1st post: Splurge on a 73" Diamond or go with the lower end model?

[jdpezold]

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie and this is my first post. I'll give a brief background on where I'm coming from.

My wife and I moved back to our hometown from SoCal two years ago and bought a house sight unseen - that is, somebody took 180 pictures and emailed them to me - and was instantly sold by the fact that the previous owners were leaving their home theater (along with a 73" Mitsubishi widescreen) for us.

So last fall I was watching Monday Night Football and I get this horrible blue screen. Long story short, there's a problem with the TV so 'unfixable' that Mitsubishi would rather give me a $1300 credit than fix the one I've got. So now I've got a dilemma: this home theater was installed at the beginning of 2001, so none of the components have HDMI or anything. Not even DVI. So should I splurge on the Diamond model (73833) at $3,900 or wait about four more weeks and get this new model they just announced (WD-73735) which will cost around $2,900 - less the $1,300 credit, of course. If I get the cheaper TV, then I can afford the Denon 3808CI I so desperately want.

Am I sorely mistaken in wanting to get the right component to go along with a brand spankin' new HDTV? Or do you guys think that I should go ahead and get the diamond and tough it out for a while with a seven year old receiver (which was no slouch in its prime)?

I appreciate any feedback you can offer, and am glad to be aboard!

[kennyt]

I'm not up on the Mitsu TV's, but I suspect either TV will outdo what you currently have, and the Denon 3808 will allow you to switch HDMI, and take advantage of the new high res codecs available on Blu-ray (which you need as well to really see what your new 1080p TV can do).

Given the new model comes out in a couple weeks, you will need to decide first if you can or are willing to wait that long. Do you have another TV that you could use until the new model? If so, wait and look at them both and see what you think, if you buy the cheaper one, maybe in a few weeks you can also save up for a Blu-ray player and have the whole rig done in one shot!

[jdpezold]

I don't have another tv in the home theater, but I've got a Sony 55" upstairs in the living room, so that'll do just fine for now. Plus I've been without the Mitsubishi since November, so what's a couple more weeks? That's a really good suggestion about the Blu-Ray player. Would you get a standalone or just go with a PS3? I've heard that the PS3 performs really well and responds quickly when compared to some of the entry level Blu-Ray players.

[kennyt]

I totally disagree about the PS3, I own one and several other Blu-ray players, the PS3 is a good gaming system, and it does play Blu-rays, but it is the worst BD player I own, both from a video and audio standpoint. It is better than an SD DVD player, but not as good and the better standalone units.

That said, if you will use the gaming, it is a deal and will get you going for now.

[rex]

Why pay more for the Diamond model? You could get the model WD-73733 now for half the price of the Diamond, and have more than enough left over for the receiver of your choice. (This model doen't have the "120 Hz" feature, but otherwise appears to be about the same.)

[jdpezold]

Originally Posted by rex

Why pay more for the Diamond model? You could get the model WD-73733 now for half the price of the Diamond, and have more than enough left over for the receiver of your choice. (This model doen't have the "120 Hz" feature, but otherwise appears to be about the same.)

I tried this option, but Mitsubishi has literally locked me in to the authorized dealer it was purchased from - and they're not receiving any more 73733's. So I'm stuck choosing between the diamond and the aforementioned yet-to-be-released 73735. I'm fine with the 735 series. I know it doesn't have the 120HZ thingie, but the reviews I've heard on that feature don't exactly blow me away.