Mitsubishi’s WD-52627 DLP rear-projection HDTV offers a 1080p pixel resolution. This should prevent 1080i HD broadcasts from being downconverted or 720p broadcasts from being unnecessarily interlaced.

The TV’s remote makes it easy to set up the display and switch inputs. No function is hidden, which is good for the enthusiast, but could be daunting for the average user. More backlighting would be nice, and there are no direct access buttons to switch you to a particular input, which could be a fatal omission in this day of custom installation and automation systems. Mitsubishi claims the codes are available to dealers.

They really assume you’ll use its Net Command feature, instead, and it’s a nice addition. Net Command more or less gives you the features of an automation remote—you can control your other audio/ video components through the TV’s remote and on-screen interface—but is better suited for simpler systems. Not everyone will turn on the television when they want to listen to a CD, though.
 
With the remote in hand, I was able to calibrate the system to my liking, though it took a bit of effort, as you can tweak each input separately. There are Bright and Natural preset modes for each input, and you can fine-tune various settings (brightness, contrast, and color temperature) to look the best in each mode, giving you calibrated nighttime and daytime settings. This goes a long way to create a good picture.
 
The picture is bright in either mode, but not blindingly so. We measured 55 ftL (footlamberts) in the Natural mode, and 75 ftL in the Bright mode. This is comparable to the JVC TV (see the review on page 74) in its lower light mode, but only two-thirds as much light as the JVC’s brightest mode. I’m guessing this is a drawback to TI’s half-resolution chipset, since only slightly more than half the screen is lit up at any given instant. The image has decent contrast, though, particularly in the Bright mode, which really pops but also tends to look a bit exaggerated. The Natural mode looks, well, more natural, if a bit more subdued, even when the room lights are low.

The WD-52627’s color really excels. It didn’t matter whether I played standard- or high-definition signals from our Time Warner digital cable service or standard definition DVDs, the colors were vibrant, yet natural—slightly more so than the JVC TV reviewed in this issue. The Low color temperature setting is much more accurate, though a bit red compared with the industry standard. The High setting adds an obvious blue tint to the image. Adjusting what’s called the Natural Color settings is complicated, to say the least, and to do so accurately requires test signals and red, green, and blue color filters. Calibration professionals should be able to correct the color temperature and dial in the color settings for you. Measurements show that the set’s primary red, green, and blue colors are excellent. With the set calibrated, colors look great.

As much as the colors impressed me, the video processor was a disappointment. I was initially enthused at the display’s ability to create smooth diagonal edges. However, despite a film mode setting, my sample was incapable of detecting film-based DVDs and failed to prevent artifacts in the image as these signals were converted to DVD. My Gladiator reference scene had moiré patterns on rooftops and flickering horizontal lines. In addition, the video processor seems to lose some image detail, as detailed scenes from my torture-test DVDs came out looking soft. The TV also fails to properly deinterlace 1080i high-definition material. Instead, the set unnecessarily and inappropriately line doubles each 540-line field of the 1080 line signal. The Kurt Russell western Tombstone on TNT-HD was marred by constant interlace artifacts. The JVC TV does a better job with these signals, even after it downconverts them to 720p.

1080p DLP light engines, like the one in Mitsubishi’s display, don’t actually have a 1920 by 1080 grid of pixels. It has about half that many, and creates the image in alternating columns, but does it so quickly that your eye doesn’t even notice.

 
As I mentioned, the most recognizable aspect of picture quality is color, and this set gets that better than any other DLP I’ve seen at this price point. This, combined with decent contrast makes for a pleasing, natural-looking image. But for me, there are enough occasional artifacts to be distracting. Even at a lower (720p) image resolution, the 50-inch version of the JVC TV (similar to the 61-inch set reviewed in this issue, but costs the same as the Mitsubishi) will probably look better. You could add an external video processor to the WD-52627, which would likely improve things substantially, but would also increase the cost of the system by at least $2,000, if not more. As much as I’d like to have it, I’m not sure if a 1080p resolution is that important.