The Short Form

$5,299 ($5,599 LIST) / mitsubishi-tv.com / 800-332-2119 / 59.75 x 40.5 x 20.25 IN / 146 LBS

Plus

•Superb detail in dark shadows and bright highlights. •Clearly labeled, backlit remote control. •Built-in DVR.

Minus

•Slightly oversaturated reds.

Key Features

•62-inch (diagonal) screen with effective 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution •Wobulating DLP light engine •Digital cable-ready tuner with TV Guide On Screen •Front inputs IEEE 1394; composite/S-video with analog stereo audio •Rear inputs CableCARD slot; 2 HDMI; 2 IEEE 1394; 3 HDTV-compatible component video and 2 composite/S-video, all with analog stereo audio; 2 RF antenna/cable •Rear outputs composite-video; coaxial digital audio; 2 analog stereo audio

Test Bench

Color temperature was slightly warm out of the box with the Natural picture preset and Low color-temperature preset but was easily fixed in the service menu. Grayscale tracking was within ±100 K of the standard 6,500 K after calibration. Color decoding showed +15% red and -10% green errors, which I was able to minimize, but not eliminate, with user menu controls. The TV couldn't fully resolve a 1080i multiburst test pattern, but I didn't detect any softness in high-def programs. Click here for full lab results

PICTURE QUALITY To test DVD playback, I popped in the recently released Special Collector's Edition of director James Cameron's epic Titanic and was immediately impressed.

Most remarkable was the set's ability to deliver plenty of detail in dark areas of the picture. In the opening chapters, as Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his team explore the shipwrecked Titanic on the murky ocean floor, every last barnacle was visible on the railings of the sunken vessel - on many TVs they would have disappeared into the darkness. When the dive team searches the stateroom for the safe thought to be holding a rare diamond necklace, I could see details on the small combination dial despite its being cast in shadow.

Equally impressive was the set's ability to retain detail in bright highlights. As Rose's mother (Frances Fisher) boards the Titanic in Chapter 9, she turns her head toward the sun. Even though her pale face is awash in harsh light, I was able to see all its distinctive features. On many lesser displays, especially flat panels, her face would have been badly washed out, almost a white blob. But this TV handled the film's many bright outdoor scenes beautifully.

For the most part, color was vivid and accurate. As Rose (Kate Winslet) unpacks her collection of modern art in her stateroom, the vibrant purples, oranges, and yellows practically jumped off the canvases. Still, the oversaturation of red detected earlier was sometimes visible, as in Chapter 12 when DiCaprio screams "I'm king of the world!" - he looks like he's been in the sun a bit too long. Otherwise, colors looked very natural. I did encounter the occasional rainbow effect associated with the multicolor filter wheel found in all DLP rear projectors, but no more than on any other set.

Although the WD-62827 didn't fully resolve every last line of a 1080i resolution pattern from our signal generator, I couldn't detect any softness in the image. It certainly served up plenty of detail on a 1080i broadcast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, faithfully conveying the subtle texture of the black foam padding on the tripod Detective Grissom uses to photograph the corpse he and Warrick are investigating. Besides showing off the TV's excellent resolution, that's another testament to its exemplary reproduction of black - many sets would have been unable to extract any fine detail at all from the dimly lit black padding.

ABC's 720p broadcast of a recent Texas vs. Colorado college football game had just as much detail. I could make out individual blades of grass as Texas steamrollered over Colorado to victory with a 67-point margin (ouch!). If any Colorado fans were watching on a WD-62827, they'd have felt the agony of this defeat even more keenly.

Mitsubishi's TV Disc recording feature adheres faithfully to the restrictions placed on digital video transmission. In other words, you can't record HD from sources like a cable or satellite TV box through the TV's HDMI or component inputs. However, it did record every last line of resolution from our HD signal generator connected through the digital tuner input. So with an off-air antenna or CableCARD, you can make good high-def recordings, and even pause live TV, TiVo-style, with the built-in hard drive.

Generally, the TV Disc was easy to use. With a properly loaded TV Guide On Screen EPG you can just scroll to and select programs to record, but I was also able to quickly and easily schedule a recording through the TV's NetCommand menu. Or you can instantly start recording a live show by pressing the Record button on the remote.

BOTTOM LINE After proper calibration, the Mitsubishi WD-62827 did a great job of delivering any content I could throw at it. Supercritical viewers may not like its modest bias toward red, but the TV's otherwise excellent color, superb detail in very dark and bright areas of the picture, and high resolution far outweigh any of the minor issues I came across. All in all, this HDTV will make a wonderful centerpiece for most any home theater.