Hitachi 50VG825
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"So far, so good..........a great HD set!!!" on by allanjr86
Pros: Fantastic HD and good SD picture; attractive all-black cabinet;; abundant features and inputs
Cons: Image slightly tilted on screen, but may not be noticeable to most
Summary: I obtained this set on the advice of my very accomodating sales rep, after returning a Sony (model KD-FE50A10), which I was very unhappy with (see my review titled "Never thought I'd say this, but......."). Since my main issue with Sony was color-related, the sales rep recommended this model because it is supposed to have the truest skin tones of any LCD RPT currently on the market. It has abundant features and inputs, and is very pleasing to look at, even when it's off! I brought it home last night, hooked it up and the picture looks fabulous. SD signals are above average on this set, but HD signals are outstanding. I have a 60-inch first generation Sony that is my standard for HD, and this set is right on par with it. Color is great out of the box, and HD channels are ultra-crisp. Bright, colorful, and extremely lifelike with deep, natural shading on most all objects. Even analog channels are very acceptable from my provider (Comcast). The solid black finish and asthetics of the set are pleasing to the eye. I love the blue illumination of the remote too......a nice touch I thought.
Another feature I like is the day/night mode option. We have skylights and large windows in our bedroom, which is where we have this set. When watching it during the day, a little extra brightness and contrast is needed to compensate for all the light coming into the room, which you can customize in your Day mode. We watch tv in bed a lot at night, so it's nice to hit the button to go into our customized and preset Night mode after dark to soften the picture and tone down the brightness. Features and inputs are also certainly adequate if not overly abundant for most. Things like the USB input, 2 HDMI inputs, and PIP are nice touches.
One minor flaw I noticed (and may be very minor to all but the pickiest of us A/V gurus) is the orientation of the image on the screen. I have seen this on many other sets, so it is apparently a common occurence in the tv world. While viewing a banner or graphic that goes straight across the top or bottom of the screen (such as the scoreboard graphics on football games, or the guide from your cable or satellite provider), the image on the screen is slightly lower on the left side than on the right, or vice versa. I'm talking 1/4" to 1/2" difference. This has always been a pet peeve of mine, and anytime I purchase a new set, this is one of the first things I look for. Some sets, such as CRT-based ones, offer you an option in the setup menu to "tilt" the image one way or another in order to compensate for this. However, there isn't one on this set and I'm not sure it is even offered on any LCD RPT sets. This is a non-issue for my significant other, and will probably be the same for me, simply because this is mainly her set. My 60-inch setup in the great room is my baby and is the set I usually watch, and happens to be aligned almost perfectly (perhaps by luck). However, I still may investigate further and contact Hitachi to see if they are willing to offer any help or even a service visit.
In summary, so far I am very happy with most every aspect of this set. The only thing keeping it from earning a 9 in my book is the slight image tilt, which may not be an issue for most users at all. Take a good look at it when comparing models. Thanks to my sales rep, I got a great deal on it at $2100 out the door. -
"great set great processor for great price" on by opy1095
Pros: sleek design 1080p upconvert
Cons: none really
Summary: For the price of this set and the sleek design not to mention the excellent picture quality. Along with the 1080p upconvert porcessor this was definately my choice and reccommendation!!!!!!!!!!!!
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"Had it 2 months and LOVE IT" on by OSUNines
Pros: HD Picture looks great. SD picture look good as well.
Cons: The cooling fan can be seem loud at certain times. However, I noticed this more at the begining. Not so much anymore.
Summary: I heard that SD picture can look bad on some TVs. Not on this TV, SD pictures look just fine. Obviously, HD pictures look awesome!
The thin edges is awesome, very sleek looking. The Picture-out-of-Picture is great, keeps the wife at bay.
I also purchased an DVD with HD upconversion and HDMI output (since this TV has two HDMI ports). The picture is truely outstanding! You wouldn't know the DVD isn't an HD source.
Overall, I am thrilled with my purchase and have no regrets. After a little fine tuning, the picture is top-notch. -
"Excellent choice - and reasonably priced, too!" on by BFoxFox
Pros: Amazing picture quality; excellent brightness; beautiful with DVDs (even of old TV shows); decent standard definition TV; good number of inputs; attractive cabinet (important for spouses)
Cons: Very few - some image loss to sides (common, and less than other brands); slow startup when turned on; wider than some because of speakers being on the side; slow when changing channels
Summary: After much research, I bought the Hitachi 50VG825 in January. As someone who has suffered from “Buyer’s Blues” in the past, I am happy to say that I still LOVE this television. One of my best decisions ever.
I’m uncomfortable with DLP technology because of the Rainbow Effect. Only 1-in-10 people are apparently affected, but we have lots of friends over to watch movies and I didn’t want 10% of them to not enjoy the show. Of course, LCD projection TVs have their own problems. For instance, the Screen Door Effect really is there – if you look at it from six feet away or less! But, who watches a 50” TV from six feet away? And as for the other major complaint about LCD technology: I think this TV renders blacks beautifully (especially if you set the Black Enhancement to High).
I was originally considering one of the very popular Sony LCD rear-projectors. But, when I got to Video Only and did a side-by-side comparison I was really impressed by the Hitachi TVs. I had the store put the same show on each TV and then looked carefully. I thought the Hitachi had the best color rendition (especially skin tones) and they were brighter than the Sony’s. (Note: Sony TVs apparently ship with the brightness set at maximum, so they seem just as bright or brighter than the competition, but then there isn’t a way to adjust it up any higher.)
One of the reasons we waited to buy high definition (well, besides price) is that I HATED the loss of picture quality when you moved away from the TV’s viewing midpoint. Technology has really improved in this area. Yes, there is a gradual deterioration when you move away from center (both horizontally and vertically), but the good viewing angle is quite large…at least 90 degrees (total – 45 degrees to each side). This is an important thing to try out at the store.
I have friends and family who have upgraded to HDTV and afterwards told me, “Yeah, it’s great. I’m pretty sure it’s quite a bit better than our old one.” PRETTY SURE? I’m sorry, but I’m not spending over $2,000 on a TV set and then not be certain that it’s light years better! So, we temporarily kept our old 27” JVC TV for comparison. My 12-year-old daughter commented that she likes the bigger size, but she really LOVES the brighter picture and better image quality. I would have to agree. It has really transformed our movie experience. We watch DVDs more than TV, so that was my focus. But, cable TV looks great. Even the standard definition shows look pretty darn good (better than I expected). High definition broadcasts and DVDs look AMAZING!!
It really looks good right out of the box (which saves on professional calibration), but we did a little tweaking to make it suit our tastes. If anyone is interested, here are the settings we settled on:
Contrast: 100%
Brightness: 50%
Color: 50%
Tint: Midpoint
Sharpness: 50%
Color Tint: Medium
Black Enhancement: High
Dynamic Contrast: High
Noise Reduction: Low
Anyway, I would recommend this TV without reservations. We love it! -
"Phenomenal buy" on by dn1012
Pros: Great HD picture, easy set up, good options, integrated HD tuner for OTA antenna or smart card
Cons: Average SD picture.
Summary: I got this for a great price at circuit city. Its got a great clean look although my wife called it "gaudy" but...of course she just doesnt understand haha. Put a Terk HD OTA antenna on the roof and plugged it into the "Air" coax input on the back of the TV so I am getting dish network and OTA very clearly. The integrated HD tuner is working perfectly for my OTA channels. It has good integrated speakers but I am still running sound through my receiver. SD channels come in so-so, not great, but certainly not bad. When you have an HD feed it REALLY lights up the screen and looks amazing. All in all I think I got a great deal on a wonderful television.
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