Hitachi 51S500 51 in. HDTV-Ready TV
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- Digital TV Standard: HDTV-Ready
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 14:9
- Weight: 238 lb.
- Built-in Tuner: NTSC
- Screen Size: 51 inch
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Great TV
Pros
Well designed. Great picture, Great sound. Great remote.
Cons
Price to get HDTV.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is a great TV. But to take advantage of the HDTV,...be prepared to shell out a bunch of dollars.
I purchased this TV last week from Circuit City. The TV is exactly what I expected.
The setup was very easy. The picture quality was very good for the type of inputs I am using. That is what this review is going to focus on. If you are in the market for a big screen projection HDTV,.....then by now you are aware that Hitachi TV's are rated number one. And are slightly more expensive than other TV's, screen size for screen size.
The only other thing that I found that I was not able to see in any of the specs was that this TV did have picture in a picture. (Circuit City's web site says it does not come with this feature,.....but it does.)
The remote control is one of the best universal remote controls I have come across.
You can program it to control your TV, VCR, Cable Box, Satellite Receiver, DVD, CD, & Amplifier. The remote control really gives you total control over your home theater system,....yet does not confuse you with too many buttons.
The sound quality of the TV is excellent. (TV speakers)
The connections for the TV are straight forward. There is a quick connect diagram to help you.
It was the inputs that I learned a lot about with the purchase of this TV. I am a current subscriber to Directv. I was one of the first people to jump onto the Directv bandwagon. I paid about a thousand dollars for each receiver and a few hundred for the dish. A little more than a year later,....they were giving away the equipment.
Well, in order to get HDTV signals for my new HDTV I would have to pay $699.00 for a new High Definition receiver and a little more than a $100.00 to get a new dish. Then the new style "component cables" are not cheap either. Four foot Monster cables are $59.99 and eight foot cables are $129.99. Digital audio cables are expensive as well. I am presently using the component and digital cables with my DVD player. This gives me HDTV during playback of a DVD movie.
I currently am using an S-video cable with my Directv receiver. This gives me a pretty good picture,....but is not as clear as a HDTV broadcast. You can also get digital cable from your TV cable company & opt for the optional HDTV broadcast. Brighthouse will charge $10.00 more per month for HDTV broadcast. But in my area,....that would only give me about 8 channels with HDTV broadcast.
Not wanting to pay about $1000.00 for new Directv equipment to get HDTV,....I am going to wait a year or so again. I am sure as time goes by,.....the equipment prices will fall,....or they will give it away again with a contract.
So if you are looking for HDTV,...be prepared to shell out a lot of money for cables as well as your TV. And either sign up for a few channels with digital cable or pay out a good hunk of money for new equipment for your satellite company.
As far as the TV is concerned,...it is an excellent TV. Even without HDTV the picture and sound is great.
There are enough inputs (Front and back) to hookup several devices.
If you need a new projection TV,.....you can't go wrong with this TV. If you are just wanting a HDTV picture and money is no object,......then this will be a good TV for you. If you want a HDTV and are not in a hurry,.....I would recommend waiting until HDTV becomes more mature and is available at a more reasonable price.
The setup was very easy. The picture quality was very good for the type of inputs I am using. That is what this review is going to focus on. If you are in the market for a big screen projection HDTV,.....then by now you are aware that Hitachi TV's are rated number one. And are slightly more expensive than other TV's, screen size for screen size.
The only other thing that I found that I was not able to see in any of the specs was that this TV did have picture in a picture. (Circuit City's web site says it does not come with this feature,.....but it does.)
The remote control is one of the best universal remote controls I have come across.
You can program it to control your TV, VCR, Cable Box, Satellite Receiver, DVD, CD, & Amplifier. The remote control really gives you total control over your home theater system,....yet does not confuse you with too many buttons.
The sound quality of the TV is excellent. (TV speakers)
The connections for the TV are straight forward. There is a quick connect diagram to help you.
It was the inputs that I learned a lot about with the purchase of this TV. I am a current subscriber to Directv. I was one of the first people to jump onto the Directv bandwagon. I paid about a thousand dollars for each receiver and a few hundred for the dish. A little more than a year later,....they were giving away the equipment.
Well, in order to get HDTV signals for my new HDTV I would have to pay $699.00 for a new High Definition receiver and a little more than a $100.00 to get a new dish. Then the new style "component cables" are not cheap either. Four foot Monster cables are $59.99 and eight foot cables are $129.99. Digital audio cables are expensive as well. I am presently using the component and digital cables with my DVD player. This gives me HDTV during playback of a DVD movie.
I currently am using an S-video cable with my Directv receiver. This gives me a pretty good picture,....but is not as clear as a HDTV broadcast. You can also get digital cable from your TV cable company & opt for the optional HDTV broadcast. Brighthouse will charge $10.00 more per month for HDTV broadcast. But in my area,....that would only give me about 8 channels with HDTV broadcast.
Not wanting to pay about $1000.00 for new Directv equipment to get HDTV,....I am going to wait a year or so again. I am sure as time goes by,.....the equipment prices will fall,....or they will give it away again with a contract.
So if you are looking for HDTV,...be prepared to shell out a lot of money for cables as well as your TV. And either sign up for a few channels with digital cable or pay out a good hunk of money for new equipment for your satellite company.
As far as the TV is concerned,...it is an excellent TV. Even without HDTV the picture and sound is great.
There are enough inputs (Front and back) to hookup several devices.
If you need a new projection TV,.....you can't go wrong with this TV. If you are just wanting a HDTV picture and money is no object,......then this will be a good TV for you. If you want a HDTV and are not in a hurry,.....I would recommend waiting until HDTV becomes more mature and is available at a more reasonable price.
