Elite Pro 720HD vs. Mitsu WS73411

[HofstraJet]

My HT dealer is offering me his demo unit for $4,000 (I can talk him down a little). Does anybody have any comments on this set? Is it worth the money? It is a two year old model, from what I can see. No DVI or IEEE1394. Only RGB. I have seen the Mitsu WS73411 for around the same price. Bigger set, bigger CRT guns, current model, promise module....makes one think.

Thanks for all of your help. :)

[Richie G.]

Stay away from the 20 series, they have issues.

[mikehbkwm]

yeah Id go with the Mits. that pioneer is a old model........

[kevinw]

Stay away from the 20 series, they have issues.
What are the issues?
yeah Id go with the Mits. that pioneer is a old model........
AN old model is bad...?
Yikes help the guy out.

I would get a Pioneer Elite before the Mits. Having compared both, the PQ was better with out red push issues that the Mitsubishis have. Add a 2 year warrenty from Pioneer as a standard on Elite models.
Would I buy that exact TV? No, A friend of mine recently purchased the Pioneer 630(58 inch) for 4k. It comes with DVI and is a 2003 model. Granted you are talking about a smaller TV but newer technology. He also passed on the 730(64 inch) because of room size but it was priced at about 5,800 new.
So to answer your question I would get a Pioneer Elite vs a Mitsubishi Yes. Would I get the 720? Maybe, but I would rather have a smaller TV with DVI and better technology(730 sereies) for the same price.
These prices were from HI-FI Buys in Atlanta.

[Richie G.]

The 720 has an oversan issue in 1080i mode and video noise on the S-VIDEO input no matter what source you are using. Have also seen ghosting on the 20 series.

[mikehbkwm]

alright sorry ill give more input. id take the mits flat out over the pioneer because a. its new b. mits is going to be cheaper c. the mits WS73411 just flat out kicks ass.. the damn screen is so big and sexy. but again this is my opinion and mine alone. i have nothing against pioneer if i had the money id get a pioneer because of the fact that they just kick ass and they seem to have no red push issues and the flesh tones on pioneers are just awesome. again depends on what you want. The mits dont all have red push issues its just a luck of the draw from the manufacturer. I got my 2nd one from ultimate and the set had no red push issues so depends on what you get from the store.......... how about that for reasons.......

[kevinw]

Mike I am not going to disagree about the WS-73411 being huge but it is a Large Midlevel TV- We have the WS 73903 here in my office. So I am more familiar than what is on the websight. I recomend the 30 series Pioneer..It is a superior product.

Mitsubishi at one time was what other manufacturers aspired to be. Kind of like Bose. Still good products but not what they used to be. I just find the Elite models to be a much better after seeing side by side comparisons.
For me I would rather have a smaller Top Line tv than a larger Midlevel. The Elites are par with the Mitsubishi Diamonds...

[HofstraJet]

Originally posted by kevinw
Mike I am not going to disagree about the WS-73411 being huge but it is a Large Midlevel TV- We have the WS 73903 here in my office. So I am more familiar than what is on the websight. I recomend the 30 series Pioneer..It is a superior product.

Mitsubishi at one time was what other manufacturers aspired to be. Kind of like Bose. Still good products but not what they used to be. I just find the Elite models to be a much better after seeing side by side comparisons.
For me I would rather have a smaller Top Line tv than a larger Midlevel. The Elites are par with the Mitsubishi Diamonds...


Based on that statement, should I get the Mitsubishi WS-73711? From what I understand, the difference between the 73411 and 73711 is basically the promise module is included in the 73711. Is there more to it (according to your statement, there is)?

PS - can I come work where you do? :D

[kevinw]

Comparing Mits to Mits get the one that already has some type of content protection interface, be it DVI or Firewire. Larger in this case is not always better. That is why if 4k is your budget take look at Pioneer 58 inch Elite instead off 73 inch Mits Gold. What you loose in real estate you make up in quality.

As to the TV in my office- BIG TV built into the wall and it has never had an HD signal sent to it. Nothing but the Weather Channel, FOXNEWS and Braves games... what a waste of TV.:(

[HofstraJet]

I appreciate the input very much. $4k isn't the budget - just the number I was offered the Pioneer for. I planned on spending more - the WS73711 was my top choice since I sit 12 feet away on the sofa and my kitchen opens up to the family room and I do a lot of cooking so I am often watching from the kitchen, which is about 25-30 feet away. Thus I wanted a large set that I could enjoy from the kitchen as well as the sofa.

I will look at the new Elite set and see what I prefer. If I do get the Elite, I'd have to build a base for it since it sits too low to watch from the kitchen (there is a breakfast counter that has to be cleared to see from the kitchen). I currently have a Marantz PV-6090 and it is beautiful. Now I have to see how I can get the fiancee to allow that into the bedroom so I can get the new HD set in the family room. :p

[mikehbkwm]

OK Kevin I totally see your side of it. And I had no idea that Mits quality had gone down a little over the years. I always knew their diamond series was just on par as the pioneer elite series but didnt know the gold series which i have is that bad in comparison..... are you trying to say i have a bad TV...:p JUST KIDDING but i did understand what your getting at.........

[kevinw]

Hey Mikey...Nothing wrong with your TV. Just comparing Apples to Oranges. Gold series is the entry level, just like my Toshiba. Good TV's but not top of the product line like Diamond and Elite series are. Sort of like the Camry to the Lexus..

[mikehbkwm]

or the Camaro to the Z06 Corvette...........:p

[9 inch guns]

HofstraJet, have you thought about newer "projector" type systems?

One thing you might want to consider is the viewing angle of rear projection t.v.s. If your not in the "recomended" viewing arc, picture quality (brightness) drops off dramaticly. From what I've seen in displays, this is less of an issue with projectors.

Projectors are versatile, cost less than a monstrous 73" RPTV, and take up almost no space.
On the other hand, their bulbs burn out requiring replacement and have limitied use in areas where the viewing area is well-lit. In terms of connections, I don't know enough about them to speak to that.

Just some thoughts.

[spaceman_spiff]

WS-73711 uses 9-inch CRTs. Most rear-projection TVs use 7-inch CRTs. The additional size is supposed to improve light output and increase resolution.

The pioneer has 7" CRTs.
Good luck

[HofstraJet]

My room is way too well lit - a wall of sliding glass doors on one side overlooking the pool. Great for looking out at, horrible for TV during the day. I do close the verticals when I am home watching TV, but it still has a lot of light from the kitchen behind it, so unfortunately a front projector is out of the question. My Marantz PV6090 that is there now looks OK during the day on bright scenes (such as sports - the only thing I really watch during daytime hours) - dark scenes get lost unfortunately. I am looking for a set that can be brighter when I need it to be, so th eMitsu is looking better and better every day.

[Lowpro]

This Pioneer set ... has this thing been running 10 hours a day, day in and day out for nearly two years? If it is a demo unit like you've said I would not even consider it, regardless of how nice it looks in the store. Why pay that kind of money for something that has that much wear and tear. It takes the average person several years to put the type of wear a typical store demo unit goes through in just one. This particular Pioneer is not that much better in my opinion to not go for the brand new Mitsubishi. If we were talking about a current model Pioneer comparable to the Mitsubishi model I'd spend some time thinking things over. Otherwise, it's a slam dunk in my mind. Go with the Mitsu. :-P