HP MD6580N Pavilion MicroDisplay 65 Inch DLP HDTV
By: Hewlett-Packard Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 3
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 On: 2006-07-25
Bought a new HP MD6580, delivery from New York to LA took 9 days by ground which was very reasonable.
TV worked great for 1 week and then died. Three HP factory service calls and two weeks later the TV is still Dead and the tech team has no ideas for a next step.
Have been told that HP will consider a swap of my new (but non-functional TV) with a REFURBISHED TV, but no definitive answer as the HP "Quality" department is very busy and has not returned my calls.
Very frustrating
 On: 2006-06-12
Design: Wonderful rounded black set coupled with HPs stand gives the set a uniform and sleek look. Inputs/Outputs (and bulb) accessed through the front drop-down lighted panel is the most thoughful and innovative design Ive seen of any HDTV yet. HP gets a huge plus with this. Pop open the front panel and from underneath I fed all cables plugging them in the front panel (2 HDMI inputs by the way). Has the standard component hookups, etc. plus a pass through for 5.1.
Picture Performance: One of the few of the new 1080p HDTVs which accepts 1080p signal without having to upconvert it (using the "wobulation" technique). Compared in store a number of sets (Hitachi, Sony, Mitsubishi, Samsung, etc.) and the overall impression of this DLP set was it delivered a wonderful picture and best than most (maybe except the Sony). At home even more impressed. Good HD material gives this set its ability to excel at the black level display and excellent colour representation. Some of the HD material almost looks hyper-real. Cant wait for blu-ray 1080p on this set. Current DVD collection using upconverting Samsung DVD player diplays very well. Obviously this set is meant to handle tru-hd material and thats where it shines. Been watching HD FIFA soccer and am blown away. Ill actually watch an entire game now where before I left after a few minutes. Watching Hockey and basketball with this set is also glorious. Also movies on the HD channel sends chivers down my spine. This set rocks.
The remote is ok. It has lighted control devices (although the control itself it not backlit). The problem Ive had is that it will repeatedly lock up the cable channel menu with certain keystrokes (example, if the thumb cursor used to navigate is pressed too quickly a certain way). Nothing short of pulling the batteries out and putting them back in unlocks the menu. Needs a firmware upgrade (which you can do using a USB connection in the front). Other than that the onscreen menu has every option you can conceive of including giving your own names to the input devices.
The 2.1 channel sound is excellent. I usually use this for non 5.1 material. Obviously when using 5.1 I fall back on my YAMAHA receiver. Having said that, the addition of a subwoofer and the simulated surround sound seems exeptional.
CONCLUSION: This was listed at Best Buy (Canada) for $4999. I got it for $4600. In about 24 days HP had a huge discount - $3400. Contacted Best Buy and with their 30 day pricing guarantee I was reinbursed $1200. Thanks Best Buy. In any event $3400 for this set has turned out to be a huge bargain. You cannot go wrong with this baby. Get it. Nuff said.
 On: 2006-06-04
WOW!! We have had our HP 65 inch for about four months and all I can say is WOW!! The picture is clear, clear, clear and appears to be in 3-D. You can actually see the hair on spiders legs--its unreal. The colors are intense. We compared HP to the Sony and others and found the picture in the store to be matched only by the Sony and that is based only on a short comparison, as the store did not allow customer channel surfing to make comparisons for different conditions. I have felt like the room was tilting when the picture was taken from a plane/helicopter. The picture brightness automatically switches for lighting conditions. The 85-watt sound system is the highest in the industry (based on my research). It as a built in sub-woofer and even with only the TV speakers the clarity sounds so realistic even my dog goes on alert and barks. Somehow, the sound sounds like it is sometimes coming from the side or even behind me and, NO, I do not take drugs nor do we have surround sound system. We bought this unit for its picture clarity, its handsome look and the built-in sound system. The price for the 65-inch HP compares to Sony/others. The front access hook up feature is nice, but not necessarily something to get excited about. For permanant cableing, you still have to slide the unit from the wall to thread the connecting cables to the back of the unit then up to the TVs cable connector opening. It will make it very easy for the kids to connect/disconnect their game boys. This TV is a keeper, you will not be unhappy. The DLP chip is certainly a great performer!! Have fun with your purchase--we are enjoying ours!!
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