Digital Trends

Mitsubishi WD-57831 January 7th, 2007 | by Dennis Barker

Testing and Use

Connection was easy and straightforward. Since I currently have several video sources, all were attached via HDMI to the Pioneer Elite receiver, and then output via HDMI into the TV. The main HD source component was EchoStar's ViP 622 HD DVR, which is DISH Network's second-generation high-definition satellite box that includes a built-in DVR. The HDMI connection was employed. As previously noted, an upconverting DVD player, along with Toshiba's HD DVD player and Sony's PS3, were also employed for exemplary standard-definition and high-definition images. All worked flawlessly, passing 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p HD signals. As signals are fed into the WD-57831, it briefly displays the incoming screen resolution in the top left-hand corner of the screen.

To calibrate this DLP set for optimal picture playback, I used a special DVD entitled Digital Video Essentials, by Joe Kane Productions. This special disc allows you to correctly set contrast, brightness, black levels, color, sharpness, and grayscale, among other video settings. It also educates you about different signals received and helps set up your audio system (if need be). Setup was relatively easy, but you have to remember that aspect ratio and image quality for this DTV is controlled by the source. The onscreen menus are clear and concise.

Image Courtesy of Mitsubishi

Using the Dish Network ViP622 as my HD Satellite Receiver in-place, the displayed images on the WD-57831 produced realistic color with unprecedented picture detail and resolution free from any perceived artifacts. Picture quality is nothing short of spectacular for this exceptional Mitsubishi set! I had thought that I had seen excellent HD images in the past from several DLP sets from other manufacturers. Well, I was wrong. Both broadcast and satellite HDTV images were simply stunning! They were among the best that this reviewer has seen to date. I am at a loss to find negative things to say about picture quality. In prolonged viewings of numerous Prime Time TV shows such as Lost (the best looking HD show on television) and C.S.I.: Miami, the HD images that were received via rooftop antenna and satellite dish came in perfectly clear and crisp without any signal degradation or loss of detail in 720p (ABC-HD and FOX-HD) and 1080i (CBS-HD and Dish Network HD, now with over 30 HD channels!).

The colors displayed on the WD-57831 were truly vibrant and very life-like, giving you the feeling that “you are there.” It cannot be understated! It’s almost like watching the world through a clear pane of glass. I want to point out that HD-Net, and DiscoveryHD in particular, produced some of the most compelling HD images that can be viewed. Test grids from Digital Video Essentials and Silicon Optix’s HQV Benchmark DVD Ver.1.4 certainly confirmed what my eyes were telling me: image clarity was right on the mark. Color bars, for example, were in perfect alignment with no coloring bleeding between colors. Also, the lines between colors were straight and true with no jagged edges. Grayscale transformed itself from light to dark seamlessly. Test patterns clearly re-affirmed image clarity with image resolution! Also, using THX’s video optimizer, you could certainly delineate white balance from the eight different squares.

High definition images seem to produce a truly life-like 3D effect on the viewer, as HD adds a considerable amount of depth — not to mention realism — to any image. The images pop right off the screen. This is especially true for DiscoveryHD Theater, which a friend of mine has dubbed “the bug channel.” Insects, and all of nature, never looked so realistic. Of course, sporting events in HD are the “crème de la crème” of HD images, as they need to be seen to be fully appreciated. For example, you can easily count the blades of grass or Astro Turf from several late season football games (I can't believe that the NY Jets and NY Giants have made the playoffs!) or discern the rubble on asphalt on NBC-HD's NASCAR racing. Unbelievable! Watching a football game made me feel that I was sitting right on the fifty-yard line. Standard definition NTSC signals looked at good as they could get at 480p from EchoStar, especially the SciFi Channel's Battlestar Gallactica. Of course, reruns of this show in HD on Universal's HD channel look nothing short of spectacular!