There was a time not too long ago when rear-projection HDTVs based on DLP technology were a viable alternative to (then) more expensive plasmas and (then) smaller LCDs. They weren’t as humongous as CRT-based projection sets of yore, but they were still bigger than the sexier flat screens that started getting bigger and cheaper and pushing DLP sets to the margins.
Mitsubishi should be given points for persistence when it comes to the display technology, as it continued to produce DLP TVs even as their popularity has waned. Now the company is betting on the latest trend in HDTVs—3D—to give DLPs new life, with three new lines that include massive 82-inch sets and the lowest prices yet on 3D sets.
The 638 series starts at just $1,199 for the 60-inch WD-60638, with the 65-inch WD-65638 for $1,499 and the 73-inch WD-73638 for $1,999. The step-up 738 line includes StreamTV Internet Media, which Engadget speculates is the new name for Vudu’s streaming apps service since it includes Vudu movies along with Facebook and Pandora apps, among others. Somewhat oddly, the 60-inch 738 set costs $200 more than the 638 of the same size, but the same-sized 65-inch 738 model costs $300 more than its 639 equivalent and the 73-inch 738 costs $400 more. Unlike the 638 line, the 738 series does include an 82 incher, the $3,799 WD-82738.
The priciest 838 series also comes with StreamTV Internet Media, but kicks up the audio with a built-in 16-speaker Dolby Digital 5.1 setup. Its output is only 32 watts, so any series audioholic will probably want to keep the difference in price for a separate home theater system, but if you want to spend the extra money, the 65-inch WD-65838 is $2,199, the 73-inch WD-73838 is $2,799, and the 82-inch WD-82838 costs a whopping $4,499.
No release date has been announced for the new sets, but it will be interesting to see if consumers go for the lower-price-for-bigger-screen equation (at the cost of added bulk) when it comes to 3D. Clearly things haven’t worked out so well for DLP in two dimensions.
