Customer Reviews

Sound and Vision - A New Standard is Set!
For several years I have hunted around electronic stores for a good television and sound system. Every salesman told me that people will spend thousands on a screen, but barely anything for sound. This made no sense to me. I ended up with a 5.1 Denon surround system to go with my 27" tube television. Then Mitsubishi releases the first high-quality flat screen television with an integrated sound system that actually produces surround sound. It is an impressive set.

Set-up is fairly easy, as when you first plug in a cable from your DVD player or Cable/Dish, a screen pops up called, "Auto Output Sensing", which guides you through each device.

VIDEO: The border of the LT-52149 is surrounded by a 1" black frame and a 4.5" bottom which includes the Integrated Sound Projector. The screen is a matte plastic that barely reflects any light, even when exposed to lots of indirect light. LCD screens are also lighter than Plasma and are more energy efficient. The setup is fairly intuitive with an array of adjustable features such as contrast, brightness, tint, sharpness, color range, etc. all which produce a truly realistic and vibrant color. This model contains an `international color standard' that supports 1.8 times more colors. I can tell just by adjusting the color setup that this flat screen color quality far surpasses anything I have seen in a store. Television transmission (I use Direct TV Satellite) is very good, but DVD movies are as crisp as anything I have ever seen (I have a SONY DVD/SACD player). You can also adjust the screen ratio to fit your style, such as stretch (Letterbox), stretch plus, narrow, zoom, and expand and standard (Full Screen). I was surprised to find there is no "Picture in picture" feature, but my Direct TV Satellite has a similiar feature. The 52-inch screen is best for rooms that are 20' feet or more in viewing distance, but the clarity and tight pixelation is suberb.

AUDIO: This is what put this system over the top for me. Without wires and 16 small projecting speakers at the base of the screen, the LT-52149 produces an amazing surround sound. Now I have a 5.1 surround system which produces specific sounds from specific speakers. The Integrated Sound Projector produces a surround sound by transmitting the sounds to different walls and areas of your room. The setup can be customized by use of a colored plan diagram on the screen showing your seating position and the angles of the sound. You can adjust center, left, right, left (surround), right (surround), etc. until the sound is balanced according to your liking. It is not as pure as having a specific speaker producing one channel, but it is more of an all-encompassing surround sound (called Pro Logic II Simulated Surround Sound). It's actually a more realistic surround sound as opposed to a studio recording where different instruments come from different positions. I'm a hard-core audiophile, so I like both versions. If you just want a brilliant sound without the hassle of several speakers and wires, you'll be amazed. Plus, if you add a subwoofer, the richness of the sound is complete. I recommend a Yamaha or a Denon subwoofer and both can be purchased for less than $100. You really do need a subwoofer to experience the full range of the sound.

COOL STUFF: Besides a fairly easy setup program, the LT-52149 comes with lots of extras.

*There is a USB Photo Port easily accessible on the back where you can plug in your camera or card reader to watch a slideshow of your favorite shots or video.

*There is a clock setting to turn the television on or off according to your preferences.

*If you have children, you can `Lock' programs by their Ratings or Time. You can also lock the remote control - period.

*The remote control can be used to control other devices (DVD, VCR, DVR) by using the enclosed IR Emittor (these are small transmitters placed by the remote signal receptor of your desired device).

*The system is `Blu-Ray', MP3 player and gaming compatible.

*There is a free TV Guide Daily service available as well.

*However, this system does not come with the `kitchen sink'.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before you begin, you need to know what cables to buy. Call the manufacturer of your DVD player and ask them if your model is CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) compatible. If it is, you need to buy/use an "HDMI to HDMI" cable. If it is not, you need to buy/use a triple color-coded "Component Video Cable" (connects High & Standard Definition A/V components). All these items can be purchased locally or on Amazon.com.

I am a bit surprised at how long it took any manufacturer to come up with an integrated sound system with a high-quality flat screen television. This system does the trick and more!

In Love With My Second Mitsu LCD
I bought the Mitsubishi 52149 120Hz LCD from Amazon and delivered with their White glove service. I was wary about ordering an HDTV of this size from an online dealer, but I couldn't find a store in my area that would deliver this set to my door at this price. So I took a chance and I think it paid off.

Amazon had this set delivered to my house within the provided time frame. The company contacted me to arrange a delivery time that worked with my schedule. The truck arrived on schedule, and the set was unboxed and placed on my stand. We hooked up the set to verify the picture was good, and then I was asked to sign the delivery paperwork. I was surprised how well the White Glove service worked. Your mileage may vary, but I think Amazon has worked out a pretty good system.

I've had this television for a month, and I am very happy with it. Mitsubishi provides a lot of configuration options through the menu, and you should take the time to consider what type of customization works best for your tastes and room layout. I changed the settings from 'Brilliant' to 'Natural', and went through my calibration blu ray. I was surprised that the set did not need a lot of refining to achieve proper color and sharpness. I must admit that I am not an expert videophile, but I think you can get very close to the NTSC standards for color with this display. (Or you can look at the LT-52246 which allows further Tint customization, but lacks the integrated sound projector.)

The Integrated Sound Projector (ISP) is the real reason for buying this model instead of the 52148 or 52246. You really should complement the ISP with a subwoofer - Yamaha and Polk have entry models that will suffice. You really shouldn't consider this as a replacement for a full 7.1 surround system, but it's an affordable alternative that will satisfy most households. You can customize the system to work with the dimensions of your space, and I have been pleasantly surprised with its ability to provide a full soundstage in my room.

I have this display hooked up to an HD cable box, a Wii, and PS3. The system allows unique video customization for each input. Blu ray movies look incredible, and the 120Hz technology is surprisingly clear. In fact, it's almost too clear sometimes. (The LT-52246 also features fine-tuning of the 120Hz interpolation - something you should consider if video customization is critical for your needs.)

If you are looking for a 52" lcd tv, then you should seriously consider the three Mitsubishi models available. I was attracted to this model because it provided quality sound out of the box (when coupled with a subwoofer). I'm transitioning between homes and did not want to commit to a full HD sound system. (If I had a great sound system, I would have gone for the LT-52246.) Additionally I do not like displays that have a thick bezel/frame around the edge. The Mitsu sets have the thinnest frame on the market that add to the overall 'wow' factor.

I've had experience with Mitsubishi LCD and DLP displays and have been very impressed with the quality of the image, colors, and contrast. These are premium displays that are as good (or better) as comparable products from Samsung and Pioneer.

Took a look in person...
I was able to view this set at a local Circuit City, and I was really impressed with this set. This is a high-end LCD screen that does not have the annoying white "glare" that many other LCDs have - the glare that makes it (for some) impressive in an in-store demo but probably annoying when you get it home and watch it for an extended period of time. Bright whites are good, but not when they have an unnatural glare to them.

I was there to look at the Panasonic 800U 50" Plasma (great THX mode and skin tones,) which I also recommend and probably plan to buy, but this screen kept catching my eye due to its excellent color, picture quality and image "naturalness." I would definitely consider this screen and compare it to higher-end Samsung LCD displays if I were in the market for an LCD, and am posting this review because you don't hear much about Mitsubishi LCDs but this display (and I imagine its 46" and non-sound-bar variants) is pretty remarkable and has some unique qualities I have not seen on other LCDs. The only screens that I've been genuinely impressed with are the 60" Pioneer Kuro Plasma, The Panasonic 800U 50" Plasma, some *very* high end Samsung LCD screens ($5-$6K), and this Mitsubishi screen.

I would describe this LCD as looking almost like a "DLP done right" - the cinematic quality of DLP with a super-wide viewing angle, and offering the clarity of and LCD, but not the artificial contrasty quality of an LCD. If no one told you this screen was an LCD, you might think it was some kind of high-quality plasma or next-gen DLP screen. Definitely worth looking at. I think it's a pretty unique screen.

[EDIT] - Another thing I forgot to mention - this screen has a high-quality *matte* (not a reflective) finish which seems to work very well. This may be why it sort of reminds me of a DLP from the future, since they typically have matte screens. A matte screen is what I think may give it that "cinematic" quality as movie and projector screens are generally always matte and not reflective like a typical LCD screen. Reflective screens tend to make the blacks look deeper and improve contrast, but I didn't feel like a reflective screen would have improved this TV.