Hi everyone,
This is my first post in this SUPERB forum! Thanks to all of you for this interesting and well informative thread.

So, I've bought a 55HDM71, built in Feb.2006.
I didn't notice any of the problem that many people mentioned, and I'm very pleased with the PQ. I was told that Pioneer is the best, but honestly, when I hooked this piece I was more than happy.
I have switched my cable box (Videotron) to HD and even the SD channel are looking much better on theHitachi than on my former CRT32 using SD cable box.
I'm using a MOnster Cable Power Center

So here are my questions:
1/ Where should I look for the firmware?
2/ Did anybody succeed seing all graduation of black and white on the DVE (I'm using a LDA-531 with all the unlock given by the forum)
3/ When switch off, the monitor is emitting two noise that I would translate as a big "bloum". I don't thinkthis is usual.
4/ I read that the RS232C was a 2way connection. Could I plug a PC for recording in this slot?

Tks Christian

Christian,

Interesting specs on this unit:
Additional Specifications: (from Hitachi's site)

Specifications:
– Display Resolution:
1366 x 768
– 1080p Digital Video Processor
Digital Color Management
Picture in Picture
Day and Night Memory by Input
W/ timer
– Inputs: DVI-(PC or HDTV) video
input
RGB2 — Dsub15
Component Video Input x 3
(1 x Scart)
S-Video x 1
– Pixel Pitch:
0.90mm(H) x 0.90mm(V)
– RS-232C Serial Control Port
– Sleep Timer
– Screen Savers
– Life extension utility
– FCC Class B
– Color: Gloss Black w/ Aluminum Accents
– Options
Swivel Table Top Stand
Side Mounted Speakers
Wall Mount

I have not looked at this unit as of yet. The consumer models have at least HMDI inputs as opposed to your DVI's. I will try and digest more of the specs tomorrow.

twnmango,

Have any good neighbors? Try it there. Try moving the display to different areas and plugging it in. EMF (http://infoventures.com/private/federal/q&a/cover.html) Find a good electrician. I'm not really reccomending this but you could try a ground cheater plug, 3 female to 2 male. That would tell the noise was coming from your ground. (Don't tell Hitachi) What kind of wiring does your house have? How old is the wiring and house? Good luck!

Deez,

I owned a couple of 42hdt52s and returned them both based on black level performance. I've now picked up a panasonic 42px60u and I have to say it's a revelation. Deep deep detailed blacks, no crush, and rock solid, ie: no flicker or dc retention.

It's not as pretty as the Hitachis, but the panel is far and away superior.


I think much of tv performance depends on your cable provider and dvd player. It's amazing how two people can see completely opposite things. I have a 42hds52 and chose it over several other plasmas. IMHO the 42px60u had the worst picture of all the plasmas I saw when shopping at CC. Weird huh?

Deez,

I owned a couple of 42hdt52s and returned them both based on black level performance. I've now picked up a panasonic 42px60u and I have to say it's a revelation. Deep deep detailed blacks, no crush, and rock solid, ie: no flicker or dc retention.

It's not as pretty as the Hitachis, but the panel is far and away superior.

Glad you are happy Miccos. The updated panny set has an attractive input feature set. Hope it works well for you. Last fall I was sure that I'd buy a panny but chose my Hitachi based on better features. Good luck

So here are my questions:
1/ Where should I look for the firmware?
2/ Did anybody succeed seing all graduation of black and white on the DVE (I'm using a LDA-531 with all the unlock given by the forum)
3/ When switch off, the monitor is emitting two noise that I would translate as a big "bloum". I don't thinkthis is usual.
4/ I read that the RS232C was a 2way connection. Could I plug a PC for recording in this slot?

Tks Christian

1. Menu: Setup | Upgrades on my HDS model. Does your set have an upgrade card slot listed on the back?

2. I have not cracked my DVE disk. sorry
3. Does the noise continue after the set is off? Or is it just an initial noise?
4. The serial port (rs232c) is used mainly for remote control of the unit. You will not be able to record from this input.

Is a plasma screen susceptable to magnetic interference like crt's are?

No, they're not.

Update regarding the horizontal line issue.....

BTW, when I am checking to see the line, I unplug everything, and simply just go into TV GUIDE setup with the white/light blue setup green. The line is visible there. Which means, it can't be from the cables from any of my inputs components.

No one, not my retailer, not Hitachi customer service, not one of their nearest service center has ever heard of this problem....what can i do?

When you say you have unpluged everything you do mean including power to any component? Is there anything that is pluged in behind or near the wall where the TV is? Computers, power supplys, modems, timers?? Do you have high power lines next to your home? Move the TV to another room or even to a friends house. Turn off the power to the entire house and run an extension from the house next door.

Good Luck

Here's a question for you Hitachi owners:

I am buying my first plasma soon (next couple of months). It'll be a 42"/43" model.I really love the Pioneers because of picture quality, looks, and features. I am also considering the Panasonic PX600s when they come out (the 60 is too ugly) because of the lower cost.

I had it narrowed to these, but then the Hitachis entered the equation! I've fallen in love with their looks and the idea of all the features that nobody else has. Here's where the question comes: was your buying decision driven by picture quality primarily, or were the features and other factors the primary drivers? I'm looking into both the standard Hitachis and the Director's Series, but I haven't been able to check them out in person yet.

Did you feel the picture quality on the sets were as good as the Pioneers or Panasonics? To my eye, the Pioneers have the best picture on the market. It doesn't have to be as good as the Pioneer for me to be satisfied, but I'd sure like it to be!

Thanks for your help. Oh, and please post the model you have if you respond.

tdavis21484,
I have a 42hds52. I came to the same conclusion as you. Features and value. Most of the content you will watch is still in SD. My plasma looks damn good with SD content as well as HD. I did not try other products at home. The price was right at CC and I could return it if I was not satisfied. I suggest you do the same if you can. Keep us posted.

Bob,

Thank you for your response. I'm also interested in the difference in performance between the HDS62 and the HDX62 (the Director's Series model). Any insight there? According to Hitachi, there's some significant differences in picture processing, screen attributes, etc. Also, what are you using as your main source? Cable or Satellite? How is DVD performance? Which DVD player do you have?

Thanks for the help, sorry for all the questions! I've sold the Panasonics and Pioneers before, and am therefore very familiar with them, but not familiar with Hitachi at more than a basic level.

Trent

Update regarding the horizontal line issue.....

My retailer called me last weekend and told me they were playing around with the unit they brought back and installed it in their showroom. That unit (which had the line at my house), now is perfectly normal sitting in their showroom. I drove down and looked at it..and yes, there was NO LINE.

So now my retailer is telling me the problem might be coming from my house, from my power outlets. So he suggested a Panamax power conditioner to try over the weekend. I tried it, and it didn't help. I am still seeing that persistant horizontal line across the center of the screen. I tried using extensino cords and connect my plasma to several other outlets in my house..and...same thing.

BTW, when I am checking to see the line, I unplug everything, and simply just go into TV GUIDE setup with the white/light blue setup green. The line is visible there. Which means, it can't be from the cables from any of my inputs components.

No one, not my retailer, not Hitachi customer service, not one of their nearest service center has ever heard of this problem....what can i do?

Do you have your power ran along with your cat5 video cable? You may be getting line noise.

One thing I have noticed after watching my new 55HDX62s is that the screen reflects everything from kitchen lights, ceiling, etc. The one in the family room is across from the kitchen and when I'm watching TV or a movie at night and the kitchen lights above the island are on you can see them plain as day in the monitor. Plus I can see our white columns, windows, etc in the monitor. This thing is like a black mirror reflecting everything. In the Master bedroom, the monitor reflects the image of the ceiling, walls are dark colored and the ceiling is white, so there is that distinct line, which can be seen on the TV glass. Thought these things were suppose to be anti-reflective????? :mad:

tdavis21484,
I was not able to try and return with the HDX series. The features look nice. Wish I had the Firewire.
Main source is Comcast cable (component (for now) when I want to watch HD. Series 2 Tivo via S-video, preferred TV interface. HD shows look pretty good when Tivo'ed. Panasonic DMR-ES10 DVD via component. All switched from my HK AVR320 receiver.
Have you ever seen a company that lets the user/consumer update their firmware let alone has an upgrade slot? I have so many electronic products that I wish had this feature! Maybe it's just my network/computing experience of updating bios & firmware to support new or improve features and performance that egg me on. It really gave me more faith in their product.

Thanks again Bob...your comments have been very helpful.

Does anyone have experience with the Director's Series (HDX) vs. the HDS and HDT models?

I posted this in the general board but got only one reply. As this is on a Hitachi I would like to find out if anyone else with this family of plasma has seen anything like this.
--------------------------------------------
I have a Hitachi 42HDT52 and am generally quite happy with the set. However, there has been an ongoing problem with black and white movies. There will inevitably be false colors in the grey areas where the images transition from light to dark. These are always dull reds or greens.

I watched “Good Night and Good Luck” last evening and the false colors were very distracting. I have tried every adjustment that I can find on the set (brightness, contrast, tint, color…) but nothing seems to make any substantial difference. What is interesting is that I have never seen this in any static test patterns, only in real movies.

So, can anyone tell me what this is? Could it be an artifact of my DVD player (an older Pioneer 343)?

Any input would be appreciated.

1. Menu: Setup | Upgrades on my HDS model. Does your set have an upgrade card slot listed on the back?

2. I have not cracked my DVE disk. sorry
3. Does the noise continue after the set is off? Or is it just an initial noise?
4. The serial port (rs232c) is used mainly for remote control of the unit. You will not be able to record from this input.

Thanks for your input Bob,

1/ There's no such an Ugrade menu neither a card slot. Looking for it, I notice one of the Plasma element is badged Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display Limited which seems to confirm that Fujitsu is the manufacturer of Hitachi display

2/ Fine, just checking. The Test signal I'm refering to is the Reverse Gray Ramps, Title 12, Chapter 14

3/ Sorry for confusion. The sound does not happen if I turn the volume of my Amp down before turning the TV off. It's no big deal.

4/I wish I had the firewire connection instead of the RS232C

Tks Christian

I posted this in the general board but got only one reply. As this is on a Hitachi I would like to find out if anyone else with this family of plasma has seen anything like this.
--------------------------------------------
I have a Hitachi 42HDT52 and am generally quite happy with the set. However, there has been an ongoing problem with black and white movies. There will inevitably be false colors in the grey areas where the images transition from light to dark. These are always dull reds or greens.

I watched “Good Night and Good Luck” last evening and the false colors were very distracting. I have tried every adjustment that I can find on the set (brightness, contrast, tint, color…) but nothing seems to make any substantial difference. What is interesting is that I have never seen this in any static test patterns, only in real movies.

So, can anyone tell me what this is? Could it be an artifact of my DVD player (an older Pioneer 343)?

Any input would be appreciated.

Hello Bobbart,

Have you tried to switch the color temperature to Black & White?

Also, I notice that DVD players have a HUGE impact on PQ.
I have bought the LDA-531 and according to general review from customer (and I do share their point), the quality is very good, but I have no B&W to try it with.

I posted this in the general board but got only one reply. As this is on a Hitachi I would like to find out if anyone else with this family of plasma has seen anything like this.
--------------------------------------------
I have a Hitachi 42HDT52 and am generally quite happy with the set. However, there has been an ongoing problem with black and white movies. There will inevitably be false colors in the grey areas where the images transition from light to dark. These are always dull reds or greens.

I watched “Good Night and Good Luck” last evening and the false colors were very distracting. I have tried every adjustment that I can find on the set (brightness, contrast, tint, color…) but nothing seems to make any substantial difference. What is interesting is that I have never seen this in any static test patterns, only in real movies.

So, can anyone tell me what this is? Could it be an artifact of my DVD player (an older Pioneer 343)?

Any input would be appreciated.

I have not seen “Good Night and Good Luck” but I did watch Sin City in HD from my Comcast cable box. I saw no such color artifacts. Check your cables as well. What kind of cable are you using from your DVD to display (svideo or component)? I will try to netflix “Good Night and Good Luck”.

Does anyone who compared the Hitachi models with Panasonic and Pioneers during their buying decision have some insights they'd like to share as to what made their decision for them? I'm going to look at the Hitachi today, but any insight would be appreciated...I don't have anybody to take with me that knows a crap about this other than me!

Trent

You won't really know until you look at the unit with your sources. Bring a DVD with you. Try to get them to compare with the same player and cables and backround lighting. Good luck. Get me a plane ticket I'll come!

Hello Bobbart,

Have you tried to switch the color temperature to Black & White?

Also, I notice that DVD players have a HUGE impact on PQ.
I have bought the LDA-531 and according to general review from customer (and I do share their point), the quality is very good, but I have no B&W to try it with.

After reading your suggestion I went into the Video setup menu and switched to Black & White with "GN&GL" playing. To my surprise this actually made the problem worse. However, while I was in that menu I noticed that when the Color Temp was set to High the picture seemed to improve. I have generally kept this setting to Standard. Anyway, after setting this to High I went through and rebalanced my Contrast, Brightness and Color settings and saw a vast improvement. There is still a little bit of the "false color" effect but now it's not so bad as to be distracting.

In general I can't help but think that I need to find a way to get a professional calibration of my display. I don't live in a metro area so finding someone that can do this is a bit more difficult.


I have not seen “Good Night and Good Luck” but I did watch Sin City in HD from my Comcast cable box. I saw no such color artifacts. Check your cables as well. What kind of cable are you using from your DVD to display (svideo or component)? I will try to netflix “Good Night and Good Luck”.

As noted above I was able to mostly adjust this away with the change in Color Temp. However, I have decided to go ahead and upgrade my DVD player anyway. I have ordered an Oppo 971H and I'm curious to see if this makes any difference in this issue.

@Bobbart,
What did you use to calibrate your TV?
Usually, it would be recommended to turn down (or off) most of the "enhancement" feature before calibration.
As far as adjusting brightness & contrast for "B&W" (with all Grey graduation), I found that DVE Reverse Gray Ramps (Title 12, Chapter 14) is a good reference.

Does anyone who compared the Hitachi models with Panasonic and Pioneers during their buying decision have some insights they'd like to share as to what made their decision for them? I'm going to look at the Hitachi today, but any insight would be appreciated...I don't have anybody to take with me that knows a crap about this other than me!

Trent

Hi Trent,
I was also going for Pioneer or Panny because of general review/forum when I went for Hitachi (55HDM71)., mainly for feature vs. price.

When searching around, depending on the shop I was visiting, sometime A brand was looking better than B, sometime opposite. So I think that unless you are willing to play with the calibration of the TV in the store, it is difficult to really compare models side by side.

Also be careful of those demo running in the background.
The SD vs HD demo the tech did in the shop was horrible!
At home, SD look almost as good as HD on a 55" (on a HD cable box)!, so I think some of the demo might be biased.

It is a wise advice to bring your own DVD (some are know to be good reference).
Then, here again, the connectors that will be used, but essentially the DVD player will make a big difference, so make sure that they use exactly the same material for comparison.

Lastly, when back home, you won't have the possibility to compare between models, so I would say that buying a A brand because dark are looking a little bit better than B brand is not the best idea.
If you're OK with price, overall PQ, design & feature, go for the model you like, and don't emphasis too much on side by side comparison.

Just got a tag that printed out this morning for a 55HDS69. Its specs on the tag are as follows (not sure if they're accurate yet or not, they're not in my warehouse yet, if anyone can find more detailed info pls PM it to me. Google has zero info as of yet):

1366x768
ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners
3 (that's right THREE) HDMI Inputs
CableCARD
PIP

All other specs (such as the USB, what jacks are on the side, the number of component video inputs, etc are unknown to me at this time until more detailed information crops up somewhere)

Just thought i'd spread the word.

My Impressions Today:

As some of you who have been following the thread know, I have been attempting to choose between 3 displays: The Panasonic 42PX600U, the Pioneer 4360HD, and the Hitachi 42HDX62 (Director's Series). The Hitachi entered my consciousness rather late, but I've gotten very excited about its features.

Obviously the Panasonic is not yet available, but if Panasonic follows the trend of last year, PQ will be the same as the 60U set, with added features and (oh please, oh please) a nicer looking bezel. I worked under this assumption, using the 60U as comparison.

I viewed the 60U Panasonic, Pioneer and the Hitachi at Best Buy/Magnolia today. Sources for the sets are listed.

Panasonic 60(0)U
Viewed using Best Buy demo loop and DirecTV HD. Black levels are the best of the three. Bezel is disgusting (hopefully 600U will fix). The feature set will be the most limited, it seems. Price will presumably be lowest. Good pop to the picture, very good overall.
Major Concerns: LOTS of grain in the picture with the BB feed. Pioneer did not exhibit this on the same feed. Can't tell much about this set because I'm just speculating based on the 60.

Pioneer 4360HD
Viewed using Best Buy demo loop and DirecTV HD. Black levels slightly worse than Panasonic, still completely acceptable. This set just pops off the wall with vibrant color, giving it what I believe to be the best PQ of the three. Love the bezel, indifferent to the media receiver. Looked amazing on HD, decent on SD. Like the feature set, like the name.
Major Concerns: Green push. Noticable green tint that I've seen on several different Pioneers. I've played with color settings a lot when I used to sell these, never could solve it. Don't want to go into the service menu, or immediately have to ISF it. Don't like the silver base that doesn't swivel. Most expensive of the three.

Hitachi Director's Series
Viewed using DirecTV HD and Denon DVD 2910. Black levels significantly worse than both others. Had access to remote (Very nice, but I'll use Harmony) and brightness, color temperature, black expander and other settings didn't improve this much. Blacks are my major concern with this set - they were acceptable under light, barely acceptable and noticably worse than my $300 JVC tube when the room was dark. Love the power swivel, color adjustments, and other cool features. Definitely the best feature set, maybe tied for the best looks (Pioneer). HD picture quality just didn't pop for some reason, but looked clear. It just wasn't that IMPRESSIVE, though, hard to say why. SD looked excellent to my eyes, best of the three. I will likely do a lot of SD viewing.
Major Concerns: Two things that would be deal breakers - 1) Irritating false contouring both from DVD and HD. Played with settings a lot, and couldn't completely eliminate it. Faces looked cut out from paper at some ponts. 2) Lag. Picture noticably tailed the audio. This makes me think a lot of processing is taking place, perhaps due to the 1024x1024 resolution. The problem comes with video gaming. If I'm pressing buttons, and things are happening on the screen a noticably later, that will be bad, and the set will go back. Also, this would be a big deal with other sources as well.

I can probably get good deals on any of the three since they're all carried by the Best Buy where I used to work. My pals can probably help me out. Especially considering I know a trick to figure out BB's cost on the units.

These are my comments, and I welcome yours, especially on the Hitachi. If there are ways to solve the issues I mentioned, I'd love to hear them. I'd also like comments on what I observed to be an image that just didn't pop like the other two sets, with that eyecatching HD vividness.

Thanks!

Trent

As noted above I was able to mostly adjust this away with the change in Color Temp. However, I have decided to go ahead and upgrade my DVD player anyway. I have ordered an Oppo 971H and I'm curious to see if this makes any difference in this issue.

I have the 42HDT52A, and the Oppo 971H, and watched Good Night and Good Luck last weekend. With my color settings to "Standard" and everything set to my eyeball calibration, I did not see any false color artifacts. Nor did I with Sin City, or some other assorted old B&W films.

I can say the combination of the Hitachi and the Oppo has made me very happy, and glad that I can wait out the HD-DVD/BluRay battle and not feel I'm missing anything!

Good comparison of the 3 major models. I will say that I think the black levels are worse on the Hitachi over the Panny that I have but not by much. Having had both side by side in my house and calibrated it was slight. I will say that the Picture picture "pops" while the Hitachi seems to be more finicky. I have calibrated the Hitachi several different ways but still have not got the picture to "pop" to where I am saying that it is amazing. I do think the Hitachi picture looks "smoother" and several people preferred this set to the Panny. The Hitachi trumps all when it comes to features (which the Panny lacks in every respect). I am constantly using these features so if it was up to me I would buy the Hitachi again and with the money saved (over the Pioneer anyways) I would buy nice supporting equipment. The Pioneer always looks great but I have noticed the green push as well on some of the sets. I tried messing with it to fix and could not get it corrected (at the store anyways). Plus they are just too darn expensive.

@ Tdavis

Any reason why you could'nt view the Hitachi using Best Buy demo loop and DirecTV HD?
It was the same for me when buying af FS (=BB). Could it be that they prefer to sell more expensive set?

As fas as my set is concerned (55HDM71) the "pop-up" is there, depending on the source.
It's great on Discovery HD and not so visible on HD 4:3, made from upconverted SD and streched to 16:9!

I think the demo (and setting) are made for "popping up" with very bright color + "torch setting" on screen.
I would not base my choice on the demo in the store, especially if I could'nt see the 3 set with the same reference material.
In my case (Canada/Videotron), few channels offer the quality of HD sources that you have seen as a demo anyway.

@ Tdavis

Any reason why you could'nt view the Hitachi using Best Buy demo loop and DirecTV HD?


Yes. The Pioneer and Panasonic were located inside the core Best Buy store, while the Hitachi was located inside the Magnolia Home Theater demo room. The demo loop doesn't run in there.

Had access to remote (Very nice, but I'll use Harmony).
Me to! 676


Blacks are my major concern with this set - they were acceptable under light, barely acceptable and noticably worse than my $300 JVC tube when the room was dark.
HD picture quality just didn't pop for some reason, but looked clear. It just wasn't that IMPRESSIVE, though, hard to say why.
Faces looked cut out from paper at some ponts.

I don't believe that I have the discerning eye that you all have, but I have watched HD content that did "pop" as you all say. The US Open and the Olympics were awesome. This also brings about the point of black levels and 3D. Unless I'm wrong (usually) the blacks levels are what give you that 3D effect. The above mentioned tennis event and some other Discovery HD content has just been jaw dropping. During the US Open they had a fly over the Ashe Stadium that made you feel like you might fall in. Like watching an IMAX film.


Lag. Picture noticably tailed the audio.

This is most likely the feed. I have not seen this yet. Take a look in the AVS HDTV Programming forum as well as other posts in this thread.


SD looked excellent to my eyes, best of the three. I will likely do a lot of SD viewing.

It really sucks. I hope we get some relief soon. The problem is that it takes a lot of $$ ot change from shooting SD to HD.

I've had some problems in the past with Panasonic consumer electronics as well as Pioneer (if it's not 'Pioneer Elite' it's junk). This time I decided to put my faith in Hitachi plus the features really sold me. Take it home see if it meets your needs. Sounds like you have that in if you need to return it.

676 for me too! Actually got it free at a BB training when I still worked for them. They could have doubled my pay and I wouldn't have been as happy! (well...maybe not). Should have seen the looks on the faces of the guys who didn't feel like going to the training when I told them we all got one!

Black Levels: This remains my primary concern. I agree with you - it seems the sets with the best blacks seem to have that vivid look. Too bad this is a weakness of the Hitachi :( because I really love it otherwise.

Posterization/Clayface/Banding: Bob, have you noticed this at all? Or do any others of you who own a Hitachi have a fix or a hypothesis on this?

Lag: The fact that you haven't seen this is very reassuring. I assumed it was the room, but the Fujitsus in there weren't exhibiting it as badly. Although apparently a power surge hit that demo room's main board last weekend, so I could have been seeing some backlash from that.

Because I'll likely be buying from my old pals at BB/Mag, I'd hate to do a take it home and exchange test - I want to buy a set and keep it, both for my benefit and out of respect for them. I always hated people returning stuff (when they simply bought quickly rather than making the best decision), plus they have to mark it down, which hurts their department. Hopefully I can get a good price!

Thanks again for your input!

Trent,
I think you will be happy with the black levels once you get it home. What kind of room are you going to put it in? I had to go with a plasma. Needed the wide viewing angle due to placement on the long run in a rectangular room. Lighting is also tricky, a skylight plus 3 large windows. Oi. Placed mine on the same cabinet my 27" Sony tube was on. Hope to build my own cabinet soon when I run my HMDI cables through the wall. Hope you can pick up your set by the weekend. Where do you work now?

Trent,
I think you will be happy with the black levels once you get it home. What kind of room are you going to put it in? I had to go with a plasma. Needed the wide viewing angle due to placement on the long run in a rectangular room. Lighting is also tricky, a skylight plus 3 large windows. Oi. Placed mine on the same cabinet my 27" Sony tube was on. Hope to build my own cabinet soon when I run my HMDI cables through the wall. Hope you can pick up your set by the weekend. Where do you work now?

Every set always looks better when you get it home, so I'm sure you're right about the blacks and PQ. I'm not going to purchase it yet, I just want to decide before the time comes, so I can go ahead and do it. I have a custom stand I built (mainly to hold my huge Paradigm center channel). It was fun to do it, but it took forever!

I am still in college, about 4 weeks from graduation, so I think it would be silly to buy right now. I can't even get HD in the dorm anyway! Plus I have other things I need to be spending money on. I have a job offer on the table now, just need to work out the details. I'd rather not say who at the moment, but they're a company in the A/V industry, and very well respected.

I had the video interference problem and the ground loop was caused by my cable and DVD player (which the Monster Power conditioner fixed the DVD ground loop but not the video interference). I purchased this Jensen Cable TV isolator and it eliminated the problem. Here is the web site: http://www.jensen-transformers.com/iso_vid.html and I bought mine on EBay for pretty cheap <$50.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the cable isolators wont work with the dish. Also I went with the Jensen because of the bandwidth pass (look for greater than 900MHZ). Some of the much cheaper isolators wont allow the higher bandwidth digital signals to pass and then you will cause other issues.

USCTrojan did you suggest the "VRD-1FF Cable TV Ground Isolator"?

Trent,
Think of the chick magnet the display would be in your dorm!

Trent,
Think of the chick magnet the display would be in your dorm!

Already got one :) and she supports my habit (so she says) :rolleyes:

http://powersports.honda.com/images/model/c028_029_030_031_photos_all/motorcycles/2006/CBR1000RR/Medium/CBR1000RR_medium_01.jpg

Get the panel and one of these and you will definitely be magnetized and mesmerized !!

Here's a question for you Hitachi owners:

I am buying my first plasma soon (next couple of months). It'll be a 42"/43" model.I really love the Pioneers because of picture quality, looks, and features. I am also considering the Panasonic PX600s when they come out (the 60 is too ugly) because of the lower cost.

I had it narrowed to these, but then the Hitachis entered the equation! I've fallen in love with their looks and the idea of all the features that nobody else has. Here's where the question comes: was your buying decision driven by picture quality primarily, or were the features and other factors the primary drivers? I'm looking into both the standard Hitachis and the Director's Series, but I haven't been able to check them out in person yet.

Did you feel the picture quality on the sets were as good as the Pioneers or Panasonics? To my eye, the Pioneers have the best picture on the market. It doesn't have to be as good as the Pioneer for me to be satisfied, but I'd sure like it to be!

Thanks for your help. Oh, and please post the model you have if you respond.

tdavis:

I purchased the 42hds52 a couple of weeks ago and could not be happier. They had it at circuit city side by side with the Panasonic 42PX60U and IMHO there is no comparison in PQ...the Hitachi won hands down. I just don't get the hype over the Panny...the PQ just isn't that good in my opinion. I don't know, maybe it had a bad hookup or bad signal, but the Hitachi was far superior. Anyhow, it looks even better now that I have it home. I have Verizon FIOS tv service and the HD channels are simply amazing. I also have the Oppo dvd player (the only way to go!) and movies like Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Pirates of the Carribbean take on a whole new meaning on this tv with the Oppo. Happy tv hunting!

I can't see that Hitachi looking better or even as good compared to any recent Panasonic (05-07).
FIOS.....I bet any plasma would look good on fiber ;)
Also, that Oppo only has DVI....and that's a big minus to me.
I will say that with minor tweaking, the 60u Panasonic did seem a big noisy but I am sure it could be dialed out.

Murray32,

I observed the HDS52 at Circuit City as well, and the PX60 seemed to beat it on "pop" and black levels. It was very grainy, however. That's what's throwing me off, it's hard to ever get a decent idea what a set is capable of in a store.

Have you observed a loss of detail in blacks with brightness set reasonably low? Also, have you noticed banding, false contouring, or clayface? Oh, and how many HD channels does Verizon offer through FIOS?

Hitachi42,
Yes I did recommend the Jenson cable TV isolator. It did completely eliminate the ground loop hum. The problem I ran into was it did not allow the HBO HD signal to pass (all other HD signals did pass i.e Discovery, InHD, TNT etc..). I am not sure why but it was the device and not my TV. So I have it but am not using it right now.

I had the hitachi and TVGOS working perfectly. Just upgraded to digital cable card and digital cable packagae from comcast. I still get all of the regular stations but the HBO and other digital stations have no listing info. Any ideas?

I can't see that Hitachi looking better or even as good compared to any recent Panasonic (05-07).
FIOS.....I bet any plasma would look good on fiber ;)
Also, that Oppo only has DVI....and that's a big minus to me.
I will say that with minor tweaking, the 60u Panasonic did seem a big noisy but I am sure it could be dialed out.

Well, like I said, everyone sees things through their own eyes. I was at CC with my wife, another guy, and a CC sales guy and we all agreed that the Hitachi was the clear winner over the Panny. It really wasn't close. But like I also said maybe the Panny had a bad hookup or signal. And you're right, the fiber definitely helps. As for the Oppo, I agree DVI only is kind of a downer. But the important thing is getting that digital video signal...and it's just incredible. I don't think you lose anything with the componenet speaker cables, it's just more of a pain than anything. By the way, I do have somewhat of a funny story. My fios installer guy was hooking up my HD DVR and told me that even though I had an HDMI hookup in my tv and on the DVR, I would still need to use the component audio cables. I was flabbergasted. I told him that HDMI was a digital video AND audio connection. He said, and I quote, "No it's not. It's video only. Believe me, I took an 8 hour class on this and I do this for a living." I fainted. He said the only way to get the digital audio was to HOOK UP A FIREWIRE CONNECTION WHICH MY TV DID NOT HAVE SO HE WAS JUST GOING TO "JUST" USE COMPONENT AUDIO CABLES! I fainted again. So I stood back and let him hook it all up. After he was done I said, "hold on a second." I then looked behind the tv, and noticed he had linked the DVR to the tv with the following: HDMI cable, component audio cables AND component video cables. I fainted a third time. So, I just unhooked all the component cables and gave them back to him and said "I won't be needing these." When the audio on the tv remained on he turned pretty red faced and said "this is not what the told me in my class!!" The bad thing is that there are probably hundreds of homes in Dallas with HD DVRs from Fios that are hooked to tv's by HDMI and component. Other than that the customer service was excellent; the installers were fast, friendly and very helpful!

Murray32,

I observed the HDS52 at Circuit City as well, and the PX60 seemed to beat it on "pop" and black levels. It was very grainy, however. That's what's throwing me off, it's hard to ever get a decent idea what a set is capable of in a store.

Have you observed a loss of detail in blacks with brightness set reasonably low? Also, have you noticed banding, false contouring, or clayface? Oh, and how many HD channels does Verizon offer through FIOS?

I thought the Hitachi was just much smoother than the Panny. Yes, the Panny seemed very grainy. I used the Monster Video Calibration wizard DVD which helped me set my black levels and overall picture. I have my brightness set at 50% and that seems pretty close to what I've seen other hitachi owners have. I've seen none of the issues on my tv you mentioned (Banding, clayface, etc.). I think the fios helps. From what I hear (from several sources) fios is about 30 - 35% better PQwise than cable or satellite. I never had a chance to personally compare the HD picture between satellite and Fios because I went from a 27" square tv using directv standard def to a hitachi 42" plasma using fios hi-def.

I get the following (free) HD channels:
Local stations: Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, etc.,
Other: TNT HD, ESPN HD, ESPN 2 HD, HDNET, HDNET Movies, Universal HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic HD, Wealth TV HD, MTV HD

Well, like I said, everyone sees things through their own eyes. I was at CC with my wife, another guy, and a CC sales guy and we all agreed that the Hitachi was the clear winner over the Panny. It really wasn't close. But like I also said maybe the Panny had a bad hookup or signal. And you're right, the fiber definitely helps. As for the Oppo, I agree DVI only is kind of a downer. But the important thing is getting that digital video signal...and it's just incredible. I don't think you lose anything with the componenet speaker cables, it's just more of a pain than anything. By the way, I do have somewhat of a funny story. My fios installer guy was hooking up my HD DVR and told me that even though I had an HDMI hookup in my tv and on the DVR, I would still need to use the component audio cables. I was flabbergasted. I told him that HDMI was a digital video AND audio connection. He said, and I quote, "No it's not. It's video only. Believe me, I took an 8 hour class on this and I do this for a living." I fainted. He said the only way to get the digital audio was to HOOK UP A FIREWIRE CONNECTION WHICH MY TV DID NOT HAVE SO HE WAS JUST GOING TO "JUST" USE COMPONENT AUDIO CABLES! I fainted again. So I stood back and let him hook it all up. After he was done I said, "hold on a second." I then looked behind the tv, and noticed he had linked the DVR to the tv with the following: HDMI cable, component audio cables AND component video cables. I fainted a third time. So, I just unhooked all the component cables and gave them back to him and said "I won't be needing these." When the audio on the tv remained on he turned pretty red faced and said "this is not what the told me in my class!!" The bad thing is that there are probably hundreds of homes in Dallas with HD DVRs from Fios that are hooked to tv's by HDMI and component. Other than that the customer service was excellent; the installers were fast, friendly and very helpful!

Very true, and I actually was going to buy a 55HDX62 before buying my 50PX500u.
Hitachi is a great brand, no question. I still have a Hitachi tube and, just like my JVC 31" tube, it's still going all these years.
Typical about the installer. I have HDMI to my plasma and will have optical to my receiver from the plasma when I am done with the wiring since I have it wall mounted. I was also going to get the Oppo but the Pan S97 was a better choice for me.
I also was not impressed with every PX60u displayed in the stores although, on paper, it seems to be the best choice.
Now just need a BR player and be really set :D

Well, like I said, everyone sees things through their own eyes. I was at CC with my wife, another guy, and a CC sales guy and we all agreed that the Hitachi was the clear winner over the Panny.

I agree to an extent that the when I did compare the PQs on the two were just about the same. As a matter of fact in some case I saw some extra details on the Hitachi PQ (I didn't check the settings). But as I said with the PQ compareable, Hitachi was the overall winner considering the power swivel, all black finish, side speakers and so the killer looks.

I agree to an extent that the when I did compare the PQs on the two were just about the same. As a matter of fact in some case I saw some extra details on the Hitachi PQ (I didn't check the settings). But as I said with the PQ compareable, Hitachi was the overall winner considering the power swivel, all black finish, side speakers and so the killer looks.

I love the looks and the power swivel. I thought the swivel was something I'd never use...but I find myself using it at least once a day. BTW, this tv seems to really, really shine at night. I have a ton of glare in my house (lots of windows) and although the tv looks good during the day, the glossy surface of the plasma does reflect somewhat. But at night with the lights down the PQ really really pops.

I have a Hitachit 42HDT52A Plasma TV and I’m struggling to get the TV Guide updated. I’ve done the setup numerous times to no avail. I have a Comcast digital DVR player (Motorola 810 is what the TV settled on), with IR cables all hooked up. The DVR is input to both Input 4 (using RGB cables) and Input-2 using HDMI. When the TV is turned off after I complete setup, I see the cable box channels start to change 01, 02, 03, etc. So, I’m assuming the TV and the DVR are communicating via the IR link, but the guide never has data, even after 24 hours or more. Has anyone ever been successful getting TV Guide to update using a Comcast DVR digital cable box? Can anyone offer some insight as to why the guide never gets updated? Your assistance is appreciated. Regards, Michael

One thing I do know is that the info download is approximately 2 to 3 hours long 4 times a day. If the tv is on at any of those times it will not finish and the TVGOS will wait for the next complete download cycle. I do not know when the broadcast downloads occur but I do know several are during the day. I originally had nothing during th ebreakin period but then went on vacation and all of the non-digital channels did populate. I still cant get the digital channels to populate. If you cab get the free PBS station over the regular (not cable) airwaves, you may want to try setting an antenna to your TV and then resetting the TVGOS to use the antenna for search. The other thing to try is setting the zip code to a diffrent area that is near you - especially if you are close to a city. try this after doing a wait period to see if anything downloads. The whole DVR thing throws another wrench into the process though.

I love the looks and the power swivel. I thought the swivel was something I'd never use...but I find myself using it at least once a day. BTW, this tv seems to really, really shine at night. I have a ton of glare in my house (lots of windows) and although the tv looks good during the day, the glossy surface of the plasma does reflect somewhat. But at night with the lights down the PQ really really pops.

I totally agree, the PQ during night is just awesome

Quick Question...

Just bought the 42HDS52. Great looking tv BTW. Now the thing is I will not be hooking up the TV until July (Awaiting new home construction, and not feasible at current location) Had to buy the TV now for various reasons: Got a GREAT deal, [EDIT] including a $1300.00 Polk speaker set I was going to get regardless. Also We are having our first child next month and I am fully aware that my wife will never allow me to spend that kind of money ever again.

Now my question is: If I hook it up to check it is A - Ok, will it harm the plasma at all to keep it turned off for 3 months after that?? Or should i not even hook it up to test?

Thanks in advance.
Dave

PS- thanks for all the reviews it def. helped my buying decision.
PPS- Sorry for the pricetalk (I knew that rule too, doh!)

I would hook it up, test it out and make sure everything works because it is likely there is a specific time that you can not exceed for returns. I would set it up just as you would really use it. Test all of the inputs, get cable to work and definitely look for dead pixels. Although in reality the dead pixels will be much harder to find on this set because the pixels are so much smaller. definetly do not wait.

I know I've asked several times, and gotten several responses, but to avoid starting a brand new thread, I'd like to know: Did any of you narrow your choice down to the Pioneer 4360 and Hitachi 42HDX62? If so, what made the Hitachi your choice?

I looked at the 4360 but it was just way to expensive to justify the negligable/perceived difference in picture. The Hitachi has so many features that it is hard to think of what they did NOT include. The Power swivel is just icing on the cake and I use it every day. In all honesty unless you are a super videophile who will be annoyed by that .002% decrease in black levels - I would go for the Hitachi and save the money for other equipment. Get a nice power conditioner and surround sound speakers etc...
The Pioneer is an awesome TV but I did notice a green tilt. Black levels looked awesome. But the Hitachi has more pixels and a "smoother" picture look. More than a few people at my house actually preferred this TV (Hitachi) over my Panny. The Hitachi will also let you expand HD signal sources a few different ways including vertical size expansion so that you can get the picture perfect without those annoying bars. I also thought that additional pioneer receiver was just another annoyance if you are not going to hang the TV on the wall. Makes sense for hanging on the wall though.

I have several previous posts about problems that I have had with false color banding on my 42HDT52. This all started when I watched the B&W DVD "Good Night and Good Luck". There was an enormous amount of false color in the gray areas that made the film hard to enjoy. Since then I have been on something of a quest to get to the bottom of this issue on my set.

I have upgraded my DVD player to an OPPO and tried every adjustment that I can find to try to address the problem. The problem is actually VERY easy to see using a calibration disk. I have Avia and the problem is easily seen on the "Vertical Gray Ramp" test screen. Instead of a smooth transition from white to black there are several (5 or 6) clearly discernable red/green color bands evenly spaced from the top of the screen to the bottom among the grey. These are present (as vertical bands) on the "Horizontal Gray Ramp" also, but not nearly so pronounced.

I called Hitachi Support and they seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. I am getting a firmware upgrade but I have no idea if this will help. My current version is 0110.0001. If the firmware doesn't help I am going to make a service call.

For those who have the 42HDS/T52 sets that also have access to calibration disks, have you ever seen this issue? Is this just a limitation of this family of plasma?

I really do like the images and as long as the colors are bright the picture is fantastic. However, I am very frustrated with this issue/limitation/malfunction.

I have several previous posts about problems that I have had with false color banding on my 42HDT52. This all started when I watched the B&W DVD "Good Night and Good Luck". There was an enormous amount of false color in the gray areas that made the film hard to enjoy. Since then I have been on something of a quest to get to the bottom of this issue on my set.

I have upgraded my DVD player to an OPPO and tried every adjustment that I can find to try to address the problem. The problem is actually VERY easy to see using a calibration disk. I have Avia and the problem is easily seen on the "Vertical Gray Ramp" test screen. Instead of a smooth transition from white to black there are several (5 or 6) clearly discernable red/green color bands evenly spaced from the top of the screen to the bottom among the grey. These are present (as vertical bands) on the "Horizontal Gray Ramp" also, but not nearly so pronounced.

I called Hitachi Support and they seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. I am getting a firmware upgrade but I have no idea if this will help. My current version is 0110.0001. If the firmware doesn't help I am going to make a service call.

For those who have the 42HDS/T52 sets that also have access to calibration disks, have you ever seen this issue? Is this just a limitation of this family of plasma?

I really do like the images and as long as the colors are bright the picture is fantastic. However, I am very frustrated with this issue/limitation/malfunction.

bob:

Sounds like you might have a problem with your tv. I calibrated my tv with a calibration dvd sold by Monster and have never seen any color banding. I also have an Oppo and watched Good Night Good Luck on it about a week ago. I never saw any color banding whatsoever and the black/grays looked great. I specifically watched Good Night to test black and grays within my 30 day return period (bought my hitachi at CC). I spent (to the dismay of my wife) about half the movie standing 2 feet away from the screen. If there had been a color banding problem I would have been able to return the tv. Anyhow, the only advice I can give you is to perhaps buy a new dvi cable (try monoprice, great cables/low prices). Maybe the one you are using is bad? By the way, it seems that there are more complaints on this board with the 42HDT than the 42HDS. That's not a scientific survey on my part just an observation. Not sure why this is as the hds and hdt are essentially the same tv. If all else fails, just have them take it back under warranty.

bob:

Sounds like you might have a problem with your tv. I calibrated my tv with a calibration dvd sold by Monster and have never seen any color banding. I also have an Oppo and watched Good Night Good Luck on it about a week ago. I never saw any color banding whatsoever and the black/grays looked great. I specifically watched Good Night to test black and grays within my 30 day return period (bought my hitachi at CC). I spent (to the dismay of my wife) about half the movie standing 2 feet away from the screen. If there had been a color banding problem I would have been able to return the tv. Anyhow, the only advice I can give you is to perhaps buy a new dvi cable (try monoprice, great cables/low prices). Maybe the one you are using is bad? By the way, it seems that there are more complaints on this board with the 42HDT than the 42HDS. That's not a scientific survey on my part just an observation. Not sure why this is as the hds and hdt are essentially the same tv. If all else fails, just have them take it back under warranty.

P.S. I have a 42HDS

@Bobbhart
Did you turn off the CNR (Color Noise Reduction) and CTI (Color Signal Sharpness)?
Make sure that all other enhancement feature are turned down/off as well (YNR, LTI, Black Enhancement, Auto Color, Color Temp. Adjustment)

If this doesn't work, you might want to revert to factory setting (Reset).

UPDATE (of sorts): So to anyone who remembers the issues I was having (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7278593&&#post7278593) with my HDF52, here's where we are now. My display has been at the local repair shop for over 5 weeks now! I'm told they are waiting on a backordered part, but five weeks? So basically I've been without a working plasma since February. I've called Hitachi on several occasions, only for them to get short with me, and tell me there's nothing they can do but wait for the part. As far as I'm concerned this is completely ridiculous. You shell out a large sum of money for a product, and this is what you get? Does anyone here have any suggestions as to what I can do to just get something going on here?

I would hook it up, test it out and make sure everything works because it is likely there is a specific time that you can not exceed for returns. I would set it up just as you would really use it. Test all of the inputs, get cable to work and definitely look for dead pixels. Although in reality the dead pixels will be much harder to find on this set because the pixels are so much smaller. definetly do not wait.


Thanks. Will do.

Gaming Question

Gents,

A great thread. Apologies in advance if the following issue has already been hashed out (I couldn't see it skimming the thread):

* I have a 55HDX62 (the 55" Director's Series) installed. Everything has been working great. No noticeble flicker issue, I'm happy with everything so far.

Until today that is: for the first time, plugged in the Xbox (the original, not the 360) and the game Halo. There is a sizeable, noticeable lag. So much that I'd say it is unplayable. I perused the manual to see if there is something I could tweak, and went through all the aspect changes (cut the screen size to see if that would help), nothing made any difference.

I will call Hitachi during business hours, but just wanted to post this to see if anyone has come across it and knows of a fix.

I have the Xbox directly connected (the yellow, white and red connectors) to the input #5 position (easily accessible on the side of the tv).

Any help appreciated, thank you!

UPDATE (of sorts): So to anyone who remembers the issues I was having (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7278593&&#post7278593) with my HDF52, here's where we are now. My display has been at the local repair shop for over 5 weeks now! I'm told they are waiting on a backordered part, but five weeks? So basically I've been without a working plasma since February. I've called Hitachi on several occasions, only for them to get short with me, and tell me there's nothing they can do but wait for the part. As far as I'm concerned this is completely ridiculous. You shell out a large sum of money for a product, and this is what you get? Does anyone here have any suggestions as to what I can do to just get something going on here?

I would tell them to keep the TV and give you a new one in its place. Five weeks for something you paid thousands of dollars on and you can't enjoy it is unsatisfactory. I would go above Hitachi's Customer Service Center Rep and talk directly with a supervisor about your issue. Otherwise, go back to where you bought the TV and tell them you want your money back.

Scott

I have a question regarding the 55HDT52 and the 42HDT52. Every store I have looked at so far have been selling the 55HDT52 for about $3000(MSRP) more then the 42HDT52. But when I look at the compared spec sheets available online they are almost identical except for the native res and the digital display. Also the 42" comes with a stand and the remote controlled base. Does the extra 13" of screen really cost $3000 more? I do understand that the price of panels increase exponentially with the size but $3000 more and no stand. Am I missing something here that the 55HDT52 has over the 42HDT52?

I really like both of these panels a lot and stopped my almost positive purchase of the similar panny. So any help with the differences would be greatly appreciated because I can not account for the $3000 price difference (Maybe $1500 more).

I was watching a movie the other night with the ceiling fan on in the family room and was getting interference on my 55HDX62. As soon as I turned off the ceiling fan the problem went away. Anyone else have issues like this?

Scott

For those who have the 42HDS/T52 sets that also have access to calibration disks, have you ever seen this issue? Is this just a limitation of this family of plasma?

I really do like the images and as long as the colors are bright the picture is fantastic. However, I am very frustrated with this issue/limitation/malfunction.

I own an HDT52 and have not encountered the problem you described. In fact, have never had a problem at all.

I know I've asked several times, and gotten several responses, but to avoid starting a brand new thread, I'd like to know: Did any of you narrow your choice down to the Pioneer 4360 and Hitachi 42HDX62? If so, what made the Hitachi your choice?

Not sure if this was directed towards me, but I will answer anyhow :)

I narrowed my decision down to the Hitachi and a Panny. To be honest the reason I chose the Hitachi was because of the design, the all black will go much better in our new place.

I found the quality to be the same (Could have been cables etc. at Futureshop) but for us the design has to be great as this will more or less be the centrepiece of our livingroom.

Not sure if this was directed towards me, but I will answer anyhow :)

I narrowed my decision down to the Hitachi and a Panny. To be honest the reason I chose the Hitachi was because of the design, the all black will go much better in our new place.

I found the quality to be the same (Could have been cables etc. at Futureshop) but for us the design has to be great as this will more or less be the centrepiece of our livingroom.

This is one of the reasons we didn't go with the Panny or the NEC models... asthetics. We didn't like the silver frame or the black mat finish on the other models. The Hitachi is asthetically a much better looking plasma then most other plasmas out there (Pioneer Elite being one of the best looking as well).

I own an HDT52 and have not encountered the problem you described. In fact, have never had a problem at all.

Is that a 42HDT52? If so, what is your firmware version?

I am really beginning to think that I have something either broken or seriously out of adjustment in ways that I can't address through the regular user menu. I seem to be seeing these false colors and color banding far worse than anyone else has reported.

I was watching a movie the other night with the ceiling fan on in the family room and was getting interference on my 55HDX62. As soon as I turned off the ceiling fan the problem went away. Anyone else have issues like this?

Scott
Seems like you need a power conditioner.

Seems like you need a power conditioner.

Have one... Panamax 5300 with a panamax in wall outlet.

Hitachi42,
Yes I did recommend the Jenson cable TV isolator. It did completely eliminate the ground loop hum. The problem I ran into was it did not allow the HBO HD signal to pass (all other HD signals did pass i.e Discovery, InHD, TNT etc..). I am not sure why but it was the device and not my TV. So I have it but am not using it right now.

Thanks a lot USCTrojan, the transformer did eliminate those hum bars and now I am a relieved person. If only I could make comcast pay the 50+ bucks I spent on the isolator I would be a really happy person. But I am able to get the HBOHD without any problem. Did you try changing your STB?

If anyone else have the same problem (I had a hum bar moving horizontally on my screen due to the ground loop issue) get the Jensen ISO-MAX VRD-1FF Cable TV Ground Isolator and it did isolate them.

Hitachi42,

Tell us if you ever find out where that hum is coming from. It is not normal. Since the isolator removed the bars it would likely be your cable. I'd contact your county government. They should have a complaint/unresolved issue line.

Good luck.

Have one... Panamax 5300 with a panamax in wall outlet.
Strange, you would have thought that would eliminate it. Your issue seems to be the same as when someone is using a hairdryer/vaccum which creates interference in the picture of the TV.

Not sure how to fix that but you may want to check out this site (http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/interference/index.htm).

Strange, you would have thought that would eliminate it. Your issue seems to be the same as when someone is using a hairdryer/vaccum which creates interference in the picture of the TV.

Not sure how to fix that but you may want to check out this site (http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/interference/index.htm).

Might be because they are on the same circuit... not sure. My AV installers are going to address it when they come back out.

Lucky66- at VO in Portland the difference in price is about 1500 between the 42 and 55.

ws6whiteshark,

Could this be the same problem I am facing with a visible horizontal line across the center of the screen. I posted my problem 2 pages back.

I've tried using a Panamax conditioner and still does not eliminate the problem. Altho, I've tried turning everything off in my media room (lights, music, etc.) so only the Plasma is powered on, still does not eliminate it. Its getting frustrating and if you have any progress with ur a/v guy, pls let us know.

tks.

hi all, i have a 42HDS52 set to be delivered tmrw so i'm just reading up on some much needed info...

i'll post up some impressions after i get the tv installed, but a question i have now is how long should i watch everything streched out so i break-in the tv properly and prevent burnin. also, is there a difference between watching HD and SD during the break-in process? the thing that has me the most worried right now after going through all these posts is flickering... how is a good way to test is while the people are here hooking up the tv, i have a relativly cheap dvd player so i don't know if that is going to play a role

any extra info you'd think i need would be awesome, thanks for the help

ws6whiteshark,

Could this be the same problem I am facing with a visible horizontal line across the center of the screen. I posted my problem 2 pages back.

I've tried using a Panamax conditioner and still does not eliminate the problem. Altho, I've tried turning everything off in my media room (lights, music, etc.) so only the Plasma is powered on, still does not eliminate it. Its getting frustrating and if you have any progress with ur a/v guy, pls let us know.

tks.

Will do.

Scott

Psycho792,

I don't recall anyone with a 42HDS52 posting a flicker issue. As far as hookups go, what kind of SD/HD source (cable or sat.) are you going to feed it. What input (hmdi, component, etc.)? Don't worry too much about the break-in period. Read the "official burn-in" thread in the root of this forum and be mindful of station logos and lines. Welcome to the club.

hi all, i have a 42HDS52 set to be delivered tmrw so i'm just reading up on some much needed info...

i'll post up some impressions after i get the tv installed, but a question i have now is how long should i watch everything streched out so i break-in the tv properly and prevent burnin. also, is there a difference between watching HD and SD during the break-in process? the thing that has me the most worried right now after going through all these posts is flickering... how is a good way to test is while the people are here hooking up the tv, i have a relativly cheap dvd player so i don't know if that is going to play a role

any extra info you'd think i need would be awesome, thanks for the help

yea, don't get too worried about break in. Just perhaps turn your brightness down to around 50% and go with the flow. I've not done anything special during the break in period and I've had no issues. I've had my TV about three weeks now.

hi all, i have a 42HDS52 set to be delivered tmrw so i'm just reading up on some much needed info...

i'll post up some impressions after i get the tv installed, but a question i have now is how long should i watch everything streched out so i break-in the tv properly and prevent burnin. also, is there a difference between watching HD and SD during the break-in process? the thing that has me the most worried right now after going through all these posts is flickering... how is a good way to test is while the people are here hooking up the tv, i have a relativly cheap dvd player so i don't know if that is going to play a role

any extra info you'd think i need would be awesome, thanks for the help

P.S. get yourself and Oppo dvd player...

hi all, i have a 42HDS52 set to be delivered tmrw so i'm just reading up on some much needed info...

i'll post up some impressions after i get the tv installed, but a question i have now is how long should i watch everything streched out so i break-in the tv properly and prevent burnin. also, is there a difference between watching HD and SD during the break-in process? the thing that has me the most worried right now after going through all these posts is flickering... how is a good way to test is while the people are here hooking up the tv, i have a relativly cheap dvd player so i don't know if that is going to play a role

any extra info you'd think i need would be awesome, thanks for the help

I just bought mine recently and toned down pretty much most of the video settings to less than 50%. Don't worry about watching HD/SD during the break-in period it doesn't matter (believe me you are not gonna spend too much time on SD after loking at HD), but just make sure you don't watch any programs with the black bars (even Hitachi advises you not to). Also try not spending more than a n hour or two on channels like ESPNews and CNN which has scrolling news bar. As for the DVD player the better the player and the cable the better would be the PQ. No flicker issues reported so far on the HDS model.

If you need to buy an extended warranty there is a thread on that (Mack warranty ) which is really cheap compared to other warranties. Also if you need any video/audio cables go to monoprice.com. Welcome to the club and enjoy the fun!!!!

hey guys thanks for the welcoming and useful responses...
this is going to be hooked up to a SA8300 HD cable box, and for now its getting component cables, but i'll probably be ordering a HDMI cable from monoprice sometime soon. so i guess theres nothing much to look for except physical damages and blatant visual imperfections in the PQ. i'll keep in mind to tone down all settings to 50~... one other question is that when i was at time warner today i saw one of their sample tvs with a HD box and i saw white streaks once in a while during the broadcast, is that normal or maybe it was a bad tv?

oh, and i plan on watching all the yankee games so should i try switching channels whenever i can for the first few weeks so that the scoreboard doesn't get burnt in?

Hey everyone, greetings from Calgary!

I bought a 42HDS52A from The Brick 2 weeks ago and have had a flickering problem as described earlier in this thread. In low light scenes, the screen contrast goes into what I call "epileptic mode" - haha - should be self-explanatory! This is particularly noticeable in the Moria scenes in the Fellowship of the Ring, but I have seen it in virtually every movie I've watched since getting the TV, including HDMI, component, and rabbit-ear peasant vision. Contrary to the above recent posts, I had read that others with the 42" had the same issue in this thread, and the word is we're all still waiting for Hitachi to acknowledge the problem and release a firmware update as they did with the 55" models.

I've had a couple of certified techs look at my TV as recommended by Hitachi's support. Of course they all say this is the first time they've ever seen it or heard of it, but I know I'm not the only one. I asked about the firmware fix for the 55", and Hitachi support told me that upgrade was released only to address an audio/video sync problem for those models.

I'm getting nowhere with this. I've committed to fight with The Brick customer service for an exchange next week for a different brand if I don't hear anything from either the techs that have looked at my set or Hitachi's support. In the event I am able to exchange, I have a couple of models in mind that have been recommended to me - Samsung's HR4252 or Philips' 42PF7320A. Although these sets aren't as aesthetically pleasing, my videophile friends have no complaints at all with them.

Thoughts, suggestions welcome! Thanks in advance!

bioneuron,

Then lets start the poll.
Those of us who have the 42HD*52* (42HDS52, 42HDX52, 42HDT...).
Does your set flicker?

Mine does not.

42HDS69

What do you all think of the new Hitachi 42HDS69 Plasma?
Specs that stand out.
• Color: ........................................Silver
• Resolution: ...1024 (H) x 1080 (V) x 3
• 3 HMDI inputs
• 23lbs lighter than the 42hds52
• An additional HD aspect mode
• No "Click and Roll" remote
• No USB input

Not sure I like the silver color. Maybe I'm just jaded from the pannys.

Just got a tag that printed out this morning for a 55HDS69. Its specs on the tag are as follows (not sure if they're accurate yet or not, they're not in my warehouse yet, if anyone can find more detailed info pls PM it to me. Google has zero info as of yet):

1366x768
ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners
3 (that's right THREE) HDMI Inputs
CableCARD
PIP

All other specs (such as the USB, what jacks are on the side, the number of component video inputs, etc are unknown to me at this time until more detailed information crops up somewhere)

Just thought i'd spread the word.

Not sure how the 1024/1080 on the 42HDS69 relates to the 55HDS69's 1366x768. But it does look like the next generation sets are here. I hope they are all not silver.

i have the 42hdt52a. never seen flicker either before or after firmware upgrade.

Hey everyone, greetings from Calgary!

I bought a 42HDS52A from The Brick 2 weeks ago and have had a flickering problem as described earlier in this thread. In low light scenes, the screen contrast goes into what I call "epileptic mode" - haha - should be self-explanatory! This is particularly noticeable in the Moria scenes in the Fellowship of the Ring, but I have seen it in virtually every movie I've watched since getting the TV, including HDMI, component, and rabbit-ear peasant vision. Contrary to the above recent posts, I had read that others with the 42" had the same issue in this thread, and the word is we're all still waiting for Hitachi to acknowledge the problem and release a firmware update as they did with the 55" models.

I've had a couple of certified techs look at my TV as recommended by Hitachi's support. Of course they all say this is the first time they've ever seen it or heard of it, but I know I'm not the only one. I asked about the firmware fix for the 55", and Hitachi support told me that upgrade was released only to address an audio/video sync problem for those models.

I'm getting nowhere with this. I've committed to fight with The Brick customer service for an exchange next week for a different brand if I don't hear anything from either the techs that have looked at my set or Hitachi's support. In the event I am able to exchange, I have a couple of models in mind that have been recommended to me - Samsung's HR4252 or Philips' 42PF7320A. Although these sets aren't as aesthetically pleasing, my videophile friends have no complaints at all with them.

Thoughts, suggestions welcome! Thanks in advance!

Welcome to my world, I dont even watch movies with dark scenes on the TV because of the flicker problem. :(

I have the same TV as you, 42HDS52A.

I actually took video of it, have not trasnferred it to my computer yet to see if its visible, I will do so tonight. If its visible I will post it here for all to see.

Welcome to my world, I dont even watch movies with dark scenes on the TV because of the flicker problem. :(

I have the same TV as you, 42HDS52A.

I actually took video of it, have not trasnferred it to my computer yet to see if its visible, I will do so tonight. If its visible I will post it here for all to see.

I have the 42HDS52 and never have seen this problem.

i have the 42hdt52a. never seen flicker either before or after firmware upgrade.

I have never seen this either. I have my own problems with color-banding but I have never seen any sort of flicker on my 42HDT52 (not 42HDT52a) with my 110.0001 firmware.

Does anyone know what the most current firmware is for the non-a version of this set?

I have the 42HDS52A and purchased it back in February.

As I have stated before I have no "flicker" issue and have been enjoying this set for almost 3 months now with no problems.

i just got my 42HDS52 installed, and i don't know if its config settings but the picture just isn't that sharp. its kind of blotchy especially with a lot of movement, any suggestions?

Psycho792,

I am assuming you are seeing the "blotchy" with your Cable TV Set top Box (STB) via a component or HMDI input. Do you see the same blotchy image while watching DVDs? Is the blotchy around the action/movement? If so, it is likely the source (cable tv feed). I see this a lot with PBS HD while Discovery HD is very sharp.

well the only dvd i have right now is rounders, i have it set for zoom2 4:3 so i guess thats whats making the picture not so good. i just found a channel with pretty sharp picture (HDNET) it was some sort of interview they were doing and it looked crystal clear. with the blotchyness around movement and action, i tried watching a high-def basketball game and i saw a lof of weird pixel movements and whatnot.

honestly, the SD isn't that far away from the HD as far as i can tell for now, other than that 1 channel i saw

i think that this tv just has very good quality SD, but anyway.. i was trying to compare HBO to HBO HD and i just realized that switching the channels from HD to SD makes the TV spaz out a little, is that normal?

honestly, the SD isn't that far away from the HD as far as i can tell for now, other than that 1 channel i saw

i think that this tv just has very good quality SD, but anyway.. i was trying to compare HBO to HBO HD and i just realized that switching the channels from HD to SD makes the TV spaz out a little, is that normal?

My experience is that the very best SD can be very "watchable" but it will have nowhere near the "pop" of a good HD image.

The only thing that I have seen that sounds like the "spaz out" behavior is when the TV switches display modes. When in HD it will usually be in 16:9 Standard. When you switch to SD the set will probably rescale to 4:3 Expanded. That switch may be what you are seeing.

As for image quality, make sure that your HD viewing is in 16:9 Standard. Also, beware of SD sources on HD channels. I saw this a few times while watching college football where the source was clearly SD even though it was on an HD channel. On these sets, a good HD image is breathtaking.

Welcome to my world, I dont even watch movies with dark scenes on the TV because of the flicker problem. :(

I have the same TV as you, 42HDS52A.

I actually took video of it, have not trasnferred it to my computer yet to see if its visible, I will do so tonight. If its visible I will post it here for all to see.

Thanks bobbart2000 and drewdown!

So our poll is up to 2! haha!

New developments - one of the techs who has come to look at the set called me today and said that there is a problem with the set and they'd like to pick it up to be repaired under warranty. I think my best bet is to at least let them do that so they can diagnose the problem. If they determine that parts will be required, I would prefer to do an over-the-counter exchange at The Brick (who will only do that with a Return Authorization from Hitachi). This may turn into a bit of a mess, but I'm optimistic I'll have this resolved by next Friday.

Drewdown, have you investigated your flickering issue further via Hitachi's support?

My experience is that the very best SD can be very "watchable" but it will have nowhere near the "pop" of a good HD image.

The only thing that I have seen that sounds like the "spaz out" behavior is when the TV switches display modes. When in HD it will usually be in 16:9 Standard. When you switch to SD the set will probably rescale to 4:3 Expanded. That switch may be what you are seeing.

As for image quality, make sure that your HD viewing is in 16:9 Standard. Also, beware of SD sources on HD channels. I saw this a few times while watching college football where the source was clearly SD even though it was on an HD channel. On these sets, a good HD image is breathtaking.

yea, i think it may have been an SD source being played in HD, i'm watching the yankee game in HD now and i was watching some NBC HD sitcoms and its pretty sharp. now as for watching dvd's... is it safe to watch it with the black bars on the top and bottom? cause the picture gets very bad when i try to watch it expanded

as for watching dvd's... is it safe to watch it with the black bars on the top and bottom? cause the picture gets very bad when i try to watch it expanded

For myself, I took a cautious approach and watched everything in stretched/expanded mode for the full first month. This was probably overkill but I wanted to be sure that I was doing everything possible to prevent any chance of burn in. Since then, I never stretch DVDs and always watch them in letterbox using 16:9 Standard.

whats the difference between a hds52 and hds52A?
do you recommends buying another extended warranty?
how to test if I have dead pixel?

ecalica428@yahoo,

Somewhere back in the thread I think someone questioned Hitachi tech support about the 'A'. I believe the response was 'A' is for Americas (US, our Canadian friends, and South Americas). I have yet to see any Asian or European versions of the model number. They do have different manuals on the Hitachi site though.

I usually abstain from extended warranties but in this case I picked up a 3yr from CC. So yes.

Dead pixels. I have seen them on computer monitors but not on a plasma. They should be (if present) very noticeable with a continuous tone (all blue or white) screen.

Dead pixels on the hitachi are very very hard to spot because of the 1024x1024 resolution. Even harder to see from a couple of feet back and even though I have a few it does not bother me like it did on the panny.

just got mine this week unfortunately my salesman is such a jerk so didnt give me much detail i need but as for the price theres about $120 difference between the 2 model. being more expensive I picked the A thinking there might be more advance feature on it. or is there any?

The 'A' model was released after the not 'A' model. I really do not believe that there is a difference, especially in the feature department. Check the Hitachi site and compare the manuals if you have time. I glanced over the 'A' manual and nothing struck me.

How is your new display? 42 or 55? Congratulations! Whatever model you got, I'm sure you will be happy. Enjoy. What are you connecting it to? Tons of good info on AVS. Browse the other forums and threads.

Good luck.

Ok just purchased the 42HDS52 plasma and in the first couple days of operation I noticed a clicking noise on my HD channels that I'm receiving through DTV. From what I can tell this is NOT occurring when viewing the SD channels or watching my DVD player. At first I was worried that my speakers on the t.v. were faulty and I don't have a sound system hooked up to it yet so I thought for sure it was the tv's speakers. I really doubt that now because I don't hear it when watching a DVD or the SD channels.

I will be eventually buying a surround sound package but again I don't think that will eliminate the problem. I'm thinking this is the feed from the DTV receiver. One thing I did is swap out the HDMI cable with component cables and that didn't help one bit. It is pretty annoying... not real loud but noticeable.

Anyone else have this issue?? Using the DTVHD H20 receiver.

i'm curious as to what 42HDS52 owners have their settings dialed to, because when i'm watching my HD channels the picture just isn't that clear, almost to the point where i think i may have gotten a defective tv. a lot of the times i see what seems to be thousands of squares making up the picture, and the colors just dont flow into eachother

i'm curious as to what 42HDS52 owners have their settings dialed to, because when i'm watching my HD channels the picture just isn't that clear, almost to the point where i think i may have gotten a defective tv. a lot of the times i see what seems to be thousands of squares making up the picture, and the colors just dont flow into eachother

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was that my PQ is really really good. You shouldn't be seeing any blotches from what I can tell. My picture in HD is nothing short of phenomenal. The pictur is very sharp and I don't see any blotches.... very smooth actually.

I have all my settings below 50 right now in an attempt to break in the tv slowly.
Color 40, brighness 45, and contrast 45.

My bet is that it is your feed. Are you using cable/satellite?? I have DTV and HD is very nice and the SD is really good too.

Psycho792,
Mine is set at the defaults. Try a reset to those values.

Firsttimeplasmer
Welcome to the club. I will occasionally hear a clicking noise if I'm in back of my set or hear the fan as well if it is in standby.

Firsttimeplasmer
Welcome to the club. I will occasionally hear a clicking noise if I'm in back of my set or hear the fan as well if it is in standby.


bobharp,
Is this when you are viewing HD channels only. My ESPN HD drives me nuts and that is why I think it is the feed from DTV because I hear it on the other HD channels but not nearly as bad as on the ESPN channel.

Do you have DTV?

I'm assuming at this point that it is not the tv, but I'm not totally sure that is the case. We did watch a 2-hour DVD last night and didn't hear it once. Watching the baseball game right now on ESPN and hear 1-5 clicks per minute on that.

Psycho,
Try 45 for contrast (during break in)
35 to 40 for brightness
40 for color
7 clicks to the left for tint (demphasizes green)
15 to 30 for sharpness.

Firsttimeplasmer,

I have comcast. I would give Hitachi a call.

I have a 55HDT52 which is about three months old. I'm curious what settings most people are using for night viewing of HDTV or DVDs. Here are mine:

Contrast: 40
Brightness: 40
Color: Even/Middle
Tint: Even/Middle
Sharpness: 55
Black Enhancement: I can't tell any difference from one setting to the next....

when one is up close to the tv, is it suppose to look like its a little fuzzy or is it suppose to be crystal clear, someone told me it might be cause my tv is so close to me

Psycho792,
HDTV distance viewing info.
http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5108580-2.html

Is the fuzzyness present while watching HDTV 1080i feeds? Minimum distance was mainly a factor with old SD TV sets.

Bob---
Thanks for all your help with my little sound problem. I actually started with DTV and was connected with one of their HDTV/DVR CSR's in a matter of minutes and after describing the snapping/clicking sound to him and what I had tried he sent me a new receiver in the mail. I got it today and hooked it up and was very relieved because that took care of the problem. My first receiver, which was brand new by the way, must of been faulty.

Once again DTV exceeded my expectations in this situation. In 4 years never have had a problem with them. Now I can actually watch my favorite sporting events in HD and enjoy my tv.

For all the doubters out there my 42HDS from Hitachi is about as good as it gets. Have seen other brands in home including the new 42 Panny and I have to say this set is at least as good!



Firsttimeplasmer,

I have comcast. I would give Hitachi a call.

ws6whiteshark,

Could this be the same problem I am facing with a visible horizontal line across the center of the screen. I posted my problem 2 pages back.

I've tried using a Panamax conditioner and still does not eliminate the problem. Altho, I've tried turning everything off in my media room (lights, music, etc.) so only the Plasma is powered on, still does not eliminate it. Its getting frustrating and if you have any progress with ur a/v guy, pls let us know.

tks.

I am having the techs back out either late next week or the following. They think my problem is a ground loop issue with my Comcast Cable. Hopefully it's that easy. I am also having Comcast pull a new underground cable from the tap to my house as I am receiving a very poor signal and it seems that the underground cable is bad.

i have the 42hdt52a. never seen flicker either before or after firmware upgrade.

I have two 55HDX62's and don't see any flicker on mine. I have not done any firmware upgrade to date.

Has anyone used the RS232 port on their Hitachi Plasma? Funny story, my Control system installers wanted to get the pinouts on the RS232 port on the back of the TV and asked me for the owner's manual. Well, the owner's manual states, "do not plug anything into this port... service port only." LOL!!! Soooo, the tech called Hitachi and asked for the pinouts for the port and they had no clue what he was talking about. He then was transfered to someone who knew what he was referring too and they had to get all his info, name, company, address, telephone number, etc... and advise him Hitachi doesn't have any of that information yet from Japan and they only have the owner's manual for the 55HDX62 model. So Hitachi had to get in touch with Japan to get the information we needed. Seems that it's too new of a model and Hitachi USA doesn't have everything on this puppy yet. We finally got the pinouts and everything is being programmed via RS232 instead of IR. When you call Hitachi, make sure you get to an engineer and not the customer service reps that read their responses to your questions off a computer screen. :D

I am having the techs back out either late next week or the following. They think my problem is a ground loop issue with my Comcast Cable. Hopefully it's that easy. I am also having Comcast pull a new underground cable from the tap to my house as I am receiving a very poor signal and it seems that the underground cable is bad.

Make sure they hook up to your house ground at the site where you circuit breaker panel attaches to it. It is usually your water line.

Hi all - the other night I decided to watch a DVR recording (from NY TWC SA8300) of Phantom of the Opera (don't remember the channel but prog HBO-HD). The opening 15mins or so is in black and white. But when watching these opening b&w shots the PQ was VERY BAD! It looked like there was so much dust/noise/snow, and i don't think this was intended. Once the film went to color, my PQ was excellent. It was only bad when the shots were in b&w. Anyone know why? I have a Hitachi 55HDT52 connected to the SA8300 via HDMI. Is it the TV?? How can I reduce this?

Thanks

Make sure they hook up to your house ground at the site where you circuit breaker panel attaches to it. It is usually your water line.

LOL... curcuit breaker panel is on one side of the house and the water line/hot water heater, etc is on the other. I do know one thing, the cable line that comes into our house hooks right up via an 8 gang splicer to all the cable lines in the house. I take it they do not have it properly grounded, huh? :eek:

Hi all - the other night I decided to watch a DVR recording (from NY TWC SA8300) of Phantom of the Opera (don't remember the channel but prog HBO-HD). The opening 15mins or so is in black and white. But when watching these opening b&w shots the PQ was VERY BAD! It looked like there was so much dust/noise/snow, and i don't think this was intended. Once the film went to color, my PQ was excellent. It was only bad when the shots were in b&w. Anyone know why? I have a Hitachi 55HDT52 connected to the SA8300 via HDMI. Is it the TV?? How can I reduce this?

Thanks

Isn't there a B&W setting in the video set-up menu? (I'm not home so I can't check right now...)

Question on extended warranties. I have a 55HDT52 and passed on purchasing the extended warranty from the retailer. Now that I'm learnign they are made in Mexico, I understand why the 55inch is so affordable and I think I want an extended warranty. I understand that Hitachi sells them? I searched the Hitachi website, but didn't find it. Does anyone have the link?

Here you go;

https://merchant.satisfusion.com/sf/WarrantyCenter/registration/secure/Hitachi/ProductRegistration.jsp

Question on extended warranties. I have a 55HDT52 and passed on purchasing the extended warranty from the retailer. Now that I'm learnign they are made in Mexico, I understand why the 55inch is so affordable and I think I want an extended warranty. I understand that Hitachi sells them? I searched the Hitachi website, but didn't find it. Does anyone have the link?

I am not sure about the Hitachi's extended warranty, but if you could search thorugh this thread you have links where MACK sells pretty cheap extended in-home service warranties. It costs about $130 for TV's <$2500 and $230 for TV's <$5000.

I purchased a Hitachi 42HDS52A this month and so far I am happy with my purchase. Since I am still within my first 30 days, I am still evaluating the Hitachi to make sure that I want to keep it. I can get the Panny 42PX60U for the same price but I really like the looks of the Hitachi as well as the 2 antenna inputs and the multiple aspect options. I have set the contrast, brightness, sharpness, and color to 50% or less based on break-in posts I've seen. One thing I've noticed is that the blacks seem to be very dark, especially when viewing HD over the air. For example, if someone has a black suit on, I don't see the lapels, buttons, etc, just black. I see so much talk about black levels that I'm paranoid about the way blacks look on this TV. I like having the deep blacks but shouldn't there be varying levels of black so black items on black backgrounds are more visible? I'm not sure that the Panny would be better in this regard. Also, I assume that I can turn up the brightness and/or contrast after the first 100 hours so this would help. I'm just having a difficult time judging how good the Hitachi displays blacks. Does anyone else also notice this behavior when viewing blacks? Does this sound normal or should I be concerned about it (to the point of maybe trading it in on the Panny)? Thanks in advance for any info on how blacks should look and how I may be able to adjust my set to get optimal black levels, hopefully without cranking up brightness/contrast too much.

@outbacker,
Looks like your brightness/contrast level is not well calibrated.
If brightness is to low, you lose in black detail.
Follow this link for more info:
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/Video-calibration.html#dve

I would also turn off the black enhancement feature and reduce the dynamic contrast. I noticed through trial and error if the dynamic contrast is on high and the black enhancement feature on high the blacks become over saturated. Also, calibration makes a HUGE difference. I have both the Panny and the Hitachi. Keep the Hitachi because the features make a HUGE difference. Especially with the swivel screen.

Good Day,

I have a new 42HDT52 and I cannot get the PIP to work. I have my cable in going to my Magnavox Cable Box and S-VIDEO out of the cable box to my TIVO video in. I then have component video out of TIVO going into INPUT 3 of the 42HDT52 (Just found out our area does not have HD yet, although we were told we did).

No matter what I try, I cannot get the PIP to come up, the instructions stink! I can access PIP and see my current video, but not (2) videos in a 'split screen'..etc. The alternate side states 'cable' but no video.

Thanks,
Russ

I have the same issue on my Samsung DLP. So I'm leaning it's the DirecTV H20 receiver. It happens on HD channels only through HDMI or Component connections.

Have you found a solution?

Good Day,

I have a new 42HDT52 and I cannot get the PIP to work. I have my cable in going to my Magnavox Cable Box and S-VIDEO out of the cable box to my TIVO video in. I then have component video out of TIVO going into INPUT 3 of the 42HDT52 (Just found out our area does not have HD yet, although we were told we did).

No matter what I try, I cannot get the PIP to come up, the instructions stink! I can access PIP and see my current video, but not (2) videos in a 'split screen'..etc. The alternate side states 'cable' but no video.

Thanks,
Russ

The television itself has a dual tuner, so if you had no cable box and went straight from the cable feed into the cable-in connection, the PIP would work fine. With your setup however, you will need to split the cable before the cable box and feed the television with the current input you have hooked up PLUS hook the other cable into the cable-in connection. This is how I have mine setup and the PIP works.

usctrojan
which setting is the dynamic contrast control? not sure whichof the menu items it is. i have an42hdt52a.

I was afraid of this. I have a splitter attached to the cable wire coming out of the house. One connection is attached straight to the input 'Cable' of the 42HDT52 and the other end is attached to the 'Cable In' of my Motorola DCT6200 cable box.

Unfortunately, I still cannot get the PIP to work. It is only showing (1) picture and the PIP is blacked out (no video). I'm beginning to think the HDTV is a bad unit. Not sure what else to do here.

Russ

Did you switch over to the cable (not the cable box) input and perform a search of the channels? If so, were you able to display them on the set?

If you were able to do this, then bring up the PIP, highlight the window of the cable input and try switching channels. Make sure you are on a channel that you normally receive. If this does not work, then I think that a call to Hitachi Customer Service may be in order.

Anybody have any news on the next-gen Hitachis? I see the 42HDS69 is on their website, but the step-up model, the 42HDT79 (says CNET) isn't. Anybody have info on the HDT model? CNET says it'll be available in late June and have a list price of $2999 as well as a motorized stand (the HDS model doesn't have the motorized stand).

I was afraid of this. I have a splitter attached to the cable wire coming out of the house. One connection is attached straight to the input 'Cable' of the 42HDT52 and the other end is attached to the 'Cable In' of my Motorola DCT6200 cable box.

Unfortunately, I still cannot get the PIP to work. It is only showing (1) picture and the PIP is blacked out (no video). I'm beginning to think the HDTV is a bad unit. Not sure what else to do here.

Russ

Use the input button to select which input you are using, using the left/right arrow to select which side the input key is changing. Its in the manual.

usctrojan
which setting is the dynamic contrast control? not sure whichof the menu items it is. i have an42hdt52a.
In the menu go to video and then to contrast control. You can select normal or dynamic.

usctrojan
thanks

I have been fighting problems with false colors in black & white images. As part of this I just got a firmware upgrade for my 42HDT52 to version 113.0001. This didn't help my problem much but while I was experimenting with settings I found a menu setting that I have never noticed before. Under Setup->Screen Saver there is an "Image Power" setting. My set has always been set to Medium. I was really surprised how bright the screen got when I set this to Max.

This seemed to help my false color situation a bit but what was most noticeable was that when this was changed to Max I had to turn my Contrast down to 50% or less. With this setting at Medium I normally have the Contrast set at 80% or higher.

I have noticed that most people that post their settings have their Contrast at 50% and I can't help but wonder if these 50% sets have Image Power at Max.

For those of you that have this set with Contrast at 50%, what is your Image Power setting?

For those of you that have this set with Contrast at 50%, what is your Image Power setting?[/QUOTE]

My Image Power setting is at Max.

Quick noob question...

How come these Plasma's (like the 42PD8800TA) have 1024x1024 resolution and not a native widescreen resolution? I mean these units are not square boxes are they so why the square pixel resolution? Are the horizontal pixels stretched or something? If so why do it that way and if not, what the dickens is going on and why? :confused: :) :cool:

Anybody have any news on the next-gen Hitachis? I see the 42HDS69 is on their website, but the step-up model, the 42HDT79 (says CNET) isn't. Anybody have info on the HDT model? CNET says it'll be available in late June and have a list price of $2999 as well as a motorized stand (the HDS model doesn't have the motorized stand).

If by "motorized stand" you mean the remote-control motorized swivel then the HDS does have the motorized stand.

I am between the pioneer 5060HD and the 55hdt52. I can get the hitachi for $1,100 cheaper than the pioneer. TV will mainly be used for SD, some HD, some kids DVD's - family room - fairly bright. Viewing distance approx 13-15 feet.

Is anyone happy with their 55" hitachi? Have they fixed the firmware issues in their new sets - what build date do I need to look for? Did black level or overall picture improve with the new firmware?

I am between the pioneer 5060HD and the 55hdt52. I can get the hitachi for $1,100 cheaper than the pioneer. TV will mainly be used for SD, some HD, some kids DVD's - family room - fairly bright. Viewing distance approx 13-15 feet.

Is anyone happy with their 55" hitachi? Have they fixed the firmware issues in their new sets - what build date do I need to look for? Did black level or overall picture improve with the new firmware?

I've had my 55HDX62 for about a month and could not be happier. After a few email exchanges with Hitachi tech support, I was able to confirm that my firmware was the latest version. No flickering issues at all and I have been quite pleased with the black levels (even with all color settings set at break-in levels). My set is used for the same purposes as you outline above, with the exception that it is mounted in a dark basement. SD is decent; HD is unbelieveable. I did quite a bit of comparative shopping and could not find a better value for the price. While I did not specifically look at the 55HDT52 model, I suspect that the PQ would be equivalent (?).

bobbart- mine is set at max. Watched "Good Night" for the first time on DVD last night, saw no false colors, just clear B&W.

If by "motorized stand" you mean the remote-control motorized swivel then the HDS does have the motorized stand.


http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/plasma/plasma/42hds69.shtml

no motorized stand.

bobbart- mine is set at max. Watched "Good Night" for the first time on DVD last night, saw no false colors, just clear B&W.

In my case changing this to max improved the problem some but the false colors are still there.

I finally gave up and placed a service call. The technician looked at the some images including the gray ramp test that made the problem so obvious. This was especially telling when the color level control was turned all the way to 0 and the false colors were still there. The tech said that they have seen this sort of problem a few times before and that I have a defective Digital Module.

So, I am now hopefully waiting on parts.

I am between the pioneer 5060HD and the 55hdt52. I can get the hitachi for $1,100 cheaper than the pioneer. TV will mainly be used for SD, some HD, some kids DVD's - family room - fairly bright. Viewing distance approx 13-15 feet.

Is anyone happy with their 55" hitachi? Have they fixed the firmware issues in their new sets - what build date do I need to look for? Did black level or overall picture improve with the new firmware?

Beware of the glare. Depending on what you have now and whether your are used to glare or not, this may be a problem in your room. I have last year's 55" and I'm happy with it but had to improve my window coverings.

I have owned the hdt52a for a few weeks now- and have experienced what I would call fairly severe lip sunch issues.

using over the air and cable direct.(no tuner boxes)

A few interesting observations:

-The video seems to be running faster that the sound i.e. the lips start moving before the sound is generated. This seems counter intuitive to me.

-The problem 'goes away' if I use my external surround sound receiver. (older Onkyo unit without any compensation capabilities for lip synch) The receiver is getting its sound from the optical out on the back of the Hitachi.

-I have run a comparison tests with friends over the phone to compare the same signal. I.e. 'Hey I am tuned to NBC to you see lip synch issues?' They have stated that no they did not- when it was obvious to me. (this comparison was with a Dell Plasma)

- I have run a comparison test in the store. I went back to the retail store where I purchased the TV and had them tune the Panisonic TH-42PX60U to the same station as the Hitachi. The Panisonic did not have lip synch problems, the Hitachi Did.

-Problem only exists with HD broadcasts.

- I have ordered the firmware upgrade- though have not been able to load it yet.

- Yeah I know I could just use the external sound- but it is a new TV not cheap- and imho should work with out this sort of issue.

Basically I am trying to decide if I should return the TV and exchange for something else (prob the Panny)..... I love the picture from the Hitachi- and can watch TV with the external sound. Could others PLEASE share your experiences with regards to this issue? Hitachi tech says that carte blanch it is the signal- but I have a hard time believing it given the points above. It almost seems like the internal tuner is over compensating for video delay...

Really appreciate any experiences / insights / advice.

Thanks-

I have owned the hdt52a for a few weeks now- and have experienced what I would call fairly severe lip sunch issues.

I occasionally notice lip sync issues on OTA HD too. If I change to another OTA HD channel, the problem is not there. I put it back on the original channel and the problem is back. This makes me believe it is the signal but I have no way of confirming this. I have the 42HDS52A. Interested to see if anyone else has any input on this.

That was my original thought- thought by having the 2 tv's tuned to the same signal and only seeing the problem on the Hitachi... also odd to me that the optical out seems to be much more on target...

I too have a 42HDS52A (uses CCard ---not OTA) chronically out of sync but only on PBS HD channel which has a lousy signal anyway, and occasionally on Discovery channel. Yet never on HD HBO, NBC, CBS or local Fox channel.

Stephen

I too have a 42HDS52A (uses CCard ---not OTA) chronically out of sync but only on PBS HD channel which has a lousy signal anyway, and occasionally on Discovery channel. Yet never on HD HBO, NBC, CBS or local Fox channel.

Stephen
After reporting chronic out of sync A/V on PBS I was stunned tonight PBS HD Channel 709 KQED-HD San Francisco broadcast of Nature via Comcast Santa Cruz, CA was in perfect sync. Perhaps complaints to station to hold back pledges until inferior HD broadcasts resolved paid off. In addition to audio in sync with video ---------other problem ------------ pixilization with fast picture movement was absent. All other HD channels in sync HBO 730, NBC 706, CBS 705 , Fox affiliate 702, ESPN 723 but Discovery 722 slightly out of sync. Thus, my Hitachi 42HDS52A with firmware version V0100.0003 appears not to be the culprit. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=7657652#
Smilie

Stephen

Let us know if a new Digital Module fixes the false colors problem. My 55HDT51 has this big time and I'd love a fix for it.

i have the 42hdt52a.
when i first got the tv i had frequent sync issues on direct cable and ota. went away when i went to a cable box. but stills appears every once and a while mainly only local station hd. makes me think its the broadcast and the box has better compensation than the tv. when i did the firmware upgrade i tested ota just to see if it made a difference. was in sync but only tested for a minute or two before reconnected the cable box.

Hi,

I've got the 55HDT52. I have 'everything' hooked up to it. I've got the cable split to go into the Cable In on the TV, Motorola cablebox connected to the HDMI input. Antenna to get OTA signals. I've also got a Yamaha receiver with connections to it from the TV & Motorola cablebox.

I originally noticed a severe out of sync problem (video preceding the audio) when I bought my plasma months ago.

Here are my observations:
- when watching channel from the Motorola cablebox (FYI - 6412 Phase III), the audio tended to be 'mostly' good. I never saw a problem, except on rare times, and then a separate forum here, identified it as being a problem for others as well.
- when I watched channel using TV as the decoder (cable or OTA), I encountered the problems 'sometimes.' I found that when I used the receiver, audio was good. When using TV speakers, they were sometimes out of sync (I remember one show where it was on the order of 1-2 seconds out of sync!...that was probably the signal though!)

Now, I have a general theory, and I leave it up to the good folks to see if this is it or not. I tended to find that I only saw out of sync conditions when listening to a 5.1 audio that the TV downgrades to it's 2 speakers. When the original broadcast was stereo only, no out of sync problem ever showed. For example, I never saw an out of sync with any SD channels or HD with just dolby digital (not 5.1) (I also have a cablecard, so I could tune the TV directly to HD channels).

So, just my hunch, but perhaps the TV is 'sluggish' when decoding 5.1 audio in comparison to the video, and so you get mouth movement followed by the talking.

Again, for me, the issue does not surface when using cablebox to tune or receiver to listen to audio. The issue only surfaces when using TV to decode some audio/video channels AND listening to audio on TV speakers.

Thanks.

Sorry, I am new and I want to buy a Hitachi Director Series Plasma TV. Who and where can I get the best prices from? I live in Seneca SC.

Thanks

Gary Williams :)

GLWBEAR

CC = Circuit City

I believe that they only carry the HDS series.

Use a price engine like pricegrabber.com .

Good luck.

Nobody has a control system or uses the RS232 port? :(

Has anyone used the RS232 port on their Hitachi Plasma? Funny story, my Control system installers wanted to get the pinouts on the RS232 port on the back of the TV and asked me for the owner's manual. Well, the owner's manual states, "do not plug anything into this port... service port only." LOL!!! Soooo, the tech called Hitachi and asked for the pinouts for the port and they had no clue what he was talking about. He then was transfered to someone who knew what he was referring too and they had to get all his info, name, company, address, telephone number, etc... and advise him Hitachi doesn't have any of that information yet from Japan and they only have the owner's manual for the 55HDX62 model. So Hitachi had to get in touch with Japan to get the information we needed. Seems that it's too new of a model and Hitachi USA doesn't have everything on this puppy yet. We finally got the pinouts and everything is being programmed via RS232 instead of IR. When you call Hitachi, make sure you get to an engineer and not the customer service reps that read their responses to your questions off a computer screen. :D

Most people that have a RS232 control system don't have a Hitachi TV. I'm not knocking it, but most people that can afford a Crestron or AMX or whatever have a Fujitsu or something more expensive than the control system itself. I love my Hitachi by the way, but my NEC is brighter, but has image retention problems which the Hitachi doesn't.

Most people that have a RS232 control system don't have a Hitachi TV. I'm not knocking it, but most people that can afford a Crestron or AMX or whatever have a Fujitsu or something more expensive than the control system itself. I love my Hitachi by the way, but my NEC is brighter, but has image retention problems which the Hitachi doesn't.

I could have bought the Fujitsu, but I thought the Hitachi (55HDX62) gave a far better picture. The Fujitsu was pushing a lot of red, even after playing with it and the silver frame... ewwwww. Also, the Director Series Hitachi's like the 55HDX62 retail for $5999.99, so it's not far off from the price of a Fujitsu.

I've been talking to my installer who is also a program engineer for a broadcasting station and he's been doing a lot of control systems using LG plasmas... now that's a far cry from a Fujitsu and even a Hitachi. So, the plasma really doesn't matter that much if people who buy control systems are using a basic plasma like the LG.

Scott

Scott,

I use my Harmony remote and a Xantech IR system. Good luck.f It sucks being on the edge. Has Hitachi coughed up the specs you need?

Scott,

I use my Harmony remote and a Xantech IR system. Good luck.f It sucks being on the edge. Has Hitachi coughed up the specs you need?

Yes, Hitachi provided the pinouts on the RS232 port, but the AV engineer is having some communication issues between the control system and the Hitachi plasmas. They have the programming protocol established, but the plasmas are not communicating with the control system. They are going to contact Hitachi again and discuss this with them (engineer to engineer, maybe even get Japan on the line) as this installer does Crestron, AMX, Elan, Control4, etc., control systems and this would be valuable information for future installs with Hitachi plasmas. However, RS232 is the best way to go in reference to control and networking w/computer systems and would hate to go IR w/this awesome control system set up in our house.

Without a doubt. I agree. I used to manage multiple VTC conference rooms. Two of the rooms had an AMX control system. Very complex. Good luck.

I've looked around and not found an answer, so does anyone know what the deal is on the Hitachi 42HDS69 oddball native resolution of 1024x1080 ? All the other 42" Hitachi plasmas use the 1024x1024 glass -- would they really use a 1024x1080 glass for just this one unit? Also note it is not 1080p input capable according to specs. :confused:

Also, has anyone seen the Panny 42" 8UK (1024x768 native) alongside a Hitachi 42" (1024x1024 native) with the same HD content and seen a difference?

paule123,

1024x1024 is fairly oddball as well but it looks great.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7560613&&#post7560613

It would be interesting to see if that 55HDS69 ever showed up for CC3111.

Has anyone seen the 69 models?

Without a doubt. I agree. I used to manage multiple VTC conference rooms. Two of the rooms had an AMX control system. Very complex. Good luck.

Okay, let's just say that Hitachi has no damn clue how to support their plasma TVs via RS232. My AV installer spent all day today with his laptop and cell phone in hand talking to Hitachi techical support (the real ones beyond the idiots that answer the phones). After about an hour with one of their engineers, they said that Hitachi would not support RS232 control in a residential environment, but they will send our concerns to Hitachi in Japan... WTF!!!! So, my AV engineers/programmers after several hours cracked the Hitachi RS232 code, which he says is rediculous. But the nice thing is, one controller/touch pad and wall LCD panels will finally control everything from Cable, to HVAC, to my sprinkler system, etc... The Hitachi plamsas were the final chapter to this and I can say, I will never buy another Hitachi. Their techical support department have no useable knowledge of their product and are worthless.

I should have bought a Pioneer Elite. :mad:

I just bought the 42HDS52 for a KILLER price i couldnt pass up, with a FREE 3 yr warranty!
Anyhow i was wondering what i need to do to get OTA HD channels, or do i need some sorta of cable box to get them? I have a digital cable box from cox, and theres HD channels in the 700's, but they never show up on the TV. Any advice, suggestions and help would greatly be apperciated. Thanks in advance.

Heres the description from CC:

HDTV: The built-in high-definition tuner makes it simple to access brilliant HD programming. TV shows, movies and sporting events will take on a whole new life.

bump for HDTV help hehe

bump....

Where's everyone getting their table stand from?

I am very close to buying the 55HDS52, but I have no idea how to support this thing! It sounds like the motorized swivel stand is the best option for me as I plan to put it in a corner on some existing furniture, but no one in my area seems to sell it. I've even looked online and found a few links selling the stand (model #STF551), but no one has it in stock. Even the two retailers near my house that I would consider purchasing the set from (CC or Microcenter) don't include the stand with the TV, and don't have the stand in stock. And the salesman at CC told me not to even bother getting it from CC because they don't have it in the warehouse and it would take weeks to get it, if ever. Where did everyone get theirs from? And how long did you have to wait? I don't want a TV sitting on my living room floor forever...

The built-in tuner should be like all others. It's for OTA HDTV which you can receive from an antenna usually pointing towards the station(s) that you are trying to receive. As for the cable box issue I have no clue. But the internal tuner of the tv is for the Antenna that receives the HD broadcasts of your local stations.

I just bought the 42HDS52 for a KILLER price i couldnt pass up, with a FREE 3 yr warranty!
Anyhow i was wondering what i need to do to get OTA HD channels, or do i need some sorta of cable box to get them? I have a digital cable box from cox, and theres HD channels in the 700's, but they never show up on the TV. Any advice, suggestions and help would greatly be apperciated. Thanks in advance.

Heres the description from CC:

HDTV: The built-in high-definition tuner makes it simple to access brilliant HD programming. TV shows, movies and sporting events will take on a whole new life.

I don't own the set, but here's some generic advice. For OTA HD, get yourself a small HDTV antenna like the Zenith Silver Sensor (it's UHF only but is pretty good at picking up VHF stations too). More commonly available is the Terk HDTVi which is pretty similar. Go to www.antennaweb.org to see what stations are broadcasting digitally in your area. Find the San Diego local programming forum here for advice on OTA and info about your local cable system. You should be able to connect a small antenna to your set and pick up OTA stations right away. Hopefully the set has two coax inputs, one for the OTA antenna and another for the cable TV. The above assumes this TV has an ATSC capable tuner (not just NTSC) From your description it sounds like it does.

As far as the cable box, is it an HD box? Just being a "digital" cable box does not mean it is HD capable. Usually you have to pay a few extra bucks extra a month to get an HD digital cable box and then if you want more than your local HD channels, pay a fee to get your cable company's HD channels turned on (to get ESPN, HDNET, etc). Then you come out of the HD cable box with component, or DVI, or HDMI cable to the TV set and you'll get all your HD channels that way. If you need help setting up the digital cable box, there are threads on AVS dedicated to setting up and configuring all the various models from Motorola, Scientific-Atlanta, etc.

If this TV has what's called a QAM capable tuner, you should be able to hook up your cable TV coax to the set and pick up your local (unencrypted) HD stations without a cable box and without paying anything extra to the cable company.

If the TV is CableCard capable, you can ditch the cable box totally, plug the coax direct into the TV, and get a CableCard from the cable company to get all the channels, including the encrypted HD channels like ESPN and HDNet. They say picture quality is best this way (because you are skipping the cable box as the middle man) The downside is you cannot do PPV ordering with the CableCard and I think the onscreen guide might be different.

HTH, and welcome to the wonderful (and at times confusing) world of HDTV.

I am going to be wall mounting the 42HDS52A. Is the swivel stand detachable? I searched this thread and did not see any discussion about this. Thanks for any feedback.

After reading this thread for 2 hours I went out & got the 42HDS52.

I now have the HDS52 & can't rememebr what the current firmware ver is?

My pannel ver is V0100.0003 .
Is the the latest ver?

/JxR

I am going to be wall mounting the 42HDS52A. Is the swivel stand detachable? I searched this thread and did not see any discussion about this. Thanks for any feedback.

Yes.

Scott,
Glad it finally worked out for you.

SanDiegoSnarf,
Just make sure your OTA antenna is grounded.
Check out this AVS forum thread.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=376666&highlight=sandiego

begbie100,
I bought my AVRAK stand from htmarket.com a few years ago. They are based out of Chicago so shipping might not be so bad. Had no problem with my order. My current plasma stand is in transition till I make my own.

Welcome all new Hitachi owners just try not to use your RS232 port.

Scott,
Glad it finally worked out for you.

Me too, but what a PITA it was to get info from Hitachi. I would definately recommend for anyone that's going to network or use a control system, make sure the installers are programmer as well...LOL or use IR instead or don't even think about a Hitachi. Seems Panasonic, Pioneer and LG are more intuned with their plamsas RS232 capabilities.

Here's a picture of my family room plasma:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/342778024/2297792420065895033hpTXmE

Looks great Scott! Are those speakers I see in the Ceiling? 5.1 setup? I hope that Hitachi will take note. Professional installers make a lot of product recomendations.

Looks great Scott! Are those speakers I see in the Ceiling? 5.1 setup? I hope that Hitachi will take note. Professional installers make a lot of product recomendations.

Yes, I have surround sound in the family room and in the master bedroom. The speakers are Niles HD Directional ceiling speakers. There's two more that are not in sight, in addition to a 10" subwoofer behind the seat in the picture. All are controlled by an Onkyo SR703B 7.1 Channel THX Home Theater receiver in the main rack. :D

After reading this thread for 2 hours I went out & got the 42HDS52.

I now have the HDS52 & can't rememebr what the current firmware ver is?

My pannel ver is V0100.0003 .
Is the the latest ver?

/JxR


Yes it is.

Anyone recording out of the qam tuner via firewire to htpc?

After reading this thread for 2 hours I went out & got the 42HDS52.

I now have the HDS52 & can't rememebr what the current firmware ver is?

My pannel ver is V0100.0003 .
Is the the latest ver?

/JxR


I have the same model of Hitachi plasma and my version number is V0105.0001, so imho your version is behind.

Hello Hitachi Experts. I own a Toshiba 42HPX95. It recently started acting up and is gone back to Toshiba or 3 weeks now. Its starting to look like they are going to replace it. But as it goes my current model is not available anymore. The new Toshibas have all switched from Panny glass to LG glass, and Im not really interrested in any of those. I think I can get a store credit and am currently looking at the Hitachi 42HDT52 . The salesman says its his current favorite, and it sure looks sweet compared to the others in the store. I have just finished reading over 40 pages of black flicker problems, and havent seen anything on a firmware fix for the 42HDT52. Has there ever been a fix for this model or is it a very rare and isolated problem, that only a couple have had?

Ive had my 42HDS52 for a about two months now and I love it. The thing is, lately, Ive noticed that in scenes that are pretty dark, Im getting a bit of a flickering. Its hard to describe. Basically, the darkest parts of the screen seem to flicker from time to time- a few shades lighter then back to normal. Has anybody had this problem? Is this normal? It's my first plasma so I just dont know. Thanks!

oie77,
While we thought that most of the flicker problem was with the 55HD** sets, 2 out of 5 42HD*52 owners had the issue as well.
What input and source were you viewing.
I sat down to watch a bit of The Chronicles of Riddick in HD this weekend and Comcast's signal blew chunks of pixelated garbage during action scenes. It may of been upstream of Comcast (who knows) but it was disapointing. Did finally watch Spirited Away on DVD. Good flick and awesome animation.

Im running an HDMI out of a comcast digi tuner. I havent really checked to see if it happens w/ DVD...Has a firmware update helped those w/ the problem?

Ive had my 42HDS52 for a about two months now and I love it. The thing is, lately, Ive noticed that in scenes that are pretty dark, Im getting a bit of a flickering. Its hard to describe. Basically, the darkest parts of the screen seem to flicker from time to time- a few shades lighter then back to normal. Has anybody had this problem? Is this normal? It's my first plasma so I just dont know. Thanks!


Yupp ive been experiencing the same problem on my 42HDS52, which is also my first plasma or HDTV for that matter. It seems that the flickering usualy happens when transistion from dark to light very fast, or when theres an increase or decrease of light in the scene.

I can live with that problem for the most part, my problem with this Plasma is SD channels have these lil tiny black dots that crawl all over certain colors, shadows, details , ect... and the funny thing is, when i access the OSD/Menu, it switches the screen on and off real fast, and all of a sudden all the lil imperfections and lil black crawling dots are gone, but as soon as the OSD switches off and the screen switches off and back on the lil black dots come back.The screen going on and off is part of the menu i assume.

Has anyone experienced this with Hitachi or this imperticular model? When i play Box360, or 480p DVD or watch 720p/1080i TV, or access the On Screen Display, the problem is not there. :confused: Any help would greatly be apperciated!

Awww come on there has to be some Hitachi guru's out there who might know of a solution or the cause of the problem, as i stated befor theres black dots crawling all around when watching regular TV, and when i access either of these 2 OSD's; Inputs and Menu, it makes all the dots go away, but as soon as the OSD turns off, the dots come back. The problem is not there at any other time such as 720p,1080i,xbox360,ect... , so it cant be the signal, cause the Menu/Inputs display makes it temporarly go away.

PLEASE someone help me lol

Do i have a defective set?

Hi all - I have had my 55HDT52 for 2 months now (looks like latest version firmware) and have noticed ZERO flickering whatsoever...that is until now. I have the SA8300 HD DVR through NYC Time Warner Cable. I recorded Batman Begins the other night from HBO-HD. I'm connected via HDMI. I noticed some flickering (like making the contrast go up by itself) throughout the movie. Funny thing is NO flickering noticed on other HD-HBO shows and movies, or any other HD cable material or even DVD movies watched through my components for that matter.

Dynamic contrast/blacks enhancements set to Normal/Off.

Is it possible that this sole HD movie Batman Begins recorded on my DVR is causing the flickering?

Thanks

DirtyWaters,
Highly possible. Especially if all else is working fine. DVR recording is lossy and may be causing your issue. Any chance you can try a non DVR'd Batman Begins?

Awww come on there has to be some Hitachi guru's out there who might know of a solution or the cause of the problem, as i stated befor theres black dots crawling all around when watching regular TV, and when i access either of these 2 OSD's; Inputs and Menu, it makes all the dots go away, but as soon as the OSD turns off, the dots come back. The problem is not there at any other time such as 720p,1080i,xbox360,ect... , so it cant be the signal, cause the Menu/Inputs display makes it temporarly go away.

PLEASE someone help me lol

Do i have a defective set?


Describe your inputs? How is your cable box connected? Are you using the OTA input? Cable input?

Hey Bob :)

Both actually, i got my Cable box hooked up via a/v cables ( yellow , red, white ), and i also have OTA by running thru the coaxial cable (which its self is coupled/splt to the TV and Cablebox) input on the back of the TV. On both the cox cable box and running OTA , all of the 480i I view have the sporadic black dots crawling all over the place that ive mentioned befor.But as soon as I hit Menu or Inputs it makes it go away, and right as the OSD turns off the lil dots come back.I have even unhooked everything and ran it every way trying to eliminate all the other wires and unessecary equipment, and it still does the same thing everytime, every configuration.

One thing about hitting the Inputs/Menu button, it quickly flashes the screen off and then back on once the display pops up.And as soon as you turn off the Menu/Inputs menu, it does the same thing, shuts off and turns back on very quickly.

If i could get rid of these damn dots on 480i, this TV would be one of the best ive ever seen.720p and 1080i look so freaking OUTSTANDING on this tv!

Im just confused on how a OSD such as Menu or Inputs menu could make the lil dots dissapear.If the signal or inputs were truly bad, wouldnt the dots remain when id bring up either of thoes 2 OSD's? How could a OSD clear up a signal or improve input connectivity? So it must be something with the TV and 480i?

DirtyWaters,
Highly possible. Especially if all else is working fine. DVR recording is lossy and may be causing your issue. Any chance you can try a non DVR'd Batman Begins?
Thanks - will try. But curious - what data would be "lost" that would cause flickering in the TV? Is there something messin' with my video processor?

42HDS69

What do you all think of the new Hitachi 42HDS69 Plasma?
Specs that stand out.
• Color: ........................................Silver
• Resolution: ...1024 (H) x 1080 (V) x 3
• 3 HMDI inputs
• 23lbs lighter than the 42hds52
• An additional HD aspect mode
• No "Click and Roll" remote
• No USB input

Not sure I like the silver color. Maybe I'm just jaded from the pannys.
Just saw this tonight at V.O. in Seattle - frame is silver w/ black frame around the glass. Two HDMI & component in rear, one each on side (yes, side). Nice picture, though "eyeball-calibrated". Was offered a great rpice (msrp) with free 4-yr warranty. I might be back this weekend to buy!

Not sure about the 1024x1080i resolution. What are the pros/cons of this, vs a typical standard 42" plasma's 1024x768???

Hey Bob :)

Both actually, i got my Cable box hooked up via a/v cables ( yellow , red, white ), and i also have OTA by running thru the coaxial cable (which its self is coupled/splt to the TV and Cablebox) input on the back of the TV. On both the cox cable box and running OTA , all of the 480i I view have the sporadic black dots crawling all over the place that ive mentioned befor.But as soon as I hit Menu or Inputs it makes it go away, and right as the OSD turns off the lil dots come back.I have even unhooked everything and ran it every way trying to eliminate all the other wires and unessecary equipment, and it still does the same thing everytime, every configuration.

One thing about hitting the Inputs/Menu button, it quickly flashes the screen off and then back on once the display pops up.And as soon as you turn off the Menu/Inputs menu, it does the same thing, shuts off and turns back on very quickly.

If i could get rid of these damn dots on 480i, this TV would be one of the best ive ever seen.720p and 1080i look so freaking OUTSTANDING on this tv!


So no HD or digital cable box? Sound like a signal problem. Assuming you live in San Diego, try the free 30 day DVR box from Cox.
http://www.cox.com/sandiego/digitalcable/dvr/hd-dvr.asp

Otherwise, you need to try Component cable (Red, Green, Blue) or at least S-Video for the hookup to see if that may clear the problem.

Are you using both the Air and Cable inputs?
Try your hookup without the splitter.
Are you stretching the 4:3 image?
Look at the Black/grey sidebars settings. Pg 40 in the RTFM:)
Look at noise reduction settings. Pg 42 in the RTFM:)

I wish there was a signal meter for the analog channels.

How is that Xbox 360 working out? I'd love to see it. Looking to Wii myself. Wish it was HD.

mark_kaminsky,

You would be the first that I know. I checked CC last night to see if they had one. No luck. Its odd that the 55HDS69 is only 1366 x 768p capable. I wish we had a Hitachi indsider who could illuminate the product line. No stands on these units. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks - will try. But curious - what data would be "lost" that would cause flickering in the TV? Is there something messin' with my video processor?

Black levels oddly have a lot of detail. The action scenes in Riddick were very dissapointing. I doubt the Plasma was to blame. I just think the HD feed was poor to my HD STB. Keep us posted.

mark_kaminsky,

You would be the first that I know. I checked CC last night to see if they had one. No luck. Its odd that the 55HDS69 is only 1366 x 768p capable. I wish we had a Hitachi indsider who could illuminate the product line. No stands on these units. Good luck and keep us posted.
"No stands"? I assume you mean the power swivel. The 42HDS69 has a stand, and it does swivel, albeit manually...

I agree, not sure of the benefits of the 1024x1080 ALiS panels. I've read mostly good stuff about them, though. I'm still leaning towards the Sammy HP-S4253. Both the Panny and Sammy 42" panels are 1024x768...

I think this new Hitachi had a slightly better picture than the new Panny x60 series. The Panny was directly above the Hitachi at V.O., and thought the Hitachi edged out the Panny. Unfortunately, V.O. did not have the Sammy available to compare to the Hitachi. BB had the Sammy and Panny close enough to compare, and thought the Sammy was the clear winner. Now just need to see the Sammy and Hitachi side-by-side...

EDIT - As I use two computers, I accidentally registered twice on this forum (I forgot, getting old $uck$!). I will normally post as mak99, same as I use on other forums...

Ok Mak,
The cut sheet (pdf) on Hitachi's site says the 55 is sans the stand. Weird. I really think that the 1024 x 1024 of the HSD52s make SD shine (except if you are sandiegosnarf). 99% of what you will watch is SD. Sucks. Is there an upgrade slot on the 69? To me these set seem like a place holder until Cable Card 2 becomes available. We need that Hitachi insider. Anyone?

dont get me wrong , i mean all SD looks like crap next to a HD signal, and its not that my SD channels look like crap, its just thoes black crawling dots, everything else in the PQ is fine.

Im using both, cox digital cable box and OTA HD. Im not using both Air and Cable inputs. Ive tryed with and with out the splitter. Aspect changes nothing, be it 4.3, 4.3 expanded, 4.3 zoom1/2, 16.9 standard, 16.9 expanded, 16.9 zoom1/2.

Ive tested it all different ways , by having the TV plugged in the wall /w no cable or anything hooked up to it, just a dvd player, and when it plays in 480i i get the black dots.When i hook my digi cable box up, and i view any 480i format it has the dots.When i hook up the OTA HD and i view 480i channels i see the black dots. All other sources , no matter the input or source, such as 720p and 1080i, have no trace of the black crawling dots.

And im still stumped on why some thing like the OSD main Menu or OSD Imputs menu makes the dots in what ever 480 source im viewing temporarly go away?

But RCA Y (video) and R & W (audio), eek. Can you try S-Video or Component from your digital cable box?

Sure thing, ill go out to day and pick up a S-video cord, as thats is the most advanced thing my box supports, its an old scientific atlanta box from 2001.

But how could something like a S-video cable clear it up, when it clears up from a menu poping up? It seems to me like theres something internally wrong with the TV and how its handeling 480i sources. Thats the thing that stumps me, a friggen menu clearing it up once accessed and to only have the dots return once the menu shuts off.

Ill even have PIP running with 1080i HD channel 7 in one window and regualr 480i SD channel 7 in the other, and the 1080i ch. 7 has no trace of dots, but the SD 480i ch. 7 does. And as soon as i pull up the main Menu or Inputs menu , the dots go away on the 480i SD channel 7 window. And as ive stated befor, right when the menu goes off, they all come right back on the 480i side.

Ok Mak,
The cut sheet (pdf) on Hitachi's site says the 55 is sans the stand. Weird. I really think that the 1024 x 1024 of the HSD52s make SD shine (except if you are sandiegosnarf). 99% of what you will watch is SD. Sucks. Is there an upgrade slot on the 69? To me these set seem like a place holder until Cable Card 2 becomes available. We need that Hitachi insider. Anyone?
Ah, now I see - the swivel stand is standard on the 42", optional on the 55"...those bums!

So if the 1024x1024 works well with the xxHDS52 series, the 1024x1080 should be slightly better on the xxHDS69 series?

I did not notice (or ask about) an upgrade slot on the 42" last night. What would it look like?

It's just large enough for an SD card. Wish Hitachi would post the manual for the 69 sets. Very strange.

It's just large enough for an SD card. Wish Hitachi would post the manual for the 69 sets. Very strange.
CONFIRMED - it does have an upgrade slot, right below the cablecard slot. Saw it today when looking (yet again!) at this TV. If I had thought to wrote down the serial # on the display unit, I could have "registered" on the Hitachi website and downloaded the full manual.

BTW, the side component video connections that are on the left side (opposite the third HDMI connection) seem to be a bit noticeable when looking from that side. I wish they were set back farther away from the edge of the TV. Just a nitpicky comment...

Also noticed that the whites didn't seem as bright as adjacent TV (Tosh 42HP66 and new Panny x60), but the detail was better on the Hitachi.

any new word on the 1080p 55 hitachi release date?

SanDiegoSnarf,
Do you think you may have a ground loop problem? When I was having ground loop issues I did have all sorts of weird things going on with the pictures. I also only noticed the problem on certain sources but not with others. Does your DVD or HD sources have the same black dots? Because if not then I doubt it is your TV. Probably a bad cable feed. Have your cable company come out and test the lines and ask if you might have a ground loop. Also, try disconnecting all of your sources and one by one reconnecting. This includes your cable feed. Try the over air antenna. I think with the video processor it is EXTREMELY rare to cause an issue of "black dots" only on 480 sources and not any other source.
Also - do you have cable card or box? These could definitely be the source of the problem.

I just bought this TV over the weekend due in part to the posts here and a smokin' deal at CC. I am in the process of setting up everything and have been playing with the video settings. Won't matter much until I can get the HD box from TWC on Friday. However, when I tried to set the auto channel scan to populate the channel list, I only get a max of 3 channels to load. I have tried running it on both cable(1) and cable(2). The manual doesn't get into much detail on this feature. Is this due to my old cable box and will adjust when the new install is done? If not, please walk me through how to get this done. Should have had it professionally installed but opted to get a new home theater system instead.

Thanks for your help!

Beaglemom,
It depends on the setup but obviously the signal is not getting to the TV's tuner. Do you have basic cable? Are you connecting the cable from the box to a VCR first? If so try running the cable into the TV and skipping the VCR. Also, since your TV is new try doing a "reset" from the main menu and then rescan. A new box will make a difference especially if you have digital cable (from a PQ standpoint). Dont let the cable guy leave until you see all of your channels!

I saw the 42HDS69 today at J&R and I drooled. Mind you the Pioneer was not too far as well as a few 40".

I stepped back 5 feet from all displays and what I saw amazed me. The 42HDS69 looked the best. gorgeous colors, deep blues, pure white.

At first I thought the set was an LCD. along with all the inputs has seriously made me consider Hitachi as potential buy for me. this was by far one of the top tvs in the house. panys / pioneer or samsung. I had no idea that hitachi made such a great set.

more new updates

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1968959,00.asp

will they make a 50" version of this.

I saw the 42HDS69 today at J&R and I drooled. Mind you the Pioneer was not too far as well as a few 40".

I stepped back 5 feet from all displays and what I saw amazed me. The 42HDS69 looked the best. gorgeous colors, deep blues, pure white.

At first I thought the set was an LCD. along with all the inputs has seriously made me consider Hitachi as potential buy for me. this was by far one of the top tvs in the house. panys / pioneer or samsung. I had no idea that hitachi made such a great set.

will they make a 50" version of this.

nice first impressions :) btw they do have a 55" version, the 55hds69.

Still no update on the Hitachi site. Don't believe I'll trade my set in yet. Not happy with that silver. Too Panny for my tastes.

42HDS69, 42HDT79, and 42HDX99
55HDS69, 55HDT79, and 55HDX99

Thanks for the update and the link Shinraven.

well the silver on the new 42HDS69 is nothing like the panny panels. the Hitachi I saw were just that....metal. good quality. whereas the panns tend to look / feel ...cheap.

Its best to see it in person. considering the good quality as well as tons of features packed in. I am surprised that this panel is not getting more raves. then again it's fairly new.

The 52 series were long on features as well. I must say that I like and use my motorized swivel more than I thought I would.

Beaglemom,
It depends on the setup but obviously the signal is not getting to the TV's tuner. Do you have basic cable? Are you connecting the cable from the box to a VCR first? If so try running the cable into the TV and skipping the VCR. Also, since your TV is new try doing a "reset" from the main menu and then rescan. A new box will make a difference especially if you have digital cable (from a PQ standpoint). Dont let the cable guy leave until you see all of your channels!


Thanks for the info. I checked the connections and the cable is going straight into the tv from the digital cable box. I am thinking it may be the quality of the cables since I tried to do the reset and it didn't work. We haven't upgraded the coax cables running from the box to the tv. I also didn't mention that the cable from the outside runs into a Monster surge protector/power center before it goes into the cable box. Definitely will make sure that all is working before the cable guy leaves!

Thanks for your help and if anyone has additional insight or encountered the same issue please let me know. So far no issues. Did see one instance of a flicker but it was only on one commercial and haven't seen it since, so I will keep an eye out for that.

I also didn't mention that the cable from the outside runs into a Monster surge protector/power center before it goes into the cable box. Definitely will make sure that all is working before the cable guy leaves!
You might try bypassing the surge protector with the cable to see if that clears up the problems. I had problems with my Comcast digital cable/HD package with my Panamax 5100 surge protector - sometimes the HD channels would not appear, or have issues. Since bypassing the Panamax, it operates perfectly. Ask your cable guy what he recommends.

Or you might might need to use the Satellite connections on the Monster, and NOT the cable inputs. I think the Satellite connections might have a wider bandwidth capability to fully pass the HDTV signals? Anyone care to comment on my theory? FYI, I never tried this on my Panamax but can test later this week...

- mak

A friend of mine is in need of cash and is offering me his Hitachi Director's Serirs 55" w/swivel stand and speakers for under 4k. It is in pristine condition. It is at a friend's home w/out HD. So I brought over my HD DVR and plugged it in. HD is incredible. Digital and analog cable are horrid. I have a 55" Sony KDFE 55A20. My set looks very good on Digital channels, perhaps not as clear as my old Sat picture but very watchable. But the digital signal on plasma (same box I use at home) is just awful. Can any of you plasma owners tell me if you even watch non-HD? If you do, does your digital signal at least give you a reasonably good picture? Thanks.

Dear Stephen,

Thank you for visiting the Hitachi website and for your inquiry.

You have the current software version in the TV.

If you have any further questions about any Hitachi product, please call our technical assistance number at 1-800-HITACHI. Please reference your e-mail address when you call in as a customer service file has been created based upon your e-mail contact. Again, thank you for your interest in Hitachi.
Adam

Hitachi Home Electronics

--Original Message--

Question: Is there a newer version of firmware for 42HDS52A SERIAL NO. V6B011793 of which version in my unit is V0100.0003?

A friend of mine is in need of cash and is offering me his Hitachi Director's Serirs 55" w/swivel stand and speakers for under 4k. It is in pristine condition. It is at a friend's home w/out HD. So I brought over my HD DVR and plugged it in. HD is incredible. Digital and analog cable are horrid. I have a 55" Sony KDFE 55A20. My set looks very good on Digital channels, perhaps not as clear as my old Sat picture but very watchable. But the digital signal on plasma (same box I use at home) is just awful. Can any of you plasma owners tell me if you even watch non-HD? If you do, does your digital signal at least give you a reasonably good picture? Thanks.

I have Comcast digital cable. I'm in Montg. Co. MD as well with a Motarola HD STB.
I have a 42" set.
Very happy with PQ on digital and SD channels. Even Tivo'd it still looks great.

Bob: Thank you for the reply. We may bring his set over to my home and move my 55" A20 to my basement and hook up his Hitachi plasma in my family room. If the digital channels are even close to the picture I get w/my Sony, I will spring for the ridiculous price of $3500 and buy his Hitachi. It has the swivel stand and speakers and has less than 50 hours on it. It is in a friend's home hooked up to basic cable (no HD, no digital, no box). But it has to look at least as good as my current Sony. With the limited amt of HD I know I will be watching a lot of digital tv. It will not be a bargain if I find myself moaning and groaning everytime I am not watching HD. Thanks again.

Hey guys I bought my Hitachi hds52 2 weeks ago from CC as open box buy. Well I just check the clock meter and was 3320. Is this 3000 hours? If so should I take it back? I only got $300 off their current price.

JasonGTT,
Where did you see a clock meter? What menu?

Still no update on the Hitachi site. Don't believe I'll trade my set in yet. Not happy with that silver. Too Panny for my tastes.

42HDS69, 42HDT79, and 42HDX99
55HDS69, 55HDT79, and 55HDX99

Thanks for the update and the link Shinraven.

I agree... don't like the silver. But are these panels truely 1080p (1920 x 1080)?

I agree... don't like the silver. But are these panels truely 1080p (1920 x 1080)?
The 42HDS69 is 1080i - specs call out 1024x1080i resolution. Click below for the Hitachi website:

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/plasma/plasma/42hds69.shtml

I do not know about the other two 42" models you list, but I suspect the same...

All right I was able to switch out my TV 3300 hours for a set with 160. The one I initally purchased was missing all but 1 screw from the back panel, several scratches and came with only a remote control and nothing else. The set I traded for had the manual, IR sensors and cleaning cloth. They had the set I got marked $200 more than the TV I bought and they traded me even. So, I guess CC isn't so bad after all.

Bob, the hour meter is located in the service menu. To get there you have press menu 2x's then 8 and select. Once the service menu is pulled up select PDP and scroll to the 2nd page. The person who posted how to get there stated you should be very careful in adjusting these settings.

Thanks Jason. I will check out the menu. Who posted the service menu info? And where?
I'm glad CC worked out for you. I think you will be very happy with your set.

Jason and Bob,

I tried the Menu, Menu, "8" & "Select" but I get nothing but the regular menu. I am just trying to view the hours on my tv, since mine was an open box item from CC as well. If one of you could help me out I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
Brian

Help I having trouble with the yellows on my TV. They look orange which setting do I adjust for this?

I noticed a problem with my 55HDT51 last night. In the video menu both the contrast and contrast mode adjustments are grayed out and therefore inaccessible.

This happens on all inputs.

I have a 32HDL51 upstairs with the same firmware revision (140) and it works fine.

Is there a way to restore these items? Do I need to replace the media box? If so as I have an extended warrantee I will wait for the new 55" to come out.

Brian,
I have not tried to access the settings yet. Will attempt this weekend.

Jason,
I would start by resetting all items to the defaults. I still have my set at the defaults.

Ira,
I'd call Hitachi. Settings should be indepenant of input.

Good luck

Per Hitachi's support (and they got it right!) the answer to my problem with grayed out contrast is in the Setup Menu, Image Power. The function is to provide for power consumption reduction. If it is set for any level other than max the contrast functions are unavailable as contrast has already been reduced. That byproduct of the feature is undocumented in the manual as far as I can tell. I'm glad my problem is solved.

Ok, HD installed today. The box is Scientific Atlanta and it hooked into input 4 to utilize the Yvideo. HD is AMAZING!!!! However there is now the Channel Manager shows "function not available" The cable guy, a contractor, had no clue about this and couldn't give my husband an answer.

Does anyone have an explanation about this?

Thanks!

Ok, HD installed today. The box is Scientific Atlanta and it hooked into input 4 to utilize the Yvideo. HD is AMAZING!!!! However there is now the Channel Manager shows "function not available" The cable guy, a contractor, had no clue about this and couldn't give my husband an answer.

Does anyone have an explanation about this?

Thanks!

That channel manager option is not available when you are viewing the component input. You are not using the built in tuner.

JamesMH,

Thanks so much for letting know. I thought this was the case but just wanted to double check since I am such a novice.

On a seperate topic - does anyone have suggestions on an optimal setup or can point me to where I can find information? The manual shows several conflicting input directions.

My stuff:

42hds52
philips upconverting dvd player(will use the HDMI)
Yamaha 5.1 receiver/speaker system (will probably use the optical connection)
Scientific Atlanta HD STB

Any suggestions on the proper connections/hookup to optimize this great tv would be much appreciated!

Hello, im from Australia and I just bought a Hitachi 55 inch plasma model number 55PD8800TA

It is advertised as having 68.6 Billion Colours

Does anybody know what the equivelant model is overseas?

Is it the same as the 55HDS69

After having this TV (42HDT55a) for several months and loving it over my Panny I now will get a "weak channel/Channel not available" when I turn this tv on in the morning. No channels work from this point. To fix, I turn off the TV, eject the cable card and then insert. The TV works like normal when turned back on. Comcast has no clue and says get their box (which I have no room for and do not want) and Hitachi says its comcast. Anyone else have problems with cablecards. I already downloaded the latest hardware fix which was suppose to correct some cable card issues.

Since this happens intermittently, I am wondering if the TVGOS is updating when I am turning the TV on and maybe this is causing the synch errors??

i bought 42hds52 for $1900 openbox at CC, i checked the hours used are 3900, sales guy told me the tv is there for 6 weeks, i was expecting less hours, is it too much money to pay because i could get the 42HD69 for $100 more, i like black bezel designon s52, as it matches my speakers. the black levels are acceptable not great as compared to Panny 60U series, please let me know is it a right decision or should i go to brand new s69

i bought 42hds52 for $1900 openbox at CC, i checked the hours used are 3900, sales guy told me the tv is there for 6 weeks, i was expecting less hours, is it too much money to pay because i could get the 42HD69 for $100 more, i like black bezel designon s52, as it matches my speakers. the black levels are acceptable not great as compared to Panny 60U series, please let me know is it a right decision or should i go to brand new s69

FYI - On the CC website, this was listed yesterday at 1899.99 but today is 1999.99 for NEW. I bought it at 2199 and went RUNNING to get the price adjustment. I would say that for open box it should have been priced much lower. Just my $0.02.

My 42" hds52 will be mounted over the fireplace hopefully in the near future and the options are mind boggling. I have heard good things about Peerless and Sanus wall mounts. Does anyone have a preference for either brand or could give an opinion? The mount will be going throught the brick/morter and it is a gas fireplace that is not used.

I prefer the tilt mount with a slight projection in order to reach the inputs if needed.

Thanks for the info!

beaglemom,
u r right, i checked the website today, it is $1999, yesterday it was $2374. i called the store they can take off $200 more. what do u think would be good price?

After having this TV (42HDT55a) for several months and loving it over my Panny I now will get a "weak channel/Channel not available" when I turn this tv on in the morning. No channels work from this point. To fix, I turn off the TV, eject the cable card and then insert. The TV works like normal when turned back on. Comcast has no clue and says get their box (which I have no room for and do not want) and Hitachi says its comcast. Anyone else have problems with cablecards. I already downloaded the latest hardware fix which was suppose to correct some cable card issues.

Since this happens intermittently, I am wondering if the TVGOS is updating when I am turning the TV on and maybe this is causing the synch errors??

I have HDS42,cable card was fine for about a month, then occasional tiling on HD channels, audio sync on HD PBS, and low popping sound....tried changing cards...etc, Cox cable suggested going to the box...all problems did not occur with box. Preferred the card, but couldnt get it to work.

Iserum,

My open box had 3300 hours on it and I was not comfortable with that many hours. When I went to exchange it and buy a new one they were out. I ended up trading it for one with 150 hours and I couldn't be happier.

Has anyone tried tweaking settings in the service menu?

I just got the 42HDT52 for $2018.00 out the door. It is listed now at $2697.
I looked and shown lots of interest and asked questions galore while tweaking everything I could in the tv's menu.
I complained how the TV was too much over the Panny 42 and said I may have to go to CC because the 4260U was on sale. He priced matched the hitachi to the Panny.

I felt like I just got through negotiating a new car deal. It took alot longer than it may seem buy reading my post.

My 42" hds52 will be mounted over the fireplace hopefully in the near future and the options are mind boggling. I have heard good things about Peerless and Sanus wall mounts. Does anyone have a preference for either brand or could give an opinion? The mount will be going throught the brick/morter and it is a gas fireplace that is not used.

I have seen the extra protrusion of the tilt mount be visually lessened with a frame or beze mounted around the TV.
The bezel is like a picture frame reversed with the inside off the wall and it was only enough to cover the gap. There were slots in the top to let heat rise out.
the frame was custom made at a picture frame shop and just slipped over the TV with velcro holding it on. Nice.

Any way to convert default gray side bars to black default on a 42HDS52A?

Thanks,

slannes

Any way to convert default gray side bars to black default on a 42HDS52A?

Thanks,

slannes

..... because black will burn in easier than gray. So this may be why they do not make it a memory mode function?

Are the stretch modes not working for you?

Thanks for your reply. I don't stretch when watching 4:3 aspect DVD or broadcast (classics on TCM etc). I have had no image retention with side or bottom and top black bars. Actually the majority of viewing during break-in were 2:35 so had black bars on top and bottom. No IR. Moreover, I refuse to be restricted to using my TV the way I want by burn-in fear. If it burns through then I'll trash TV, when Hitachi rejects warranty due to my exceeding 15% of non wide screen use and go back to time proven CRT regardless of size. And, use until SED on the market.

Thanks again,

slannes