Hitachi 42HDS69 42" Plasma TV

One of the best 42" plasmas available

Strengths: Exceptional picture quality/color tone, deep blacks, provides a truly amazing viewing experience. Most HD inputs in its class. Great built-in speaker sound. Handles SD broadcasts extremely well.

Weaknesses: The remote is awkward and I have seen a slight flicker in the black levels during the burn in period. The flicker cleared once I started using standard settings.

Summary: 2006-07-30 20:56:47 Picture Quality:

Pros: HD content on this set looks exceptional. After a month I am still awestruck by some of the scenes on Discovery HD and even the network HD broadcasts. It’s sick how sharp HD baseball games look. I can’t wait for football season!

After researching this purchase for about 2 months, one thing I had low expectations on was the ability of any plasma display panel (PDP) is this price range to handle SD broadcasts. However, I was astonished at how well all of my SD channels look. Even expanded to fill the screen, they look much clearer/sharper than on my old CRT.

Cons: Saw a slight flicker in the black levels of dark scenes during the “burn in” phase of the screen. Once I adjusted my settings to normal values, the flicker disappeared.

Features:

Pros: The six HD inputs (3-HDMI/3 Component) are a great plus. The speakers have a very balanced and full sound. Not everything needs to be pumped through the home theater. Another very useful feature is that each input has 3 picture settings that can be stored and easily selected with the remote. Picture settings also include options to enhance black levels and reduce noise.

Cons: It’s not anything I use often, but the PIP on this set is somewhat useless and difficult to manage. I just simply use the PIP from my cable box.

Design/Setup/Menus:

Pros: While a black bezel would have been better, the brushed steel look is very sharp and not made of plastic like many others. The set also comes with a swivel top, which is great if you are not wall mounting. On screen menus are easy to navigate and modify. You can easily switch between inputs and picture settings using the remote.

Cons: Menus have a slight lag and you have to access the service menu to see the number of hours used. Remote is pretty standard and could have used a better design.

Even though it is an issue with all PDP’s I have seen very little image retention and no burn in. There is a pixel shift option and a nice screen wipe feature to remove any IR you feel might result in burn in. I would not recommend this screen (or any PDP) for a hardcore gamer. Burn in is still a risk for maps/status bars and other static images on game screens.

Overall, I am completely satisfied/smitten with my new plasma!

99% of People (82/83) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

Best Plasma for Price

Strengths: picture quality, multitude of connections and features, price

Weaknesses: remote, not 1080p

Summary: This is the second 42" plasma Hitachi I have bought in the past year. Before I bought this plasma TV, I did about 5 months of research ranging from LCD vs. plasma, down to the specific models within each companies products including industrial lines. Initially I thought I would just go with the cheap 50" Vizio plasma monitor, but the color saturation was poor.

Next I looked into the Panasonic lines. Every review and store raves about the Panasonic plasmas. And don't get me wrong, they are great TVs, but the minimal difference in picture quality does not make up for everything else. If you've gone to Circuit City or Best Buy and seen the Panasonic plasmas, they stand out above the rest. But that's only because the other TV's are not calibrated right. This Hitachi has the highest pixel count available at a 42". And when temperature and color schemes are set correctly, produce at equal picture quality if not better.

Now this Hitachi itself has the most connectivity of a plasma on the market with 3 HDMI and 3 Componenet inputs. It is primed for long-term use and ready for any multitude of supporting systems you have.

I only mention the remote because it is simple and the only buttons you really need on it are the input and aspect ratio buttons. The menu is needed at setup and for major picture changes. Otherwise, it's useless.

The main drawback is only for future outlook and that is that it is not 1080p, but then again, that true technology is rare, and definitely not found for under $2k. If you have money to burn and are looking for a TV that will not outdate for decades to come, buy a Sharp Aquos, otherwise you will never have a complaint with this TV.

94% of People (29/31) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

WOW...for this Hitachi 42HDS69 plasma TV

Strengths: Exceptional picture quality, color tone, deep blacks, provides a truly amazing viewing

Weaknesses: I wish therewere a few more hook-ups in the rear and I still haven't been able to figure out the PIP hook-up and functions.

Summary: Wow, great picture on HD Huuuge screen. Wish that the video preferences would stay after main power is turned off. I did my fair share of research (months!) on flat panel TV's, and all fingers pointed to either the Toshiba or Hitachi. All it takes is a side by side in-store comparison and you will see that the colors are much more vivid on the Hitachi, the whites brighter and the black much more true. Add to this 3 HDMI and 3 component inputs and the Hitachi is a real winner. Sears had already knocked $210 off of the price. Do yourself a favor and get this television with the aforementioned discounts you will have the best 42' plasma for just over $1800. I can't recommend this set enough!

WOW.

92% of People (12/13) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are 2 comments for this review. Read all comments. Post a comment.

• The settings and adjustments WILL be saved as long as the MAIN PO...

Good Choice in 42-inch HD Plasma

Strengths: Great HD picture, above avg SD picture, 3 HDMI inputs, decent sound, very good SD DVD and Digicam picture, good black levels, tuners, swivel stand, picture setting preferences, great price.

Weaknesses: Color decoding can be off on greens/pinks, gray default side panels, basic remote not fully universal, limited PIP/POP, 5 input limit, No PC Input, overall width, limited color control.

Summary: I’d been in the market for a 42” HD plasma 4 months before buying this one. I looked at almost every option and seriously considered the mid-level and high-end Panasonic & Samsung. When the big electronic superstores put this set on sale for under $1500, I took the plunge. I’ve had a 27” Hitachi tube TV the past 17 years & it still works great. That experience likely influenced my choice.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the picture. For now, my satellite connection is still standard def. The picture is fairly good on most channels. I hooked up an antenna to receive the HD OTA channels. When I came across a show PRODUCED & broadcast in HD, I was blown away–better than anything I’d seen in the stores. It was broadcast in 1080i and the detail was fantastic, colors were perfect. Since then, I’ve watched other HD shows with much satisfaction. The 720P broadcasts look just as good. Just don’t expect that everything being broadcast in HD to truly be HD. I don’t know if the unusual resolution (1024x1080) on this set is any better than the typical 720p on most plasma sets, but I can’t be a bad thing.

The only negative I have on the picture quality is that certain colors sometimes seem too intense, especially greens. This seems to be more common on DVD & Satellite than digital broadcast TV. Occasionally, bright green grasses look unnatural. I wish it had the individual color control that Samsung had on their now out-of-production 4272x. I find myself wanting to adjust the color quite often and sometimes can’t get it quite right.

While this set is praised for it’s high connectivity, and it’s better than most, there are some limitations. There are 5 set inputs. Inputs 1 for example can be HDMI OR S-vid/A/V. Same with #2. #3 & 4 are component only. #5 is component or HDMI. There are also separate inputs for antenna/cable and CableCard. Before I bought it, I didn’t think I’d ever need more than 5, but I already have something connected to all 5. The side input does include a 3rd HDMI, it does not include an S-vid connection, which might be nice. I think 2 HDMI would satisfy just about anyone. There is no PC input. On the bright side, the inputs have options for labeling on the menus.

The PIP functionality is limited, but somewhat useful, if you don’t have another option. It seems 1 of the pictures has to be coming from the air/cable input, which I use for my antenna, but could be used for satellite/cable. e.g. I can’t have 1 from the DVD and the other from satellite on input 1. I haven’t found a way to swap the pictures, moving the small screen to the big and vise versa. There is freeze picture option. I haven’t played with these options to great extent yet.

There are several aspect ratio options, varying by input, although I can’t see what good a couple of the zoom options would be. This is my first wide-screen, and I was disappointed that there isn’t always a “perfect fit” for every screen size. I wish they had a variable adjustment option, to stretch the horizontal & vertical size of the screen, but I haven’t seen this option on any TV. One thing they should have done differently is the default color on the side panels when watching a show in 4:3. They are gray. You do have the option to change it to black, but that isn’t included in the memory settings when turned off. It should either be remembered or defaulted to black, which looks much better in my opinion.

Other minor weaknesses I have noticed are that when I have the sound hooked up to my stereo, there is a slight difference in timing. The sound comes out the internal speakers a split second before the hi-fi. This is true for broadcast TV and satellite, hooked up from the monitor out on the TV, as well as the DVD hooked directly to the stereo. So if you want to use the TV as center speakers in your system while using the home theatre at the same time, it’s a little annoying.

The menus have a slight lag in popping up after pressing the button, but within the menu & in controls like volume, the reaction time is fine.

With speakers on the side, the width of the set is nearly 45”. I actually had to make a slight modification in my cabinet to fit it. Fortunately, between the swivel stand, and my own swivel platform, I can easily get to all wires & inputs. While the bezel around the screen is shiny black, the speakers & a strip at the top & bottom are brushed metal. Personally, I prefer the all-black look, but decided I’d live with the wider silver box.

There are 3 color temp settings. To me only HIGH is worth anything, the med & low settings look yellow or blue. The whites only look white on high.

Sometimes, I wish I would have bought either the top-line Samsung/Panasonic, but this is a very nice TV & couldn’t justify the cost difference. If you want the best plasma possible and are willing to pay for it, there better choices, but for the money, this is the best 42” HD plasma on the market.

89% of People (8/9) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

Hitachi 42" Plasma HDTV

Strengths: The overall appearance of the TV is very nice. The picture is very good and the HD picture is very clear with digital cable.

Weaknesses: None found.

Summary: I am very pleased with the quality of this HDTV. The menu is easy to use. There are enough inputs for all of the items which you might wish to connect. The size is very nice for a small living room or den. I would buy another Hitachi when the time comes.

75% of People (3/4) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

Great Set

Strengths: Highest native resolution of its class. Gorgeous colors in HD

Weaknesses: Some flicker at least while the set is in operation for the first 100 hours. Menus for some commonly used operations are hard to get to quickly.

Summary: The television is gorgeous! It is the only one that comes with a swivel base included if you're not planning to wall mount. Starts up quickly, doesn't appear to run too hot. Excellent picture quality in HD and the SD channels are not too bad either. Has three HDMI ports and connections for virtually everything. Well worth the purchase price.

67% of People (2/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are 1 comment for this review. Read all comments. Post a comment.

Awesome

Strengths: Picture, flat panel, rotating pixels to prevent image burn in, option to use gray bars instead of black bars to prevent burn in/color differenes. excellent choices of widescreen/viewing modes.

Weaknesses: Sometimes after using my satellite guide will see the images retained while changing channel and screen is black, but not really a problem just a pet peeve.

Summary: Awesome TV, I was in the market for a new television and was waiting on getting a 1080i samsung DLP (which i still plan on getting) but came across this for sale for 1400 open box and couldn't pass up the deal that the store gave me (circuit city) with surround sound and no interest for 2 years. The most surprising thing to me is the picture quality of this plasma, I always rated plasma as 3rd, with DLP 1st and LCD flat Panel 2nd. Plasma is better for watching non-HD digital picture than dlp and is outstanding for sports and movies. I am into gaming and am a little hesitant to hook up my xbox 360 to it so will probably wait til i get the dlp for that. Overall a beautiful tv.

67% of People (2/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

Hitachi 42HDS69

Strengths: Good colors, good sound, good close up picture quality

Weaknesses: Poor background picture image quality.

Summary: I purchased this tv over the Panasonic 42" 60U because the salesmen said it was better and had a faster processor. I mainly watch football and basketball games on this tv. The picture quality is great for close up images. The only thing I don't like is the background during footbal games. In particular the crowd in the stands. Or when the camera pans out really far from the players. It seems like the whites in the image are fuzzy. I tried to lower the contrast all the way down to about 15%, but it's still not the best. I'm currently using an HDMI cable from Radioshack. I will try using a better quality cable to see if the image gets better. I also tried using the component cables, but they did not change the picture. If I were go through the purchasing decision all over again, I would take more notice of this background image quality and select the tv with the best quality. Not sure what tv that would be...

50% of People (1/2) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

HITACHI 42" PLASMA

Strengths: Super Deal For A great experance.My eyes are in a daze whatching what I been missing..

Weaknesses: Need some vents on top of set to let heat out..

Summary: WOW what a picture.. No other set compares , price wise or of its appearence..Im going to buy another for the bedroom..Why not (RIGHT0. Electronics at its best with HITACHI

17% of People (1/6) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.