Anyone
who’s set up a home theater system knows how much work is involved. Once you
find the right TV and speaker system, you need to round up a stack of components,
including a DVD player, a video recorder, and, perhaps, a satellite receiver.
Then you have to spin a frightening web of wires to route all of those signals
through your A/V receiver or preamp/surround processor. And don’t forget about
the remote controls — five or six of ’em, spread out on your coffee table like
cars parked in a lot.
If, like me, you’ve been waiting for a better way to arrive, it looks like it’s finally here. Mitsubishi’s WS-73909 integrated high-definition TV is one of the first sets to incorporate FireWire connections along with HAVi technology (HAVi stands for Home Audio Video interoperability; see “HAVi Update” on page 54 for details). Components hooked up to a FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE 1394 or i.Link) “bus” can route digital A/V and control signals back and forth to each other, with one component (in this case, the TV) acting as the primary control device. To use a Star Trek analogy, the TV in a FireWire-connected home theater system is like the Enterprise’s bridge, while the other components are like the various ship stations (engineering, survey, medical, science, and so on) that carry out the captain’s commands.
Someday in the future you’ll be able to buy an entire system of FireWire-enabled components, but right now only three kinds are available: HDTVs, digital VCRs, and digital camcorders. To tide us over while the electronics industry gets its act together, Mitsubishi developed the NetCommand system for its integrated HDTVs, a technology that endows components controlled by infrared (IR) commands with FireWire-like capabilities. Besides the FireWire connections between the TV and whichever components can use them, you need to get IR commands to the rest of your components, even if they’re housed behind cabinet doors. To do that, you run a special IR repeater cable from the back of the TV to the IR-controlled components. (The WS-73909 comes with two IR repeater cables — one with four “emitters,” which you place over the front-panel IR sensors on the components, the other with two.) Once you create a series of component “profiles” in the NetCommand setup screen, the TV becomes the switching center for your entire system, letting you use its remote and onscreen menus to control all your other components.
NetCommand wizardry aside, Mitsubishi’s 73-incher is an impressive widescreen TV. The set’s three 9-inch cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) are capable of delivering every last drop of detail in high-def programs (many other RPTVs use less powerful 7-inch CRTs). Its built-in HDTV tuner decodes both off-air digital broadcasts and QAM-format high-def programs on cable — which we hope will become widely available sometime in the future. A protective screen shield is included with the set, but it isn’t preinstalled, so you can leave it in the box.
| Fast Facts |
| KEY FEATURES - Widescreen display with multiple aspect ratio settings - Built-in HDTV tuner with 1080i-format output - TV line-doubles standard 480i signals with optional 2:3 pulldown - NetCommand system for FireWire and IR-controlled components lets everything be operated through the TV - D-VHS VCR records high-definition digital TV as well as analog signals in S-VHS or VHS format TV INPUTS/OUTPUTS Front Panel: Composite/S-video and stereo audio inputs Rear Panel: Three FireWire ports; RGB+H/V, wideband component-video, two 480i/480p component-video, VGA, four S-video, and four composite-video inputs, all with stereo audio; two RF antenna inputs; DTV antenna input; composite/S-video, coaxial digital audio, fixed/variable-level stereo audio, and PIP audio outputs; RF antenna output; four IR repeater outputs (two standard, two NetCommand-enabled) VCR INPUTS/OUTPUTS front panel composite/S-video and stereo audio inputs rear panel two FireWire ports; one composite/S-video input and two composite/S-video outputs, all with stereo audio; two antenna inputs, one output DIMENSIONS: (WxHxD) TV, 65 1/4 x 65 3/4 x 30 inches; VCR, 163/4 x 3 1/2 x 12 inches WEIGHT: TV, 410 pounds; VCR, 10 pounds PRICES: TV, $10,499; VCR, $1,499 MANUFACTURER: Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Dept. S&V, 9351 Jeronimo Rd., Irvine, CA 92618; www.mitsubishi-tv.com; 800-332-2119 |
Mistubishi also sent us its new HS-HD200U digital VCR ($1,499) so we could give the NetCommand system a thorough workout. The deck, which connects to the TV via a FireWire port, can record high-definition digital TV programs in D-VHS format as well as analog programs in S-VHS or VHS format.
The monolithic WS-73909 is encased in a black gloss cabinet that features a front A/V convenience input for quick camcorder or game-console hookups (though no front FireWire port for a digital cam). There’s also a set of front-panel controls for selecting channels, adjusting volume, and navigating menus, plus a tiny button that reboots the NetCommand system software if the TV freezes up — as happened during my initial setup. Pressing this button may also erase your picture settings, so proceed with caution.
The WS-73909 offers a variety of modes for displaying both conventional 4:3 aspect ratio and widescreen programs. The Standard mode is for HDTV and anamorphic widescreen DVDs, while Narrow is for 4:3 programs, which are centered on the screen and flanked by gray vertical bars. Either mode can be activated with standard 480i (interlaced) and 480p (progressive) signals. There’s also a zoom mode and two stretch modes for expanding 4:3 images to fill the screen.
The
TV set’s crowded back panel is stocked with every imaginable type of connection,
including a DTV input, three FireWire ports, two NetCommand-enabled IR repeater
outputs, and a coaxial digital audio output for Dolby Digital signals from HDTV
broadcasts.
The remote control, which fit comfortably in my hand, includes a number of backlit buttons. Courtesy of NetCommand, pressing the Device button calls up a list of all your connected components, any of which you can select and operate by simply aiming the remote at the TV. A handy reference sheet tells which buttons control the various functions of your DVD player, VCR, or satellite receiver.
At first, I was intimidated by the prospect of setting up NetCommand to control my entire A/V rig. The procedure merits nine full pages in the TV’s manual, plus a separate sub-manual and a large foldout poster that maps out six possible system configurations — yikes! To begin my NetCommand odyssey, I made video connections directly to the TV and audio connections to my Denon receiver. Next, I ran IR repeater cables from the TV to the receiver, a Panasonic DVD player, and a Dish Network satellite receiver/HDTV tuner.
Following a tip from a Mitsubishi representative, I started my onscreen setup by selecting Option 5 — a general NetCommand configuration suitable for most systems — and “deleting” any components I didn’t have hooked up, like a cable box and an analog VCR. The IR-controlled components in the system were configured via a series of screens that let me enter the make and model, the desired audio and video inputs on the TV, and the desired audio input on the A/V receiver. Configuring FireWire-equipped components — like Mitsubishi’s digital VCR — is much simpler. After I connected it to one of the set’s FireWire ports, the VCR announced itself via a pop-up display screen and was automatically added to the setup.
Setup went smoothly for the most part, but I did encounter a problem with the NetCommand profile for the Denon receiver. Since it was based on a similar Denon model with fewer inputs, I had to switch around the source-component connections I’d been using on the receiver to match the more limited options listed in the NetCommand setup screen. This was a minor hassle, however, and easy enough to work around. Once I was finished with the setup, I made a final check on the system’s Review screen to make sure all my connections were correctly mapped out.
Then
I lowered the lights and grabbed the TV’s remote. After selecting the digital
VCR from the onscreen device menu, I pressed the remote’s record button and
launched a screen that let me program the VCR to tape the evening’s high-def
highlight: CBS’s JAG. I was thrilled to see that a MiniDV camcorder I’d
connected to a second FireWire port also registered in the NetCommand menu.
This allowed me to use the system to control the camcorder’s playback functions
through the TV, though to view my footage I had to connect the cam to one of
the TV’s A/V inputs (the set’s HDTV tuner isn’t capable of decoding DV-format
digital video).
Having the ability both to control my camcorder and to effortlessly program the VCR through the TV’s menu system was cool, but what really blew me away about NetCommand was how seamlessly it integrated the non-FireWire components in my system. When I selected DVD from the onscreen menu, both the TV and the A/V receiver switched to the correct input, and I could use the TV’s remote control to operate the DVD player. Ditto for the satellite receiver: I could view the program guide, scan its listings, or directly enter channels using the number keys on the TV remote’s keypad.
With respect to the TV’s video performance, I was startled by how good the picture was straight out of the box. With the exception of some minor fuzziness in the upper righthand corner of the screen, focus and convergence of the set’s three CRTs was as good as I’ve seen on any freshly unboxed rear-projection TV. I quickly eliminated any color fringing with the 64-point convergence adjustment and was soon looking at a crisp, solid picture.
| In The Lab |
|
COLOR TEMPERATURE: With its Warm color-temperature preset selected, the Mitsubishi WS-73909 measured close to the NTSC color standard on the low-window test pattern from Ovation Software’s Avia DVD, but the high-window pattern was slightly blue. After calibration, the TV measured 6,500 K at both ends of the grayscale, tracking within 100 K at each 10-IRE increment, which is excellent. (Calibration needs to be performed by a qualified technician with specialized equipment, so discuss it with your dealer before purchase, or call the Imaging Science Foundation at 561-997-9073.) Resolution with DVD test patterns measured the maximum 540 lines for the format. The TV’s ability to hold black was excellent. The color decoder accentuated reds (+20%), so a reduction in saturation was necessary to achieve realistic colors (adjustment parameters for modifying the WS-73909’s color decoder are available from the service menu). Geometry was excellent, but the picture required recentering to correct for 8% overscan on the left side of the screen. Scan-velocity modulation (SVM) could be defeated only via a service-menu adjustment. |
You can adjust picture settings for each of the WS-73909’s inputs, and the set will automatically store your changes. After switching to the DVD input and selecting the Warm color-temperature setting, I made my initial adjustments using Ovation Software’s Avia test disc. Viewing Hannibal — Ridley Scott’s over-the-top sequel to Silence of the Lambs — directly after, I found the images wonderfully sharp and clean, but flesh tones were somewhat red (see “in the lab,” page 56 for details).
Lowering
the set’s color control made flesh tones look more natural. In the opening shoot out
scene from Hannibal, Julianne Moore’s skin had the same marble-pale hue
that it has in all of her movies. When she talked on the phone with an Italian
police officer in a later scene, the TV effortlessly rendered contrasts between
the icy blue fluorescence of the FBI crime lab and the warmer lighting scheme
of the policeman’s office. Once contrast was set to an optimum level, the Mitsubishi
also did a fine job of revealing shadow details. In other scenes that take place
in the lab, subtle gray tones in the photographic negatives and X-ray transparencies
came across clearly, lending images a filmlike depth.
The WS-73909’s built-in line doubler performed considerably better than those in previous Mitsubishi sets I’ve used. You can select between two line-doubler modes in the video setup menu: Video, for programs like sports or news shows shot on video, and Film, for movies. With Film selected, fine details in the haystacks from the opening of Star Trek: Insurrection were free of noise, while the diagonal lines in the subsequent shot of the communal garden looked completely solid and straight.
The set’s internal HDTV tuner features a new, third-generation chip that’s supposed to improve reception of off-the-air digital broadcasts. After plugging in an antenna, I confirmed that this was indeed true: in addition to the digital transmission from New York’s WCBS, I was able to tune in signals from a PBS affiliate in Brooklyn that my Dish Network receiver/HDTV tuner hadn’t been able to pull in. I was unable to receive the local Fox channel, however — the only other digital station currently available in the NYC area. But Fox still isn’t broadcasting any HDTV, so I’m not complaining.
Watching
the JAG recording that I made with the HS-HD200U digital VCR was one
of the best high-def experiences I’ve had. Actors looked nearly life-size on
the 73-inch widescreen set, and the textures of the plants, flowers, and trees
lining the JAG base came through with incredible clarity. Amusingly, I could
make out the thick droplets of water on Catherine Bell’s neck as well as the
uniformly placed sweat stains on the actors’ shirts when they finished running
the Jagathon — a sure sign they’d been carefully applied prior to shooting the
scene. The WS-73909 may be a great set for watching DVDs, but it’s ruthlessly
detailed when displaying HDTV.
Mitsubishi’s WS-73909 is the first HDTV I’ve seen that makes a serious effort to push the envelope of the country’s new digital television system. The utterly transparent manner in which it communicated with the digital VCR over a FireWire connection provided a glimpse into the future not only of video but of all electronic devices in a networked home. That alone would make the WS-73909 a breakthrough product, but its remarkably crisp image and the elegant manner in which its NetCommand feature takes charge of ordinary IR-controlled components put it way over the top. If you want the most sophisticated HDTV available, the Mitsubishi WS-73909 is the set to get.
HAVi Update
HAVi (Home Audio Video interoperability) is a technical specification jointly
developed by Grundig, Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic), Philips, Sony, Sharp,
Thomson (RCA), and Toshiba that allows for bidirectional communication between
audio/video and other electronic devices linked in a FireWire network. For those
just checking in, FireWire is a high-speed digital interface, originally developed
by Apple Computer and subsequently adopted as Standard 1394 by the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), that allows for data-transfer
rates of up to 400 megabits per second. That’s more than 30 times faster
than a USB 1.1 connection and fast enough to accommodate multiple streams of
high-definition video. In addition to digital audio/video and command/control
protocols, a FireWire interconnect can also route power signals between devices.
FireWire’s high bandwidth and flexibility have made it attractive to consumer-electronics
manufacturers, who see its vast potential for home networking and digital “convergence”
applications.
At the January 2001 Consumer Electronics show, a number of manufacturers announced
they’d be developing HAVi-compliant products with FireWire connections.
By the end of the year, however, only four had materialized: a trio of integrated
HDTV sets and a digital VCR, all from Mitsubishi.
Why the delay in bringing HAVi-enabled products to market? Part of the problem
has to do with Digital Harmony, a technology-licensing company that ceased operations
in early 2001. Digital Harmony had been acting as a kind of clearinghouse for
manufacturers looking to develop HAVi-enabled components, particularly amplifiers,
receivers, and speakers. Apparently the company’s demise dragged the prospect
of imminently available HAVi audio products down with it.
Despite the delay, there now appears to be some movement on the HAVi front.
According to an industry source, other HAVi-enabled products, including cable
boxes and satellite receivers, should be coming out in the first half of this
year. The DVD Forum is also reportedly updating the DVD specification to accommodate
FireWire/HAVi, with compatible players possibly hitting store shelves by the
end of the year.