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MCF
03-31-2005, 11:24 AM
1. I am considering getting a 50" to 55" DLP. A talked to a friend last night that said the DLP he got was great except for when viewing non HD signals (satellite, regular cable,etc.). He said it was so bad when watching sports that it was hard to make out the basketball, football, baseball, etc. when watching a regular broadcast that he took the tv back. Said it looked great with HD sources, but couldn't tolerate non-HD quality. Is this a real problem AND does it also apply to rear projection LCD's? I don't want a projection DLP/LCD if I can't watch regular cable broadcasts (non HD) and have a descent picture..

2. After doing some quick research, it looks like only the 50" Hitachi rear projection LCD tv's will fit my available space (65" wide x 24.5" deep x 33" tall). If the above issue is not a problem for rear project LCD's, anyone have any experience (good/bad) with Hitachi LCD projection TV's - like the 50VX915 50" CineForm™ Director's Series™ LCD Projection HDTV?

edtyct
03-31-2005, 01:15 PM
1. Who knows what your friend's threshold of video pain is, or how adept he was at setting up his TV? Fixed-pixel displays by nature cannot make 480i signals look as good as your old 20" NTSC TV could. But most reasonably appointed LCDs and DLPs have scaling and deinterlacing that is good enough to justify continued watching. Sticklers with funds always have the option of inserting a good video processor in the chain to make the PQ to be even better. Turning down the sharpness, contrast, and brightness can also make a world of difference, as can other proprietary settings on a TV (some of which should be shut off rather than turned on). The only nondigital programming that I'm ever forced to watch on a microdisplay is the odd basketball and baseball game. I adore HD, but I can easily tolerate these SD games with the knowledge that my teams will soon be returning home in glorious high definition.

2. I don't know the sets, but Hitachi has definitely come up in the world, and they've worked at it.

Ed

poneal
03-31-2005, 01:48 PM
regular cable is bearable meaning it's not horrible. And believe it or not in my area a few of the local channels transmit in HD. I do not have a progressive scan DVD player just a regular DVD player and used component outs to the LCD and the picture is truely amazing so I can imagine what a progressive scan will be like. Hitachi LCDs are great TVs. There used to be a fellow here named Woodman who sold TVs for a living for like 50 years and was very knowledgeable. He recommended the Hitachi to me and I haven't regretted it. DLP was a little out of my price range. Shoot LCDs are still expensive too. Anyway, that's my two cents. I haven't seen woodman around lately so maybe he got ran off or didn't like the way the forums changed. Don't know. Regards, Paul

MCF
03-31-2005, 01:54 PM
regular cable is bearable meaning it's not horrible. And believe it or not in my area a few of the local channels transmit in HD. I do not have a progressive scan DVD player just a regular DVD player and used component outs to the LCD and the picture is truely amazing so I can imagine what a progressive scan will be like. Hitachi LCDs are great TVs. There used to be a fellow here named Woodman who sold TVs for a living for like 50 years and was very knowledgeable. He recommended the Hitachi to me and I haven't regretted it. DLP was a little out of my price range. Shoot LCDs are still expensive too. Anyway, that's my two cents. I haven't seen woodman around lately so maybe he got ran off or didn't like the way the forums changed. Don't know. Regards, Paul
Thanks....so you are happy with the Hitachi. How is it in a well lit room? What model did you get?

edtyct
03-31-2005, 01:57 PM
LCDs are inherently bright. They stand up to a well-lit room better than just about anything else.

evil__betty
03-31-2005, 10:04 PM
I work at a smaller AV store, and we sell LOTS of Hitachi. We sell more of them than the huge big box stores do down the street. The reason being is that we experience their break down rate to be much lower than other TV's that we sell, their features (4:3 expanded mode is especially good when watching anything that is broadcast in 4:3 - waaaaay better than the crappy zoom mode on the Sony's), and the fact that the customers that buy them go home extreamly happy with their purchase. Happy customers = happy salesmen because that means that I don't have a purchase being returned because the customer thinks that the TV is crappy. Have a look at the 50VS810 if you don't mind parting with a few extra $$ from the 50v500. I think that the extra little bit will get you into a really slick TV. Either way, you won't be dissapointed.

Regarding SD television - you will be dissapointed of the quality once you have a taste of what HD looks like (NFL is doing something right with this one). Granted probably 80% of what you are going to be watching won't be HD. Have a look at the sets in the store and ask if the salesman will show you what a SD signal looks like and get him to show you the 4:3 expanded mode and compare against any other set that only has a zoom mode.
Happy Hunting!

MCF
04-01-2005, 08:27 AM
I work at a smaller AV store, and we sell LOTS of Hitachi. We sell more of them than the huge big box stores do down the street. The reason being is that we experience their break down rate to be much lower than other TV's that we sell, their features (4:3 expanded mode is especially good when watching anything that is broadcast in 4:3 - waaaaay better than the crappy zoom mode on the Sony's), and the fact that the customers that buy them go home extreamly happy with their purchase. Happy customers = happy salesmen because that means that I don't have a purchase being returned because the customer thinks that the TV is crappy. Have a look at the 50VS810 if you don't mind parting with a few extra $$ from the 50v500. I think that the extra little bit will get you into a really slick TV. Either way, you won't be dissapointed.

Regarding SD television - you will be dissapointed of the quality once you have a taste of what HD looks like (NFL is doing something right with this one). Granted probably 80% of what you are going to be watching won't be HD. Have a look at the sets in the store and ask if the salesman will show you what a SD signal looks like and get him to show you the 4:3 expanded mode and compare against any other set that only has a zoom mode.
Happy Hunting!

Thanks. What do you think about spending a little for the 50VX915? What are your experiences with this one? Also, are you also a member of MTBR.com?

evil__betty
04-01-2005, 12:45 PM
To be completely honest, I have had zero experience with the VX915 series. I can only guess that with it being a step up from the VS810 series you will see a picture quality incraese. Also if the VX sets follow the same pattern that the other Hitachi products do, you will have greater customizable control over every aspect of the picture that you see. Do you know the MSRP of the VX over the VS? I would like to know.

MCF
04-01-2005, 02:28 PM
the 50VS810 is $2999 at CC....the only place I can find the 50VX915 is a high end Home Theatre store and they want $3999...I wonder what the differences are and if the $1000 really makes any noticeable difference.....

evil__betty
04-04-2005, 09:57 AM
Upon further research, I have found that baisically the only difference between the two of them is an integrated HD tuner, and a few more options in the menu. For the $1000 difference, I would stick with the VS810.

MCF
04-05-2005, 07:31 AM
The following is the response I got from Hitachi:

The Cineform Director's Series (VX915) adds over the Cineform (VS810) New Learning AV NET III, a Simple Remote, IEEEx2 with BAsic Audio Video Control, and a Deep-Black Anti-Reflective Shield. It also has a slightly different High Gloss Black with Black Trim design.

The Deep-Black Anti-reflective shield will cut down on the amount of glare on the set. Otherwise the picture performance is the same.

A standard definition picture is going to be unpconverted using our Virtual HD processor. The VirtualHD™ 1080p digital video processor takes non 1080i high-definition incoming signals and upconverts them to 1,080 progressive lines. By examining every pixel of every frame, smoother curves and diagonals can be calculated while noise is reduced and color improved. It then takes the best parts of the 1080p signal and displays them as either 1080i or 540p. Unfortunately, it is not able to display as 1080p.

If you have any further questions about this or any other Hitachi product, please contact our technical assistance number at 1-800-HITACHI. Please have your model number ready. Thank you for your interest in Hitachi products.

kfalls
04-07-2005, 06:02 AM
I understand completely what MCF is stating about SD. Last year I went to purchase a Hitachi 55S500 or 55S700. It was the end of the model year and Hitachi hadn't release their new models. The only unit they had was a demo which I didn't want. The salesman talked me into a Mitsubishi 55" RPTV (non-LCD) I believe the model was 55613. Once it was delivered and setup, I started watching and hated the optional modes. Everything looked so distorted on the edges. I immediately contacted the store to have it returned. The manager had me keep it until they could find me a Hitachi 55S500, 55S700 or a 55T500 from one of their other stores.

Every time they found one it was either already damaged, or found to be damaged when it arrived and was opened. This went on for 5 months while I suffered with the Mits. He finally gave up after the new Hitachi models came out and sold me a their 57S715 for the same price as the older model Mits. I was very happy with the purchase except for the SD.

I think what people fail to understand is the larger the TV the lesser the detail. Also the closer you are to the TV, the more likely you are to see the flaws. SD spread across 57" isn't going to look as good as on a 50", 51", or 55" RPTV. So bigger is not always better. You need to purchase the correct size for your room. I've heard the viewing distance should be no closer than 1.7 times the size of the TV. BTW, I love the 57S715, but would have been just as happy with the 55". The only problem is they've done away with the big boxy cabinet in favor of a two piece model. The top is smaller and won't hold a center speaker. I've found an add-on shelf which clips to the front and has adjustable legs in the rear, but it can only handle 15 lbs. It's just not enough for my 40+lb Legacy Silver Screen center. I had to put it on a short stand below the screen, not ideal. Anyone know of a better shelf or solution?

IsmaVA
04-08-2005, 01:06 PM
LCDs are inherently bright. They stand up to a well-lit room better than just about anything else.


Wait, LCDs, being transmissive devices, are dimmer than just about anything else.

Light generating sets (like Plasma or CRT's) are the brightest, followed by reflective devices (like DLP and LCoS) and then LCD.

For obvious reasons, rear projection sets are dimmer than direct view sets using the same technology.