Mitsubishi 249 Series 1080p LCD HDTV

Mitsubishi’s premier 249 series of 1080p LCD HDTVs (46 inch LT-46249 and 52 inch LT-52249) is differentiated from its competition in marketing by the quality of its sound system. It is a comparatively superior sound system comprising a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound system including a 16 speaker array and Integrated Sound Projector with Dual Driver Extended Range Sound. For those who want Mitsubishi’s latest, premium picture technologies and surround sound without the wiring and extra components then the Mitsubishi 249 is worth considering.

Mitsubishi Unisen Series 249

The Mitsubishi 249 models have a fluorescent backlight, so contrast and black levels are not as good as those common to the premium LED backlit LCDs which may also come with local dimming. Highlights related to the display include the rich detail of Full HD (1080p), Smooth240 technology for motion blur reduction, 24p playback and ISF calibration modes

240Hz with Dejudder Processing

If you enjoy sports broadcasts and action movies then Mitsubishi’s Variable Smooth240Hz technology will be of interest. The technology reduces motion blur by creating extra interpolated frames between the original frames, providing smaller transitions between frames and smoother motion. It also smooths film judder (image vibration) which is more prevalent in film based (24fps) content. In an uncommon feature, Mitsubishi have provided a setup menu that offers the flexibility to tailor the amount of motion interpolation used through a 10-step variable adjustment.

Picture adjustments available are satisfyingly extensive and include Picture Mode (brilliant, game, bright, natural, special, ISF day and ISF night), contrast, brightness, color, tint, sharpness, color temp (high, low), video noise (high, medium, low, off), SharpEdge, DeepField Imager and backlight. Gamers will appreciate the Game Mode’s optimization of picture and video processing for gaming consoles as factors such as processing lag can be annoying.

ISFccc Ready

ISFccc (Imaging Science Foundation Certified Calibration Configuration) calibration options allows professional calibration technicians to calibrate a HDTV to deliver the best picture quality for the home theater environment and ambient lighting conditions. Technicians can store their calibration settings as ISF Day and ISF Night modes, for best image quality in different lighting conditions.

Internet Media Ready

As has been mentioned in previous HDTV posts, media accessibility will become a distinguishing feature of higher end HDTV units. Mitsubishi have delivered in this area with their first Diamond line, Internet Media Ready LCD HDTVs with an Ethernet port. There is also an optional VUDU wireless accessory bridge which can be used to link to wireless networks.

The VUDU service available on Diamond Unisen Immersive Sound HDTVs offers popular internet services such as YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Pandora, as well as an “On Demand TV” area with more than 80 channels to choose from. VUDU has an extensive HD movie library with over 2,200 HD titles and 16,000 titles overall.

Integrated Sound Projector

The Integrated Sound Projector (ISP) which is attached to the TV’s bottom panel, is a solution for those who don’t want a forest of speakers mounted around their HDTV viewing area, whether it be because of space limitations or a dislike of the clutter.

The 18-speaker ISP is designed to create a complete multichannel surround soundfield through the reflection of sound waves off room walls. The ISP setup menu includes manual and automatic options and a microphone is available to perform the auto setup. To handle sound inputs there are internal Dolby Digital 5.1 and Pro Logic decoders. Audio setup options include four preset sound modes (stereo, surround, music and night), bass, treble, and balance controls and a handy sound levelling feature to minimize volume discrepancies (eg. commercials).

The ISP works through the use of an advanced algorithm which delays the sound beams and projects them independently from the 16 speakers at varying intervals, to create fully immersive surround sound field. The result is that the speaker array generates 5.1 distinct sound beams that are focused both directly and indirectly to the listener. From the diagram, it can be seen that the ISP makes use of walls and other surfaces to reflect the left, right and surround sound beams to the listener. With the sound beam reflection the side and back walls of the room become virtual speakers.

Other Notable Features

DeepField Imager constantly adjusts brightness and contrast for optimum settings in all areas of the picture. Mitsubishi’s algorithms dynamically adjust for areas that are too high or low in contrast and/or too dark or bright displaying the best balanced picture in every scene.

PerfecTint provides the ability to adjust the tint of six separate colors independently of each other and separately for every input.

SharpEdge is Mitsubishi’s latest edge-definition signal processing system for enhancing the rendering of horizontal and vertical edges for sharp images.

Six Color Processing enhances color saturation. Rather than using only the red, green, and blue primaries to create all on-screen colors, this system analyzes the video signal and extracts the three secondary colors (cyan, yellow, magenta).

Plush1080p 5G 18-bit Digital Video Processing is Mitsubishi’s scaling processor technology for other resolution video sources for the native 1080p resolution of the display. Accurate scaling is essential for a quality HDTV.

PerfectColor provides the ability to adjust the intensity of six separate colors independently of each other and separately for every input.

NetCommand refers to a functionality which supports the IR (infrared) control of products such as VCRs, DVD players, cable boxes, and satel¬lite receivers. NetCommand can “learn” remote control signals directly from many devices, allowing you to create a customized NetCommand-controlled home-theater system.

Connectivity

The Mitsubishi Unisen models have AMX Device Discovery which simplifies the identification and integration of AV devices which may be connected.
Connection options include 4x HDMI, digital audio input (coaxial),
USB (Media Input), RS-232c and a wired IR input.

The Mitsubishi Unisen LCD HDTV can read image (JPEG) or music (mp3) digital files from a USB drive, USB card reader or a digital camera. Music can be played simultaneously with a photo slide show as a mini presentation.

It should be noted that there is no dedicated PC connection with the result that a connection must be by HDMI, DVI-to-HDMI cable or a HDMI cable with an HDMI-to- DVI adapter.