Just received my refurbished Hitachi 51F710. I got a terrific deal from UEC Web. I would recommend this tv to anyone on a budget. However i wish now i had gotten the larger 57" model. The 51" widescreen just seems small to me. I love having the built in QAM. I watched Jay Leno the other night using just my HD antenna connection and the picture was amazing! Im telling the truth when i say it looked as good as any DLP or LCD or Plasma that ive seen. Having said that i think that we are at an in between stage in technology. It amazes me that people are rushing out paying a fortune for these flat tv's when most cable and satellite providers are only offering a few HD channels. I am not overly impressed with my digital cable picture on an HD screen because it shows all the flaws on the standard image. That being said i think some people will be disappointed if they pay $2000 for a tv and only enjoy high definition DVD's and programming on their tv, which is limited at this stage. I would love any opinions on the Hitachi 51F710 and the current state of HD tv in general.

You and I have almost the same set. I have the newer 51F59A. Lacks the QAM tuner and a few ther minor things, but the lenses/CRTs are the same.

I heartily agree that the PQ on these Hitachi CRT RPTVs can equal and even surpass other TV types out there right now. It's sad to see CRT die. It's an established tech that, with proper care, can last many years. May not be a sexy as newer techs, but if PQ is what your all about (and if you bought an HD set, it must be, right?) you can't go wrong w/ a CRT RPTV. Yes, they need some convergence touchups from time to time. Yes, you need to be careful in terms of avoiding burn-in. But neither of these issues are really a problem--although fixed-pixel guys (and EVERY TV retailer) will tell you that these "issues" are why you should avoid this "dinosaur" tech. WRONG!!!!

Anyway, I don't find a real lack in HD programming myself. I'd say 80-90% of TV watching in my house is HD. Virtually all prime-time networks dramas/comedies (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW) are now in HD. Reality TV is generally not---but I don't watch that crap, anyway :) . Although the new SURVIVOR promos during the SuperBowl were HD, so maybe this season will be. Plus, HBOHD gets watched a lot, and we also have Discovery, Universal HD, MHD (MTV w/ actual videos 24 hrs a day :eek: ), TNT, PBS, ESPN (and ESPN2) as well as regional NBA and NHL. COmcast also offers a decent selection of OnDemand HD programming as well. Whenever SD is watched, it's usually when watching something NOT on the DVR. Then again, "live" TV is almost never watched in my home---the HD DVR is the greatest invention ever!

Agreed, most SD programming can look bad on an HD set. I recently saw my SD PQ improve by swapping the HDDVR/cable box that Comcast supplied me with 2+ yrs ago with a newer model. Old one was a Motorola 6412. Switched to a Moto 6416 III. Gained 40gb of HDD space, an HDMI out and a much better video chip. HD looks as good as before, but SD PQ was improved dramtaically.

Sometimes I wish I had gone w/ the 57 as well. But I don't worry too much about it. 51" is still a sizeable screen in my living room. Most people comment, "That's a big TV yo have there". My current set is my 2nd HD set since 2001. Last one was a 43", so 51" was a big jump in size.

Anyway, hope the 57" envy doesn't cause you too much grief. Enjoy your new TV! Made a solid choice.

I own the 57F510 & love-it. I have an ISF coming in 2 weeks to calibrate it. I did some DIY Service Menu Tweaks to her, but it's time to:

"Release the Hounds" as they say. I run HD-DVD, XBOX 360 & HD-DVR Cable & they all look really good. As J-Webb said it's sad that Good O'l CRT is being run-of-town, by these Youngsters(DLP,LCOS & LCD) Plasma's have been around for a while so I won't give it the Youngsters label. Here a couple of 360 screen-shots, so you can see what I'm talking about:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC03379.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC02971.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC01903.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC01815.jpg







Glad your liking your new purchase. If you take good care of it, it will last you a long-time..

Thanks for the great responses. The Xbox 360 looks "out of this world" on this tv. Gears of War is a must play. Ive decided to save up and snag a 57F710 before they are gone so that i may have 3 of these amazing tv's . Im thrilled with my choice to save money and get a tv that isnt going to need bulb replacements but can deliver the same high quality image that HD can provide. PQ is what im interested in and i couldnt be happier. Anyone else have this version Hitachi?