Cathode-ray tube (CRT) TVs are now practically nonexistent outside the sub-$500 category. But another type of vacuum tube—Edison’s trusty lightbulb—still dominates high-definition TV. DLP, LCD, and LCoS rear-projection sets, all powered by high-pressure lamps, sell at roughly double the rate of LCD and plasma flat panels in the larger screen sizes.

Clearly, consumers don’t see a lightbulb as a black mark for a TV, but bulbs do have problems. Their intensity begins to fade noticeably somewhere in the middle of their useful life; you may spend half your TV time watching a dimmer-than-optimal picture. And bulbs must be replaced, usually every 2,000 or 3,000 hours at a cost of $200 to $300 (plus a service charge for those who don’t want to change the bulb themselves).

NuVision’s 52LEDLP dispenses with the bulb in favor of innovative LED modules. A trio of red, green, and blue high-power LEDs generates the three primary colors in lieu of the usual lamp and spinning color wheel. The PhlatLight (for photonic lattice light) modules are rated at 60,000 hours, or more than 20 years of 8-hours-every-day viewing. Each module flashes its colored light in turn onto the 1080p DLP chip, which selectively reflects light to create a video image, and your eye combines the red, green, and blue images into one just as it does with a color-wheel-equipped TV.

As with a bulb TV, a cooling fan is incorporated, but this one runs so quietly as to be unnoticeable, and the amount of heat generated is miniscule, making the set an ideal candidate for in-wall or in-cabinet installation.

Dressed in simple and unpretentious attire, the 52-inch NuVision set is only barely larger than the 50-inch plasma screen in my den. The rear panel’s connector array is fairly generous, but the side-mounted composite video/stereo audio input is too basic for my taste. An HDMI or component video input on the side would make it easy to make temporary hook-ups of high-def gaming consoles and digital camcorders.

Start-up is quick; the picture appears within seconds because there’s no bulb to warm up. A walk through the on-screen menu reveals clearly defined picture setting options refreshingly free of marketing gobbledygook, including color-temperature choices that the color analyzer confirms are spot-on. Choosing the color-neutral 6,500 degrees Kelvin setting gives us exactly that over almost the entire gray scale range, with a slight reddish tint at the darkest levels. Because the output of the LEDs can be precisely controlled, the set can produce deeper blacks than traditional microdisplay projection TVs can; a scene from ABC’s Desperate Housewives in HD shows Felicity Huffman’s Lynette wearing an inky black pantsuit devoid of grayish tinge. My color analyzer reports nearly perfect colorimetry—as good as I’ve seen from any video display—with both the primary and secondary color values coming in pretty much exactly where they should. The opening credits for Desperate Housewives feature a still photograph montage of the principal actresses, with each showing distinctive facial hue. Lesser sets depict the same image as a group shot, with homogenous tonal portrayal. The credit text is rendered with the proper parchment coloring, neither yellow nor pale cream in tone.

The set helps maintain this performance by conducting its own periodic checkups. Occasionally, when the set is powered down, each of the three secondary colors is flashed on screen for a split second, with an internal light sensor measuring the results. The results are compared with initial factory calibration values stored in the set’s memory, and adjustments are made automatically for any variances between the two values.The tiny PhlatLight LED devices are photonic powerhouses—the set provides a whopping 140 footlamberts of light output, more than enough to provide a sufficiently bright picture in even the most well-lit room. This is well above what can be achieved from a comparably sized plasma display, which, like a CRT, exhibits maximum brightness the first day it is used, and then dims from that point forward.

NuVision is coy about its choice of deinterlacing chipset, pointing out that its unnamed pick is optimized specifically for the characteristics of the LED modules and the 1080p DLP imaging device. The set provides sufficiently quick recognition and correction of film-based programs, giving relatively smooth jaggie-free edges with deinterlacing test patterns. It also does a proper job of converting 1080-line interlaced HD test patterns to true progressive form without any loss of vertical detail.

From a cost standpoint, the NuVision’s price premium over conventional bulb-powered 1080p microdisplay sets could be justified over the long term because it has no bulb to replace. From a performance viewpoint, the NuVision’s excellent picture quality and impressive technical pedigree put it in the top echelon of rear-projection sets. Given the present prices of comparably sized 1080p plasma displays, the NuVision 52LEDLP is an enticing alternative.

DESCRIPTION
LED-powered rear-projection DLP HDTV; features dual tuners for dual picture

DISPLAY CAPABILITIES
Native 16:9 1080p DLP panel operates in both 4:3 and 16:9 modes. Accepts 720-line and 1080-line progressive and 1080-line interlaced HDTV signals, and 480-line progressive and interlaced signals

RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080 pixels

CONNECTIONS
Video: Two HDMI digital A/V inputs, two component inputs, two S-video inputs, three composite inputs, two RF inputs for analog and digital antenna and cable
Audio: Six stereo audio inputs, stereo audio output, coaxial digital output
Control: RS-232 serial port for external controller, USB port for servicing

DIMENSIONS
37 x 50 x 15 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: $4,299
CONTACT: 800.605.8022, nuvision.com