REVIEW: 65" HP MD6580n DLP Microdisplay

**nobbie** · **07-10-06, 02:02 PM**

It Only Screams Where It Counts.

Strengths: Fab Picture. Easy-Access Menu. Extensive Setting Controls. Only 1080p Available. Lighted Connection Panel & Bulb Access on Front. Sleek, Unobtrusive Case Design. Non-Reflective Screen. Amazing Sound.

Weaknesses: Pin Cushioning Very Evident when Viewing 4:3 Material. Standard Definition Picture Quality (SD PQ) Marginal. PIP Only Works with Coaxial Input Sources.

Look, it's very simple, really. A TV's function is to entertain you with moving pictures and sound. AND THAT IS IT. It is not a piece of modern sculpture on display for all to gawk and drool over. Nope. Moving Pictures and Sound.

So many TV's these days take case design too far. Big, bulky and just screaming to be noticed. What's with the speaker wings or "dumbo" ears some units (sony)

sport? The HP MD6580n 65" DLP Projection TV is all about the picture and sound. With an all matte-black case, devoid of any geegaws, the HP shows great restraint with clean flowing lines that, uh oh, could be found on display in an art gallery! (Gasp!) But, honestly, it's there to appreciate if you desire. And it blends into the environment when you could care less about what it looks like. Too bad other manufacturers can't say the same.

I searched and researched out a variety of TVs to replace our aging Sony 61" XBR rear projection TV. The only mandate the kids had was the new TV had to be bigger than the old one. Funny thing is, it's hard to compare sizes when the aspect ratio is different. Does the HP's 16:9 screen measuring 65" diagonally offer more picture than the Sony's 4:3 screen measuring 61"? I'm sure there is some nifty math equation to figure that out, but my head hurts just thinking about it.

Suffice it to say, a 65" screen is plenty fine. Which works great for DVD's. For anything 4:3, it's a little annoying to either see black bars on each side of a decidely smaller picture or wonder where What's-her-face's head is at when you're zooming in on a full screen picture.

The picture is great when watching DVD's. I haven't set up HD TV yet. But I will soon. Standard Definition is marginal. I'm sure some twiddling with settings will help, but I think stadard signals just don't look good on a high definition TV because the circuitry on these TV's just magnify whatever artifacting or discrepancies there are in the signal. Time to upgrade and a join the new century, eh?

What really blew me away, though, is the sound. This baby booms! A built-in 2.1 speaker system really surprises. It's subwoofer provides a nice low-end rumble, while the mids and highs are handle remarkably well by the speakers flanking the screen. Surround sound is great, but if you didn't feel like firing up the whole system, you could have a very enjoyable experience with only an up-converter DVD player. (My Denon 756s works wonderfully with it.)

And there you have it. A great TV that is big on picture. Big on sound. And just plain big on providing a satisfying viewing experience without it's own self getting in the way.

**Sonnie** · **07-10-06, 03:57 PM**

Nice review nobbie.

I need that 2.1 built-in speaker system in our Toshiba. We don't have a system in the great room and the two weeny speakers don't do so hot.

**nobbie** · **07-10-06, 04:03 PM**

Thanks Sonnie,

Does your Toshiba have an audio out? Or even a headphone jack? You could hook up a decent powered 2.1 PC speaker system!

**Sonnie** · **07-10-06, 04:25 PM**

I'm not sure, but I don't think it does, unless there is one on the front... but I don't think there is. I did look at replacing the speakers once but then the amp ain't so puffy either.

**nobbie** · **07-10-06, 05:04 PM**

What model is it? I'm sure there's a way we can pimp it out without going too nuts!

**fibreKid** · **07-11-06, 12:17 AM**

To figure out the screen size relative to a 4:3 set, play some 4:3 material and measure corner to corner. I would guess it's close to 57" :-)

**nobbie** · **07-11-06, 01:33 AM**

Can't do that. If the kids found out it was less than 61", I'd never hear the end of it!

**jmprader** · **07-12-06, 06:51 PM**

I truly enjoy my HP 6580. It's a **** good set.

However, I will add to the negative list. Many units emit a low level hum from the speakers. Ostensibly, HP has a fix for this (haven't checked on AVS recently for opinion on it, though). The rest of my family doesn't seem to notice it, but I certainly do, even as my 51 year old ears slowly slide away from spec...In addition, it took a couple of exchanges to get a unit with fan/light engine noise (not sure which) down to near acceptable levels.

The PQ is great and it has a high SAF factor for ease of use. I prefer it to my brother's "dumbo ear" Sony 60" SXRD.

my .02.

**nobbie** · **07-13-06, 02:57 AM**

Have you upgraded your firmware with the free USB flash drive. I have resisted doing it because apparently it causes the screen to flash when changing sources! What the hey?!?!?

Oh, but my BIGGEST gripe is the lack of any HP remote codes for ANY universal remotes! Bah!

**jmprader** · **07-13-06, 03:01 PM**

Quote:

nobbie wrote:

Have you upgraded your firmware with the free USB flash drive. I have resisted doing it because apparently it causes the screen to flash when changing sources! What the hey?!?!?

Oh, but my BIGGEST gripe is the lack of any HP remote codes for ANY universal remotes! Bah!

Yes, I have done the upgrade. Followed the instructions exactly and no problems whatsoever.

I got codes for my Pronto from Remote Central. They were posted for the 58" version and I recall having a few headaches getting them downloaded and functioning. Most work on my 6580 as intended, although the on/off is still glitchy. Here is the url, not sure if it's the same file as I originally downloaded since it has been some time and the files are on my home PC:

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin...tv-md5880n.zip

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