1) I'm very impressed with the multiple "ports" in the rear and front for connecting video and audio devices with the provision for S-Video AND Component Video inputs. 2) Great Audio and high resolution video.

1) Power Module failure every ~ 6 months requiring me to pull out the unit from the wall and dig into it again. Have now resorted to a methodical approach to eventually correct the issue because the family really does like the TV. 2) DVD "anamorphic" movies. I've resorted to only selecting DVDs that have two recorded modes, one of which is the 4:3 "full screen" recording to "save our eyes". This situation is much like viewing vivid computer graphics with a large background border. It just doesn't feel "relaxing" after the day with Windows.

Great HDTV unit for digital cable TV with the set top box using the S-Video input. Great video & sound. Problems with the video display "anamorphic" with the bars at the top and bottom of the video display. It is very annoying. Problem: As of 8-8-02 we've had the unit 21 months and it has failed three times. Every failue occurrence has been exactly as "Jake Hild" (earlier review) has described. Unit turns ON, No video, No audio, will not turn OFF by remote control or front panel power button. I paid a Sears repairman the 1st time and noted his correction was to "jiggle" the power module harness wires. Since then, I have duplicated his action twice. I am now "zeroing-in" on the exact localized area of the power module board assembly to then, at that time, remove it (ESD measures adhered to) and re-solder the localized connection points (1st) and circuit card trace runs (2nd...if 1st doesn't fix it).

Had a good picture and sound while it lasted.

If this is any indication of life span of this model highly recommend extended warrenty.

Hitachi 53FDX01B bought this in Oct.2000 set worked great and had great picture untill March 2001 turned set on and nothing happened. Factory approved repairman out could not find problem something in the power circuts? Needs to go to the shop $160.00 charge to transport estimate to repair $475.00 to $595.00 this on a set that gets used a couple of times a week that is only 16 months old. Repairman said this is not an unusual problem. I feel like I now have a piece of junk.

picture quality

Looks not so good with anolog signal...maybe none of the big screens do.

the TV is Great!!!! it is my first big screen and boy does it make watching DVD''s something else.....I set 10ft away and really enjoy the view.....I don''t have the Grey bars for wide screen, mine are black...maybe they changed late in the model year...only problem is couldn''t stand watching anolog cable on it, went out and subscribed to dish network and boy does a digital picture look fantastic

Similar Products Used:

none

Picture Quality and Color. Convergence feature.

No Vertical Compression, Slow channel surfing. Lack of inputs.

Look:

Base is a little short and needs a riser. Beautifully designed except for short vertical and horizontal base gives this set a smaller look.

Sound:

Sound is quite decent and SRS mode works flawlessly most of the times.

Picture:

Uncalibrated and out of box, it looks like crap. After adjustments its true potential is delivered. Some fleshtones can not be very well reproduced at times yet outdoor scenes look amazing and breathtaking maybe it is the old Panasonic A300 that I own. Lack of vertical compression makes it lose some resolution. True blacks and solid colors are grainy and moired at points. Some blurry.

I/O:

There is a lack of inputs! Even when you run it through an a/v receiver like I do. Because there are only 2 back inputs this can be frustrating. This set auto powers on when other components are turned a real bonus.

Conclusion:

All in all, I would have opted out for the HS10 series from Sony but at the time it wasn't worth the extra money which was later spent on an AVR 210 which is a better idea. But from where I'm sitting it makes all details noticeable and that might be why I am so picky which is about 6 feet! hehe now that's close yet you can't see flaws except for the aforementioned picture problems. This set is excellent DVD's but not advisable for analog sources such as VCR's or analog cable because it just shows how disgusting these sources can be. These analog devices worked better on my 27" Sony set that's about 7 years old!

If money is holding you back this set is for you, warning do not get tempted by the Toshiba's they have more noticeable picture flaws than this set by far.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 53HS10, Toshiba Cinema Series HD.

Excellent colours, flesh tones are perfect,perfect video noise reduction and great resolution.

Brightness gets dark then jumps to bright then dark again, which can kill dark lit scenes. The hitachi also has a odd aspect ratio feature which produces a grey top and grey bottom on the tv with widescreen movies, I prefer the old black top and bottom bars, but grey! yuk.

The Hitachi 53FDX01b is very difficult to beat for $3000 and under, read on and see why. When I purchased this HD ready projection tv I has happy with the quality but not satisfied with what I was getting interms of over picture quality. Out of the box the colour red was a bit pushed, tint was right on the money, convergence was off, and the contrast was pushed to high, high enough TV killing the TV within months. After calibrating the Hitachi the quality of the picture was rich, breath taking and very, very real with accurate flesh tones, perfect resolution and sharpness, plus gray scale tracked very well because the contrast was brought down down to 25% from 100%. The sharpness on the Hitachi can be turned up very high (60%) because it wont shimmer nor produce false outlines that other TV's produce when the sharpness is turned up. Colour was brought down to 41% from 50% which produce perfect reds, in some movies you can see different shades of red which most TV's have difficulty produce. Overall, great TV for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Can't be touched for the price.

REQUIRES FACTORY MODIFICATION FOR PROGRESSIVE SCANNING INPUT

Picture is excellent for the money. Has two component video inputs. Picture from DSS very good. For purchasers either before or after---IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO HOOK UP A PROGRESSIVE SCANNING DVD--TEST IT FIRST!!! Many HDTV models require a factory modification; otherwise DVDs played will have 1-6 second video blackouts particularly when picture is dark and suddenly turns bright, ie cannon shot at night.
Not all DVDs affect the TV; those that have include some Toshibas, Pioneers, JVC; see http://www.hometheaterforum.com
under "Hitachi" header for info from other people with similar problems. Repair is reasonably simple. Call local Hitachi authorized repair, have them refer to Hitachi Bulletin PTV 00-17. If buying a new set, have dealer check unit before delivering--not sure if newer models are repaired.
Good hunting!

Similar Products Used:

Front projection TVs

Video connections,picture quality

delay in channel surfing

This is my first RPTV. Debated between Toshiba 50H80 and this one. For a bit more I went with the Hitachi 53" screen. I'm sitting anywhere from 9-14 feet away, I think the 50" would have been big enough. (all personal preference). Has enough connections for HD box, CD and Sat. One thing nice is the set will line up the guns for me with a push of a button. The Toshiba you have to do it manually by eye. As well it will automatically set the picture settings based on a sensor it has on the front of the tv (I guess it picks up the lighting in the room). You can turn it off if you wish and set them yourself. Currently I am on cable and it does a pretty good job on cable, considering the signal it has to work with, this is one difference I found when comparing the sets. I will be installing a DSS soon and expecting better picture quality. Next on the shopping cart is to decide to spend the extra cash on a progressive DVD player or a standard one. I am taking one point off for the 2 second delay when changing channels and the whole screen blanks out for 2 seconds when changing the video source in the pip window. Minor issues but not perfection.

Picture quality, good screen protector, lots of inputs, robust and nice looking set.

Annoying gray bar when watching in widescreen (but most sets have them anyway).

Purchase this HDTV ready unit for my home theatre (I only watch DVD with this unit). Since I couldn't afford a widescreen TV that was almost twice the price for similar size, I decide to go 4x3.

The picture is really good, i am sitting about 11 feet away from the set. To really get a real movie theatre like experience, you have to cover those widescreen gray bar. (I used black fabrics and hook it up to each side of the screen with velcro). The internal line doubler is IMO impressive in this set. I tried a (bottom of the line) progressive scan player and a non progressive. The non progressive gives slightly better image detail so I returned the progressive one. With regular cable the image is really acceptable, can't wait to get a satellite dish.

The remote is also really good compare to some others I owned.

I think this is a really good set for the price, and I am pretty sure it will last for years before getting obsolete.

I am going to have it ISF calibrated really soon.