Summary: WEAKNESS:
1.) The set has anywhere from a 35-45 or more second delay, from time of being first turned on, to the time they actually start to show a picture.
2.) The bulb. Its weakness is obvious, it has an average half-life of 6000hrs, creates a lot of heat which in return requires a fan to cool it, which adds background noise. Cost & availability could be issues! The warranty on the bulb is a mere 90 days. With the average US household viewing 5-6 hrs of TV a day, that only equates to more like 450-540 hrs guaranteed over the 90-day period, though I do expect the bulb to last 3-4 years watching the TV in those normal 5-6 hr a day ranges, anything could happen, & the cost for bulbs has already ranged from $3xx - $5xx.
3.) The PIP (Picture-In-Picture) only works with 1 internal tuner along with 1 external source (HDMI,etc). You can't do PIP with both OTA (Over-The-Air) & Cable, or with 1 HDMI source along with another HDMI or other external source like Component, VGA, etc.! I don't like that in Pict-Beside-Pict mode where the screen shows 1 input on the left side in a box & the 2nd on the right side in a box, you can’t fill the screen 100%, there are always bars on the top & bottom portion of the screen.
4.) You can’t rename channels. This might not be a problem for OTA, as stations broadcast PSIP data which will allow the TV to name the channel with an identifiable moniker, but with the cable unencrypted digital channels, usually the PSIP data is stripped, so the channels all get numbers like 118-1, 110-1, etc, making it extremely hard to distinguish which station the channel actually is without tuning to it to see what's currently showing or read the station identifier on-screen.
5.) SD (Standard Definition) material on this large screen runs the gamut from being horrible (mostly analog SD), to being totally acceptable (SD digital) But with all big screen TVs, & especially with these 1080p HD TVs, GIGO, or Garbage In Garbage Out rules, & people should expect that a horrible signal with low resolution, such as analog SD (480i signal), is only going to look that much more horrible when it is up sampled to a large TV displaying it at 1080p.
6.) Pincushion is evident viewing 4:3 material. Though it seems all or at least most DLP sets have pincushion to some degree or another when showing 4:3 content, so it wasn't a real big issue or weakness in my opinion, & it was marginal at best.
STRENGTH:
1.) The cost per size & specs ratio offered by the HP DLP sets is a hard point to ignore when compared to competing technology like Plasma & LCD, or even when comparing them to direct competitors & their DLP offerings. IMO, they offer a great value for the price!
2.) The design is stunning. The best design feature, & one that stands head-over-heels above its competitors, is the front panel access to all the inputs. It is absolutely amazing. Open up the front panel, & it has an internal light that illuminates the inputs. No need to reach way behind your TV, or pull the stand & TV away from the when attaching/detaching cables. The cables run from your other components up through the HP stand, slide under the TV in a channel molded into the TV case, & right up into the access panel & its inputs. All done from the front of the set! Simple, quick, & mighty SWEET!
3.) It has built-in dual tuners & delivers Over-The-Air digital as well as analog & unencrypted digital cable (QAM) tuning ability
4.) The picture is amazing in quality for most content, besides what was noted earlier! Watching DVDs, HD cable, & OTA HD has been phenomenal! The blacks are very black. The detail in both dark & light scenes has been breathtaking, coupled with vivid colors that all certainly put my older 55" HD Mitsubishi WS-55805 to shame, but as I expected it would.
5.) The menu system is very easy to navigate, with options that are easily defined as to what they do & just as easily changed.
6.) The firmware can be upgraded using a USB flash drive.
7.) This was the only 1080p DLP set that offered true 1080p digital input through HDMI, making it the *only* true choice for myself knowing one of my main functions for the set was for my HTPC. After playing Doom3, BF2, & COD2 on my Westinghouse 37" LCD @ 1920x1080p, I didn't think I could top the experience. I was wrong, because running Windows & using the md6580n as a monitor set to 1920x1080p was simply more amazing! This TV has now replaced my 37" LCD as the main choice for my PC gaming! I do all of my DVD watching through my HTPC, using Power DVD 6, as the PC video up-conversion for the DVD to the native 1080p output of this TV is just what was needed to improve DVD quality even more on this set.
8.) When the bulb is replaced you end up with a picture that is just as good as if the set was brand new, & for mere peanuts as to what it would cost to either replace a TV or replace an expensive plasma or LCD screen in other sets!
9.) The speaker system can literally ROCK your house!
100% of People (2/2) found this review helpful. Was this review 
Report this as 
There are no comments for this review. 