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"Love this set...amazing" on by murphylaw
Pros: incredible picture
Cons: remote...not very intuitive
Summary: Love this set. The picture is amazing. I "auditioned" a number of others including samsung, toshiba, and LG and none came close. Though they were okay, they all lacked the "wow" factor I was looking for. Then I brought home the Hitachi and was blown away by how much better it is. Hell of a value for the money and hundreds of dollars less than tvs with similar picture quality and options such as Panasonic or Pioneer). I do suggest spending some time adjusting the video settings as the factory settings don't do justice to what can be achieved with a little playing around (tone down the colour a bit as the greens are a bit too vivid and trees/grass looks like like they are on steriods). The set has a decent standard definition picture that excels in comparison to the others I've looked at but really shines when watching High Def (I connect via HDMI and PVR/satellite receiver). The HD picture really is insane (even my wife who knows or cares nothing about a great picture has to show her friends when the visit).
The hdt79, with 1080i vertical resolution, offers the highest resolution of any 42 inch plasma tv (1024 x 1081 vs 1024 x 768). The hdt79 uses 12 bit colour processing that results in an incredibly smooth and film like image that is a considerable upgrade over many other tvs which use 8 or 10 bit processing . Also, the 3:2 pull down option (auto movie mode) is fantastic at reconcilling the picture noise typically resulting when converting film to video. There's a ton of settings to play with to "tweak" that picture and you can really getting this set to shine.
Cosmetically, the tv is tops as well. The brushed aluminum bezzle looks great and the black speakers on the side blend in nicely with the high gloss black that immediately surrounds the picture. It is very classy looking and because the bezzle is aluminum rather than plastic found on most other similarly priced sets, looks like it cost many hundreds more and is clearly of a far greater quality. The remote control operated stand is a nice extra though mine is wall mounted so the stand is unused. The speakers are 35 watt which is far more than most other sets offer so you can get decent sound from the tv if you choose not to use a surround system.
Can't think of a better set for the dollar...I'd be happy with this baby even if I'd spent hundreds more as I would have with the Panasonic. Two thumbs up! Oh, did I mention the abundance of inputs including THREE HDMI inputs...Hitachi was a pioneer in plasma technology and it shows. They are one of only a few manufactures that actually manufacture the plasma display. If you want a plasma tv that has the most realistic, life like picture with vivid detail and colour then go with this one. -
"Amazing plazma from Hitachi!" on by jgreen0227
Pros: HD is amazing!, 281 trillion colors! Are able to set each color, brightness and black levels
Cons: Doesn't support 1080p, but 1080i is awesome enough!
Summary: I love this tv. This is my first plazma and what a buy! The model before (42HDS69) got such good reviews I had to get the upgrade. There are a lot of inputs in the back. Three HDMI ports is pretty awesome. Just got HD cable hooked up and HD is amazing. Using component right now, but just bought a HDMI cable to switch with. I like the power swivel also...even though I will never use it. Even regular cable looks pretty good in 480i, which sucks on a lot of other tv's. There are a lot of tweaking you can do with this tv. I would recommend not using the factory settings as you can do so much more. The design is very sleak and the speakers on the side are not too big also...about 44 1/2" total length across. Some very good info:
World’s Highest Resolution 42" Plasma HDTV
TV Guide On Screen® IPG
Fully Illuminated Roll and Click™ Remote
USB Photo Input
Digital Color Management III
Adjustable Color Decoder
IR Outputs
IR Pass Through
Aluminum and Glass Design
Power Swivel Tabletop Stand
1024 x 1080i Display Resolution
High-Aperture Pixel Design
16% Brighter Panel Technology
16-Bit/281 Trillion Color Capability
New Natural Color Anti-Reflective Glass Screen
PictureMaster™ HD III Video Processor
Day & Night Picture Memory by Input with Timer
HDMI™ Digital Interface x (3) (1 Side)
Component Inputs x (3) (1 Side)
Quick-Start Seamless HDTV (ATSC) and NTSC Tuner
CableCARD™ Compatible
Digital Cable Ready (QAM)
4:3 Expanded Mode for All TV Signals
16:9 Standard with Zero Overscan
Picture-in-Picture Split Screen (with Tuner Only)
36-Watt 3-Way Speaker System
Optical Digital Audio Output
Multiple Screen Savers
Discrete IR Codes -
"It's Our Little Secret" on by DIGITAL BATH
Pros: Excellent Picture
Cons: Remote/TV Guide
Summary: I purchased my Plasma on 12/10/2006. So far so good. It is seldom that a product reaffirms the financial risk you put into the purchase; this model does. It seems like everyone on the net loves to gush about the Panasonic Plasmas, and while they are excellent, I did get to see this one side by side next to a similar priced model and while it was close I am happy I chose the Hitachi. I can't wait to get a next gen DVD player and possibly game system to take advantage of what the TV can do. It amazes me that hardly anyone really talks about this model because it is awesome. My friend has the 55HDT51 which is also amazing; the other day I accidently had the mariners on SD and he thought it was HD. Originally this set was $2999 MSRP, I got it for $1599+tax and 12mos no int, paid it off early, Video Only in Lynnwood Wa delivered a great price. The remote is not great and the TV guide paired with the cable card isn't perfect either, but who cares I get to watch a beautiful tv; how many people can say that?
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"Awesome High Def Picture" on by jd222
Pros: Looks Great, good sound for a tv
Cons: shouldn't watch std def in 4:3 ratio
Summary: This is a great tv for hi def. Sports and anything broadcast in hi def is fantastic. Cant imagine a better picture.One problem I have is when I opened the box there was a warning not to watch shows in a 4:3 ratio more than 15% of the time because of possible burn in. Which means when you watch reg def you have to either zoom or stretch the picture. Not really a big deal once you notice how great the picture is when things are in hi def. Hopefully more programming will be in hi def in the near future.
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"Less that Perfect." on by NothingWorksRight
Pros: Great Picture!
Cons: Poor sound. Bad manual. Sluggish remote.
Summary: If you want a great picture, this plasma is for you. It’s very clear and sharp. I thought the bright aluminum 3/4" metal strip across the top and bottom were distracting so I put black tape over them. Now it’s perfect! I also had to adjust the factory color settings a bit, but that’s always a personal preference. The sound is poor. It took a long time of fiddling with the adjustments to make it OK. You might want to consider purchasing external speakers. The set does not respond quickly to the remote (are all plasma’s that way?). Until you learn the rhythm of changing channels smoothly, it’s a pain. The manual is poorly done and there is no Quick Start Guide. For example, ‘volume’ is not in the index. It’s listed under the P’s for Perfect Volume.
Finding how to skip a channel when surfing is a real test of you electronic skills. The store where I bought it couldn’t even do it! I finally figured it our. Forget using the manual. The Favorite Channels feature is nice. I don’t like the rolling wheel to change channels and adjust the volume. I’d rather push a button so I bought a universal remote that works better. The on screen TV Guide is a nice feature. Overall, if it’s a great picture you want, the screen quality out weighs the negatives.
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