, too long ago, and now the kind folks over at BigPictureBigSound have published a thorough review after spending a decent bit of time with it. Installation and setup was said to be "a simple affair," and one of the first things they noticed upon firing it up was just how quiet it was while operating. In fact, critics deemed it the quietest projector they had tested in this price range. Testers fired up an upscaled DVD after calibration procedures were done, and what they saw was "perfectly acceptable," with black levels being ultra black and color being "vibrant and very natural." Blu-ray Disc and HDTV content were even more stunning, and overall, only minor niggles ("remote backlight shuts off too quickly," for instance) were mentioned. In case you couldn't guess, critics deemed this one "a keeper," and to sweeten things up, the street price on this puppy is a far cry from its original MSRP. Mmm, price drops.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Mitsubishi's DVR-BF2000 Blu-ray DVR up for grabs in Japan

Mitsubishi DVR-BF2000 Blu-ray DVR
With all the talk of Blu-ray stalling out, it's easy to see why Blu-ray DVRs haven't been something that manufacturers have even tried to sell the American public. Over in Japan, things are a little different -- just take Mitsubishi's DVR-BF2000 Blu-ray DVR model, for example. The hefty sum of ¥178,000 ($1900 US) nets you a DVR with a 500GB hard disk, dual tuners and a disc burner that can write out on BD-R/RE media and DVD-R/RW for when you don't need such capacious archiving. The unit also has some automatic editing features for cutting out those pesky commercials you don't need to store on your shelf. With these kind of features, we'd at least like to see these offered up here in the US -- they certainly won't get cheaper until they're available -- but we're not holding our breath.

Audioholics puts Mitsubishi's LT-46149 LCD with iSP to the test

Mitsubishi LT-46149 LCD TV with iSP
If you're dead set on getting all your video and audio delivered from a single device, you could do worse than Mitsubishi's LT-46149 LCD and its iSP (Integrated Sound Projector) -- at least judging by the Audioholics review of the unit. The 16 beaming speakers across the bottom of the bezel proved more than just a toy and actually could be dialed in to create a real soundfield, albeit lacking in ultimate SPL output and bass. The lack of discrete input codes wasn't really solved by the automatic input selection and the backlighting could have been more even, but those problems faded away when watching movies. Some annoyance was laid at the feet of the 120Hz processing, consistent with other opinions (including our own). Keep in mind the "convenience with good performance" target for this set and hit the link for the full review.

Mitsubishi's soundbar-equipped iSP LT-52149 gets full-on review


When we had Mitsubishi's 1080p iSP LT-52149 HDTV in our own labs for testing, we weren't exactly thrilled with the image quality, particularly the 120Hz shenanigans. The folks over at Home Entertainment saw a lot of the same flaws we did, though they seemed to think the overall package was palatable after a great deal of tweaking. In fact, they outrightly stated that this set "requires more attention during video setup than other high-end LCDs [it had] tested," but it was worth the effort. The soundbar didn't serve as a 5.1-channel surround sound system or anything, but it did treat the ears more so than most integrated speakers. 'Course, SD material looked pretty terrible, but it did make Blu-ray Discs look fairly excellent. Still, the $4,000+ MSRP is slightly ridiculous in this world of low-cost LCDs, and we still can't see enough jaw-dropping positives here to warrant that kind of sticker.

Mitsubishi's HC6500 HD projector reviewed: a serious contender


Mitsubishi's 1080p HC6500 has been shipping for just over a month now, but if you've been holding off from unloading $2,500 until you saw a bona fide review, you can finally have a peek and move on with life. CNET was able to wrap its retinas around the expansive image beamed out of this sexy piece of front-projection goodness, and overall, it had incredibly positive things to say. For instance, the deep blacks were applauded, skin tones were "natural," noise wasn't an issue at all and the input selection was quite stout. The only real rubs critics had were that it wasn't perfectly calibrated out of the box and the fact that it's up against some stiff competition -- neither of which are particularly "negative" traits. The bottom line? It's an "excellent all-round performer for the money," or in other words, you can finally commence with that trigger pulling.




AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in: