Video commands so much attention these days. Plasma TVs are pushing aside old, bulky sets; LCD TVs are infiltrating our bathrooms and kitchens; and video projectors are bringing film-quality pictures into our home theaters.

Surprising, then, that audio still calls the shots. Most home theater systems rely on a single audio component—either a surround-sound processor or an audio/video receiver—to control almost everything, including volume and what we watch. The receiver remote is the first one we reach for when we get ready to watch a movie, and the last one we touch before we go to bed.

Thanks to NetCommand, this unassuming remote controls an entire audiovisual system as deftly as a touchscreen can. (Click image to enlarge)

Mitsubishi, though, seems to feel that video is getting the short end of the stick. With its NetCommand concept, the company puts video in control, providing an extraordinarily friendly user interface on a TV screen, and automatically coordinating the functions of all of your video components so you can control them with a single remote. Until now, a homeowner had to buy a big, bulky Mitsubishi rear-projection TV to enjoy the benefits of Net-Command. With the HD-5000 high-definition TV tuner/video controller, you can enjoy NetCommand on practically any HDTV set, including the latest plasma, LCD and projection TVs.

Eager to experiment with NetCommand in an all-Mitsubishi system and with other manufacturers’ equipment, I obtain the HD-5000 and the company’s new 50-inch plasma TV, the PD-5010. Foolishly, I assume the HD-5000 will function much like the interface boxes that accompany many plasma and LCD TVs. I am wrong.

HD-5000 HDTV Tuner
The HD-5000 is much more than just another component for interfacing a plasma TV with the rest of a home theater system. Most of those interface components include only a single analog TV tuner to receive broadcast signals from an antenna. The HD-5000 adds an extra analog tuner so it can perform picture-in-picture—i.e., you can watch two TV channels on the same screen. It also adds a digital TV tuner that receives high-definition TV broadcasts with an ordinary antenna.

Mitsubishi includes IEEE-1394 connections, which help NetCommand work its magic. IEEE-1394 is a sophisticated digital interface for sending audio, video and control commands from one audiovisual component to others in your system. For years, camcorder enthusiasts have used a variation of IEEE-1394 (sometimes referred to as FireWire) to transfer video to computer, but this technology has only recently found its way into home theater systems.

The HD-5000 tunes broadcast digital and analog TV, not satellite TV. (Click image to enlarge)

In some ways, the HD-5000 is the video equivalent of an audio preamp/processor; in others, it is like a network hub that interfaces all your video components with your TV, making the whole lot work together as a system. If you connect video sources, such as a DVD player, a high-definition VCR and a personal video recorder, to the HD-5000, it will process their video signals and route them to your TV. You control the devices through icons that appear on your TV screen—sort of like a huge Crestron touchscreen remote.

Video sources equipped with IEEE-1394 connections work best with the HD-5000. A single IEEE-1394 cable transports audio and video to the HD-5000 and also lets the HD-5000 control the functions of the source: play, stop, pause and so on. Since only a few video devices with IEEE-1394 are currently available, the HD-5000 also can accept more- common connections, such as digital video interface (DVI) and component video. It controls non-IEEE-1394 video sources through tiny infrared flashers that attach to the fronts of the devices; these flashers control components in exactly the same way as the infrared flasher found behind that little red strip of plastic located on the front of a conventional remote control.
The more I use the HD-5000, the more I like it. I first connect it to a Dream-Vision CinemaTen Pro video projector. The HD-5000’s on-screen menus appear, and I immediately warm to NetCommand. It is this simple: When your 3-year-old gets bored with a Teletubbies DVD and wants to switch to the satellite receiver to watch Blue’s Clues on Nickelodeon Jr., you may find that he or she can grab the remote control, select the satellite icon on the TV screen and be watching the show before you realize what has happened.

The HD-5000 tuner has enough audio and video connections to make it the hub of a home theater system. (Click image to enlarge)

So often I have struggled to make video products work. Thus, I am thrilled when I connect Marantz’s MV8300 digital VCR to the HD-5000 with but a single cable, watch as its controls appear on screen, then hit play and settle back for some great video. The process is not so simple with non-IEEE-1394 devices—I have to configure them through some on-screen “help wizards” like those found in many computer programs, and the control response is not as immediate and gratifying as with IEEE-1394 devices. Still, NetCommand’s simplicity of operation is worth the effort required to set it up—and of course, your installer can configure the system for you.

Mitsubishi TVs equipped with Net-Command add one tremendous convenience: Your installer can connect every TV with IEEE-1394 cables so any TV can access any IEEE-1394 video source connected to the system.

The HD-5000 also works as a video scaler, which means it increases the resolution of your video sources to match the capabilities of your TV screen. Unlike any other scaler I have seen, though, it asks which devices are connected and optimizes its video processing for the performance characteristics of each source. This is nothing short of fabulous because it helps even fairly low-quality sources like VCRs and cable boxes look their best.
In an era when home electronics are becoming ever more difficult to operate, Mitsubishi has actually made it much easier with the HD-5000. I hope other companies take note.

PD-5010 Plasma TV
I am so enthralled with the HD-5000 that I almost overlook Mitsubishi’s PD-5010 plasma TV. I have not been an enthusiastic fan of plasma TVs, in part because most of the sets struggle to display deep, pure blacks, and because the picture sometimes seems to lag, causing disruptive ghost images to appear briefly in fast-moving video.

The PD-5010 plasma TV also carries a full suite of connections, so it can be used with or without the HD-5000. (Click image to enlarge)

Mitsubishi has come a long way on both fronts. Unlike the majority of plasmas I have seen in the past year, this one produces rich and detailed blacks. I can differentiate between black and dark gray. For example, when an actor appears in a black suit in a dark room, most plasma TVs make it look as if the suit has no lapels—an effect called “crushing black.” On the PD-5010, I can see the lapels clearly.

Also, I do not see the ghosting or lag that most plasma TVs exhibit. In fact, as I play my most demanding DVDs, the performance nearly equals that of high-end traditional tube TVs, which despite their bulk and weight generally outperform flat-screen displays.

This set also achieves excellent color accuracy, maintaining perfect color at almost every brightness level. The only deviation from perfection I notice is a slight bluish look in the picture’s darkest parts. But that minor inaccuracy disappears once I calibrate the TV with my professional color analyzer.
In the unlikely event that the HD-5000 tuner and NetCommand do not charm you, the PD-5010 still holds tremendous appeal because it can operate entirely on its own, without the HD-5000. Although it does not have a built-in TV tuner, it offers a standard set of video inputs, so you can connect it to a VCR, satellite tuner, DVD player and the like.

I can state without reservation that Mitsubishi has succeeded in its quest to make video products work seamlessly together. The HD-5000 and PD-5010 perform like dance partners who have worked together for decades and anticipate each other’s steps without the slightest hesitation. The HD-5000 can turn the PD-5010 on and off, switch automatically between widescreen and conventional picture formats to match the source device in use, and so on.

In the future, this is how all home entertainment gear will function. Plug everything together, let the devices chat for a second, and it all just works. Imagine adding a new DVD recorder or a satellite receiver without worrying about remote control codes, screen formats and resolution—plug it in, click the remote twice and you are ready for an evening of fantastic entertainment.

DESCRIPTION
HD-5000: Digital/analog TV tuner, video scaler and system control interface

CONNECTIONS
HD-5000: Three IEEE-1394 Type 9 digital input/output ports, two miniplug IR outputs, one miniplug IR input, one RS-232 port, three component video inputs, one component video output, two S-video inputs, two composite video inputs, three antenna inputs (one digital, two analog), five stereo analog RCA-type stereo audio inputs, one analog RCA-type stereo output, one coaxial digital audio output

DIMENSIONS
Dimensions: 7.5 x 17 x 15.8 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: $1,699
CONTACT: 800.332.2119
www.mitsubishi-tv.com