Hitachi LCD's. Thoughts? Experiences?

[Johnny Canuck]

Hey everyone
Was almost sold on a Sony KDF-E50A10 for $2650 and then saw a couple LCD's from Hitachi in the showroom. I was impressed. The blacks seemed very black and the TV in general looked really cool, muchmoreso than the Sony. The picture was excellent. The two models I saw were 50V525 ($2430) and the 50VF820 ($2750)..Ultravision 50" LCD HDTV.

Anyone know anything about these models or Hitachi LCD in general? I used to have a Hitachi for all of the 90's, had it 13 years, it worked great and never had a single issue and a friend had the same TV, we bought it the same day, for the same period, no problems. Anyways...

I also wonder how much more you are getting for your money with Hitachi (and Panasonic) than you are with Sony and if the two models are the same price, you know the Sony is a tad overpriced so....

I am ready to purchase and I trust everyone around here more than salesmen...although I am sure there are a few of them around here!!

JC

 

[AFJumper03]

I own a Hitachi LCD-Rear projection 50VS810 and I couldnt be happier. I bought it after reading quite a few recommendations and for its reputation for looking great out of the box, since I have little experence with calibration. I wasn't disappointed. It truely is incredible. I recently bought the Avia DVD and did some tweaking and it only made it even better. I am a big fan of the feature that allows you to have different video settings for different inputs (i.e. DVD or High Def cable).

DVD look great with a good upconverting DVD player and high def programing really makes it shine. My friends come over and just sit down with me in awe.

I probably could have paid a better price but I got a good deal on warrenty and payment plan so I have no regrets. I have had it for about 6 months now and have experenced no problems with bloching that some people have reported.

After my research, it came down to a choice between the Sonys and the Hitachi. When looking at them side by side, the Sony still looked great and the price was better, but it didnt really have that jaw dropping picture that the Hitachi has.

I recommend the brand highly and I miss mine terribly, since it is crated in storage waiting for me to move up to Spokane. I really cant watch TV on this terrible hotel TV I have now. Its just not the same

Feel free to ask me questions.

Russ

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Thanks afjumper3...

They seem to have many different models and different lines. Do you know the difference in the models? What are the VF820's like?

Do you use HDMI? I am wondering if this is the best way to hook up as I know guys who prefer their component connections..
JC.....hey you aren't far from me..Spokane is relatively close.

 

[AFJumper03]

I do use HDMI for both High Def Cable and DVD. I've had no issues with it at all.

As far as the differences between the models. It sounds like the features on my set and the one you are looking at are very similar. Reading the specs on the webpage, the 50VF820 has a newer chip that looks like its a little faster and it also appears that one has a better set of speakers, which if you have an HT setup shouldnt matter. But the processor does look a little more beefy. From what I understand all the Ultravisions have essentialy the same features and the 820 is one of the newest. Most of the differences really between the models are the color, i.e the V715s are in aluimium color the V710s are in silver. The website has some spefics but its mostly marketing slogans. I would look at the different models in the store, play with the settings and see which one looks best to you and which one you can get a better deal on, thats what I did. I did get the matching stand and it looks great, although its not as sturdy as some other stands out there. I basically got him to throw it in for free though, so if you can get a deal on it, which they love to do to make a deal sweeter, go for it a good stand costs 200-300 bucks.

Im in the market for an HDMI reciever and I will buy one once I move to WA and figure out my room arrangement and what not so I will have more info then on how well the set interacts with the new recievers.

 

[echo]

I have a 60V525 that i pruchased recently(less than 2 months ago) I am very happy with it.

I have it hooked up to a panasonic dvd-s77(i think that is the model) with the stock HDMI cable that came with the player.

I am very happy with the brightness and color and contrast and i did use a set up disc with it.

I do have a couple of complaints and these are things that i have just not gotten around to try to adjust.
1- the black level it seems that as things get darker and darker on the screen there is a point where it just falls off and instead of getting progressivly darker it just loses all definition and becomes completely black.

2- when there are very dark scenes and the film has been shot in a wider aspect ratio than 16:9 (1.35:1?) that there is a bit of green light between the dark scene being shown and the black bars that border the top and bottom of the screen and define the aspect ratio.

other than that I feel that i represents motion well on the screen with none to few visible artifacts.

I am happy with the definition that i see on the TV

I recently hooked all of my equipment up to a Belkin PF-60 and have not adjusted the TV since then. So some adjustments are on the agenda soon.