Just a couple days after we noted the first comparison involving
The Guru, a.k.a. Gary Merson, put the $7000 65-inch television though its paces at Mitsubishi's California headquarters, and definitely liked what he saw. Lauding nearly every aspect of its performance, he especially highlighted its brightness capabilities and wide color gamut in "Brilliant" mode. Overall, he placed this rear-projection set in the same league with the best flat panels on the market.
One section struck me when reading the review: "Overall, the expanded color gamut of the 'Brilliant' mode provided a more satisfying viewing experience than the Rec.709 constricted color of the 'Natural' mode setting. Some of my colleagues dispute assertions as to why a wider color range is better, however, with the L65-A90's ability to choose either setting (Natural and Brilliant), you too can compare color reproduction and draw your own conclusions."
Indeed, I believe I might be one of the colleagues to whom Gary is referring. I hold HDTVs up to the relatively narrow Rec.709 color standard, the official color space for high-definition, when performing my image quality tests. Gary argues that wider color looks better, but my argument is that "better" is in the eye of the beholder, and for formal evaluations accuracy according to the accepted standard is key. In that way we agree to disagree, although I don't doubt the Mitsubishi is capable of both meeting the Rec.709 gamut and delivering a wider gamut as well.
As for CNET, we'll have to wait until Mitsubishi sends a review sample to our labs so we can perform our own in-depth review, which will include the requisite comparisons between the LaserVue and the other top HDTVs of the day. We're waiting patiently.
What do you think? Are you in the market for a high-end HDTV and considering the LaserVue? Or would you rather wait for prices on this first-generation technology to fall?