New Line of Hitachi Plasma

[wilflare]

Anyone using the new line of Hitachi Plasma?

P42A01A

On paper specs,

supports HDMI 1.3 (wonders if it has deepcolor/x.v)

and 1080p 50/60/24

but curiously, the digital processor is Picture Master HD -not HDII unlike its 9500/9800 predecessors-

 

parents chose this over the Panasonic PV70 and the new LGs =/

[imbest]

it has more pixel count, so HD will be slightly clearer if you're sitting nearer.....SD will be blurer instead....compared to PV70 and PC5R. Take a closer look, LG has serious overscan "issue"....which I can't resolved til today.....

[snip3r]

Bro,

 

I thought you say can be solved? Today went to BD and seems like PC5R like the Plasma that I'd be going for if it stays the most cost effective of the lot.

[imbest]

well, the minimum PC5R can go is still 1% overscan. After some comparison yesterday at PS BD, becoz of the overscan, round is not oval. The color thingy can be solved but seems like PC5R has very inconsistent color throughout all the stores. I may not have the trouble to go through all the service menu 1 by 1 just to calibrate the color leh......

 

As for cost effective.....PC5R is currently more ex compared to the additional $200 vouchers threw in by Panasonic. That means $800 for the 50", $600 for the 42" if i'm not wrong.....

 

back to the topic, Hitachi plasma are generally quite ok, just that the price still can't fight with Panasonic.....

[wilflare]

been trying to scur for online reviews... but seems like Hitachi hasn't released this in the Western States.

hmm. but it has a good bundle along I guess -a Home Theatre System =/-

 

and I realised it has Picture Master Full HD whereas the 9800s have Picture Master HD II -without the full-

just rather concerned about the black levels, scaling quality and flicker issue that plagued its predecessors.

 

-hmm just a check most Plasma -perhaps the PV70, or the PC5R- don't support 1080P over component right?

[Darthfunk]

been trying to scur for online reviews... but seems like Hitachi hasn't released this in the Western States.

hmm. but it has a good bundle along I guess -a Home Theatre System =/-

 

and I realised it has Picture Master Full HD whereas the 9800s have Picture Master HD II -without the full-

just rather concerned about the black levels, scaling quality and flicker issue that plagued its predecessors.

 

-hmm just a check most Plasma -perhaps the PV70, or the PC5R- don't support 1080P over component right?

 

Same here iam torn between the 50X01A and the panasonic. I got 1 week to decide before i buy. I agree with wilfare iam also concern about the black levels and flicker issues on the Hitachi. I did notice the Pana has darker blacks then the Hitachi as for flicker issues i have read about it but have not seen it during my auditions.

 

Details on the Hitachi P50X01A

http://www.hitachiconsumer.com/sg/products/proddetails.aspx?pid=2248&cid=629&tid=71

 

Bro jeffong and Hardcore can share your opinions on the 50X01A and the PV70?

 

 

 

Thanks

[imbest]

i also notice the hitachi black level is not there......and i think it may have issue with the VGA input too, for those who intend to feed input to hitachi, non-full HD model could be a problem getting a proper ratio image.

 

price cmi lah, panasonic too hiong liaoz....

[wilflare]

-roars- seems like it all points to it not being a very good choice. hmmm :/

[monstertruck]

parents bought a Hitachi top-end plasma (forgot the model nos) one and half years ago. 42 inch.

that period was when HD was introduced and still pretty new.

 

 

sibei cannot make it, sad to say that.

it emits so much heat that one of the panels on the right hand side turned red colour when switched on for viewing just after nine months of purchase.

then the servicing staff came and said that it's because lack of air flow needed to disperse the heat generated (because of the display cabinet just besides the right side of the tv).

 

what rubbish, i thought technology should be more advanced and hence equipments more reliable and trustworthy (for all it's worth! a bloody 5k plus is spent on it!).

the staff took out the affected panel and cleaned it. and yet the same bloody problem a few months back. same type of theory again.

 

now my parents are utterly pissed. they bought it on the basis of good reviews, and chose it over the panasonic and pioneer choices. terrible choice instead.

 

even the LG 50 inch doesn't emit that much heat as the hitachi did.

 

and we ended up paying more than 600 for the extended warranty.

 

 

never will i and my family buy another hitachi product. once is more than enough.

[Darthfunk]

Seems like the Hitachi is out for me with so many negative feedbacks.

[wilflare]

I should show this to my family. They insisted on the Hitachi saying it looks nicer and its priced lower than the Pana -.-

oh well. just hope everything goes well with the P42A01A coming this friday -.-

[imbest]

lower than the panasonic? are you sure? if you get it by today, it's $800 vouchers off lor....er...42" is $600 right?

[wilflare]

monstertruck, which model did you get. was it the 9800?

ehh. not sure. think parents got it below 2K -not counting the vouchers and everything-

Mentioned to them about the Roadshow but think they were set on the Hitachi 42... =/

[imbest]

aiya, hitachi also not bad one lah.....just need more ventilation lor hehe...

[wilflare]

I will try to post a mini-review/impression when it arrives this friday. hmm

might just turn out better than expected. haha ^^ -prays hard- hmmm

 

hitachi supposedly one of the Top3 Plasma producers?

a look at the foreign sites seem to suggest Pioneer, Panasonic and Samsung though -in the sense that they always mention these 3-

[monstertruck]

monstertruck, which model did you get. was it the 9800?

ehh. not sure. think parents got it below 2K -not counting the vouchers and everything-

Mentioned to them about the Roadshow but think they were set on the Hitachi 42... =/

 

ok, found it, yay, the model nos....

 

that time plasma tvs were hot (pun intended), and hence it costs my family more than 5k for this blardy tv.

 

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/tvs/0,39037585,39096300p,00.htm

 

looks nice, but that's all about it.

 

 

tell you what, the amount of hours used to watch tv is only slightly more than 20 hours per week (and i don't even spend more than 2 hrs per week watching tv), and yet hitachi produced this type of crap.

the heatsink at the top of the tv is really hot, blowing hot. my office has a LG 50 inch and the heatsink is small and generate minimal amt of heat despite being on display for several hours.

 

please don't believe the hype or the overrated reviews... go feel the heatsink for yourself, as plasma tvs generate more heat (and consumes more electricity along the way) and hence it is pertinent for you to check out if it's really too HOT to handle in the long run.

 

 

oh yes, i forgot to add that the remote plays an important part as well. no point buying a high-end tv if your old folks do not know how to use the remote. that's the case with this Hitachi. very confusing and there's some occasions where the remote go haywire (unoperationable).

 

in fact, the two servicing staff who came on both occasions refused to change to a new set which makes me fuming mad (fancy paying a premium for the warranty. ask for GUARANTEE next time instead).

 

 

any staff or directors from Hitachi reading this review should and can come and look for me if they are unhappy with my comments. i'd more than glad to entertain them.

[monstertruck]

you see,

 

reliability is a major issue over here, applies to all brands.

CRT tvs may have their own technology shortcomings - no good for eyes and takes up space like a big fat slob,

but my two Toshibas (one remaining) have served us extremely well without any colour degradation or mechanical problems. sure, their tubes will wear out and emits lousy colours in the long run, but that happens at least eight years later prolly (my two Toshibas still going strong for more than ten years).

 

but i didn't realise that the technology adopted by a brand may be worse off than their competitors. when i saw the whole top of the tv is a heatsink, i should have known that something's not right. afterall, all the reviewers did not have the chance to own it long enough to know of the problems in the long run.

so what if my family bought the extended warranty? if you watch halfway through the show, and suddenly one of the panels changes colour (to red), how would you react? at that time, in fact hitachi plasma is more expensive than panny and pioneer, let alone LG and samsung. by 500 bucks at least.

when you check out the brands that most superstores are carrying, you will know which are the more trustworthy and popular brands.

 

 

colour reproduction may be a life-and-death issue for many viewers, but reliability issue will give you heart attack and high-blood pressure.

 

 

 

 

looking at LCD, i have a NPS (taiwan brand, sanyo panel, with GUARANTEE given, and actually more expensive than popular brands) lcd monitor that has served me well for more than 3-4 years. i want it to spoil, so that i can buy those fancy-looking, more advanced, and more mainstream brands, but the (good) thing is,

it refuses to give me problems so that i can find fault with,

no dead pixels,

no cranky attitude despite switching it on for almost the whole day on weekends,

and extremely easy to use (the buttons on the panels).

so it's worth it afterall, paying 500 plus for a 15 inch 3-4 years ago.

 

and hence, i hope that you can understand my pain and definition. performance and reliability goes hand in hand.

[HardCORE]

Never really like Hitachi plasmas. I've noticed that Hitachi's black levels are far worse than the big 3 (Panasonic, Samsung, Pioneer), and previously they used to use their interlaced ALIS panels (no idea how the new 1920x1080 ALIS panels will fare though).

[wilflare]

wahh.. if their black levels aren't any better than LCD Blacks then might as well get LCD.. -.-

-friday shall be -.--

 

[Phil1624705739]

ok, found it, yay, the model nos....

 

that time plasma tvs were hot (pun intended), and hence it costs my family more than 5k for this blardy tv.

 

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/tvs/0,39037585,39096300p,00.htm

 

looks nice, but that's all about it.

 

 

You know there is a minimum installation clearance stipulated in the user manual. Did your parent's panel meet that requirement? I reviewed that Hitachi plasma and to run-in a new review unit, we let it run continuously for days. No problem encountered at all.

 

Phil

[monstertruck]

You know there is a minimum installation clearance stipulated in the user manual. Did your parent's panel meet that requirement? I reviewed that Hitachi plasma and to run-in a new review unit, we let it run continuously for days. No problem encountered at all.

 

Phil

 

no leh, paiseh, didn't know of anything like that (minimum installation clearance).

the panel was installed by the Hitachi staff themselves, and they didn't mention anything about it either. not even during the two repair visits.

 

no mention of running-in period as well. and there's this concern that plasma may generate too much heat and to turn it on and run continuously for days does not seem to be too environmentally and bill-friendly.

 

to someone as dumb as me, i have never the habit of reading the manual. afterall, for me, a tv is just as simple as watching for a few hours leisurely.

[Phil1624705739]

no leh, paiseh, didn't know of anything like that (minimum installation clearance).

the panel was installed by the Hitachi staff themselves, and they didn't mention anything about it either. not even during the two repair visits.

 

no mention of running-in period as well. and there's this concern that plasma may generate too much heat and to turn it on and run continuously for days does not seem to be too environmentally and bill-friendly.

 

to someone as dumb as me, i have never the habit of reading the manual. afterall, for me, a tv is just as simple as watching for a few hours leisurely.

 

Actually, all manufacturers specify installation requirement in their manual. I suggest you read up for more information. I agree most users are not bothered about the details but vendors should not be liable if you choose not to do so. Perhaps, the installers (probably the dealers instead of Hitachi) should have warned you folks on the clearance issue beforehand.

 

Phil

 

[monstertruck]

Actually, all manufacturers specify installation requirement in their manual. I suggest you read up for more information. I agree most users are not bothered about the details but vendors should not be liable if you choose not to do so. Perhaps, the installers (probably the dealers instead of Hitachi) should have warned you folks on the clearance issue beforehand.

 

Phil

 

 

 

not playing the blame game at all, but seriously speaking, if you look at the heatsink, which is a whole strip, the design must have some shortcomings. nowadays, i especially look out for the heatsink of any plasmas as a comparison and see how far the technology has advanced.

 

no one should be liable for anything; Hitachi Singapore when they came to my house they just say that there's more ventilation needed for the right hand side, but no concerns about the installation clearance. afterall, it's the second panel from the right, not the extreme right panel that has problem. if the ventilation is really that bad, then both panels on the right should have the red-colour display.

 

the second time it happens, it's the same second-from-the-right panel again. the second time round, the problem appears more rapidly and frequently.

 

 

by the way, we bought the panel directly from Hitachi. on three ocassions (installation, and two repair sessions), different Hitachi staff came.

[Darthfunk]

Actually, all manufacturers specify installation requirement in their manual. I suggest you read up for more information. I agree most users are not bothered about the details but vendors should not be liable if you choose not to do so. Perhaps, the installers (probably the dealers instead of Hitachi) should have warned you folks on the clearance issue beforehand.

 

Phil

 

 

Hey Phil any comments on the new 50X01A? Did you manage to review it?

[Phil1624705739]

Hey Phil any comments on the new 50X01A? Did you manage to review it?

 

Not yet. Prob in late Dec or early Jan 2008. Going back for incamp soon.

 

Phil