Flat Panel Displays

In my report on this Mitsubishi LCD flat panel set, I reported on a strange, ghostly series of horizontal bars that strobed across the screen from bottom to top. They were visible mainly on mid-brightness scenes, including full-field test patterns.

Mitsubishi sent us another sample, stating that they had solved the problem. And they had—either that or the first was simply defective. No strobing was visible on the second—at all. If you have purchased or plan to purchase this set and see the problem, it's not normal. See your dealer immediately for a replacement.

One other issue that was not cured on the second sample, however, was this set's poor 480i-to-1080p video processing. Jagged edges were clearly visible on 480i program material that contained prominent diagonal lines.

The set is so impressive in so many other respects that this isn't necessarily a disqualifying factor—if your external source—cable, DVD player, or whatever—can do a good job in providing a progressive scan image. That is, at minimum you'll want your sources to competent job in converting any 480i program material to 480p (or higher) before you feed the signal to the set.