Official Hitachi Plasma HDTV Thread - HDT52, HDT51, HDS52, HDF52 ... - Page 6

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.

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.

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

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?

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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.......

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.