Official Hitachi Plasma HDTV Thread - HDT52, HDT51, HDS52, HDF52 ... [Text View]

yourefree

09-08-05, 09:21 AM

I bought the HDS52 at the weekend. The PQ is excellent - it even looks pretty decent with SD . It looks very good with the contrast and brightness dialed down to below 50% for the first 100 hours. The Day/Night settings for each input allow for ultimate customization and calibration for each connection and 2 viewing conditions/times. Once you set the clock it automatically switches to night settings at the desired time. 2 HDMI, 2 Component, 3 video, MMC/camera USB input on the side.

I have Oppp connected via HDMI and Cable connected via component and both look great.

The power swivel feature has proven to be useful as it allows you to swivel to avoid reflections during the day and tweak the position for direct viewing at night- obviously this will depend on your room conditions but for me with a lot of windows it does help - also makes connecting new cables easier - the comcast engineer liked that.

The PQ coupled with the connections and features make this a very desireable set, the form factor is very appealing also with black side speakers which at night blend into the all black frame. Sound from those speakers is acceptable when you dont want to activate your surround receiver for Letterman.

The one thing I have yet to uncover is discrete selection for inputs, instead you have to scroll through an input menu to select. It would make things easier with macro enabled remotes to have a discrete selection method for each input.

Overall I am very happy with the purchase (this is my second Plasma, I returned the first as I wasn't blown away with the picture quality) and would recommend comparing it to other choices out there.

nashvillecat

09-08-05, 11:03 AM

What other units did you compare this against? I'm curious if you looked at the HDT52.

Are the speakers really that bad?

nC

RandyM9

09-08-05, 02:06 PM

I've only seen the 55HDX61 in person and was pretty impressed. I tried to buy one last month but was told they are discontinued and a new model is due out any time now. No news appears on Hitachi's web site so I am wondering if anyone has heard of when the new models will hit the stores or if anyone has actually seen one of the new units on display.

Daman S

09-08-05, 02:50 PM

This is a great thread to start. I have been looking at many plasma's from the past month or so and have finalized that ill go with the 42HDS52 for my bedroom. Ill probably end up buying it from CC in a couple of weeks or so since no other vendor currently stocks them and i havent been able to find them online either. If anyone know of a online vendor for Hitachi in US please post about it. Looking forward to hearing from more S52 owners.

edmcgee

09-08-05, 03:11 PM

I have had my HDs52 for about two weeks now. I love it.

Bought it from CC and have already recieved 258 dollars in price protection. :)

eddie

mhfnet

09-08-05, 03:14 PM

The one thing I have yet to uncover is discrete selection for inputs, instead you have to scroll through an input menu to select. It would make things easier with macro enabled remotes to have a discrete selection method for each input.

I have a Harmony 880 remote that I use with my 55HDT51 and it is possible to have discrete selection of Video1 through Video4 inputs but there doesn't seem to be a discrete code for selecting RGB and it requires a macro that goes through the input menu selection process.

One area of disappointment with all the 55HDT51's (and 42" models) I have seen has been banding in areas of graduated color i.e the sky going from dark to light, and posterization on skin tones. Has this been fixed in the new "52" series models? I have tried improving the situation via video menu adjustments but to no avail. Otherwise it is an great plasma.

doughale

09-08-05, 04:55 PM

Has anyone actually seen the 42hdt52 east of the Mississippi. Neither of Hitachi's primary distribution channels (CC and Sears) appear to carry this model on their web sites. I am interested in the model because of the firewire feature. The 42hds52 model appears (from the manual) to turn off any video out when the source is from the hdmi or component inputs. I have read where other manufacturers limit the output to analog, but Hitachi appears to kill it.

nashvillecat

09-08-05, 05:11 PM

HH G has it.

Daman S

09-08-05, 05:45 PM

Can someone post some screenshots here of their displays in action?

bobharp

09-09-05, 08:27 AM

Well I slugged off to Comcast last night to pick up my HD DCT6200 STB. I am still playing around with the inputs from my receiver but hopefully I successfully reintegrated my TIVO plus direct component for HD viewing pleasure. I need to figure out the audio settings on the DCT6200. It seems to be only passing stereo, not 5.1, to my receiver. I am using the optical SPDIF out. I need to do some more playing but I'm afraid that's all I'm going to get. I am getting a 1080i signal from the DCT6200 STB via the component out. Picture quality is stunning except for my ground loop issue. I hope to make the call to Comcast soon to get that sorted out. I am looking forward to digging into the setup a little more and will post my findings and more likely seek out assistance from you all.

BucksWin

09-09-05, 10:55 AM

Can anyone provide any input on optimal settings for the 55HDT51 (contrast, brightness, etc., etc.)?

I just had the TV delivered on Monday and am pretty pleased with it. Some dark scenes (in HD) tend to pixelate (posterization?) and hair (in SD) sometimes doesn't look so great. Other than that, I'm very pleased with the HD picture quality.

I've got the Avia disk on order, but have read that both Avia and DVE have shortcomings for Plasmas.

I bought the set from HH G and would recommend them, only if you don't have any questions! The salesperson was full of misinformation and insisted that plasmas can be adjusted in the same way that a rear projection set can. I'm no expert, but I do know that there aren't any bulbs in a plasma!

wshful

09-10-05, 01:36 AM

Purchased the Hitachi HDF52, the specs say it has split screen but I can't figure out how to do it , I can only get PIP, any help would be appreciated. Thanks

JamesMH

09-10-05, 02:54 AM

The brightness is in the middle, the contrast is way up there though, didn't have to really mess with any settings out of the box on the 42HDT52. No posterization problems that I have seen on the Samsung I had for a few weeks, maybe the HDT52 use greatly different components/software. I would call Hitachi and ask them about it.

I only got the HDT because it was cheaper in the local dealer than the HDS was at Circuit City, it has the tv guide, which won't work on my cable system for some reason, who knows where that problem is. The firewire is nice, but Hitachi won't give me a single part number for anything that will work with it.
I plugged my video camera into tonight, the tv won't recognise it, would've thought it would playback through it, but no luck.

Anyone got the tv guide working with there HDT models?

abentin

09-10-05, 03:00 AM

I am interested in hooking up an HTPC to the 42HDS52.

I sent Hitachi an email asking about the best way to do this and this was their reply:

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

Unfortunately, we would not recommend connection this unit or any plasma units to a computer. While it is true that you could possibly obtain a video card that would output HDMI or components, but there is a possibility that you could get "pattern burn" on your television by hooking a computer to it due to the static non moving images.

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.

Mike

Hitachi Consumer Electronics :confused:

Any thoughts on this?

What is the best way to hook up an HTPC to this TV? Has anyone done it? I hear that the resolutions on this TV are a bit non standard and that it makes hooking up an HTPC a bit of a chore.

nashvillecat

09-11-05, 06:12 AM

Can someone post their calibration settings for these units?

hhh@metallica

09-11-05, 09:26 AM

bobharp

09-11-05, 04:02 PM

It seems like no one has a lot of answers on these sets yet. I will try to help where I can.

hhh@metallica --> The swivel is for the table top.

abentin --> They are probably afraid of the BSOD (blue screen of death) burn in. I have not tried to hook up a HTPC to one of these units but just like any other plasma device you need to be very careful about static images (lines, icons, dialog boxes, pictures, etc.) displaying for long periods of time on screen.

BucksWin --> I have not changed from the defaults yet on my HDS52.

wshful --> Have you cycled through all the PIP modes?

So far I have been just enjoying my set and reprogramming my remote(s). Watching the US OPEN in HD was a thrill. The overhead camera shots of the stadium were thrilling. I was not prepared for the depth I would perceive while watching an HD show. WOW.

Happy viewing.

R Harkness

09-16-05, 05:35 PM

MaliciousBraham

09-16-05, 05:59 PM

R Harkness:
http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/pro_plasma/proplasma/55HDM71.shtml

R Harkness

09-16-05, 06:06 PM

Thanks MaliciousBraham,

Actually, I'd already looked at that before which is how I found that model was the "pro" version.
But it's a bit confusing: that link touts 8 bit processing, whereas the information on the AVdeals site touts 10-bit processing.

I know someone who owned a consumer Hitachi mentioned some banding and I immediately thought "8 bit processing." So I'm just curious which specs are right. Did Hitachi perhaps update the 55HDM71 to 10 bit processing? Or do the consumer models have 10 bit and the pro model 8 bit?

Thanks to anyone who can shed light on the differences between the 55HDM71 and the consumer models.

mrduke

09-17-05, 04:54 PM

Has anyone found out how to access the service menu on the 42HDS52? And is it a useable service menu? The previous Hitachi plasmas had color decoder adjustments in the user menu, but only the 42HDX62 has that feature this year.

Thanks,
Duke

visual insanity

09-18-05, 08:14 AM

Ok I know these sets are new but it seems based on Bobharp's post that playing video games on these sets wouldn't be a good idea. Has anyone here tried to play video games on these sets?

I'm very close to picking up the 42HDS52 but my problem is that I do play games from time to time. Can anyone tell me how previous Hitachi sets have handled burn-in?

I think I remember reading somewhere (I believe CNET) that ALis panels are most prone to burn in.

JamesMH

09-18-05, 01:18 PM

All plasmas are prone to burn in after long perioids. These ones have a pixel shift screen saver, just like the Samsungs have.

These are fine for playing games on, I use it with my xbox, looks great, no problems.

From my Hitachi tech support experience, I wouldn't believe everything they say. They told me the reason I am not getting the TV Guide information from my cable is that I do not have a digital cable box, obviously wrong since the HDT52 has a cable card slot and the TV guide feature. They didn't know the product that are selling.

visual insanity

09-18-05, 10:50 PM

Thanx James. I think I'll be looking to pick the 42HDS52 very soon. Right now this is the only set Im really interested in.

westa6969

09-18-05, 11:09 PM

All the new Hitachi Plasma's can be found on Plasmaplanet with the exception of the Director's series as they are not supposed to be sold on line.

Pricing is pending as the larger sets are supposed to debut within the next month (55"). They are MAP priced which means they cannot post the sale price on line.

I would suspect Monitoroutlet should be carrying them also very soon as they are very good at providing quotes. I believe the new Hitachi 42" model is the highest customer rated set on CC. Virtually all of the previous line are being or have been cleared out of stock. :)

Enigma

09-18-05, 11:27 PM

I'm very close to picking up the 42HDS52 but my problem is that I do play games from time to time. Can anyone tell me how previous Hitachi sets have handled burn-in?

I think I remember reading somewhere (I believe CNET) that ALis panels are most prone to burn in.

I don't have a Hitachi, but a Sony which is now 4 1/2 years old, which uses the Hitachi AliS glass. I have played a lot of video games (PS2, Xbox, GC), and have never had any issues with burn-in. Because AliS panels fire half of the pixels at a time, supposedly they actually should be less prone to burn-in than a normal progressive panel.

A power plant near hear that I work at occasionally used to have huge CRT's for displays in their control room (there were 5). They changed out 4 of the 5 for plasma's but due to the fact that they are dispalying more or less static images (data) 24/7 they had an issue with burn-in not long after installing them. I don't know what the panels were (the CC operator wasn't sure), but anyway they replaced them with the same Sony panels that I have. They had no more problems after that (I'm not sure how long they've run, either, but the operator seemed to think there was a big difference as far as burn-in resistance).

visual insanity

09-19-05, 12:10 AM

Thanks for the input enigma. It looks like my first HDTV purchase will be the Hitachi 42HDS52.

Now, I have another question....for those of you that own this set how many of you receive HDTV by way of satellite transmission? I have Directv. What's this thing about "HD Lite"? Are HD signals really that compressed? If so I need to drop DTV before I drop some serious cash on their receivers.

Looks like Time Warner has more movie channels anyway and I don't know if I can wait for this MPEG-4 stuff.

hammyoni

09-19-05, 10:15 AM

Ive had my 42HDX62 for the last 3 days now, and I am incredibly impressed. Only thing im having trouble with is the TV Guide. Not a big deal as I have my cable DVR TV guide menu.

If anyone wants to see some pics (low quality that dont do it justice) let me know.

For the extra money over the pany 500, I feel it is very justified, the piano black cabinet is fantastic, sound is great for a TV, unlimited inputs, power swivel! yes I actually use it! Its not a flasy unit, but I like that compared to all the silver accent ones, plus this is the Directors series that speaks for itself with understated style.

If you are on the fence with hitachi...go for it, even the step below this is very similar...great sets.

seememom

09-19-05, 10:36 AM

Hey guys, do you know anything about the Hitachi 55HDM71 version? AVdeals.ca has an amazing price on that plasma and I'm thinking of recommending to someone. I'm impressed with the 55" Hitachi's I've seen in the stores - the HDT51 and 55HDM71C.

As far as I can tell, the Hitachi 55HDM71 is their "monitor" commercial version of their 55" display.

Anyone have info on that model?

Thanks!

I don't think anyone can tell you whether it is really 8 or 10 bit, but a friend of mine bought the Viewsonic version that was at Costco and is extremely happy. This thing has also been on display at Future Shop in Mississauga, and looked as good (to me) as the Pioneer 50" beside it, which is saying a lot. You will always see some banding at some point on all plasma's, but I don't think it's really a big deal, with all the positives they have going for them. The new sets will be out shortly though, and I doubt they will be able to price them much higher.

Also, if your friend wants a really big screen, Costco.ca has the Optoma 783 projector with 92-inch grey screen for less than that Hitachi.

Good luck

hammyoni

09-19-05, 11:09 AM

The pwer swivel you mentioned is that for a table top display? Or is it the bracket for hanging on the wall? I just ordered my HDS52 from CC. A concern I have is the glare on the screen as I too have alot of windows. Thanks!
It is for the table top stand. One reason I wont mount on the wall because I love this stand, looks classy and actually is useful

wiscy

09-19-05, 01:01 PM

According to this article (http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/6002.html) the replacement 55 director series (55HDX62) is due out next month with an MSRP of 6,999.

alternapop

09-19-05, 07:39 PM

while watching football this weekend i noticed some banding on football helmets. it's weird because it was definitely there on the notre dame gold helmets but wasn't there on the new england patriot silver helmets.

any insight or tips on why this happens and how to minimize or fix is appreciated.

hhh@metallica

09-23-05, 08:05 PM

Has anyone else ordered the Hitachi 55HDS52 Plasma from CC? iI ordered mine 2 weeks ago... still waiting. Just wondering if anyone else ordered from CC and what was the time it took for delivery? Thanks!

westcoastinc

09-24-05, 07:40 AM

Any of you have the Hitach 42" 42HDF52

Do plasma tvs have burn in?
Also do I have to replace the lamp every so often or is that only have the 60,000 hours?

As you can see I know nothing about tv's.

hhh@metallica

09-24-05, 08:11 AM

I ordered my 55HDS52 from CC. How long did it take to get yours? Thanks

westa6969

09-24-05, 08:46 AM

I ordered my 55HDS52 from CC. How long did it take to get yours? Thanks
Did your CC have the new 55" on display? I've never seen one in our local store or on their website - do they process it as a special order? I did notice that the smaller Hitachi gets pretty much the highest ratings from customers on their website of any TV. Monitoroutlet usually is very competitive but they do not have the new one's listed just yet.

I'd go with CC if they could price match either Monitoroutlet or Plasmaplanet. I've always liked the Hitachi with the powered swivel stand and to get a bonus of 20% additional screen size versus the 50" but the Pio 5060 feedback makes it tempting.

Sony keeps delaying the SXRD shipments and so much controversy over SSE on the Microdisplays I don't know if I want to put out $5K to deal with this SSE issue of the SXRD so I put a hold on my order so I could compare them in-store first or at least see owner confirmation first rather than be the guinea pig poster. Would be nice to actually see this new Hitachi version but it's difficult finding one on display in the 55" size and hopefully the 42" and it's positive feedback is an indicator. :D

hhh@metallica

09-24-05, 04:48 PM

No not on display... only 42' Hitachi. Have a good one.

edmcgee

09-24-05, 06:38 PM

hhh@metallica

09-25-05, 11:14 AM

How long did it take for you to receive the Hitachi HDS52 from CC? Thanks!

JamesMH

09-25-05, 11:54 PM

I go into my video and audio on my hitachi plamsa and change some settings.
After I shut off the tv, (using the remote, not the true shut down on the tv) the settings reset to default.

How do you keep the settings from changing back? I am sure you should not have to reset them every day.

thanks

eddie

You should keep them in memory when powered off. Each input has its own settings(1 for day and 1 for night), make sure you're looking at the same input.

slizzap

09-26-05, 12:53 AM

How long did it take for you to receive the Hitachi HDS52 from CC? Thanks!

You have to specify the 55". No one can answer that since it hasn't been released yet, only the 42" has. I ordered mine from CC 3 weeks ago now. Since they're showing it in their inventory system (not in stock) they said it should be within a few weeks. But from what I've read online they probably won't be out til late October at the earliest.

If you really wanna read some ****, check this out. I went to the Hitachi website and sent customer service a question via some website form. Here's their response regarding release date of the 55HDS52:

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

Unfortunately, we have not received a release date for this product. I would think the set should be released before the end of the year, but at this time that is as specific as I can get.

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.

Waiting sucks :(

ball3r

09-28-05, 09:39 AM

I went in to my local video store yesterday. I was inquiring about the JVC and Sony 1080P micro displays. I really hadn't considered plasma because of the price. The salesman told me they are anxiously waiting on the 55HDT52 and the price they will be. I am now SERIOUSLY considering this tv. They had the 55HDT51 (last years I believe) on display. I thought the picture was amazing. The power swivel stand is very cool too. He did say they do not expect the tv till the end of October.

bobbart2000

10-03-05, 02:53 PM

I just got a 42HDT52 this weekend. First impressions:

First, the good:

PQ looks very good (to me). This is my first plasma so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. No HD feed yet. DVD looks very good. What has really surprised me a bit is the PQ of regular standard 4x3 signals. Based on what I have read I was ready to accept a less-than-stellar picture but I am very pleased. The basic 4x3 expanded “stretch” mode is very watchable. Also, all of the images look very smooth. I am very sensitive to pixelization to the point where an ED set looks “grainy” even from 15 feet away. This set looks like what I expect for anything calling itself “HD”.

This is a very attractive set. I have it on the auto-swivel base and it looks good just sitting there. I don’t like the look of any of the Panny consumer models for this year. The commercial models look OK but I really wanted the base, the built-in sound and most especially, all the extra inputs.

The not so good:

The built in TV Guide does not seem to want to work. (Can’t get data.) This seems to be a common problem.

I don’t like the fact that there is a cooling fan that is continually on unless the set is turned off using the hard-power-off button.

I have been “thinking about buying” for a long time. I was sure that I would end up with a Panny of some sort but when I did an in-store comparison of the Panny 42PX50 and the 42HDT52 (they were literally side-by-side), I went with the Hitachi.

hammyoni

10-05-05, 03:25 PM

Glad to hear you are happy with your hitachi as well.

I went with it based on similar reasons, the panas just looks cheaply built next to it...sorry I dont dig that silver and matte black frame on the pannys.

As for PQ, get HD! you will be amazed at the PQ...

I know what you mean about the fan being on even in standby mode, Ive gotten used to it and the unit is extremely quiet when on. My damn dvr is the annoying one with the nonstop HD cooling fans on.

Im wondering if the TVguide is just a user issue as some have it working, others have problems...i just gave up as I have the dvr wiht TV guide.

mattburk

10-05-05, 07:13 PM

bobbart2000

10-05-05, 11:07 PM

Update on my new 42HDT52: I still love the TV but my “fan” problem is driving me bonkers.

First, the TV Guide did start working. It just took more like 2 days to get the information.

I still think the picture is first rate but I would love to see more contrast. This is my first non-CRT TV and I really don’t know what to expect. When I see some “not quite so black” blacks, I can’t help but wonder how much better a Panny would be.

I am still is awe of how good SD programming looks and I think this display has the smoothest looking picture that I have seen in a plasma.

But the FAN! When I turn off the set, sometimes it stays on, sometimes it goes off. Sometimes it stays on and then goes off later (anywhere between minutes and hours, and once it seemed to stay on all night). Sometimes it goes off and then I come back later and it’s on. When it goes off there is an audible “click” like the main power supply is switching out. On a power off, no click means that the fan will still be running. I really just want to know if anything is broken.

I’m getting conflicting information from Hitachi. Two calls to their support line have produced two different answers. I e-mailed then with a detailed description of what I’m seeing but as yet I have no reply. When I spoke to the store manager about a possible swap he said that he had heard that this sort of behavior is a side effect of the TV Guide downloading data and it may normal for this set. He did give me the option to swap if I wanted to. Obviously, if this is “correct” behavior, there is not point in doing a swap.

If anyone who has a 42HDT52 has anything to offer on this crazy issue, I’d really appreciate it.

hammyoni

10-05-05, 11:14 PM

the explanation of the TVguide downloading information is plausible, Im not using the TV guide, although its still setup. I had the slightly audible hum on my set when off/standby, but its nothing that bothers me at all. I dont even know if its a fan or not. If you arent seeing enough contrast, you need to get a HD signal and correctly calibrate your TV. Ive just done basic settings and the picsture is amazing...blacks are as black as Ive seen even from my past CRTs. The HDX does have some better specs but I doubt the picture is drastically better than the HDT models

asiparks

10-06-05, 12:39 PM

Hey Bobbart,, sorry to hear of your probs... My fan doesn't seem to run at all in standby, I tried to catch it out last night, if it is running then I can't hear it. I would take the manager up on his swap offer just to see, at least then you'll know for . As far as contrast, fiddling between setting the black level to high and the contrast type to dynamic and the contrast level to high, surely you can get some quite blackish looking blacks ?

bobbart2000

10-06-05, 09:28 PM

Well I have my answer to the “fan” question. Late yesterday I reconfigured the TV and disabled the TV Guide feature. Sure enough, the irregular fan on/off behavior seems to have disappeared. And to put a complete end to this issue I finally got an email response from Hitachi and they verified that this is “normal” behavior triggered by the TV Guide trying to keep its channels updated. As long as I know why it’s happening, I don’t have a problem with it. I just needed to know what was going on. (I’m an engineer, and not understanding was really bothering me.)

As to my needing a calibration, I completely agree. I know that my picture can be improved by that and it’s on my list. Has anyone had a chance to compare the black-level performance of the HDT52 series against other plasma displays? My only comparisons were in the electronics stores and I could never tell about blacks in that environment.

Thanks for the input and feedback. I still think this is the best value in a 42 inch plasma available today. I ended up picking this over a slightly less expensive Panny 42PX50. I just don’t see any way to beat the 42HDT52 for its combination of features, cabinet styling and picture quality.

slh888

10-07-05, 11:32 AM

FutureShop ( Canada ) has this one on sale this week . I am considering to buy one.

Any input for this model is more than welcome.

slh888

10-07-05, 11:53 AM

bobbart2000

10-07-05, 01:52 PM

CNet review says:

Note that Hitachi uses ALiS technology in its high-resolution 42-inch plasmas, which makes for a higher native resolution than competing sets (1,024x1,024 vs. 1,024x768) but has resulted in poorer black-level performance in our tests.

What's your comment?

Well, I watched a Star Wars DVD last night and I can assure you that space looked nicely black and not at all grey.

As for me, when I picked the 42HDT52 over the Panny 42PX50, I assumed that I was going to be giving up some black-level performance. I actually don’t have any personal experience on which to make a judgment. In general the images on this set look VERY good.

The only images that have left me wondering about black performance are those where there are dark colors against an even darker background. However, as pointed out earlier in this thread, I have not had my set calibrated and my expectation is that this sort of scene is exactly what would likely be improved.

HiDef Bob

10-08-05, 04:00 AM

I presently own a Sony KV-36XBR400. It displays a great HDTV picture. But it is a little on the small size for movies and sports. I have been looking for a 50-55" HDTV screen. I took a serious look at the new Sony 50" SXRD but found it not entirely to my liking.

My home theatre dealer sent me an e-mail today suggesting that I consider the Hitachi 55HDM71C plasma panel. He told me that it has dropped again in price. He said that it has an amazing looking HD Screen.

I have always had concerns about burn in with plasmas. I like to watch a lot of sports, particularly baseball. While I was watching tonight's game (in HDTV) I began to wonder about the score box that is ever present during every game. Is there anyone who owns a plasma and watches baseball? Have you had a problem with the score box burning in?

Currently only plasmas 65" or more are capable of 1080x1920. Is it technically possible for sets in the 50-60" size to be able to display that resolution in the future?

The resolution of the this 55" Hitachi is listed as 1366x768. Does anyone know how that compares to Tube sets like the Sony KV36XBR400?

iraweiss

10-08-05, 06:55 AM

nailzer

10-08-05, 08:29 AM

Did the rep give you a model number? I'm about to buy the HDS52 at CC today to get in on the 27 month no interest deal, but would wait for the 55, which I was told at CC yesterday it could be ordered, but there would probably be a wait to get it.

iraweiss

10-08-05, 09:51 AM

Here's a link to the official Hitachi press release from September about the new models:

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/discover/press/pdf/2005_LCD_Flat_Panel_Release_Update_09052005.pdf

Pay attention to the differences between the HDS52 and HDT52 series and see if the upgrades are worth the extra cost of $100 MSRP between $5,799 and $5,899. They would be to me. Of course, it all depends on what your dealers carry or are willing to order for you.

SDL

10-08-05, 10:33 AM

HiDef Bob

10-08-05, 04:43 PM

I have a Hitachi 55HDT51. I spoke to our state's Hitachi rep a few days ago at an HH Gregg store opening and he told me that the 55" version of the HDT52 series should be out in a few weeks. I would wait for it rather than go with an HDM71, which by the way, lacks speakers and a tuner.

I don't want speakers (never would use them and waste space) or a tuner (will be part of my home theatre system that has serious surround speakers). I want a monitor ONLY. so the HDM71 is perfect in that sense.

tjhayko

10-08-05, 05:28 PM

Purchased the Hitachi HDF52, the specs say it has split screen but I can't figure out how to do it , I can only get PIP, any help would be appreciated. Thanks

How do you like the HDF52? Futureshop in Canada is clearing out the 42HDF52 this week, and I wondered if the DVI input include HDCP support. It says on the Hitachi website that it can be used with an HDMI adapter, but I'd hate to get locked into something that doesn't support HDCP.

Any other comments on the 42HDF52 would be appreciated as well.

HiDef Bob

10-08-05, 07:48 PM

With the technical break through in the development of 50 inch plasmas 1080P displays, maybe one should wait for next year's models.

ball3r

10-08-05, 09:16 PM

With the technical break through in the development of 50 inch plasmas 1080P displays, maybe one should wait for next year's models.

I couldn't wait I guess. I just preordered the 55HDT52 for a wonderful price. This was about 20 minutes after I went and saw the Sony SXRD for the first time.

Paul Bigelow

10-08-05, 10:41 PM

Nice to have a Hitachi plasma thread.

Have a 32HDT55 approaching its second anniversary. Have never had a problem with the set. No regrets on the purchase and see no need to upgrade it.

Paul

hammyoni

10-09-05, 01:00 AM

CNet review says:

Note that Hitachi uses ALiS technology in its high-resolution 42-inch plasmas, which makes for a higher native resolution than competing sets (1,024x1,024 vs. 1,024x768) but has resulted in poorer black-level performance in our tests.

What's your comment?

I dont trust a thing these guys say, they are so driven by advertising $ theres no point putting anything behind their reviews.

They gave the Pany top marks for black performance, yet a small review blurb in Wired Mag (yes, they are driven by ad money as well, but for comparisons sake) says the same pany has poor black levels...while the Pioneer has best blacks...another complete opposite where CNET says it has poor blacks. Go figure.

btw, blacks on my hitachi plasma leave me nothing to complain about...i figure if you dont notice a problem in movies like starwars and LOTR, then Im happy.

bobbart2000

10-09-05, 12:36 PM

btw, blacks on my hitachi plasma leave me nothing to complain about...i figure if you dont notice a problem in movies like starwars and LOTR, then Im happy.

Everyone has to make their own call as to what is important to them. Black level is only one factor. I have the 42HDT52 because the OVERALL package was, in my opinion, the best value. So far the most impressive things about this set are:
1. The very "tight" (non-pixelated) image due to the 1K x 1K screen.
2. Really superior handling of SD images.
3. The look of the set. When off, this is the most attractive set I have seen.

I have been trying to "dial in" my settings for Brightness, Contrast, Color etc. and am curious if anyone that owns a HDS52 or HDT52 has some settings they would like to share? I thought I saw some posted earlier but now I can't find them.

visual insanity

10-09-05, 12:44 PM

Does anyone know if and when CC will be carrying the 55HDS52?

slizzap

10-12-05, 02:24 PM

CC already has the 55HDS52 listed in their inventory. It's not available yet, and should be due out within the next few weeks. But you can actually go ahead and place an order for one. I pre-ordered a few weeks ago when they had some special 10% off plus 2 years no interest financing.

BTW - for anyone who's interested, Hitachi just recently put up the owners manual for the 55" plasmas. You can currently only get to it by looking at the 42" model. Here's a direct link for the HDS52 -

http://merchant.satisfusion.com/library/manuals/owners/42_55HDS52_42HDS52A.pdf

JamesMH

10-13-05, 01:40 PM

The TV guide on the 42HDT52 just started working last night after almost 2 months, strange.
It might have something to do with the Comcast cable weak signal, or something fixed at Comcast/local tv station.

No data is shown for any HD channels, I'll play with choosing different cable system options, it listed about 6. Its not the most user friendly guide that I have ever used to say the least.

slizzap

10-13-05, 02:35 PM

Hitachi just updated their website, has information on all the new models now. Hopefully that's a sign that retailers will have these shortly.

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

slizzap

10-16-05, 05:48 PM

Lucky me. I got a call from CC last night saying the 55HDS52 finally came in. First and only screen they got in too...sure am glad I preordered it now. But here's the downside, and just an FYI to anybody else picking up this screen. I ordered the optional power swivel stand for it, but now that the screen is in they realized that they ordered the wrong part. After doing some lookup online, and this was a chore in itself, the correct part number from Hitachi for the power swivel stand for the 55HD series is SFT551. Problem is CC doesn't show it in inventory, and looks like they can't even get it. So now I've got the screen but can't do anything with it...short of propping it up against the wall for the time being :p

So I haven't been able to do much today being Sunday. But hopefully tomorrow I'll find a shop that carries this stand. Or talk to Hitachi and find out where to go from here. I could wall mount it, but that would cost me $500 over the cost of the stand, which is pretty damn nice.

Oh well. Anyone who is ordering this TV and isn't going to wall mount it make sure you inquire about the stand or make some other arrangements online.

Blue 911

10-18-05, 08:20 PM

So slizzap, how does it look? Surely you must have found a way to prop it up and have fired it up by now!

How is the SDE? Hitachi claims to have thinner walls between the pixels.

How is the black level? Any noise? Should be better, now that Hitachi has 12-bit processing.

Did you pay MRSP? How much is the stand for the 55?

Blue 911

10-18-05, 09:32 PM

One other thing. On page 25 of the manual, various aspect modes are shown. I don't see one for a "justified" expansion (in which the edges of a 4:3 image are expanded more than the center). Says expansions are all linear. Is this true?

mrduke

10-18-05, 10:00 PM

I am very interested in the 42HDS52 and I was wondering if anyone here has accessed the service menu? Last years Hitachi's had a user adjustment for the color decoder and allowed individual adjustment of the primary and secondary colors. This years sets don't have that feature (except for the HDX62), and I was wondering if those items could be adjusted in the service menu?

slizzap

10-19-05, 12:21 AM

Usually the first thing I notice about a lot of plasmas is the SDE but I haven't noticed it at all with this screen. And since I just have it sitting up against the wall I've been sitting about 5 feet from the screen, normally I'm about 10 feet away.

All I've played on it so far has been HBO-HD and Xbox games. The picture just looks amazing. It's hard to say whether the blacks are a problem, at least for me. I haven't seen much to compare it to, and due to the lighting in my living room it's always playing in a dark room. But it's very acceptable to me. First thing I did was turn the contrast and brightness down. Brightness was already at 50% from the factory, I think it's at 45% now. Contrast was at 100% and that's down to 50% now.

I still haven't played around with the menus much or tweaked many of the settings. I found out through playing Xbox games that from the factory the screen is set at 4:3 expanded for some reason. I was wondering why when I fired up Forza Motorsport it displayed it widescreen properly but the cars looked squished. I set it to auto-detect the mode and 16:9 standard and now everything looks great. I double-checked the manual because I thought there was a 4:3 stretch mode that stretches the sides more than the center but it doesn't. I had it confused with my Samsung DTV hi-def receiver which does. Samsung calls it "Panorama" - This format stretches the left and right edges of the image at a certain ratio, keeping the center of the image intact."

You shouldn't pay anywhere near MSRP ($5799?) on this unit.

The only, and EXTREMELY, aggravating part about all this is I can't get the damn stand. CC isn't helping me, Hitachi can't sell it to me only refer me to local dealers, and every local dealer is telling me the screen won't be out for another month or 2. I even called a few shops online and they say the stand hasn't been released yet.

bobbart2000

10-19-05, 01:41 PM

Settings: (Based on using Avia)
Contrast 85%
Brightness 51%
Color 46%
Tint: This is a bit hard to describe, as the setting doesn't have a number. It's a sliding bar that has Red on the left and Green on the Right with a "center line" that represents the setting. My "adjustment" line is slightly left of center. I would guess about 45% of full scale. (Does anyone know how to get a numerical reading for this on this set?)
Sharpness: 35%
Color Temp: Medium
Black Enhancement: Middle
Contrast Mode: Normal

Based on the filters in the Avia package this set of settings has a tiny bit of "red push" (about 5%) but the colors look right to me.

Strengths:
I continue to be very pleased with the SD handling. One incident this past weekend made me appreciate just how good it is. I was watching a football game on one of the local stations network (ABC, CBS, ???) HD feeds. When one game ended and they went to another game the image lost all of the HD “pop”. I verified that the signal was 720p but the image was clearly SD in quality. As near as I can tell, since this was only a regional game, the source material was only SD. When I switched to a real HD signal, the quality was right back where it should be. What made this stand out was that when I tuned to the regular SD feed, the image was almost exactly the same quality as the SD-sent-as-HD version. Based on this and other general viewing, I believe that this set gets all that is possible from an SD image.

HD handling for both 720p and 1080i is fantastic. I just wish I had more HD options available. I’m on Comcast and the only non-local station offerings are ESPN, Discovery, TNT and the various PPV or HBO-like channels.

The color reproduction is very pleasing. I don’t have enough experience with other sets to say if this is really superior to another manufacturer or technology. I do know that I’m happy with it.

Weaknesses:
Dark scenes with lots of shadow detail. These scenes tend to be a bit murky and it’s difficult to resolve the differences in really low-light scenes. As long as there is some contrast or color, the images will look good but those low-light, low-color, low-contrast scenes are the one type of image that this set just doesn’t seem to do very well.

The built-in sound is only OK at best. It's no better or worse than I would expect for built-in speakers.

I disabled the built-in TV Guide. It wasn’t finding very many channels and it being enabled was causing an irritating Power On/Power Off behavior. When I turn the set off, I want it to stay completely off. I don’t miss it.

mobgre

10-19-05, 02:02 PM

85 is very high to run your contrast at. Mine is set at 38 and it is plenty bright and vibrant.

bobbart2000

10-19-05, 03:51 PM

85 is very high to run your contrast at. Mine is set at 38 and it is plenty bright and vibrant.

Really? I swear that I remember that anything lower than about 70% and the white "setup" screen started to look decidedly grey. I'll revisit my settings tonight.

Would you (or anyone else) care to share the whole set of settings for a 42HDT52?

Blue 911

10-19-05, 03:52 PM

The only, and EXTREMELY, aggravating part about all this is I can't get the damn stand. CC isn't helping me, Hitachi can't sell it to me only refer me to local dealers, and every local dealer is telling me the screen won't be out for another month or 2. I even called a few shops online and they say the stand hasn't been released yet.
There is the commercial stand (CMPAD16R):

55" commercial stand (http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/accessories/proplasma_accessories/proplasma_index.shtml)

I wonder if it will fit. It's silver and not motorized, but cheaper. I've seen ~$300 online.

slizzap

10-19-05, 04:31 PM

Oy! Thanks Blue but I found the problem with the stand. Hitachi had a typo on their website and had an incorrect part number listed. After about my 6th call to Hitachi in 3 days I finally got a hold of someone that actually had some information. The correct part number for the power swivel stand is STF551 (they had the F and T switched). I called CC and they can pull up the part number now so that's encouraging. I'll probably go ahead and call some online retailers today also and see if they have that in stock. Hopefully I should probably be able to get one within the next week.

I thought maybe I was just going crazy but I did a search on Yahoo for SFT551 and sure enough hit number 1 was the Hitachi website with that part number, but when you click on the link you see the correct part number now. Glad I'm not nuts.

Jim Noble

10-19-05, 10:11 PM

I am very interested in the 55HDS52, but it is not listed on either the Sears or CC website, and the local stores in Concord, NH don't have it listed on inventory. The sales folk I spoke with today had never heard of it.

Is there a way to direct order from CC? Or is there a regional distribution issue?

slizzap

10-19-05, 10:24 PM

CC still isn't showing it on their website. I just went into the store and they had it in their system. I'd call around to other stores and give them the model number and see what they can find out.

I still don't know how I lucked out and got mine so soon. But on the downside it's still sitting on the floor since I don't have the stand for a TV that's not out yet ;)

Here's a couple pics if anyone's interested. I only took the first one for reference with the Xbox controller so you can see the size. Beware, they're both 800k in size.

http://slap.gotdns.org/hitachi-1.jpg

http://slap.gotdns.org/hitachi-2.jpg

Blue 911

10-19-05, 10:35 PM

I had it confused with my Samsung DTV hi-def receiver which does. Samsung calls it "Panorama" - This format stretches the left and right edges of the image at a certain ratio, keeping the center of the image intact.
Which receiver do you have? Are there other AV receivers that produce a "panorama"-type output?

slizzap

10-19-05, 10:44 PM

Which receiver do you have? Are there other AV receivers that produce a "panorama"-type output?

Samsung SIR-TS360

I didn't do much research on that specific option since I don't like stretching. I only like viewing in the native aspect ratio.

sdc888

10-19-05, 11:24 PM

I picked up my 55HDS52 last Sunday. I have it mounted on the wall and view it from around 8-9' away. I have dish network but haven't got HD hooked up yet. One thing I notice when watching SD and DVD's is the changing black levels in dark or low light scenes. It makes the picture almost flicker which is annoying. Can this be improved or fixed by adjusting the picture? Other than that I'm quite happy with the SD picture especially on such a large screen. DVD looks pretty good but I really can't wait to start watching HD channels.

BTW circuit city has them in stock. I also had a 10% off coupon so I ended up paying under 4.5K which I think is a pretty good deal for a plasma of this size and quality.

bobbart2000

10-19-05, 11:35 PM

One thing I notice when watching SD and DVD's is the changing black levels in dark or low light scenes. It makes the picture almost flicker which is annoying. Can this be improved or fixed by adjusting the picture?

Could this be a result of "Contrast Mode" being set to "Dynamic"?

mobgre
85 is very high to run your contrast at. Mine is set at 38 and it is plenty bright and vibrant.

I've set my Contrast down to 50%. At first this seemed a little "soft" but I'm going to give it a look for a few days. After readjusting my settings the "red push" that I had seen earlier is now gone. Thanks!

slizzap

10-20-05, 12:21 AM

Could this be a result of "Contrast Mode" being set to "Dynamic"?

I was going to say the same thing. Contrast mode is set at Dynamic out of the box. Try changing it to Normal and see if you notice a difference.

asiparks

10-20-05, 01:34 AM

I don't have an Avia, i've just gone by eye so far, so take this with a generous pinch of salt....
I have my "day" set at this, then i fiddle with "night" so I can compare
Contrast 45%
Brightness 48%
Color 46%
Tint: centered
Sharpness: 39%
Color Temp: Medium
Black Enhancement: high
Contrast Mode: Normal
Noise red: off
movie mode: on

mobgre

10-20-05, 07:00 AM

Blue 911

10-20-05, 10:07 AM

I also had a 10% off coupon so I ended up paying under 4.5K which I think is a pretty good deal for a plasma of this size and quality.
That is a good price. Where can I get one of these coupons?

mhfnet

10-20-05, 10:11 AM

bobbart2000

10-20-05, 11:12 AM

Bobbart,
At 50% contrast you are now out of torch mode which may add years to the life of your display. Don't worry if the picture seems darker at first, your eyes will adjust to the more "accurate" picture. IMO.

I just wish that there was some reasonable way for a user to know the "real" correct setting for Contrast. I ran my setting up and down last trying to see some type of indication of "too low" or "too high". The reality is that it's very much a judgement call. I did notice that at around 70% the white Avia test screen seemed to start to "glow". When I did my initial setup this is what led me to go initially with 85%. Once you look at that really bright white, when that cuts out then things initially look a bit grey. I took a change of mindset to realize that below 70%, it wasn't that the white was grey, it was just that the white stopped glowing.

I plan to run at 50% long enough to get used to it and then revisit the overall settings.

Why do these sets ship with Contrast at 100%? That really confuses the issue!

mobgre

10-20-05, 12:06 PM

Why do these sets ship with Contrast at 100%? That really confuses the issue! So that they standout on the showroom floor. You also mention "glowing" Glowing = torch mode. It should not glow. White should be just white and gray just gray. None of the patterns on Avia, DVE. or any of the THX optimode discs have truly helped me set 100% accurately contrast on my display. I started at 50% and backed off until the whites did not "glow". Yes, it is very judgemental.

Blue 911

10-20-05, 01:30 PM

From Hitachi website:

IEEE-1394 with Hard Drive Control

Easily records and plays back content from a compatible external hard drive.
Does this really mean you can play ripped DVD's directly from a hard drive? What's the bandwidth? Can you use this for a HTPC, it's the same as FireWire, right?

asiparks

10-20-05, 06:48 PM

Hi Blue, In theory, yes it does. It should also mean that you can use TVGOS to record to a hard drive. I'm trying to find a "compatible" hard drive. So far I've only tried a Maxtor One Touch II, but the set doesn't detect that it's connected.... tried unix format, mac and dos format with no luck so far....Do a search on Hitachi, and you'll find some more info about it.

Blue 911

10-20-05, 08:53 PM

Hmmm...

Seems like the TV would have to have some type of operating system to access content from a hard drive that was simply plugged into it.

JamesMH

10-20-05, 09:00 PM

Hmmm...

Seems like the TV would have to have some type of operating system to access content from a hard drive that was simply plugged into it.

Yep, you need more than just a hard drive. You need something like a Toshiba 160HD4 Symbio.

A DVHS will work also, such as the JVC HMDH5U.

Besides the Tvguide guide is so very slow and very user unfriendly, its hard to use for more than a few seconds.

No_Towel_Lint

10-21-05, 05:32 PM

We got the new 55" model (55HDS52) in and up on display. I would say that the PQ roughly meets what I was expecting. Out of the box it's got some less-than-desireable settings but with some adjustment it improves quite a bit. It's definately got a better picture than a lot of the plasmas we carry. It competes well with the Panasonic TH50PX50U. The black levels are just a little bit better on the Panasonic but the Hitachi does well here with the black enhancement feature turned on (blacks only barely resemble black if you turn the feature off). The colors are more vibrant on the Hitachi. White levels appear to be similar between sets. Legibility of fine print on the screen is slightly better on the Panasonic. Skin tones are noticeably nicer on both sets compared to other plasmas near them on display (LG & Zenith mostly).

From a distance of about 15 feet I actually slightly preferred the Hitachi over the Panasonic, but that's admittedly a subjective opinion. The colors on the Panasonic do seem to be slightly more true to real life but the coloring on the Hitachi is a little prettier (I'd expect gaming to look nicer on the Hitachi). Though the coloring is slightly more vibrant on the Hitachi, it's not to the extent of other sets (i.e. Zenith) that look too vibrant and unrealistic.

Overall, I can see people liking either set, with probably most still liking the Panasonic's PQ a little more. But truthfully, given that the Hitachi is 55", I think most would find the Hitachi to be an easily respectable set. And if you're looking for that extra 5", the Hitachi is certainly an attractive alternative to the Panasonic.

These comparisons were done on a 1080i signal.

Blue 911

10-21-05, 07:30 PM

These comparisons were done on a 1080i signal.
Nice review. Thanks.

Have you had a chance to compare DVD and digital SD PQ between these two displays?

visual insanity

10-21-05, 08:12 PM

http://reviews.cnet.com/Hitachi_42HDT52/4505-6482_7-31426975.html?tag=pdtl-list

I was expecting a little better but oh well....

No_Towel_Lint

10-21-05, 08:53 PM

Blue 911-
Haven't had a chance yet but I will. I did flip it over to SD while helping a customer and it actually looked better than I expected but I didn't really dig into it so it could've just been a fluke with that particular momentary content.

visual insanity-
The link in your post is to a review of the 42HDT52 rather than the 55HDS52. Part of that review reminded me of something though. Earlier this morning there was one of those sunrise earth shows on Discovery HD and there was a dark scene of the ocean in front of a cliff. The image was predominantly purple and dark blue. None of the plasmas seemed to like that particular image much as they all had a relatively grainy picture (kind of like you get when shooting with nightshot on a camcorder). It was like they were all trying too hard. The Hitachi struggled more (i.e. more grain) than the Panasonic but to be fair, this was before I turned the sharpness on the Hitachi down from 100% (factory setting) so I don't know how it would've faired after that. I wish I would've remembered to rewind and check (HD Tivo box is hooked up to that display wall)

JamesMH

10-21-05, 09:56 PM

You really can't trust Cnet reviews for . . . anything really.

asiparks

10-21-05, 11:48 PM

Hmmm.... Alien/Aliens are 2 of the dvd's i used when setting up my telly, I didn't see any banding or false contouring........

madshi

10-22-05, 03:08 AM

Does anybody know if the new Hitachi supports an internal frame buffer of 50Hz? The old one didn't, as far as I've heard, which resulted in FRC for us european customers. Also interesting would be to know whether the new Hitachi allows for native rate input over either analog or digital (probably not). Finally, does it allow ISF calibration?

I'm curious to see how it will be liked by the UK ISF calibrators and home cinema installers. They didn't seem to like the old Hitachi too much.

sdc888

10-22-05, 04:10 PM

The big question in my mind about the new 55" models is whether they have improved the contrast and black levels, dark area noise, and banding (also called posterization or false contouring)? Look at very dark scenes, is the color smooth and accurate on peoples faces or blotchy? On areas with gradual changes in color i.e. sunsets or sky fades to black, is there noticable banding? With the lights off or very dim, do blacks in dark scenes look black or dark gray and do they look noisy? IMO these were the major problem with previous Hitachi models and I would appreciate what the owners of the new 55" models have to say about these issues.

I just got done watching "The Aviator" on DVD. I did notice some banding. Not in dark scenes but rather in really bright ones. Overall it was pretty minimal. One thing I haven't noticed is clay face. That was what turned me of to the TH50px500u. When the panny is in "vivid" mode clay face is quite noticeable. I like the smoother picture of the Hitachi. Blacks are good on the 55, especially with black enhancement turned on. You can also clean up the PQ with the noise cancellation function although this can make some scenes look a little blurry.
Overall I have no regrets about buying this plasma and a 20% bigger picture than the 50 inchers at the same price doesn't hurt either.

gw314

10-22-05, 07:44 PM

where do you see or buy Hitachi hdt or hds 52? I have look nowhere to be found!

No_Towel_Lint

10-22-05, 10:48 PM

where do you see or buy Hitachi hdt or hds 52? I have look nowhere to be found!

You can definately buy/order the 55HDS52 at any Circuit City now. As far as seeing it, some stores will have it on display and some won't. It doesn't come with a pedestal so you'll either have to buy the powered swivel Hitachi pedestal ($399.99) or wall mount the TV.

mattburk

10-23-05, 02:53 AM

You can definately buy/order the 55HDS52 at any Circuit City now. As far as seeing it, some stores will have it on display and some won't. It doesn't come with a pedestal so you'll either have to buy the powered swivel Hitachi pedestal ($399.99) or wall mount the TV.

Did you see yours at CC? If so what city?

froll

10-23-05, 09:25 AM

slizzap

10-23-05, 11:47 AM

Sorry if this has been asked and answered but can't find it. I have a 42hds52 which I love but have some problem with the PIP function. Once in PIP, how do you chane the PIP station. I can swap, but can't figure out the PIP change without swaping. Also, does anyone know how to assign a number position to inputs? I would like to create a macro for my remote to change between equipment inputs but to do so I have to tell my remote the input assignment. Other then going to the OSD menu and moving up or down to the appropriate input selection and pressing select, I can't gigure out how to do it. Many thanks for the wonderful support from this forum.

Froll:

Information to do this is located on page 36 of the manual. Although admittedly it does come across as a little confusing. Here's a quick example using my Samsung DTV receiver hooked up to input 4. The code for my Samsung receiver is 1276, so you'd program the remote like this:

1) Push the source access arrow keys until STB is highlighted.
2) Press and hold the ENT button, enter the 4 digit receiver code then the number of the input which the receiver is attached to (so I would press 1 2 7 6 4)
3) Release the ENT button. If accepted it will flash 3 times to confirm.

Now to access input 4 with my Samsung receiver attached I would highlight STB with the source access arrows, then just hit the ENT button and it switches to that input.

Hope that clears it up.

froll

10-23-05, 12:16 PM

Thanks slizzap. I had looked at that except I am using my MX-500 remote and not the Hitachi one. Thats why I needed to have input number assignment.

No_Towel_Lint

10-23-05, 01:02 PM

Did you see yours at CC? If so what city?

I work at CC and put up the TV on display myself (with the help of another person...not a small TV to say the least). The TV is available company wide; it's just a matter of whether or not the store has it in stock or it has to be ordered (which takes just a couple days).

seattlemike

10-23-05, 03:23 PM

where do you see or buy Hitachi hdt or hds 52? I have look nowhere to be found!
The Video Only store I was at in seattle, one of their salesmaen back in august said they would be stocking the 55" hiatchi 55HDT52 model. If you have a "videio only" store in your area might be advantagous to check them out.

cheers Mike

mhfnet

10-23-05, 09:09 PM

I just got done watching "The Aviator" on DVD. I did notice some banding. Not in dark scenes but rather in really bright ones. Overall it was pretty minimal. One thing I haven't noticed is clay face. That was what turned me of to the TH50px500u. When the panny is in "vivid" mode clay face is quite noticeable. I like the smoother picture of the Hitachi. Blacks are good on the 55, especially with black enhancement turned on. You can also clean up the PQ with the noise cancellation function although this can make some scenes look a little blurry.
Overall I have no regrets about buying this plasma and a 20% bigger picture than the 50 inchers at the same price doesn't hurt either.

Thanks for the information. The truth be known I have last years 55HDT51 and other than the banding I am pretty satisfied. It is definitely nice to have the larger 55" picture and some of the cool features of the Hitachi plasma. One thing I found with turning on black enhancement is that it pretty much crushes the black detail. It is much better to leave black enhancement off and turn down the brightness to 55% and contrast at around 76%. Turning on dynamic contrast also seems to crush blacks under certain situations. I have the noise cancellation on low for HD as any higher softens the picture but turning it on high helps with poor quality SD, which is already soft. I figured out the best settings by using my AVIA DVD and viewing scenes that really test the Hitachi's ability to display black detail. I'm sure the settings for the 55HDT52 will be different, but the philosophy for setting them the same.

Suzook

10-23-05, 09:44 PM

Saw this in CC today in Orlando FL. Feed was ok for CC so the picture probably wasnt the best reputation. Looked good overall. Was kind of thinking a 55 would look bigger but perhaps next to all those big RPT's it was throwing me off.

iraweiss

10-24-05, 02:54 PM

I also have a 55HDT51 and have not noticed a banding problem. I agree about the black crush issue. I tried the black enhancement out on a Discovery Channel Sunrise program while waiting on the World Series to start (talk about racking a lot of hours on a plasma) and noticed the black crush issue immediately. Just leave it on "normal" or "off" (I forget which one it is on this option).

hammyoni

10-25-05, 05:38 PM

You really can't trust Cnet reviews for . . . anything really.
amen to that, they are incredibly driven by manufactures ad $. Thats a pure fact. Sure all reviewers are to some extent, but these guys take the cake.

hammyoni

10-25-05, 05:40 PM

cmortal

10-27-05, 03:24 PM

I recently purchased the Hitachi 42HDT52. I have cable confusion...The TV is mounted to the wall. Components will be about 10 - 15 feet away from the TV.

Components are:

H/K AVR 8000 Receiver - should I run component video to receiver or Digital Cable Box for best picture. The Digital Cable Box has component slots and DVI. Should I purchase a HDMI to DVI cable for this and use instead of the component cables Hitachi provided with the TV or something else?

For audio signal what should I be using?

DVD Player - older dvd - should I run directly to the plasma or can I run through receiver. Again what cables should I use for audio and video?

Thanks in advance...

iasm

10-27-05, 11:30 PM

Trackman

10-28-05, 12:27 AM

I am really confused.In seattle here and am told by video only that the hitachi rep told them the new 55hds52 were just being built and to not expect stock till november.Some of the post indicate the set is out.Can someone here verify the current status of this set.Thanks

I've seen the 55hdx62 in a store, so I would be surprised if the S model wasn't also available. I know the 42" S is - I saw it at CC.

iasm

10-28-05, 12:31 AM

I have talked to both video only and circuit city here and the set is still not available.I have been unable to see one on display.Can you to tell me were you have seen the set.Thanks

ball3r

10-28-05, 02:18 AM

I have the 55HDT52 on preorder with VO in Portland. They've also told me that they just had an all hands meeting with Hitachi and was told as late as mid November. He said something about delays with the glass or something. I asked him, why are the F and S series hitting the streets then. Different glass? He had no answer. Now if the X is on the street, something is fishy. Supposedly VO is one of the biggest Hitachi dealers in the US (according to VO anyway). I don't know why the delay. I've also noticed that they still didn't have their shipment of the SXRD's yet either (last time I checked. Which was about a week ago.) I honestly believe they don't get the same respect as some of these other companies, even though they move lots of volume. Frustrated.

mrduke

10-28-05, 02:05 PM

Question for owners of the 42HDT51. If you have seen the new 42HDS52, and/or the 42HDT52, I am wondering how you think the 42HDT51 compares in picture quality to these new sets?

slizzap

10-28-05, 05:29 PM

I've seen the 55hdx62 in a store, so I would be surprised if the S model wasn't also available. I know the 42" S is - I saw it at CC.

The store where you saw the 55HDX62...was it mounted on the wall or sitting on a stand? I'm still trying to locate the stand for the new 55" models but I'm getting the same runaround you guys are getting about the TV. Except I already have my 55HDS52, got it from CC almost 2 weeks ago.

iasm

10-29-05, 12:13 AM

I talked to circuit city today and they just got one mounted for display and have a few in stock.I will try to go look tommorow.

Trackman

10-29-05, 10:50 AM

I have talked to both video only and circuit city here and the set is still not available.I have been unable to see one on display.Can you to tell me were you have seen the set.Thanks

The CC in Elk Grove/Laguna had the S model in both sizes - I saw them yesterday and talked to the salesman. I also saw the X model last week at a store here in Sacto.

Trackman

10-29-05, 10:53 AM

The store where you saw the 55HDX62...was it mounted on the wall or sitting on a stand? I'm still trying to locate the stand for the new 55" models but I'm getting the same runaround you guys are getting about the TV. Except I already have my 55HDS52, got it from CC almost 2 weeks ago.

Let's see . . . the 55 was on a stand on top of a bookcase right across from the register. I don't recall if it was a Hitachi stand or another type.

slizzap

10-29-05, 10:57 AM

Let's see . . . the 55 was on a stand on top of a bookcase right across from the register. I don't recall if it was a Hitachi stand or another type.

Thanks anwyays, I decided to just wall mount it. After repeated calls to Hitachi all they could tell me was that the status of the stand was "To Be Determined". That's nice. Normally it makes sense to release the stand at the same time as the TV so that you can actually use it.

jhellow

10-29-05, 05:39 PM

Trackman:

At what store in Sacto did you see the 55HDX62?

Thanks,

JHellow

hiperco

10-31-05, 03:21 PM

Any comments on the 42HDM12?

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/plasma/plasma/42hdm12.shtml

Rumor has it that it will be available at a large retailer on Black Friday for a nice price.

;)

Trackman

10-31-05, 11:03 PM

Trackman:

At what store in Sacto did you see the 55HDX62?

Thanks,

JHellow

The Home Theater Company - great place!

iasm

11-01-05, 01:18 AM

I saw the 55hds52 today and was a little disappointed.The blacks on this display were not as good as the othere sets on the wall.It looked a little out of focus.I am hoping it was just there feed or maybe just this set.Another store will have there display up next week so i think i will hold off a little more and wait to see.

pizzakid13

11-01-05, 02:25 AM

looked at the HDS42 at CC. it looked pretty nice. it was directly below the panasonic 50U and looked basically the same. throw in the 2 HDMI and we have a winner.

asiparks

11-01-05, 04:40 AM

ball3r

11-01-05, 09:42 AM

If there's one unwavering aspect of in-store displays it's pretty much their comical levels of inconsistancy.... until you get a display home, plug it into your sources with your cables and tweak it for a bit, you can only guess at how well it can really perform... So take advantage of those 30 day CC return policies....

This is the one thing that makes me extremely leary of Video Only. Their return policy is in-store-credit only. Which is why I have never bought a tv from them. As of now I do have the 55HDT52 on pre-order with them. I *plan* to try and demo my tv in-store as good as I can before taking it home.

rolamoto

11-01-05, 01:49 PM

Any comments on the 42HDM12?

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/plasma/plasma/42hdm12.shtml

Rumor has it that it will be available at a large retailer on Black Friday for a nice price.

;)

does it have a pc input?

thanks

asiparks

11-01-05, 03:10 PM

mhfnet

11-01-05, 03:50 PM

This is the one thing that makes me extremely leary of Video Only. Their return policy is in-store-credit only. Which is why I have never bought a tv from them. As of now I do have the 55HDT52 on pre-order with them. I *plan* to try and demo my tv in-store as good as I can before taking it home.

I agree be very cautious when buying stuff from Video Only. They have good prices when dealing with them on the initial purchase, but I got burned on there return policy. I bought a demo Hitachi 55HDT51 as they were out of stock of new units. I got a good discount off the demo but it had a nice dent when it was delivered. They offered to trade it for a new unit, but charged me near full price and no one pays full price at Video Only, at least on the initial purchase. When the new unit arrived I found some irritating PQ problems, namely severe banding and overscan. By this time I really was fed up with Hitachi (and Hitachi's customer support) and really wanted to trade it in for a Panasonic but Video Only only carries the 50PX50, however I really needed the 50PX500 for the computer input, which they don't carry. Needless to say I am "stuck" with the 55HDT51 as Hitachi says the issues I am seeing are "normal", which is totally absurd since banding was only a mild issue on the demo unit I brought home or the units I saw on display at Video Only. My only hope is that the banding problem may improve with an ISF calibration, which I would have done anyway.

Lessons learned, buy from Video Only only if you are absolutely sure you want that model and secondly, don't expect good customer support from Hitachi, unless your plasma has pretty much failed.

ball3r

11-01-05, 04:47 PM

ball3r - good point about VO's return policy, I guess the upside is that they also stock Panny, Samsung and a few others and will beat CC on price. So you could get a Panny from CC, a Hitachi from VO then compare, if you prefer the panny, return the CC one, exchange the Hitachi at VO for.... Allright, this is just way too complicated ... I think you have to work hard to find a "bad" plasma these days and in 6 months there'll be newer, cheaper, blackier updates to whatever you get anyway, so shrug it off and don't let the next man's deeper black levels or faster reponse times spoil your enjoyment of whichever you end up with....

This is the one reason I believe I am willing to take the chance with them. They also have the SXRD, and will be selling the new JVC 1080p's as well. I was actually only considering these two tv's before running into the Hitachi. That calms my fears somewhat. I was just out there and the Manager was on the phone with Hitachi. They told him the T series are shipping this week. So hopefully next week sometime my tv should be there.

asiparks

11-01-05, 05:44 PM

You couldn't exchange the 2nd Hitachi at VO as it was faulty ? I 'd have told 'em to bugger off and get me a working one. What about recourse via your credit cards ?

mhfnet

11-01-05, 07:06 PM

You couldn't exchange the 2nd Hitachi at VO as it was faulty ? I 'd have told 'em to bugger off and get me a working one. What about recourse via your credit cards ?

By the time I went through all this run around, the VO 30 day exchange policy was over and I was left with dealing with Hitachi as a warranty issue. Hitachi views the banding on there plasmas as "normal" no matter how bad it is. I sent Hitachi tech support these pictures and they consider this normal, are they kidding me? Imagine seeing these images on a 55" plasma rather than a computer monitor.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/17374/size/big/ppuser/12035
http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/17373/size/big/ppuser/12035
http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/17372/size/big/ppuser/12035

Two are high quality broadcast HD via the HDMI input and the third is a gray scale ramp pattern from the AVIA calibration DVD on my HTPC via the RGB input. I could take shots like this over and over. I've never see banding like this on a Panasonic or Pioneer plasma. I am starting to think only way you are going to get Hitachi to fix something is if unwatchable.

asiparks

11-01-05, 09:33 PM

whoa ! that sky shot sucks arse ! sorry man, that's really lame of Hitachi. Everything else I'd heard about them re customer service has been good, but that would def give me pause for thought... maybe the old "undetectable-once-it's-dried" spritz through the vent holes with a water spray would make it unwatchable enough for them to take it back...(disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form endorse or encourage the above actions however well it might work)

iasm

11-02-05, 02:40 AM

Do any of you guys know which stores will be selling the directors series sets.InSeattle and have not found anyone.

asiparks

11-02-05, 04:00 AM

If you fancy a day trip and not paying sales tax, you can give Chelsea Audio, here in Portland, a call...they had a nice selection of the Directors in stock

tterral

11-02-05, 01:55 PM

I was in CC last weekend and saw the 55HDS52 next to the Panny 50PX50. I must admit that I was not impressed with the 42HDS52s black levels when I saw it next to the 42" Panny, but the 55 looked very nice. Black levels looked very good next to the Panny. Overall picture quality was very good on both sets.

Oh yeah, the CC salesguys were really helpful, when I asked to see the remotes for the Hitachi and Panny, they did not know where they were and obviously did not want anyone messing with their sets. Besides, they were set up just like they are out of the box and we all know how great the "out of the box factory setup" is. Oh well, don't know how they really compare on a level playing field, but I felt a lot better about the 55" Hitachi than I did about th 42". The picture on the 42" was very good, but the blacks were no comparison to the Panny.

alternapop

11-03-05, 12:08 AM

I'm very interested what a pro here has their 42HDT52 set up or calibrated to. There are a few different postings here and they all vary widely. I wonder what someone who is truely trained would have and how that differs from using some calibration dvd. Can someone answer that?

Here are the three different settings I've found here:

Settings: (Based on using Avia)
Contrast 85% (might be very high 38?)
Brightness 51%
Color 46%
Tint: about 45% of full scale
Sharpness: 35%
Color Temp: Medium
Black Enhancement: Middle
Contrast Mode: Normal
----------------
contrast: 100%
brightness: 45%
colour 40%
sharpness 20%
contrast mode normal
colour temp standard
black enhance high.
----------------
Contrast 45%
Brightness 48%
Color 46%
Tint: centered
Sharpness: 39%
Color Temp: Medium
Black Enhancement: high
Contrast Mode: Normal
Noise red: off
movie mode: on

iasm

11-03-05, 01:17 AM

Thanks asiparks.Thats a real good idea when you consider our high tax rate.Did you think they looked better then the the s or t model? I have read some post that the directors sets had a better picture.

asiparks

11-03-05, 04:45 AM

Iasm-Sorry, it looked really good, it's quite dark in the store and they're a fairly high end store so I guess they take the time to set them up properly, but without an S or T to compare it to I couldn't honestly tell you if it's a bit better or a lot better if better at all. But again, it looked great to my eyes....I'll pm you with the # and some other info.....
Alternapop- different eyes, different rooms, different sources...my DVD player is a bit rubbish too. I think bobbart used a setup disk, I keep fiddling with mine, I use the night/day presets for, funnily enough, night and day viewing and a/b comparisons. My day settings are brighter/more contrasty than my night settings

ddenboer

11-03-05, 08:29 PM

squirrelk

11-03-05, 09:16 PM

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, the Winter 2006 edition of the Perfect Vision Buyer's Guide to Home Theater gives an Editors' Choice Award to both the 42HDX61 and the 55HDX61 Hitachi plasmas. The main negative mentioned for either set is not having "best-in-class blacks," but the reviewers were clearly more impressed by the overall picture than by any one performance characteristic in isolation. These plasmas are described as creating an "eye-popping 'through a window' illusion" and I would agree. I have the 42HDX61, which I love, and I would expect the newer ...52 or ...62 versions to be even better.

Happy viewing!

SDL
I've been in the market for my first hd tv for a couple of months now. I narrowed my choices down to a 60" Sony sxrd and a 55'Hitachi plasma. I' decided on the Hitachi after seeing the 55hds in CC. However, as I want the swivel stand which won't be available for a few weeks, I've been in a holding pattern. Well yesterday I saw a deal on a refurb 55hdx61 that was too good to pass up and since there doesn't seem to be many changes in the new models, I pulled the trigger. The seller is UECweb which is Hitachi's official refurb site. In my questions to Hitachi and UECweb so far I have to agree with many of the other contributors here, they seem to be geared to deflecting first calls on the assumption you don't really have a problem or can't understand the answer. I bought a Dell laptop refurb a few years ago and had a great experience. I hope I have the same experience with my 55hdx61! I'll let you know.

Vashti

11-04-05, 12:16 AM

I am torn between the Panasonic TH-50PX50U, and the Hitachi 55HDS52. We get employee pricing on the Panasonic at work, giving me a 1K+ discount, which makes it VERY attractive. However, it does not have the #1 feature for me, which is FireWire.

Thanks,
David.

David, why is firewire the #1 feature for you? I'm trying to decide if it's important to me or not. Thanks.

mattburk

11-04-05, 01:17 AM

I was able to compare the new hitachi to the sxrd tonight. Didn't have all the time I wanted, but at first the black level detail seemed better on the sxrd, but I liked the colors of the hitachi. Human faces seemed more natural and real ont the sxrd. The hitachi was basically out of the box and not calibrated, after playing with that a few minutes they seemed closer.
Verdict, I need to go back and do it again. I looked at hidef feeds and standard, both were great.
What do you guys thing of the hitachi vrs the sxrd?

ddenboer

11-04-05, 03:35 AM

Vashti,

I want firewire for the ability to record HD content directly to my Mac mini, and then use the MPEG processor on the TV to play it back (mini does not have enough power for this).

jcmurrow

11-04-05, 08:56 AM

I bought the Hitachi 55HDTS52 on Sunday, October 30 and the swivel stand. After two days of figuring out how to configure my HD set top box (which has a zoom feature that I had to lacate), I love the TV. I went with the Hitachi mainly because it has a powered swivel and I needed that for the awkward room I was putting the TV in. The swivel is a real plus on three MFGs made offer one at CC, Sony (only makes a 42"), LG (wasn't confident in that brand), and Hitachi. Only Hitachi has the power swivel, which is a great feature, but pricey.

I am totally new to Plasma and HD for that matter. I am using the HDMI feed out of the box to the TV.

Any tips on setting it for the best picture, longevity, etc. would be great, thanks.

JCM

Vashti

11-04-05, 09:34 AM

Vashti,

I want firewire for the ability to record HD content directly to my Mac mini, and then use the MPEG processor on the TV to play it back (mini does not have enough power for this).

Could I do that with a 12" power book as well? I've been wanting cable card - but trying to fiugre out how to accomplish recording if I get one? Thanks for the info.

Sorry to be a bit off topic.

ddz

11-04-05, 11:45 AM

David,
The Hitachi firewire supports DTVlink devices according to their website. Does your MAC look like a DTVlink device? If it does not you may want to consider getting the Panny and either a Sony HDD or LG 3410A with that 1000.00.
BTW- I also have the Hit 50V500A and purchased a Hit 42hdt51 for my bedroom. Also have the LG 3410A. I don't have a Panny, a Mac, or firewire recording needs.

mhfnet

11-04-05, 02:51 PM

Here is an update to the banding problem I am seeing with my 55HDT51.

I had orginally thought the banding problem was unique to my unit but I have confirmed that this is not the case. I have personally talked to several other owners that say the same thing to varying degrees and have saw it on several other units myself. Hitachi has told me they acknowledge that all there 2004 model year (42/55HDT51, 42/55HDX61 and 55HDM71) plasmas exhibit this banding problem (also called false contouring or posterization) caused by the video processor. It is well know that older plasmas had this problem due to the limited number of available colors but these units have 10-bit (1.06 billion) color processing in which banding should have been significantly reduced to a level that it is not noticable. The banding is present to varying degrees depending on settings, like contrast/brightness, but it can be very annoying at times regardless of settings. In addition it has been confirmed that this cannot be fixed using an external processor, as the internal processing cannot be bypassed. Also ISF calibration cannot fix the problem, but may indirectly make it a little less noticeable.

The best chance of getting this problem fixed or reduced is with a firmware upgrade, but Hitachi refuses to do anything about it unless enough owners complain about the problem. I feel that a plasma of this cost and supposed quality should not have this problem. If you agree, here is your chance to let them know by calling Hitachi tech support at 1-800-HITACHI.

ddz

11-04-05, 03:04 PM

mhfnet,
My 42HDT51 does not exhibit any banding problem whatsoever. It would have gone right back if it did....

mhfnet

11-04-05, 03:35 PM

mhfnet,
My 42HDT51 does not exhibit any banding problem whatsoever. It would have gone right back if it did....

Thanks for the feedback.

Maybe I am off base on the 42" units but on the several 55" units I have seen, it is has there. I have had two 55" units in my house personally and I saw 2 display units at the dealer all with different manufacturering dates. There have also been several professional reviews on these displays that have acknowleged the banding issue. It could be a production variation issue but none the less Hitachi should provide a fix for those of us that have the problem.

bobbart2000

11-04-05, 04:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback.

Maybe I am off base on the 42" units but on the several 55" units I have seen, it is has there. I have had two 55" units in my house personally and I saw 2 display units at the dealer all with different manufacturering dates. There have also been several professional reviews on these displays that have acknowleged the banding issue. It could be a production variation issue but none the less Hitachi should provide a fix for those of us that have the problem.

I have seen some color banding on my 42HDT52 but only with the Contrast turned down. I reported this to Hitachi and their reply was basically that this is "expected" behavior if the display Contrast is too low. In my case as long as the Contrast is at 83% or higher, I haven't noticed a banding issue. As I prefer the image at the higher setting, I haven't given it too much more thought.

Marc Alexander

11-05-05, 11:00 AM

Use a grayscale ramp test pattern to set your contrast and brightness to maximize your dynamic range and avoid banding. Everyone should own at least AVIA or DVE if not both.

Marc Alexander

11-05-05, 11:16 AM

I thought I would report back here for you guys after doing some serious evals. I went with the Sony 60" SXRD over a Hitachi 55" PDP because of screen reflections and black levels. I had evaluated the 42HDT51, 42HDT52, and the 55HDX61 and found that the black levels had not changed in the new generation (at least in the 42"). The black levels did not match that of the Panasonic and Pioneer PDPs. I find that Pioneer's blacks are barely acceptable to me and the Hitachi still wasn't there yet.

Now that I have moved from Alabama to Southern California...my viewing oportunities have expanded greatly. Last night I was able to critically view the 42HDX62, which was right next to the 42HDF52 and the 55HDX61. It appears that the HDX is finally a significant upgrade. The deep-black anti-reflective shield is awesome! It works as advertised. It significantly reduced glare over the HDX61 and also improved blacks. Unfortunately, the Pioneer Elites were in the next room over...but from going back and forth the blacks appeared very close and the glare reduction was at least equal if not slightly better on the Hitachi HDX62.

Had I waited, I'd have a tough decision to make between the SXRD and 55HDX62. I'm very happy with the SXRD, but I wanted to let you guys know the HDX is a serious upgrade this year (unless blacks and glare aren't important to you).

pstrisik

11-05-05, 11:59 AM

Last night I was able to critically view the 42HDX62, which was right next to the 42HDF52 and the 55HDX61. It appears that the HDX is finally a significant upgrade. The deep-black anti-reflective shield is awesome! It works as advertised. It significantly reduced glare over the HDX61 and also improved blacks. Unfortunately, the Pioneer Elites were in the next room over...but from going back and forth the blacks appeared very close and the glare reduction was at least equal if not slightly better on the Hitachi HDX62.

I'd be interested if you'd care to expand on your impressions of the HDX62 (55" I presume). You are encouraging about blacks and anti-reflectivity. How about dark details, noise, overall picture smoothness vs. a "processed" look, particularly compared to the new Pios?

Do you know who makes the glass for the 55" HDX62? Hitachi's brochure refers to "High Aperture Pixel Design" that is unique to the 55", though I'm not sure what that refers to.

Thanks.......

Marc Alexander

11-05-05, 12:32 PM

How about dark details, noise, overall picture smoothness vs. a "processed" look, particularly compared to the new Pios?
I thought they were equal to the Pioneers. Unfortunately, they had two different sources playing in the seperate rooms so I couldn't really compare. I suggest finding a showroom with the HDX and making your own evals before purchasing.

Hitachi has definitely improved the overall picture over last years models, the HDX just expands those improvements with improved blacks and anti-reflectivity.

I haven't been able to find the 55HDX62 anywhere yet.

D_J_W

11-05-05, 10:02 PM

I am trying to make up my mind on my next TV. I currently have a Hitachi Ultravision 50V500 LCD projection unit, and like it alot, but need something I can mount on the wall for our renovation.

I am torn between the Panasonic TH-50PX50U, and the Hitachi 55HDS52. We get employee pricing on the Panasonic at work, giving me a 1K+ discount, which makes it VERY attractive. However, it does not have the #1 feature for me, which is FireWire.

So, if you had to choose between these two, what would you get? And if I end up choosing the Panasonic, how can I solve my FireWire dilemma?

Thanks,
David.

Firewire was my number one issue as well for the exact same reason except I run XP. I tried two known good firewire computers with a Hitachi 42HDT52 via 1394 rear port and both computers gave an error "Bus Reset Storm bad device in the network or device connected in a loop", the tv and pc were the only devices connected. Ignoring the error, the computer was still able to record for a short period of time (<1 minute) before the set started acting erratic and ends up disabling the ATSC tuner and causing the computer to self reboot. The Hitachi then has to be turned off via master power to reset.

I am still waiting to hear from Hitachi about resolution for the above issue and some other issues that I am having as well. In the meantime, the dealer gave me an RCA DVR2080 HDTV firewire recorder which I tried and does seem to work with the set (I used it about a half hour or so). Only problem is that it becomes the equivalent of having a VCR with a broken eject button and an 8 hour tape stuck inside, this is because I have yet to discover a way of transferring the data out of the recorder and onto my pc, which was my intention from the beginning.

My suggestion is to take your mini mac into the store and see if it works before you buy the Hitachi, or any firewire DTV for that matter, especially since that is your #1 feature wanted.

One last thing... I almost didn't buy the Hitachi because the picture looked horrible in the store, that would have been an error because the store display PQ does not look anything close to the PQ I get at home. As others on this board have said many times, and I found it to be true, you have to get the set home to judge the PQ unless you are dealing with a highend store that takes the time to have it set up right and with good signal feeds.

pstrisik

11-05-05, 10:35 PM

I thought they were equal to the Pioneers. Unfortunately, they had two different sources playing in the seperate rooms so I couldn't really compare. I suggest finding a showroom with the HDX and making your own evals before purchasing.

Hitachi has definitely improved the overall picture over last years models, the HDX just expands those improvements with improved blacks and anti-reflectivity.

I haven't been able to find the 55HDX62 anywhere yet.
I understand the difficulty in comparing screens in stores. Was it the 42" you were seeing? If so, I think that is the alis screen while the 55" is not, so it may be very different. I'm still trying to find out what glass they use for the 55. My local shop is expecting the 55HDX62 next week. They have four on order, two already sold. They don't know how many they will actually get, however. So I may or may not get to see it next week.

mhfnet

11-06-05, 12:28 AM

Use a grayscale ramp test pattern to set your contrast and brightness to maximize your dynamic range and avoid banding. Everyone should own at least AVIA or DVE if not both.

I believe your recommendation is counter intuitive because if you want to reduce banding, the common recommendation is to turn the contrast way down to limit the dynamic range that can enhance banding.

On a different note, I was finally able to see one of the new 55HDS52 at CC today and it seems there was little noticeable improvement in PQ over last years models. First off even last year's models had superb PQ with a bright, high quality HD source and this year's are no different. One good thing I noticed is that banding and posterization has improved to a point that it is not noticeable at viewing distance greater than 8 feet, however when I got to within 5 feet, I could see that it was still present. Blacks might be a tinge better but are still dark grey at best and turning on the black enhancement still crushes black detail and IMO should be left off. In addition, dark area noise does not seem to be improved. This confirms what Hitachi told me that this year's models still use the same basic plasma panel as last year. One odd thing is that peak brightness doesn't seem as good, maybe because of the darker glass used to slightly improve blacks, reduce the chance of burn-in and/or to achieve the rated 60,000 hour panel life. Another thing I notice is that reds were way off and looked orange with the tint centered. If this unit is typical, it could really benefit having an ISF calibration. I was bummed that the separate media box and RGB (computer) input was gone but the firewire feature would be cool if you plan to use it. The Panasonic 50PX50 that was right next to it is still my pick for best PQ, it had noticeably better blacks and black detail and a smoother film like quality with no posterization, even up close.

Marc Alexander

11-06-05, 12:12 PM

Was it the 42" you were seeing? If so, I think that is the alis screen while the 55" is not, so it may be very different..I believe I stated what models I was viewing above. I was attempting to convey my observations of the "deep-black anti-reflective shield". Other than this feature (and some menu features), I believe the HDX panels are identical to the HDS and HDT panels.

Marc Alexander

11-06-05, 12:17 PM

I believe your recommendation is counter intuitive because if you want to reduce banding, the common recommendation is to turn the contrast way down to limit the dynamic range that can enhance banding. It may seem counter intuitive, but it works. The ramp patterns easily reveal banding. It also easily reveals black crush and white crush. Therefore this pattern can be used to achieve reduced banding with maximized dynamic range (no crushing of the low or high end of the scale).

I think I see your point though, completely maximized dynamic range may not equal reduced banding, which is correct. You are shooting to achieve the greatest dynamic range with reduced banding, which may require a compromise of contrast.

I hope that clarifies things.

visual insanity

11-06-05, 12:37 PM

I saw the new 55HDS52 yesterday at CC.....meh...it was ok. I don't know if I would buy it though because I just didn't get as much as a wow factor when I first saw the 42HDS52. Maybe I'll check another CC to see if the PQ is better.

froll

11-10-05, 07:53 AM

Is the Sanus Universal Wall Mount compatible with the 42hds52? Pretty sure it is but want to check with the experts on this forum before I go ahead and buy it. Thanks

nfreeman

11-10-05, 02:25 PM

Does anyone know the difference between the 55HDT52 and the 55HDS52? Seems like the S is a bit cheaper. thanks.

D_J_W

11-10-05, 05:40 PM

Does anyone know the difference between the 55HDT52 and the 55HDS52? Seems like the S is a bit cheaper. thanks.

1394 firewire ports from what I can tell. The HDT has them while the HDS series don't. If you need the firewire ports, make sure you try them with what you want to use before you buy them, or plan on a possible return.

D_J_W

11-10-05, 05:45 PM

Is the Sanus Universal Wall Mount compatible with the 42hds52? Pretty sure it is but want to check with the experts on this forum before I go ahead and buy it. Thanks

For the most part it is, you may have to reuse the screws that you remove from the base and use those for the mount while shimming the heck out of them, or just buy shorter screws, as the screws that it comes with will not work from what I recall.

Marc Alexander

11-11-05, 04:20 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by pstrisik
How about dark details, noise, overall picture smoothness vs. a "processed" look, particularly compared to the new Pios?

I thought they were equal to the Pioneers. Unfortunately, they had two different sources playing in the seperate rooms so I couldn't really compare. I suggest finding a showroom with the HDX and making your own evals before purchasing.

Hitachi has definitely improved the overall picture over last years models, the HDX just expands those improvements with improved blacks and anti-reflectivity.

I haven't been able to find the 55HDX62 anywhere yet.

I had to go back and pick up my speakers and I spent more time with the 42HDX62 and the Pioneers. I did not find that the the Hitachi processing was on par with the new Pioneers. Pioneer PQ was much more natural to my eyes than the Hitachi. If I were buying a plasma...I'd have to go with a Pioneer, Fujitsu, or Panny.

Jim Noble

11-11-05, 04:40 PM

I'm interested in the 55" 55HDX52 plasma from Hitachi.

This is a "Director's Series" model, and Hitachi lists Sears and CC on the website as retailers, which of course they re not. I called Hitachi and they told me they don't have any more information than is on the website.

Is there any resource which lists these retailers?

hollywood53

11-12-05, 07:14 AM

Jim the director series is the 55 hdx62 it is listed twice in the Hitachi drop down window the first one list sears etc and is incorrect the second one will list the dealers that handle the director series.

Barry K

11-12-05, 10:20 AM

I feel kind of silly asking you hi-tech guys such a dumb question, but has anybody figured out how to enter channel id labels into the 42hds52. I've had 200 dollar tv's with this feature and I just can't believe my new 3000 dollar set can't accomidate it. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Gain-X

11-12-05, 05:19 PM

Anyone yet get the 1394 connection working? I was told by Hitachi I could hook up an external hdd and record. Is this true? Had anyone tried it yet?

Thanks,

Gain-X

mattburk

11-12-05, 06:57 PM

I was at video only today and they hooked up the toshiba 160hd4 symbio to the new hitachi 55 and played a hd feed through the firewire. It worked great, pretty cool too. The tv was probably the best on in the store overall including the jvc dila 1080p and the sxrd.

cmortal

11-12-05, 07:49 PM

JamesMH

11-13-05, 03:18 PM

Hi There,

I have the 42HDT52 and it is going to be recessed into the wall - thus I won't be able to access the main power button (at bottom) or channel changers (on right).

Does anyone see a major problem with leaving the main power button (at bottom) on all the time or is this going to damage tv? The main power button is at the bottom just under the TV. To turn on the tv on the main power button needs to be pressed. In addition to this to watch tv you have to turn the TV on using the remote or side pannels on tv. Thanks,

I would reconsider building it inside your wall, it needs ventilation, there is fan on the back.

The power button is just like any other tv with a physical power button. Most tvs don't have this type of button these days, they're always powered on.

froll

11-14-05, 09:01 AM

I would not ordinarily post this type of message, however I am doing so for all of those who would like to do the job themselves but are fearful of doing so. Although I consider myself quite experienced in home repair work I was somewhat intimidated by the thought of mis-hanging my $3000 42hds52 and having it crash to the ground not to mention what would be a never ending dilemma with my wife. But, as it turned out, this was a relatively easy job. All you need is a level, rachet wrench, drill and phillips screw driver. I used the OmniMount U3 tilt bracket from CC and the mounting rails were a snap to attach to the back of the TV. Paranoid as I am, I first confirmed which screws to remove from the TV stand and which to attach to the rails by looking at how CC had theirs mounted. (This was probably my biggest fear). Next, since my TV is in the bedroom, I made a template the size of the TV and taped it to the wall to confirm the height and location I wanted -- god forbid my wife wasn't happy with the position. Once satisfied, I taped the supplied cardboard template in the middle of my "paper template" TV and located the studs. I cheated here by confirming the stud located by drilling several very small holes which would be covered anyhow by the TV. Once located, I drilled a 1/4" hole where the first lag bolt would go and loosely attached the bracket. Leveled it, drilled the 2nd hole and inserted the 2nd lag bolt. From there, inserted the remaining 2 bottom lag bolts. Watch out for those last 7-8 turns of the bolt - they're a bear but at least provides the confidence that you are truly into a stud. The directions supplied with the Omni mount tell you exactly which of the supplied screws to use in securing the rails to the TV. I would caution that that the TV is heavier then it looks when lifting it 4 feet or so to mount it on the bracket so it is a 2 person job. Once the top hooks are latched, a gentle push at the bottom secures the attachment. Really quite easy. As for hiding the wires - that is an individual preference. Some use molding and others fish the wire. Since this is my bedroom, I choose not to ope the walls. I took a somewhat different route. Since I needed something anyhow to hold several pieces of equipment, I am installing a wall mounted glass shelving unit ($149 at Lowes) in which all the wires will be hidden behind the center mounting post of the unit and then exit out at each shelving level. It will be mounted directly under the TV such that there will be virtually no wires showing. I hope this is helpful to some of you who are considering hanging your TV but who like me were apprehensive. If you can even do some home repair work, you can hang your TV.

pstrisik

11-14-05, 11:43 AM

Very nice guide! I like your idea about using the channel from shelving to hide the cables.

One suggestion for others... for about $10 you can get a stud finder at Home Depot or Lowe's that will tell you where the studs are without drilling.

TimSee

11-15-05, 10:15 AM

Has anyone heard about an update for the Pro Plasma 55HDM71? It seems the consumer lineup has been completely refreshed but I haven't seen any news about the pro side.

My entertainment center will hold the 55HDM71 but no the consumer models with the speakers mounted on the side. I'm hoping for improved black levels and an HDMI connector...

-Tim

rolamoto

11-15-05, 01:11 PM

has anyone connected a 42HDS52 to a pc? how are you doing it; how's it working.
Can it be done?

thanks

mgholami

11-15-05, 01:33 PM

saldny44

11-16-05, 11:08 AM

Im new to this forum and Im trying to educate myself on buying a new display. My choices are 55hdt52, 60 sxrd, and the pioneer elite series. I like the hitachi, for the money, but im confused about if it handles a 1080p input. Or if any of the others displays do also. I think the hitachi converst all signals to 1080p.?

pstrisik

11-16-05, 12:09 PM

I'm hoping someone can give me the height of the shipping box for a 42xxx52 model so I can see if it fit in my truck upright. Also, does it ship with the panel in an inner box (like the pioneers), or not?

Thanks.........

jklow888

11-16-05, 01:43 PM

Does anyone have more details on the 42HDM12 monitor - in particular what generation panel is in use, what the blacks are like and how it compares to the S52 and T52 models ?

I see the PDF prod specs at Hitachi's website is dated 11/7/2005 and there is no owners manual available.

cirtes

11-16-05, 03:19 PM

mgholami,

To get the digital channels from your cable company as well as the HD channels without using an external STB, you can ask Comcast if they offer a cable-card, which your TV does support. It is the small credit-card sized slot on the back of the TV. If they do offer this service in your area, you can use that to receive most of their services. Video on Demand in general will not be available but everything else should work via Cable-Card.

To validate the lip-sync issue, try to connect a cheap antenna and see if you receive any local channels over-the-air. If you still see the lip-synch problem the issue may very well be with the TV.

Good Luck

cirtes

11-16-05, 03:35 PM

Rolamoto, see my message on connection a PC DVI to HDMI:

Works OK for HTPC use, playing scaled movies, scaling 480i signals etc. Not so good for genral PC use since I had to feed 1080i signal (i.e. no 1:1 pixel mapping).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=565612&page=3&pp=30&highlight=Hitachi

Rod W

11-16-05, 09:49 PM

pstrisik

11-16-05, 10:34 PM

Peter,

I've been researching various plasmas, with the 1130 at the top of my list so far. I surmise that you've returned the 1130? Is a Hitachi unit in your future? Have you seen the Hitachi, and if so, is it superior to the Pioneer in some way? And if you haven't seen it, what are you hoping that it will improve upon vs. the 1130?

Just curious. The 1130 seems tough to beat (price notwithstanding).

Thanks,

Rod
I'll be brief here since I've detailed my thinking ad nauseum in the "official" pio thread and the R. Harness Pio vs. Panny thread.

Bottom line is that the 1130 is a superlative set. I've found myself overly sensitive to motion "judder" and don't want to spend 6K on a set when that bothers me. If I was to get an Hitachi in place of the 1130, I would likely get the 42 or 55" HDX. But, I am instead considering the 42HDM12, a monitor with the same glass as the HDS/HDT but last year's processing. This would be for less than 2K and let me lower my expectations and stay open to an upgrade in a year or two.

While PQ on the HDM won't be on par with the 1130 (or even the 42HDS), it will certainly be good and the Hitachi offers excellent stretch modes (also a Pio strength but a Panny weakness), and settings memory for each input (also a Pio strength and Panny weakness).

D_J_W

11-17-05, 12:31 AM

Hi,

I just purchased Hitachi 55" 55HDT52 Plasma (VO in San Mateo). I really like everything about it. Here's my problem.

When watching HDTV signals through my STB (Comcast/Motorola box), everything works great. But, I want to get rid of it, so I'm getting the HDTV signal also directly into the Plasma TV (split the coax cable signal). All channels come in great, except for the High-Def ones! The audio is incredibly out of sync!

I'm concluding that the Plasma TV, when doing the decoding, is way off. The audio actually lags the video. Does anyone else have this problem? Is this something that can be adjusted? Or is this a 'lemon' TV, and I should swap out during my 30 day Video Only stint?

Thanks for your help.

I have the exact same issue with an 42HDT52 using over the air ATSC. I believe that the processing delay is the problem and suggested that they offer an adjustment in the menu to allow manual customer adjustments. The software must have built in subroutines that have a hex value to adjust for both audio and video, my suggestion to Hitachi was to allow an on screen user adjustment of those values with the center position at where they "think" it should be and an increase delay via the video register to the left of center and a audio register delay to the right of center. Interesting to see how on top of things these guys are, I am waiting to hear back.

asiparks

11-18-05, 05:54 AM

gain-x: I got a reply from customer service that the effect that a hhd could be hooked up for recording/playback through the 1394 too, but I've had no luck with either a Maxtor or LaCie drive... :-(

azwcat

11-18-05, 01:48 PM

I have the exact same issue with an 42HDT52 using over the air ATSC. I believe that the processing delay is the problem and suggested that they offer an adjustment in the menu to allow manual customer adjustments. The software must have built in subroutines that have a hex value to adjust for both audio and video, my suggestion to Hitachi was to allow an on screen user adjustment of those values with the center position at where they "think" it should be and an increase delay via the video register to the left of center and a audio register delay to the right of center. Interesting to see how on top of things these guys are, I am waiting to hear back.

So you guys are saying that the audio has a significant lag when using the built-in tuner for HD channels? Is everyone having this issue??

This could be a deal-breaker. I just saw the 55HDS52 at CC last night and I'm trying to decide between it and the SXRD and PX50U.

Vashti

11-18-05, 05:12 PM

I saw the 55HDS52 at CC last night too. Just when I thought I had it narrowed down to 2 or 3 plasmas. Man, that picture was a beauty to behold. I was surprised by the visual impact of a 55", compared to 50". You think it's just 5", but wow!

texneus

11-19-05, 01:07 AM

Has anyone managed to figure out the ######### yet? Wholy smokes are there a lot of options and the setting names are very cryptic. Some I can decode, but most might as well be Japanese. I'd really like to reduce the overscan if I can.

I'm also curious about people's posted settings. I've found that the contrast enhancement does nothing to deepen black levels. All it seems to do is make nearly black stuff blacker than it should be (but never any blacker than dictated by the brightness setting). The end result is shadow detail is lost even on the lowest setting and at times the picture is completely unatural. I keep mine turned off.

Also, anyone notice the color adjustment conundrum? By turing on the "user colors", even with all adjustments centered, the color shifts. Most notably blues become slightly more intense.

Lnd Svyr

11-19-05, 03:49 PM

I'm no expert and I realize that the settings on the two plasmas probably need to be tweaked; but, the Hitachi 55HDS52 was mounted right beside the Panasonic TH50PX50U at CC and the Hitachi looked cloudy (murky?muddy?) in comparison. Get the Hitachi alone and one probably could not have much to complain about.

In my case, I think 50" is just too small, which is why I was looking at the Hitachi. But I don't know. Pannys always rate highest, it is obvious in the store. Of course, the 61" Pioneer at BB looked pretty good--until I saw the price tag.

Back to the drawing board, I guess.

mgholami

11-20-05, 09:17 PM

JamesMH

11-20-05, 10:28 PM

Regarding the audio lag, it happens with my 42HDT52 on some channels, some of the time.

ABC/FOX/WB are usually out of synch, but NBC/CBS/PBS are usually ok. If you look into your local reception forum on here, you could find it is a problem with the channels in your area.
If this is the case the OTA would have the same problems as cable.

In my area it seems common that my few channels are out of synch.

HiDef Bob

11-21-05, 02:22 AM

I am very interested in purchasing one of the new 50-55" Hitachi or Fujitsu 1080P plasmas scheduled for release some time late next year. However, something that I recently saw gave me reason to question that decision.

I was recently at a high end home theatre dealer. They are dealers for Hitachi and Fujitsu plasmas. While I was there they had an NFL football game in HDTV displayed on all their sets. I noticed that on both the Hitachi and Fujitsu sets (both 42") the yellow 1st down line was bleeding very badly. The picture on the whole looked very good, but the line instead of being nice and straight was very jagged. When I got home the game was still on so I checked the line on my HD compatible tube set ... it was perfectly straight with no sign of bleeding or jaggedness.

So, was the fault with these particular plasmas or did the dealer have the color and/or contrast set too high?

Thanks.

azwcat

11-21-05, 02:25 AM

Hi,

I followed advice and got an antenna (TERK TV-5) to see if I would get an audio lag with OTA HDTV. (I live in SF-Bay Area, Alameda to be specific). I'm fortunate that I live relatively close to a tower, and was able to get HDTV for all the local major stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, UPN, WB, PBS, etc).

It looks like with OTA, I continue to have an audio-sync lagging the video. This only shows up on full 16-9 HDTV broadcasts. It does NOT show up when they're showing regular non-16-9 broadcasts (e.g. news that's in 4:3 format but over HDTV).

I called Hitachi, they were of no use. Claim it must be the signal. They had also never heard of getting HDTV over the Cable line. He kept thinking it was OTA (at the time I didn't have an antenna). I might try calling again tomorrow to get another rep on the line.

What are the chances that ALL the major stations have this issue? More likely, it's the TV introducing the lag. On the other hand, my buddy who has an older HDTV (and more experience), tells me that this is common with HDTV and it's the broadcasters problem!

I guess if one wants to use STB for everything, there's no issue (it works fine BTW).

FYI - The Panasonic 50U does look good side-by-side to the Hitachi. However, I was there today (CC) watching sports, and the grass field on the 50U was substantially more green (unnaturally) than all the other Plasma's. So, it just depends on what you're watching. I tried calibrating the 50U and couldn't solve the problem at CC. On the other hand, found the 50U renders skin tones much better than Hitachi 55".

I'm 2 weeks into mine, and trying to figure out whether to swap it for 50U or not based upon audio issue.

Good luck folks. I still like my 55HDT52 VERY much. If not for the audio thing, I would keep it without consideration (and still might!)

I noticed exactly the same thing at CC today. The football field looked totally unnaturally green with the 50U. I think this is due to the VIVID setting. I spent my time playing with the hitachi controls though, and didn't bother trying to fix the 50U picture.

Regarding the Hitachi, the 55" was playing the Star Wars DVD and I just couldn't get over the fact that all of the blacks look like dark gray. I spent a lot of time playing with the settings and never could get it to look right. This was the deal-breaker for me. The Panasonic blacks look truly black. On an HD broadcast like an NFL game, it didn't matter, but watching a dvd with dark scenes, it was very annoying. I tried VERY hard to like the Hitachi. The size is perfect, and the cabinet looks as good as the pioneer. Price is right too. In the end I ordered a 50U.

cyclescoot

11-21-05, 04:43 PM

cyclescoot

11-21-05, 04:52 PM

I seem to get different results with the soft menu. Sometimes it minimizes and other times it stays on the screen until I select Exit on the Remote. Also, there are time when I can use the universal remote to control other units and sometimes I have to use the soft menu.

I like the idea of linking a input to an input the A/V net but can't figure out how to assign my receiver to direct cable input. I have done it with PVR and but can't do it with cable.

The I/R blaster is a great idea but it needs to stay open all the time rather then when it is selected via the A/V Net.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

nateman

11-22-05, 05:48 AM

i picked up a Hitachi 42HDT52 at Video Only in Tukwila, WA yesterday, after looking at the available offerings at two local Costcos, a Best Buy, a Circuit City, and two Video Onlys. my 8-year-old 32" panosonic tube tv has been doing weirder and weirder stuff lately (shutting off by itself, refusing to shut off), and it was time for a major upgrade. so far, i've really enjoyed the new set, and i'll post the positives first.

(good-a) it looks fantastic when it's off! as many people have noted, the set itself is very sleek and modern. the other sets in this price range just didn't look as nice to me (although i certainly didn't get to see 'everything' out there). i can't post a link since i'm a brand new member, so go to the photo gallery and search for "42hdt52" and my pics should show up. in one of the pics, you can see the reflection of my old panny in the mirrored wall behind the tv.

(good-b) the power swivel base is very cool. we have three tall windows to our backs when we're sitting in the primary tv-watching seats (the floorplan of the living room is terrible and this can't be helped), so being able to easily and remotely tweak the tv position to adjust for glare is a big plus. glare overall isn't too bad on the set, but we have a situation where it's unavoidable, and it was terrible on the old tube set.

(good-c) lots of inputs is nice now and will be nicer later.

(good-d) the sound from the built-in speakers is quite good to a non-audiophile like me. the room layout is not conducive to a real surroud-sound setup, so we're happy to use the internal speakers for now. someone in this thread or another thread commented that they couldn't turn the speakers up very high because high-pitched sounds were very tinny (i'm paraphrasing), but i haven't noticed this at all. as an interesting side-note, there seems to be a small white sticker on the inside of each speaker grill, maybe 3/8" by 3/4". i'm guessing it says 'inspected by no. 12' or something on it. it's visible if you look closely at the '1080i' picture i posted.

(good-e) the picture looks great to me. if i look for it, i notice that at times some dark areas may not be the blackest blacks, but i don't know that my picture is set up very well yet (i'm using some setting from earlier in this thread with brightness and contrast just under 50%), and it doesn't bother me regardless. the extra vertical resolution seems to make for a smoother, slightly more detailed picture. at the first VO i went to, the 42HDF52 and 42HDT52 models blew away the 42" panny next to them in terms of detail in the picture, but now i think that they must have had the settings effed up pretty bad on the panny. at CC, the 42HDS52 and the panny had comparable pictures. i generally liked the detail and coloring a little bit better on the Hitachi, but as many have noted, this is very subjective, and i waffled a bit. my ReplayTV looks grainy on 'Standard' recordings, but that's to be expected. 'live' tv through the ReplayTV looks very nice and most of the cable channels look the way i expect them to.

(good-f) the set is picking up a number of digital channels, including some HD, even though i only have a Basic Cable package through Comcast. i don't know if this is normal, but it's cool! i can't match up the channel numbers with anything on Comcast's website.

(good-g) the built-in TV Guide feature worked pretty well right off the bat for basic cable. i'm having trouble getting it set up to line up with the digital cable channels i'm receiving, and i think it's weird that it doesn't show the channels in channel number order. it's basically random order, as far as i can tell. you can manually change the order, but i didn't see an option to change the sorting. still, it gets the job done.

(good-h) you can hit the pause key and freeze frame live tv. minor feature, but kind of cool.

bad stuff:

(bad-a) seems to me like it takes a while to switch channels, even just between regular cable channels. i have no idea how this compares to other plasma sets, and i would be interested in other people's opinions on this. this is a bit annoying, but it'll be an easier sell to my girlfriend if i can say all (or most) plasmas do it. ;)

(bad-b) i didn't realize until i got the set home that the two HDMI inputs are shared with two of the S-video/composite inputs. not a big deal, but kind of annoying since i have an old-school VCR running composite and a ReplayTV running S-video, and i'd rather not run one of them to the "input 5" S-video/composit input on the side of the set when i eventually get something with HDMI. probably not a big deal for most folks, but something to be aware of.

(bad-c) not a big fan of the remote. someone commented (in another thread, i think) that the wheels for changing the volume/channel need to be "woken" up before they work, and i've noticed this as well. the lettering on the remote is also quite difficult for me to read in lowlight. i'll be happy when i get my universal remote set up to do all the stuff i need to do.

(bad-d) the bigger set and scaling brings out the poor cable reception i've got on some channels (it was visible on the 32", but moreso now), but i'm going to upgrade my cables and i hope that will help. the salesman claims that the 1024x1024 helps it handle SD signals better, but i'm not sure. some of it looks great, some less so. i only watched a minute or two, but Monday Night Football on the digital channel (don't know if it was HD) seemed to bleed or something. other digital/HD stuff has looked very good in the little chance i've had to mess with it. (i've watched too movies, which looked fantastic, and done a lot of yardwork sine i got the set.)

(bad-e) initially, i couldn't get the thing out of "STB" mode for the cable input. it was stuck on channel 3. eventually it kicked out of this mode, but it got stuck back in it a few times. on the Inputs menu, it would show up as "Cable (STB)," but now it's just "Cable." seems to be ok now, but i don't know how (or if) i fixed it.

(bad-f)
I feel kind of silly asking you hi-tech guys such a dumb question, but has anybody figured out how to enter channel id labels into the 42hds52. I've had 200 dollar tv's with this feature and I just can't believe my new 3000 dollar set can't accomidate it. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

i see that there is a column under Menu -> Channel Manager -> Channel List (i think that's what it's called) for a 6-character 'ID' name, but i also have not figured out how to actually set this value. the remote won't let me select it. minor irritation, and hopefully we'll figure out how to fix it.

(bad-g)
I go into my video and audio on my hitachi plamsa and change some settings. After I shut off the tv, (using the remote, not the true shut down on the tv) the settings reset to default.

How do you keep the settings from changing back? I am sure you should not have to reset them every day.

i'm seeing this as well, frequently. seems to happen sometimes even while the tv is on, although i'm not 100% sure on that. suddenly, i'll notice that the screen seems really bright, and i'll go into the video menu and confirm that all of the settings are back to factory default, and it will be the case on all inputs (yes, i know it saves seperate settings per input). the other giveaway is that it forgets that 'Input 1' is 'DVD' and 'Input 2' is 'PVR.' i'll hit the Inputs button and see that the name settings are gone. i will be swapping this set out for a new one if i can't get this fixed as it is extremely annoying. :mad:

(bad-h) the PIP feature is a little confusing to me and i'm still getting the hang of it.

the bad list above is as long as the good list, but overall the good vastly outweighs the bad for me, with the exception of the thing constantly forgetting the settings. i'll be contacting Hitachi customer service to see what they have to say about that.

i'd also like to comment that i've not seen the audio sync problem on HD channels mentioned earlier in the thread, although i haven't spent a lot of time look at those channels.

hmmm...i think that's it. i hope this was helpful to some of you! i think i'm going to start a new thread on the resetting settings problem. :(

nateman

11-22-05, 01:04 PM

turns out this is a 'feature.' :p

from any normal video input, hit the Menu button, then go into the Reset Settings sub-menu. there is an option there to restory factory defaults every time you power the set on. flip that to 'No'!

i guess this is to help counteract all the fiddling people might do with it in a store and make it easier to go back to the 'pretty in the showroom' settings.

i haven't had a lot of time to play with it and make sure it sticks, but i'm hopeful. this really puts my mind at ease because every else about the set is great or is easy for me to live with. this issue was going to drive me to distraction.

bobbart2000

11-22-05, 02:10 PM

i'm using some setting from earlier in this thread with brightness and contrast just under 50%

Welcome to the Hitachi minority. We're small but feisty on this board. :p

I have the same set as you (42HDT52) and after a LOT of playing with the settings I ended up with a rule for Brightness and Contrast that I have suggested to others. You may want to try setting up yous set along the lines of:
Brightness: > 50%
Contrast: Brightness + 35% so that if your Brightness is 50%, set Contrast to 85%. The settings that I use are 55% and 90%.

As for the other settings...
Color: 35 to 40%
Tint: A few clicks to the left (toward green)
Sharpness: 35% (There is some difference of opinion on this one.)

I found that these settings, especially the Brightness to Contrast setting, significantly improved the performance for dark or muddy images.

nateman

11-22-05, 02:25 PM

Welcome to the Hitachi minority. We small but feisty on this board. :p
thanks! :D

You may want to try setting up yous set along the lines of:
Brightness: > 50%
Contrast: Brightness + 35% so that if your Brightness is 50%, set Contrast to 85%. The settings that I use are 55% and 90%.
i'm new to the plasma world, but i thought (from reading/skimming various threads on this forum) that it was recommended to keep contrast and brightness below 50%, at least during the break in period, to limit premature aging of the pixels. are you concerned at all about this?

my other settings are pretty similar to yours, although i haven't played with tint. i've also got 'black enhancement' set to 'off' and 'contrast mode' (or whatever it's called) set to 'normal.' the blacks are a little less black but the overall detail on the screen looks much better to me this way.

Karma16

11-22-05, 02:27 PM

HI All,
For the life of me I can't figure out the native scan mode of the 42HDT52. The specs in the manual are no help. Surely, there must be a native mode which is either progressive OR interlaced but not both.

Can someone provide an answer or am I asking a question with an obvious answer?

Thanks, Sparky

bobbart2000

11-22-05, 05:01 PM

i'm new to the plasma world, but i thought (from reading/skimming various threads on this forum) that it was recommended to keep contrast and brightness below 50%, at least during the break in period, to limit premature aging of the pixels. are you concerned at all about this?

I was concerned enough to contact Hitachi support and their reply was that a higher contrast setting was OK as long as all the images were in a mode that completely filled the screen. They stressed that this panel has a 60,000 Hour half-life at 100% Contrast. So, for the first month I watched everything in a full-screen mode and I still do that for 90% of my viewing.

I really tried to like the image at 50 to 60% Contrast but the image quality just didn't hold up. I am very happy with that Brightness + 35% rule.

asiparks

11-22-05, 07:29 PM

interesting, I'll give the +35 rule a shot when I get home....still haven't got the video essentials disk yet...
Congats on your new telly Nateman, the dvi inputs not being assignable to #3 or #4 or #3 and #4 not having s video inputs is my kinda minor gripe now, I'm using S video on input #5 for my receiver monitor out (tivo, vcr and playstation), so i've got cables black-taped across the back...ah well small price to pay i guess.
Sorting through the digital channels is a pain, with comcast fox hd is 712 but direct from my wall socket it's 12-1 right after 12... I do get free hbo though and free music from the magic cable. Well, I don't really because I subscribe to hd cable, but i could if i wanted etc....
I'm actually lauded for my utter lack of fiest.....

nateman

11-22-05, 07:53 PM

Congats on your new telly Nateman, the dvi inputs not being assignable to #3 or #4 or #3 and #4 not having s video inputs is my kinda minor gripe now, I'm using S video on input #5 for my receiver monitor out (tivo, vcr and playstation), so i've got cables black-taped across the back...ah well small price to pay i guess.
thanks!

i realized something today which basically alleviates my input issue that i mentioned. maybe this is normal for component hook-ups (i've never used them before, although i made sure that my dvd player had component output when i bought a new one last year after my PS2 mysteriously decided to stop playing dvds), but the quick-start guide shows that you can hook standard composite audio/video inputs to the component slots. the top video jack on each component input is labled ".../Video," and you just hook the yellow composite video plug to that jack. once i fiddle with it some more (waiting until i have upgraded cables...no big deal since i rarely use the VCR), i'll have this:

input 1: ReplayTV via S-video
input 2: free for future HDMI input when i get HD cable
input 3: DVD player via component
input 4: VCR via composite
input 5: free

i rarely use the PS2 these days, but i could hook it to input 2 via S-video in the mean-time, or have an easily accessible input on the side to hook it to. i've also got an S-video switch-box since my old TV only had one S-video input, so i could always break that out again.

so that's another concern addressed. i'm liking the set better all the time! :D

wassy

11-22-05, 10:17 PM

ok, so a question for the Hitachi minority. Looking at the 55HDX62 vs the Pioneer ELite PRO1410HD... besides the extra 6" on the pioneer, anyone care to comment on the Director's series of Plasma's from Hitachi?

thanks.

asiparks

11-22-05, 11:58 PM

Thanks for the tip, but i have my dvd connected via HDMI , to take advantage of it's scaler and my cable box connected from it's dvi out to the other hdmi slot, so they hijack inputs #1 and #2. Grrr. My #3 and #4 are sitting empty as they don't have s video, then i use my reciever to switch between everything else and send it via s video to #5. Still it's only a minor grumble...

JamesMH

11-23-05, 01:36 AM

Are you guys talking about the inputs sharing? If you turn off the HDMI dvd/cable box, then the svhs input turns on, as they are both input 1 & 2.

asiparks

11-23-05, 04:01 AM

yup, but my stb is always on for the benefit of the tivo, and my denon 1920dvd takes about 1/2 a day to power off so it's just easier, if slightly uglier round the back to use #5

alternapop

11-23-05, 07:13 PM

I've only seen banding a couple times. Once during a HD Notre Dame game and the helmets showed banding. The huge majority of the times I don't see it. Even when watching other football games. My TV must hate Notre Dame... I can't blame it.

I still have my TV settings down low for the break-in period, even though that's been almost 3 months now.

I called Hitachi to mention the banding to see what they'd say. The rep said, "what's banding?". I mentioned the Notre Dame game and said there were visible/noticeable lines where the color changed on the helmets.

He said that it shouldn't be doing that and gave me a local TV repair number to call. Haven't called yet.

Another question I had for the rep was whether it was possible to have the TV's speakers on but have the picture off for cable radio. He said that it's not possible.

JProfit

11-25-05, 10:52 AM

mixersoft

11-26-05, 09:07 AM

does the 42HDS52 come with a 110-240V Universal power supply?

I am looking to buy something that works globally. The 42PD7900 is available in China with a universal power supply, and it looks like a close, but not exact match to the 42HDS52. However, there are a few features on the US version that I could really use -- if it came with a universal power supply. Can someone look at the back and tell me? The Hitachi specs seem to gloss over this fact.

Thanks,

M

priyankur

11-26-05, 02:16 PM

Hi all I am a proud new owner (though missing the stand) of a 55hds52. the unit is on hold with CC waiting shipment of the stand. i would really appreciate if you guys can give me your opinion on the 2 following issues:

1. same problem with the stand - anybody has any update on how long before i can expect the stand shipped by hitachi? the CC guys do not have a clue.

2. i am offered a $699 3 yr CC warranty. i am not able to understand whether that is a justifiable expense or not. i thought the 1st 3 yrs nothing should happen to the tv so why bother with it. in your opinion what is the probability of the set needing warranty service with in 1st 3 years?

thanks for your views.

priyankur

JamesMH

11-26-05, 07:04 PM

2. i am offered a $699 3 yr CC warranty. i am not able to understand whether that is a justifiable expense or not. i thought the 1st 3 yrs nothing should happen to the tv so why bother with it. in your opinion what is the probability of the set needing warranty service with in 1st 3 years?

Look at what credit card you bought it with, my visa adds an additional year to the base 1 year warranty. If its going to break, it is usually in the first few months. Use it as you mean to use it, none of this break in period fluff that people pretend it needs.

They sell them because they make money on them.

Bmkr

11-27-05, 12:16 AM

Hello Everyone.

Well, after reading all of the things posted in this forum about the new Hitachi Plasma HDTV line, I am getting concerned.

I wish I would have discovered this forum prior to my purchase. Yes, yesterday I purchased a Hitachi 55HDT52 at VO in San Mateo and I did not even see it on display. I spoke to the salesperson for about 2 hours about the system. He did have the 42" model there and assured me that the 55" model was so much better. Including better front panel or glass. Made differently so you should not see a shadow. (meaning when you have a writing displayed on the tv and you look from the top you can see a shadow)

He also said it was a very crisp picture. I am looking for a very crisp display... i.e. the top of Shrek's head should not look "fuzzy" but crisp.

Now as you can probably tell, I know little to nothing about HDTV's and only did some online research on Cnet and Epinions prior to heading out the door to purchase.

After reading comments here, I went out to CC and I saw the HitachiHDS52 on display.. geesh.. the glare, the fuzz, the oh-not so crispness of the picture.. I am very discouraged.

My new set is being delivered this Tuesday, (If it came in with their shipment) and I now wonder if I should not call them to reverse the order. I did get an incredible deal on the system including stand and delivery. (no online could beat it esp CC price was much much more) and even had him write on the receipt that they would give a full refund for open box if not completely satisfied. (his manager signed it too)

He displayed such confidence in the TV that he vowed I could not possibly be disappointed.

Can someone ease my mind about this set ? Is the "T" version better than the "S" version display wise? He never mentioned the "X director series" version or I would have gotten that one.. I hear (now from more research) that the Black's are better..

I am also now a little intimidated by the size, I sit about max 7 feet from where that TV will be.

So far, it looks like I have to purchase the following for best viewing experience:

-extended warranty (he never even offered)

-component cable Y, Pb, and Pr cable if not use card. (hearing that Comcast Card does not always work properly ?)

-Home Theater PowerCenter™ HTS 850

-Antenna TERK TV-5

I did buy a new Toshiba HDMI DVD player.. (he sold me that one) :) so there should be no issue or excuses when this TV arrives regarding sub standard equipment.. as they set it up.

Any feedback and comments would be very much appreciated.

Best,
B

pstrisik

11-27-05, 12:37 AM

Well, after reading all of the things posted in this forum about the new Hitachi Plasma HDTV line, I am getting concerned.

I wish I would have discovered this forum prior to my purchase. Yes, yesterday I purchased a Hitachi 55HDT52 ............

..........After reading comments here, I went out to CC and I saw the HitachiHDS52 on display.. geesh.. the glare, the fuzz, the oh-not so crispness of the picture.. I am very discouraged. .......

.......Can someone ease my mind about this set ? Is the "T" version better than the "S" version display wise? He never mentioned the "X director series" version or I would have gotten that one.. I hear (now from more research) that the Black's are better.. .........

I am also now a little intimidated by the size, I sit about max 7 feet from where that TV will be..........
The S and T have identical PQ within the same size.

If you saw the set in CC, it would not be an accurate audition, particularly if you didn't have the remote in order to check and adjust the settings. The source material in stores is often poor as well.

The new Hitachi line is getting a lot of respect. It has top notch features and callibration abilities. The picture should be as sharp as any. You are correct that the blacks and shadow detail will not likely match Panasonic and maybe Pioneer. The Director's series (HDX) is a step up in panel treatment that supposedly improves black levels. Check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6571672&&#post6571672) for my brief review of the 42HDM12 model (basically a 42HDF52 without tuner). The HDS will have a better picture since it uses new processing (HDM and HDF use last year's processing technology).

For me, 7 feet would definitely be too close for a 55", even a 50".

asiparks

11-27-05, 05:42 AM

Hey bmkr, don't sweat it. Spend a couple of days with your set, watch some regular cable, watch some HD cable if you have it watch some DVD's if you don't like it, take it back for a refund.

So far, it looks like I have to purchase the following for best viewing experience:

-extended warranty (he never even offered) - electronics tend to go bad at the offset, parts generally don't "wear out", so if it fails it will invariably do so in your manufacturers warranty period. If you really need to rest easy then do a search for other aftermarket warranty providers.

-component cable Y, Pb, and Pr cable if not use card. (hearing that Comcast Card does not always work properly ?) Pro's of cable card: neat, HD signal will get scaled by the TV's scaler which is probably better than the one in the cable box. Cons: don't always work and they're only one way, so you lose "on demand" which I love- you might never use. ...The component cables you can get from home depot for $13. I have some bloody expensive monster cable cables and RCA cables and radio shack cables. No difference. At all. Except price. get the cheap 'uns. Or try the expensive ones from BB or somewhere that'll refund you when you return them after seeing for yourself that there's no difference. Or you can use a DVI to HDMI or HDMI cable to connect the box to your panel. At the risk of sounding like a miserly penny pincher my dvi/HDMI cable cost about 10 including UPS from these guys:

monoprice.com/

-Home Theater PowerCenter™ HTS 850 - Bollocks.

-Antenna TERK TV-5 - only if you want off the air HD from Fox, ABC NBC etc, but if you have HD programming through your cable box you'll get those anyway, so it would be duplication.

I did buy a new Toshiba HDMI DVD player.. (he sold me that one) so there should be no issue or excuses when this TV arrives regarding sub standard equipment.. as they set it up. SWEET !

I know it's like a really major purchase, but it sounds like they'll take care of you if it doesn't work out. Oh and 7 feet does sound close. At that distance I think the pixels might be a bit too visible, SD programming might be a bit rough. Good luck anyway.

westa6969

11-27-05, 07:52 AM

Bmkr
Relax, What you observed in the store is not the true viewing experience. Most people have raved of the peer into experience with good source feed and that rarely occurs in the stores.

Good News is you wheeled and dealed some great conditions where you can reverse it if not satisfied. They may not have mentioned the HDX as it can only be sold through certain high end stores. Did you buy from a local chain store? I'd sure like to get a deal like you have to put one in my living room as I hate dealing with CC and BB.

Don't let the feedback here panic you as there are thousands of happy Hitachi owners that never make their way to a forum like ours and human nature is to seek one after seeing issues post purchase and you search to find answers and people don't search to post positives they just enjoy the positives. Just human nature and the fact the distribution channel for Hitachi Plasma has been limited until recently - you find a Panny and Pio almost anywhere whereas the Hitachi has a few channels to shop.

Plenty of feedback exists from last years models in a separate thread buried somewhere in the Abyss of what I now call the Pio and Panny Forum - they dominate everything now in this FP forum and dare you like a Sharp you get your head severed and constant trashing despite it being used as the defacto Bar for LCD FP comparisons.

As mentioned don't sweat it as long as you have a return policy and you feed this baby the best source you should be wowed. Look forward to your feedback.

If you love the set remember it'll take your eyes a couple of weeks to adjust to the 55" size and it should shrink but initially SD viewing may give you issues at 7' but who gives a hoot about SD. :D

seememom

11-27-05, 09:06 AM

The 55" Hitachi is a great set, with blacks somewhat below the Pioneer 50". I would take it over the Pio/Panny 50" tv's any day of the week in terms of price/size/performance. The colours of the Hitachi are excellent.

7 feet is a bit close though, especially for SD.

Enjoy

oldcband

11-27-05, 09:40 AM

Hello Everyone.

Well, after reading all of the things posted in this forum about the new Hitachi Plasma HDTV line, I am getting concerned.

I wish I would have discovered this forum prior to my purchase.

B
I first looked up in the dictionary the words objective then I looked up subjective. I believe that you made a objective decision on your tv then started looking for the subjective. Too bad you don't have the tv in your house and enjoying it right now. Hope you keep it you'll enjoy I'm sure of the this. Also I'd wait on the extended warranty till you know your going to keep your plasma. Like others have stated you have nothing to lose with your agreement. Best of luck.
BTW the company your working with sounds really good to me, and sounds like there very upfront with you.

JamesMH

11-27-05, 10:46 AM

Bmkr, you have bought a great tv! VO isn't a high pressure shop, thats why they didn't even offer the extended warranty, they might not even sell them.
I wish I had gone for a bigger Hitachi than my 42".

scmguru

11-27-05, 12:17 PM

I'm in the So Cal area and can't seem to find a 55HDX anywhere! Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

cooley

11-27-05, 12:24 PM

After many months of lurking and research, I picked up my new 55HDS52 from CC the day before Thanksgiving. This is my first plasma and I love it! Overall, this set offered the best complete package for me and my family (size, features, performance, aesthetics).

For the time being I'm using directv SD, and the PQ is as expected - not too shabby. But DVDs are a different story.... I expected less than stellar PQ while using the lower settings for the break-in, thankfully I was wrong. DVDs look amazing! The blacks are not an issue for us (we're just not that picky). I'll be ordering the HD upgrade from directv soon and I can't wait to experince my first HD viewing.

A few words about the power swivel stand: This is the best thing since sliced bread. It even made my Mother, who was visiting over Thanksgiving, say for the first time, and I quote...... "Wow! That's cool!" hehe...love it

So far everyone is blown away by this TV, including myself. My only gripe is that the remote is a bit quirky. As someone mentioned before, it's like it has to 'wake up' before it functions. But this is a minor inconvenience.

scmguru

11-27-05, 01:16 PM

Trying to figure out what the out the door price point for the HDX62 is vs the HDS52.. Can someone who has purchased this set shoot me a PM with their experience?

Thanks :)

mgholami

11-27-05, 02:43 PM

BMKR,

I agree with everyone else's responses. I also purchased my 55HDT52 from VO in San Mateo just over 2 weeks ago. I actually thanked him for not even asking to see if I wanted an Extended Warranty. His comment was, if you want it, we'll sell it to you, but we don't pressure you to buy it. He also stated (though I didn't get mine in writing), if I wanted to return it, he would give me a full refund (basically, they would send it back to Hitachi as defective, so they incur no loss). For me, it wasn't an issue, because I figured, at worst, I'd get a Panasonic 50U if I didn't like this set.

After 2 weeks, and tweaking the settings, I'm at a point where I'm very happy with the set. All the plasma's that I saw (or read about), had some 'issues', as does this set. So, I would suggest, as did the others, get it home, calibrate it (even by eye), and I think you'll be happy.

Good luck.

sgl54

11-27-05, 02:57 PM

I'm in the So Cal area and can't seem to find a 55HDX anywhere! Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I just purchased the Hitachi 55HDX62 at Magnolia Audio Video up here in No Cal. I believe they just got permission to carry the "Director Series" model sometime before Thanksgiving. They have it in stock at their warehouse but as of yesterday they weren't in the stores.

Mine is scheduled for delivery this Friday 12/2. I will post my thoughts once its hooked up.

GBFreek

11-27-05, 03:35 PM

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews - sounds like the 55" is up ther in terms of being on par with the Pannys and Pio's.

Any of you care to post some photos (HD, SD, DVD)?

Was pretty set on getting a Panny 50", but after seing the 55" Hitachi at CC - its tuff to argue against not going for the extra 5 inches - even if it cost an extra grand.

Trackman

11-27-05, 03:38 PM

I just purchased the Hitachi 55HDX62 at Magnolia Audio Video up here in No Cal. I believe they just got permission to carry the "Director Series" model sometime before Thanksgiving. They have it in stock at their warehouse but as of yesterday they weren't in the stores.

Mine is scheduled for delivery this Friday 12/2. I will post my thoughts once its hooked up.

So Magnolia is selling the director's series, huh? Well, we should soon be seeing much more in the way of comparative feedback v. the Pios and Pannys. I will anxiously await your review. Could you do me a favor and check to see if there is any way to detach the side speakers?

Bmkr

11-27-05, 04:12 PM

Everyone...

THANK YOU !! I never expected to have so many comments when I checked the forum today. I do feel a little more at ease now and you are right, I should not worry because of my return policy. Additionally I think I truly did get a great deal ( but then all sales persons say that) in this case, I believe it true, simply because I have not seen this set offered at this price anywhere. The salesperson is coming this Tuesday in person with his installer and they will configure the TV for me etc.

Oh, I think I might re-arrange my furniture to give me at least 9-10" distance from the screen. Lol I never thought I would have this kind of problem with size. Worst case I could downgrade to a 42".

I will be sure to update you guys as I get my new set and share pictures.

In the meantime, I will go back to the top and re-read all the great advise and make note of it.

Best,
B

sgl54

11-27-05, 04:14 PM

Could you do me a favor and check to see if there is any way to detach the side speakers?

No problem.

With the knowledge I've read on this forum, I know I'll be asking questions regarding setting this television up.

I decided to go with the 55HDX62 over the Pioneer Elite 1130 due to the fact that I was able to see the HDX62 at a high end video store and I loved the PQ and the look of the tv. As this was a high end video store I'm sure they calibrate all their tvs that are on display but their is no denying it was a beautiful picture (at least to my eye). I went over to Magnolia to see about table stands and that's where I saw the Pioneer 1130. It's also a beautiful set but when the sales rep said they got permission to sell the Hitachi "Director Series" it didn't take me long to decide on the Hitachi. $$$ less and 5" larger. We'll wait and see if it was a good decision.

GBFreek

11-27-05, 11:32 PM

No problem.

With the knowledge I've read on this forum, I know I'll be asking questions regarding setting this television up.

I decided to go with the 55HDX62 over the Pioneer Elite 1130 due to the fact that I was able to see the HDX62 at a high end video store and I loved the PQ and the look of the tv. As this was a high end video store I'm sure they calibrate all their tvs that are on display but their is no denying it was a beautiful picture (at least to my eye). I went over to Magnolia to see about table stands and that's where I saw the Pioneer 1130. It's also a beautiful set but when the sales rep said they got permission to sell the Hitachi "Director Series" it didn't take me long to decide on the Hitachi. $$$ less and 5" larger. We'll wait and see if it was a good decision.

Thats very interesting on Magnolia carrying the Hitachi brand, period. I have never known them to carry the Hitachi brand...

sgl54

11-27-05, 11:50 PM

Thats very interesting on Magnolia carrying the Hitachi brand, period. I have never known them to carry the Hitachi brand...

I bought this tv (55HDX62) at Magnolia Audio Video. These are stand alone stores. Their's also Magnolia Home Theater. These stores are located in BB.

Both stores are located on the Magnolia web site.

Steve

P.S. The Magnolia store in BB do not carry the Hitachi brand but the Magnolia stand alone stores do.

sfbaypp

11-28-05, 11:10 AM

Hello all!

Has anyone connected the Director series (42HDx62) as a center channel speaker. Apparantly you can, the connections panel and the material refer to it, but havent been able to get it to work.

Any experience on how to do this. I have an Anthem AVM30 that has an extra center channel out and I am thinking of passing line level audio to the plasma to create additional center channel impact.

Thanks.

bobharp

11-28-05, 11:51 AM

sfbaypp,

I have briefly looked into the matter myself. My problem is that I need the center channel to work over a range of video inputs (DVD, HD Cable, etc). I have not pursued the matter further.

asiparks

11-28-05, 02:46 PM

sfbaypp- wouldn't the impact of the volume / timbre of the tv's amp and center speaker undo all the lovely work being done by your Anthem and existing center ? :-)

JamesMH

11-28-05, 03:29 PM

Doesn't the centre channel only work with the tv sound output?

sfbaypp

11-29-05, 12:25 AM

asiparks - that question is supreme in my mind. I have got a set of paradigm speakers that I would not want to corrupt!!

Still I would like to make it work and see how it is.

JamesMH - The features refer to the possiblity of getting this tv integrated into hometheater system. Thats what I am trying to do.

david777_x5

11-30-05, 02:10 AM

After carefully reading this and many other threads discussing Hitachi plasmas, I ended up buying the latest 55" HDT52 for $$$ which i selected over 50" panny and pioneer elite. The swivel stand was another $400. Here are the factors the decision was based on:

1. Screen size - the extra 5" makes a huge difference at a reasonable cost. Once you see the 55" its hard to go back to 50", while the 60" is just too much at $$$.
2. Price - i could've bought panny 500 for about $$$, while 50" elite is at $$$. So 55HDT52 + stand is right in the middle at $$$.
3. The look - hdt + swivel stand goes great with an 70" all-black glass black stand. Panny just doesn't have the look i wanted (all black).
4. Connectors - hdt has 2 hdmi, digital audio output, 2 USB and 2 firewire. With HDMI cable and HDMI DVD I don't see the need for the A/V receiver switching as only the amplifier is necessary. So I can have the TV control the entire system.

Some observations now that I have it hooked up.
1. The colors are just superb, very rich and absolutely life like. Now that I have HD cable box from RCN the HD channels on this TV are just breathtaking.
2. While I agree the blacks on hitachi are 80% of panny's blacks I actually think its an advantage as its possible to see the details that are otherwise plain black on the panny.
3. We actually use the swivel stand as my wife and I prefer to watch from different locations in the room
4. The amount of money stores want for cables is absurd - how can you justify spending over $100 for a 6' cable that carries digital signals? The last time i checked cat5 cables were about $4. I bet the stores make more money on cables then they do on TVs.
5. I really want the TVs to have cat5 input and output feeds - so they can receive feeds from my home server as well as stream to the home server. Why can't TV be just another network-enabled device that one can stream from, display ip-tv to and print from? Perhaps I can somehow make it work with my 300GB NAS box.
6. Have not played with USB/Firewire yet - any suggestions how to use these creatively?

EDIT>>

Mod note: no price talk, please...congrats on the new panel.:)