Hitachi Ultravision 55HDS69 55-Inch Plasma HDTV
By: Hitachi Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 15
More Information
 On: 2007-10-02
After reading a recommendation from Consumer Reports, I shopped this unit around and purchased it off the internet for $2,000 (freight incl.) and am very happy with the quality of the picture- although as with most high-tech electronics; my lack of understanding of all of the ways to connect to your cable box, DVD recorder, surround-sound, etc. made set-up a very confusing and time-consuming ordeal. If you are not an audio-video technophile, you may want to consider hiring a professional to come in and do it right.
 On: 2007-06-28
My Hitachi HDTV is still broken after 4 repair attempts. Phone support flat out lies to me telling me they dont offer refund or exchange. After escalating it to her supervisor, got him to admit that exchange is an option. Now waiting for them to call me back with their decision. Not holding my breath.
 On: 2007-06-26
All I have to say is wow! Like some of the others have said, I too did a TON of research on this TV along with every other TV in itss class. Hitachi is a fantastic manufacturer and this is an incredible TV. Amazons price of $1,999.99 is completely fair for a machine of this quality and their price is consistent with other retailers fortunate enough to have a couple of these TVs.
I watched my first Blu-Ray movie on this TV last night and I was blown away. Watching sports in High-Def is truly amazing. I just cant say enough.
Also, if you happen to own a PS3, this TV really brings out the quality picture in your games.
WORD OF ADVICE: Dont wait on this too much longer. These TVs are in limited supply and, as you can imagine, are selling out quickly. Also, be prepared to spend around $200 for either a stand or a wall mount kit.
On: 2007-06-14
I did over 6 months of research and found this set to be the best bang for the buck. I was able to get it for $1729 at Tiger Direct and was lucky enough to be just out of state so no tax and I picked it up so no shipping. I put it on the wall with a Peerless Tilt mount rated to 200lbs and it was the easiest install I had ever done. The only word of caution: This is a huge set and it takes 2 big guys to lift and install.
Now I am into professional video and work closely with video reproduction on computer monitor and other screens so my eye is more critical than most and I have one thing to say. There are purchases that dont live up to your expectations, products that come out about what you expected and the few that far exceed your expectations. My experience was the latter. For the cost, this set blew me away. You cant get a better looking image from a set this size for this cost. I paired it with a Toshiba HD-2A HD DVD player and though the Toshiba is a little clunky, it has awesome image upconversion and features (an obvious early adopter box). The SD DVDs I have played on it look awesome. I will let you know how the HD DVDs look once I pick a few up. I plugged my XBOX 360 in and WOW, there is nothing like it (there were audible gasps from my friends)...even from 3 feet away!
This set is being phased out by Hitachi and replaced by a smaller 50" 1080i 401 series set now which I hear is also very good, but I was quite happy to save a grand and have 5 more inches on my wall.
 On: 2007-05-07
I even called the store before ordering the tv to make sure it would come with a stand so the tv wouldnt just fall over. But they promised me that it would come with a small base stand. Of course it didnt and when I called them they said they would send one right out, which of course they never did. Horrible purchases and follow through ...........It cost me over two hundred more to buy an cheap stand so I could use the dumb tv. Just beware from this company.
On: 2007-04-10
I Went to local sears at the right time have a 57 hitachi projection, walking by sales assoc. says great buy on tvs happen to be this tv last one in a box and floor dislay got the one in a box for 899.99 didnt need but couldnt leave it behind for that price and now all these great reviews thanks Im 1 happy camper....
On: 2007-04-09
I Went to local sears at the right time have a 57 hitachi projection, walking by sales assoc. says great buy on tvs happen to be this tv last one in a box and floor dislay got the one in a box for 899.99 didnt need but couldnt leave it behind for that price and now all these great reviews thanks Im 1 happy camper....
On: 2007-03-11
I read all the reviews here and concur with all the rave reviews. The only problem I see and its not unique to Hitachi is that Closed Captioning does not work in HD modes.
On: 2007-03-10
I read all the reviews here and concur with all the rave reviews. The only problem I see and its not unique to Hitachi is that Closed Captioning does not work in HD modes.
On: 2007-01-12
I bought this to replace my 61" projection TV.
Sleek, beautiful picture. Stock speakers sound great! Easy to figure out gadgets.
PIP option is awesome too!
Youll be glad you bought this if you do!
Erik
On: 2007-01-08
Pros
The picture quality is unbelieveble. HD quality is second to none. It is probably the sharpest picture I have seen (researched plasma/lcd tvs for over 2 years). It has lots of inputs for all devices and the setup out of the box is pretty easy. Picture in Picture quality is great.
TV comes with a WIPE functionality. This allows you to clean the plasma screen and prevent any burns. (Usually available with much more expensive models)
Cons
Remote is bit antiquated for the price of the tv. Picture in picture works only if one of the feeds is HD. Base needs to be bought (add $200 to the price.)
Bottom line - I would recommend buying this tv. Shop around and you should be able to find it for less than $2500.
On: 2007-01-07
Pros
The picture quality is unbelieveble. HD quality is second to none. It is probably the sharpest picture I have seen (researched plasma/lcd tvs for over 2 years). It has lots of inputs for all devices and the setup out of the box is pretty easy. Picture in Picture quality is great.
TV comes with a WIPE functionality. This allows you to clean the plasma screen and prevent any burns. (Usually available with much more expensive models)
Cons
Remote is bit antiquated for the price of the tv. Picture in picture works only if one of the feeds is HD. Base needs to be bought (add $200 to the price.)
Bottom line - I would recommend buying this tv. Shop around and you should be able to find it for less than $2500.
On: 2007-01-04
This TV is phenominal for the price - cant beat it! Its much cheaper than any of the Panasonic or Samsung series, and has an abundance of inputs. I ordered the OmniMount Systems Plasma Tilt Wall Mount (U3TILTMOUNT) for the unit. The screws that come with the panasonic TV have a hex head while the screws that come with the OmniMount Systems Wall Mount were only phillips type 3 screw heads. I figured the hex heads would be stronger, so I attempted to mount the wall-mount bracket to the TV with those screws - BAD IDEA! The first screw snapped off inside the TV with very little pressure. Regardless, I was lucky to have a screw extraction kit handy (thanks Dad!). I drilled a small hole in what was left of the snapped-off screw and extracted the screw with surprising ease. I then used the scres that came with the Omnimount Systems wall-mount and they were much more secure. Im a little worried that only four screws hold this unit to the wall, but I hear thats how they all are. The mount I am using is rated for up to 200lbs, and this TV is only 130lbs.
One other note is that the TV does not come with a stand or mount of any kind - you need to purchase some mount. I would highly recommend the OmniMount Systems Plasma Tilt Wall Mount (U3TILTMOUNT) (can also be purchased on Amazon).
I also read online that some users were having difficulty hooking a computer up to some of the inputs. I have a computer with DVI output. I bought a DVI-to-HDMI converter on eBay and attached an HDMI cable from this converter to the TV and its great! You cant really see any text because its really not made for that, but video games look AWESOME! Cant beat it!
Time to get ready for the football playoffs!
On: 2007-01-03
All I have done for 2 months is research Plasmas, and this bad boy is the one I picked. I am a techno freak and for the money ($2,300 at HH Gregg, nothing holds a candle to it. The TV uses the same glass technologies as the Pioneer, costing less than 1/2.
On: 2007-01-03
This TV is phenominal for the price - cant beat it! Its much cheaper than any of the Panasonic or Samsung series, and has an abundance of inputs. I ordered the OmniMount Systems Plasma Tilt Wall Mount (U3TILTMOUNT) for the unit. The screws that come with the panasonic TV have a hex head while the screws that come with the OmniMount Systems Wall Mount were only phillips type 3 screw heads. I figured the hex heads would be stronger, so I attempted to mount the wall-mount bracket to the TV with those screws - BAD IDEA! The first screw snapped off inside the TV with very little pressure. Regardless, I was lucky to have a screw extraction kit handy (thanks Dad!). I drilled a small hole in what was left of the snapped-off screw and extracted the screw with surprising ease. I then used the scres that came with the Omnimount Systems wall-mount and they were much more secure. Im a little worried that only four screws hold this unit to the wall, but I hear thats how they all are. The mount I am using is rated for up to 200lbs, and this TV is only 130lbs.
One other note is that the TV does not come with a stand or mount of any kind - you need to purchase some mount. I would highly recommend the OmniMount Systems Plasma Tilt Wall Mount (U3TILTMOUNT) (can also be purchased on Amazon).
I also read online that some users were having difficulty hooking a computer up to some of the inputs. I have a computer with DVI output. I bought a DVI-to-HDMI converter on eBay and attached an HDMI cable from this converter to the TV and its great! You cant really see any text because its really not made for that, but video games look AWESOME! Cant beat it!
Time to get ready for the football playoffs!
On: 2006-12-31
This is my second Plasma but first HD televison. I bought this item from a local retailer in Dallas because it seemed to have the best picture for the size and price. I also tried to find reviews online before I made the purchase and was only able to find the customer reviews here on Amazon. It was delivered today and I spent most of the day trying to adjust the picture quality. The great picture I saw in the store was impossible to duplicate at home.
I do not have an HD signal to feed into it yet as I was waiting to upgrade my DishNetwork DVR until after the TV was delivered. However, the standard def picture is awful. Whatever settings I tried, the picture was dull and hazy. Everything about the picture was lifeless compared to my old 42" EDTV Samsung... except for the color green. The green will burn your retinas! Grass and trees looked like they were painted neon green. Adjusting the hue to a more red shade failed to counteract the over-powering green and only caused skin colors to look horrribly sunburned.
I also failed to get a sharp picture. I wouldnt say that the picture was blurry. But adjusting the contrast and brightness settings either returned a picture that looked like it had a transparent white film over everything or a picture that was to shadowy and overly black. Finding a happy-medium was impossible.
The original factory setting are completely unsatisfactory. Someone in the Hitachi labs is colorblind and has cataracts. Im returning the TV right after the holiday rush is over and getting a 50" Panasonic, Samsung, etc. instead. I will never buy another Hitachi product again as long as I live. So disappointing.
On: 2006-12-17
After a year of research and several visits to BB and CC, I have come to the conclusion that Panasonic 50 inch plasma is the best there is-- until I saw this Hitachi 55 inch. Being the brand-conscious buyer, I wanted my first plasma to be a Panasonic, a Samsung or a Pioneer. But I couldnt get my eyes off this TV. Side by side with the Panasonic 50 inch, the Hitachi looked bigger, sharper and richer in color vibrance. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but my brother had the same observation. What sealed the deal was the price; for 3 grand, this TV was a steal (the Panasonic was $600 less but then again, it was also 5 inches smaller); the stand or wall mount is sold separately (I got the stand for $150). This TV is a dream come true! It has tons of cool features like the anti-reflective glass screen which takes away the glare when watching daytime shows. The picture mode can be automatically programmed to shift from day to night mode with a timer. Another cool feature is the zoom; I could remove the black bars when watching 16:9 widescreen DVD and HD-DVD formats (which practically prevents premature burn-in). Its a 720p/1080i resolution TV (1080p may be better but all HDTV broadcasts nowadays are still 720p; it may take several years before real 1080p shows arrive-- when that time comes, its probably time to buy another plasma). I have watched Discovery HD theater and boy, it was eye-popping! Watching football on ESPN-HD feels like being there. My HD-DVDs, especially Superman Returns and The Last Samurai were totally out of this world! I cant believe I have waited this long to buy this plasma TV. For the quality, picture and price, nothing beats Hitachi!
On: 2006-12-16
After a year of research and several visits to BB and CC, I have come to the conclusion that Panasonic 50 inch plasma is the best there is-- until I saw this Hitachi 55 inch. Being the brand-conscious buyer, I wanted my first plasma to be a Panasonic, a Samsung or a Pioneer. But I couldnt get my eyes off this TV. Side by side with the Panasonic 50 inch, the Hitachi looked bigger, sharper and richer in color vibrance. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but my brother had the same observation. What sealed the deal was the price; for 3 grand, this TV was a steal (the Panasonic was $600 less but then again, it was also 5 inches smaller); the stand or wall mount is sold separately (I got the stand for $150). This TV is a dream come true! It has tons of cool features like the anti-reflective glass screen which takes away the glare when watching daytime shows. The picture mode can be automatically programmed to shift from day to night mode with a timer. Another cool feature is the zoom; I could remove the black bars when watching 16:9 widescreen DVD and HD-DVD formats (which practically prevents premature burn-in). Its a 720p/1080i resolution TV (1080p may be better but all HDTV broadcasts nowadays are still 720p; it may take several years before real 1080p shows arrive-- when that time comes, its probably time to buy another plasma). I have watched Discovery HD theater and boy, it was eye-popping! Watching football on ESPN-HD feels like being there. My HD-DVDs, especially Superman Returns and The Last Samurai were totally out of this world! I cant believe I have waited this long to buy this plasma TV. For the quality, picture and price, nothing beats Hitachi!
On: 2006-11-13
I bought it new 2 months ago for $3900 plus delivery and I have no regrets at all.
The picture is flawless, sharp, realistic and just so beautiful to look at.
I looked at all the other brands out there at best buy and tweeters but this Television stands way out there. The sales associates at store were advocating for The Sony , Samsung and Pioneer, I wanted to believe they were right but no matter how many times I compared all the models, my eyes tell me what you see, is what you get,the sound quality is good too I was convinced that the Hitachi 69 was soo much better than the rest. Do yourself a favor , check this one out before buying.
At first I wanted the better known brands like Sony and Samsung, but those products just did not seem to compare. I cant say anything about reliabilty, I hope it lasts.
On: 2006-11-12
I bought it new 2 months ago for $3900 plus delivery and I have no regrets at all.
The picture is flawless, sharp, realistic and just so beautiful to look at.
I looked at all the other brands out there at best buy and tweeters but this Television stands way out there. The sales associates at store were advocating for The Sony , Samsung and Pioneer, I wanted to believe they were right but no matter how many times I compared all the models, my eyes tell me what you see, is what you get,the sound quality is good too I was convinced that the Hitachi 69 was soo much better than the rest. Do yourself a favor , check this one out before buying.
At first I wanted the better known brands like Sony and Samsung, but those products just did not seem to compare. I cant say anything about reliabilty, I hope it lasts.
On: 2006-06-22
After searching for the past year, I deceided to go with a Sharp 45" LCD. Then I saw C/C had dropped the Hitachi 55" to $3149.00, much lower than I could get even online. Went to look and was blown away by the pic. It was a no brainer, the Sharp for $3,000.00 (Costco) was good, but couldnt pass up the Hitachi for less. Only gripe was no stand. While Hitachi may not sell the stand with the TV, retailers should keep one or two in stock. Found one at a local Hi Def TV store for $399.00. High price, but wife didnt like the idea of a wall mount.
Now to the TV. Great Hi-def pic. Standard cable fair to good when streached to fit screen. I usually dont run any 4:3 programming to avoid burn in. Sound from built in speakers better than I expected, but also have a 500w kenwood surround sound systen for backup. I like that you can plug a sub-woofer into the TV, but had to turn mine down as bass was overboosted. Standard DVD and VCR very good using high quality cables, but plan to upgrade the DVD in near future. The remote is actually very easy to use for TV, but lacks functions when controlling my digital cable box or stereo. I decided to use the cable remote instead. If using over the air or basic cable, TV remote works fine. Right now, all cable boxes and accessories are hooked up with monster cable, but have an HDMI cable on order, cheaped on-line than in store. I expect even better pic quality with this setup. The only bad experience with this purchase was a pushy salesman, who was pushing any TV but the Hitachi, and an expensive warranty.
I would recommend any who like large plasma units to take a look at this, or the other 55" Hitachi units. A great TV, that even my wife likes.
On: 2006-06-21
After searching for the past year, I deceided to go with a Sharp 45" LCD. Then I saw C/C had dropped the Hitachi 55" to $3149.00, much lower than I could get even online. Went to look and was blown away by the pic. It was a no brainer, the Sharp for $3,000.00 (Costco) was good, but couldnt pass up the Hitachi for less. Only gripe was no stand. While Hitachi may not sell the stand with the TV, retailers should keep one or two in stock. Found one at a local Hi Def TV store for $399.00. High price, but wife didnt like the idea of a wall mount.
Now to the TV. Great Hi-def pic. Standard cable fair to good when streached to fit screen. I usually dont run any 4:3 programming to avoid burn in. Sound from built in speakers better than I expected, but also have a 500w kenwood surround sound systen for backup. I like that you can plug a sub-woofer into the TV, but had to turn mine down as bass was overboosted. Standard DVD and VCR very good using high quality cables, but plan to upgrade the DVD in near future. The remote is actually very easy to use for TV, but lacks functions when controlling my digital cable box or stereo. I decided to use the cable remote instead. If using over the air or basic cable, TV remote works fine. Right now, all cable boxes and accessories are hooked up with monster cable, but have an HDMI cable on order, cheaped on-line than in store. I expect even better pic quality with this setup. The only bad experience with this purchase was a pushy salesman, who was pushing any TV but the Hitachi, and an expensive warranty.
I would recommend any who like large plasma units to take a look at this, or the other 55" Hitachi units. A great TV, that even my wife likes.
|
|
