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Toshiba - 72" 1080p DLP RPTV - Details and Price


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The news about the lamps is dissapointing. I'm going for three months strong with no problems so I cross my fingers. From my experience and how it sounds Castel are dealing with these problems quickly, but I share the frustration of the owners of these great TV's having them out of service for even a few days.

I doubt it will be like my experience with the LG MW60 RPTV where the TV was routinely 'in service' for more than a week ..

I think its stupidity for manufacturers to sell products where they know the product is faulty. Especially with products like this where the existing and potential buyers are no jo-average. Forums like this can do serious damage to sales of a product.

Hope Castel does everthing they can to make good any problems that occur ..

Paul

Castel should (without being pushed) investigate this and have Toshiba (Japan, Singapore or whoever their contact is) agree to mimic the US/Canadian warranty. If they know what serial numbers are affected over there I am sure they know what numbers are affected here.

Maybe another thread should be started to specifically track this issue, as owners we may need to push Castel or approach Toshiba Japan ourselves to have the extended warrantee granted to affected parties here in Aus.

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Thanks Sparky

I did mention to the Toshi tech's assistant and the store person that I have the ability to change the lamp myself, they both gave me the "void warranty" reply. I'll get the ball rolling early tomorrow to put pressure on for some action. Store person has been trying other Toshi agents to cross territories but need authorisation for travel costs.

Still hoping :blink:

Python

Sorry to hear about another one going. A little disturbing that we're already had 2 failures in what would be a fairly small pool of sets by comparison to the number owned in the US.

Geez, I guess we dumb Aussies are deemed too retarded to replace the bulbs in our Toshi's, unlike our Yankee cousins! See the AVSForum thread for these 2 examples: link , Link

Perhaps it's worth someone pointing out this fact to the techs at Castel. It definitely strikes me as the kind of inconsistant policy approach that seems to go hand in hand with not having a manufacturer distributing their product directly and having globalised support policies for their products.

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Sorry to hear about another one going. A little disturbing that we're already had 2 failures in what would be a fairly small pool of sets by comparison to the number owned in the US.

Geez, I guess we dumb Aussies are deemed too retarded to replace the bulbs in our Toshi's, unlike our Yankee cousins! See the AVSForum thread for these 2 examples: link , Link

Perhaps it's worth someone pointing out this fact to the techs at Castel. It definitely strikes me as the kind of inconsistant policy approach that seems to go hand in hand with not having a manufacturer distributing their product directly and having globalised support policies for their products.

Gents, I have emailed my contact as Castel ... See what response I get ...

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python, that sounds like the service agent wanting some cash out of Castel for doing the work, as Sparky said, talk direct to Castel and do it yourself, my experience to date with them has been excellent.

Omega, curiously according to a Canadian site the problem appears acute on sets using the high brightness setting and sets with old firmware and it has been occurring since February this year on their HM85 & HMX85 series sets. The article then goes on to talk about a letter sent to affected owners in the US and Canada about the issue and an offer of a free spare bulb to affected customers. Affected bulb part no.s are also listed, read the full article here read both pages.

It would also appear that the US warranty for the lamp is 12mths (not 6mths as is the case here in Aus) in fact it has now been extended to 24mths on models with certain serial numbers read this if these models are equivalent to ours (and I'm sure they probably are) then we should be treated the same one would think.

Re lamp failures here, this could be related to old stock as it would appear that Toshiba now have a redesigned lamp. It may depend on how many actual sets are imported by Castel at any one time, being a relatively small organisation they may only ship occasionally so these sets may still be from the alleged faulty batch.

If my lamp fails early or just out of warranty I will be asking why Aus is not being treated the same as the US & Canada.

Yeah i was thinking perhaps it was old stock, but still, it means that they knew about it in February (and really, THEY would have known about it before then), his set was made in late March, meaning they knew they were using defective bulbs, and just hoping that it would either last the 6 months, or not have a problem at all.

I know they have stocks etc, and as long as they deal with it quickly its no biiig deal, its just a bit dodgy.

Unless they are making the bulbs themselves, why dont they just lump it back on the bulb manufacturer instead of taking the negative publicity hit themselves? With newer tech just around the corner, they cant afford to have their product seen as a problematic alternative.

They got lucky with LG and JVC implementing the LCOS poorly, and as a result still have a product that is on the top bracket, from US reports they wont be so lucky with the Sony's so they need to make sure they can compete in other areas like build quality, and continuing to produce sets using a proven defective batch of lamps isnt going to accomplish that.

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Gents, I have emailed my contact as Castel ... See what response I get ...

I have received an initial response from Castel .. They are looking into the issue .. I am trying to get somebody to make a statement on the issue .. Will revert when I can ..

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If Castel knows the bulbs are faulty, why not replace them before selling the TVs to consumers... even if they have left the factory and are in retailer shops, if they suspect there is a defective batch they should proactively replace the bulbs IMO... mmm...

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Guest glenmt

Here is my 2 bobs worth (showing my age) - hope it helps.

I recently had the experience of my bulb blowing.

It was preceded with a few warning signs - the picture started getting progressively darker over a few weeks (to the point that I was in the process of arranging a service agent visit under warranty). Just prior to blowing there was no doubt it was a real problem - since the picture was ultra dark (on mild setting unwatchable, and even dark on the highest brightness). Another interesting warning sign was that the set developed a strange flicker until the bulb warmed up (that wasn't there when first bought). Eventually the bulb blew with a loud pop.

My advice would be (particularly if you aren't in Melbourne) - when you see the above symptoms - arrange the service visit immediately (and warn the service agent that they are likely to need a spare globe - unfortunately they don't seem to stock them) - this way you might be able to avoid 'down time'.

Lucky for me - I live in Melbourne. I simply took the bulb out (as shown in manual) and took it to Castel in Preston, along with my receipt showing that it was within warranty (less than 6 months). They changed it on the spot without any hassle (didn't have a problem with me doing it - just told me to be careful about not touching the globe - which I already knew). They didn't mention any warranty problems (and under the Trade Practices Act they would be on weak ground - unless your changing the globe contributed to a failure - which would be difficult since it is clearly designed to be easily changed over and documented in the manual).

I have also bought a spare globe - so I can avoid future down time. Not sure about the wisdom of this - it costs $500 - and I shouldn't need it for about three years yet - and being in Melbourne can always get one next (business) day if need be. On the other hand I got a good price for the set (so the $500 is a trade-off on this) and don't like being without it for even a night (or worse a weekend), and the globe should store ok (I hope).

Other than this minor hiccup - I still think the set is brilliant - great real estate for the money - brilliant PQ (particularly for a true 1920 x 1080 image), no fade, no burn-in - good inputs etc etc. And even considering the hiccup - at least it is easily resolved by a bulb change (so it is as good as new and I didn't have to move the whole set), and presumably they will improve the bulb design - so I won't be stuck with a problem that keeps coming back.

Now if only Toshi would fix their *@$ HD PVR (HDD) set-top box.

Cheers for now.

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I have also bought a spare globe - so I can avoid future down time. Not sure about the wisdom of this - it costs $500 - and I shouldn't need it for about three years yet - and being in Melbourne can always get one next (business) day if need be. On the other hand I got a good price for the set (so the $500 is a trade-off on this) and don't like being without it for even a night (or worse a weekend), and the globe should store ok (I hope).

I can understand the convenience factor, but you have to hope that the bulb you bought isn't from one of these "dud batches". If the replacement one lasts a bit longer (somewhat beyond warranty) and then you pop the new one in ... only to find it (now well past warranty) blows after a few months! :blink:

However ... I suppose chances are that they've given you decent bulbs now!

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paulc_100, have you or anyone else with these sets checked the geometry using DVE as I am interested to know how well aligned yours are ex factory particularly picture size and tilt etc.

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Update on my blown lamp saga

The store people have been really good about my ordeal and are going to order in a lamp for me to install. Suddenly the Toshi tech has found someone that can install the lamp as soon as a lamp is delivered from melbourne. They also have placed an order today. The bad news is either lamp won't be in Qld by tomorrow as I spoke to Castel who are snowed under on parts deliveries.

I'm p!ssed. :blink: I'll be watching the Bledesloe on Microvision - 55 cm CRT this Satdy.

Looks like the lamp failure count is at three for this thread, anymore takers. - hope not :D

Cheers

Python

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I'd definitely want to hold a spare lamp, living in the country as I do. But I just had a thought....if the current bulb blew and you had to replace it with the spare....how does the warranty on it work then? Is it 6 months from when you bought it or 6 months from when you start using it?

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paulc_100, have you or anyone else with these sets checked the geometry using DVE as I am interested to know how well aligned yours are ex factory particularly picture size and tilt etc.

This is one issue that i have to say is less than 100%.

My picture is slightly tilted which I only notice when using the Windows desktop. It used to bother me but I dont' use the windows desktop much cause I used the MCE 2005 interface.

Having said that, I think RPTV is prone with these problems. I had exactly the same problem with my LG MW60. When I tried to get them to fix it, they made it much worse. I guess that's the tradeoff. Getting the picture 100% square is hard. Interested in the feedback from the other users of the Toshi.

In terms of picture size, there is a lot of overscan which is also disapointing. My windows desktop resolution is something like 1880x1050 or something like that. I would like native 1920x1080 but it seems that all RPTV has overscan so what can you do.

Update on my blown lamp saga

The store people have been really good about my ordeal and are going to order in a lamp for me to install. Suddenly the Toshi tech has found someone that can install the lamp as soon as a lamp is delivered from melbourne. They also have placed an order today. The bad news is either lamp won't be in Qld by tomorrow as I spoke to Castel who are snowed under on parts deliveries.

I'm p!ssed. :blink: I'll be watching the Bledesloe on Microvision - 55 cm CRT this Satdy.

Looks like the lamp failure count is at three for this thread, anymore takers. - hope not :D

Cheers

Python

sorry to hear that mate ...

I'd definitely want to hold a spare lamp, living in the country as I do. But I just had a thought....if the current bulb blew and you had to replace it with the spare....how does the warranty on it work then? Is it 6 months from when you bought it or 6 months from when you start using it?

Its normally six months from when you buy it .. That's what holds me back from buying a spare lamp. That and also I am probably going to upgrade my Toshiba before the lamp blows anyway (touch wood) ..

Its probably worthwhile to discuss with Castel and tell them that you had two (keep both receipts). Notify them when the second bulb goes and and tell them the warranty should start from there .. Try and negotiate that before you buy the lamp ..

See how you go ..

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paulc100....are you thinking SXRD?

Despite Owen's comments, i doubt any currently notified products would be materially better than what the Toshiba already produces. I was thinking probably 3-4 years down the track when there will be probably something better (possibly SED ?) .. Hopefully there is 1080p content at that time, but I doubt it ..

For the first time I've have found a display device that I regard as sensational. In all of my TV purchases over the years there has always been a compromise :

Since 1990

-------------

Sony 52cm Stereo (size / Quality)

Sony 68cm Stereo (size / Quality)

Sony 50" CRT RPTV (size / quality)

Sony 61" CRT RPTV (quality / widescreen / CRT life / brightness)

LG MW 60" LCD RPTV (contrast / 720p)

Toshiba 72" 1080p (nothing)

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Some very postive news about DLP 1080p.........

Many people seem to be under the impression that 1080p DLPs are not able to fully resolve 1920x1080 – due to wobulation and/or because of the fact that they only accept 1080i signal. And they often insist that 960x1080p60, 960x540p60 or even 1280x720p60 will be just as good or better signals. Obviously those people never actually LOOKED at one of these TVs in action -- at least not mine. When you feed it a properly timed 1080i signal you KNOW you hit the native res and that you are looking at a fully resolved picture.

The full thread, although orientated to hard core enthusiasts of Media PCs makes very interesting reading for those who want the "quality" and RESOLVING ability of this fine display nailed for all time.

Full thread and post here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=692356

Poster Alias: Brandenborg Site Location: AVS Forums USA.

DA

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This is one issue that i have to say is less than 100%.

My picture is slightly tilted which I only notice when using the Windows desktop. It used to bother me but I dont' use the windows desktop much cause I used the MCE 2005 interface.

Having said that, I think RPTV is prone with these problems. I had exactly the same problem with my LG MW60. When I tried to get them to fix it, they made it much worse. I guess that's the tradeoff. Getting the picture 100% square is hard. Interested in the feedback from the other users of the Toshi.

In terms of picture size, there is a lot of overscan which is also disapointing. My windows desktop resolution is something like 1880x1050 or something like that. I would like native 1920x1080 but it seems that all RPTV has overscan so what can you do.

paulc_100, thanks for the feedback, it sounds like they have this problem from new :blink: I would have thought that they could align them better in the factory. My first set's (with the diagonal line issue) geometry was not bad but the replacement was out on both sides (severe over-scan) as well as the base and the tilt at the top right corner is out.

I am now wondering whether it is worth perusing yet another set or whether I will see the same thing again

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If the entire picture is tilted or offset, that should be correctable by adjusting the light engine mounting position; however, if the image has geometric distortions like pin cushioning, there is nothing that can be done, as it is a problem with the light engine optics design.

Good old CRT RPTV’s are completely adjustable, so geometry abnormalities can be adjusted out. :blink:

Having a full 1920x1080 on screen is not important or useful for video, as overscan is required to hide the edges of the video image.

As long as there is not excessive overscan, you cant get any better for video use.

People complain and fuss that overscan should not be necessary, but the fact remains that it is.

I run about 2% overscan, and often that is not enough.

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If you use a PC, you will probably find that geometry and picture squareness are not perfect, most digital RPTV’s are not.

Direct view CRT TV’s almost always have geometry issues. The large wide screen ones can be real bad, and its usually not fully correctable.

Good CRT RPTV’s have very elaborate CRT beam control, that allows near perfect geometry, convergence and screen sizing, down to the millimetre.

Digital displays being fixed pixel cant be adjusted, and rely on perfect optical design and implementation.

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For the first time I've have found a display device that I regard as sensational. In all of my TV purchases over the years there has always been a compromise :

Paul

Apart from the lamp issue I am very happy with the Toshi - great value/size /PQ/inputs/looks.

Do you have much fan/colour wheel noise, mine is slightly louder than a computer - only hear it on quiet scenes. I don't recall it being as loud when it was new and I was listening for it then. :blink: .

Cheers

Python

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Well, I've just made by bi-monthly visit to HN at Thomastown to see what is happening with the pricing of the 62CM9UA. Last I was there, they quoted me $5400 on 0% finance, with a base. Warranty extension and delivery were extra.

Today, Marcel would only offer $5400 (tv, base, and extended warranty) for cash or card. The same deal under in-house finance was "about $6000". :D

To make things even more interesting, the 62CM9UA had fallen off there computer screens!! It did still show the 72CM9UA, but the 62 had been replaced with the 62JM9UA (methinks someone accidentally deleted the wrong model, since the JM is no longer on Castel's Toshie webpage) showing a rec retail of $5999

There was a 62JM9UA up and running with a "slashed" price of $3999, and it did look quite good, but of course, only 720 lines.

Me? I'm still waiting when I can pick up a 62CM under finance for between $5000-$5400. I'm sure that time will come sooner or later.........but the waiting is KILLING ME!!!

Anyone heard of a release date for the American 62MX196 (or similar) model? I'm hoping it'll push the price down on the CM. :blink:

Just purchased the 72" Toshi for $5999 from HN Chadstone in Melbourne on 19 months interest free.

The sales dude said they are below cost at this price.... I can hardly wait until Monday when it's delivered!

Heyya huong.................nicely done!!!! :P

Any chance you may have discussed finance pricing with the sales dude about the 62"er??

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Hi Geomick, sorry didn't query the 62" - I've been hunting around for a 65"+ display for a while now.

$5999 for the 72" is the store's advertised price at the moment and after asking about card/cash options I settled on the 19 months interest free deal. I also purchased the 48 month warranty extension for $400, so $6399 total.

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Just purchased the 72" Toshi for $5999 from HN Chadstone in Melbourne on 19 months interest free.

The sales dude said they are below cost at this price.... I can hardly wait until Monday when it's delivered!

Huong, that is pretty good, don't forget to claim your bonus price from CASTEL after your purchase, it is some kinda of a home theatre sound system, get on their web page and see.

http://www.castel.com.au/toshiba/promotions.asp

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