Hitachi Director's Series 57XWX20B 57 in. TV
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- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 4:3 Enhanced 14:9
- Weight: 265 lb.
- Screen Size: 57 inch
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Hitachi 57XWX20B Perfect Solution for the Long Run
Pros
Picture; Magic Focus; Lower price than other top end brands.
Cons
None.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Picture quality is the best on the market, integrated HDTV tuners greatly simplify your life, and sale price right now is great.
UPDATE: Currently May 10, 2004: Unit continues to perform with no problems of any type. Company regularly amazed at the HD picture quality, saying it's the best picture they have ever seen. Have not upgraded our roof antenna; looking forward to more HD channels. Watching NHL Stanley Cup play off hockey and NFL football in HD is out of this world, nothing like it. NEVER make the mistake of buying an HD unit without a HD tuner.
UPDATE: Currently June 22, 2003: Price is $3,499 - $150 instant rebate & free shipping. This is the perfect rear projection HDTV if you have a large room and can watch from 9 feet or more back. You'll get a perfect picture, integrated HDTV tuners - an over-the-air picture that's better than any cable you've ever seen - a great looking unit, and many more features for about $1,000 or more lessthan the other brands' top end line of HD rear projection TVs.
What sold us on Hitachi was the sales pitch we heard several times from different stores - Hitachi is making 80% of the the lens and other parts for all the HDTVs, and they're using the cutting edge quality for their own units. Side-by-side with all the other major brands, you know when you're looking at a Hitachi XWX line model - You're getting a bright, sharp, clear picture. This Hitachi line SWX just below this one is only a $500 savings right now, so go for the XWX and get all the extras, particularly the extra non-reflective screen cover and the HDTV dual tuners.
After a month of ownership and having this great sale price out there, I wanted to share my opinion early since there are no others for this TV yet and I've shopped and researched for a year. I'll do updates as I learn more about the unit - but right now, I know enough to say that this is the right rear projection choice. This review will be updated as we learn more about this TV from a technical angle.
Circuit City lived up to their promise - they gave me a $200 gift certificate based on matching their own sale price because we bought a month ago for $2,499. Right now $3,499 which is $1,500 off the regular price plus an extra $200 gift card and free delivery makes it $3,299 tax total! UPDATE: Price slightly higher right now 06/22/03.
We're using a Radio Shack roof antenna, about 30 miles from DC and 10 from Baltimore - we get 5 over the air digital signals plus about 10 analog stations. The digital, over the air HDTV is out of this world - here is the bottom line - if you buy a HDTV and don't get a tuner (that is, you buy one of those monitor models), you're wasting your money, not getting what these units are made for. And, if you want to buy a box and futz with all those extra wires and technology, okay, but my recommendation is go for this unit with integrated HDTV tuners for air and cable, eliminate two set top boxes, get assured match-ups and simplicity - and save on all those extra $75-$100 monster cables you won't have to purchase - and that many less wires behind your TV.
Regarding HD tuners, there are three needs: over-the-air, cable and satalite. This one has the over the air and unscrambled cable; most other lines only give you over the air, and a few give you over the air plus either cable or satelite. I didn't find anyone who gives all three. But I did find lots of compatibility complaints on the web, folks who were frustrated buying HD tuners that didn't work with their units. Also, these Hitachi built-in tuners have signal meters that allow you to determine how much digitial signal you are getting over the air - a must feature that not all set top boxed offer.
Regarding over the air signals, our antenna is roof mounted and 15 years old - I've read lots of reviews on the web by folks who have in the attic antennas that work fine, and one guy who has two antennas mounted vertical in his attic, 18 inches apart, and gets all HD signals in his area 1000% without rotating! That's what I'll be studying and trying over the next few months. We've not paid for cable or satalite for all these years, and with this over the air quality in HD, we never will. The literature I've found also confirms that over the air HD is the best quality, satalite is second and cable is last (if you can get it at all).
With every HDTV big screen you need to tune the colors; a daunting task if you've ever been shown it in the stores -and make sure you ask, they don't volunteer. Hitachi's magic focus system takes only 20 seconds and we had a perfect picture - no joke. All the others we were shown involved what looked like hours of fine tuning the colors - no problem with Hitachi - quick, easy and perfect. All you do is go to menu, focus, select auto, and there it goes.
Some quick other things that sold us on this unit - you get two remote controls, one complete and one simplified; the simplified one is great. Good sound quality - 40W speakers; since we don't have surround sound yet. Firewire inputs and digital set top box inputs - evolving technology that you're ready for.
Well, that's all for now. Will update this review regularly; like I said, I want to share this info asap for anyone shopping now in June.
UPDATE: Currently June 22, 2003: Price is $3,499 - $150 instant rebate & free shipping. This is the perfect rear projection HDTV if you have a large room and can watch from 9 feet or more back. You'll get a perfect picture, integrated HDTV tuners - an over-the-air picture that's better than any cable you've ever seen - a great looking unit, and many more features for about $1,000 or more lessthan the other brands' top end line of HD rear projection TVs.
What sold us on Hitachi was the sales pitch we heard several times from different stores - Hitachi is making 80% of the the lens and other parts for all the HDTVs, and they're using the cutting edge quality for their own units. Side-by-side with all the other major brands, you know when you're looking at a Hitachi XWX line model - You're getting a bright, sharp, clear picture. This Hitachi line SWX just below this one is only a $500 savings right now, so go for the XWX and get all the extras, particularly the extra non-reflective screen cover and the HDTV dual tuners.
After a month of ownership and having this great sale price out there, I wanted to share my opinion early since there are no others for this TV yet and I've shopped and researched for a year. I'll do updates as I learn more about the unit - but right now, I know enough to say that this is the right rear projection choice. This review will be updated as we learn more about this TV from a technical angle.
Circuit City lived up to their promise - they gave me a $200 gift certificate based on matching their own sale price because we bought a month ago for $2,499. Right now $3,499 which is $1,500 off the regular price plus an extra $200 gift card and free delivery makes it $3,299 tax total! UPDATE: Price slightly higher right now 06/22/03.
We're using a Radio Shack roof antenna, about 30 miles from DC and 10 from Baltimore - we get 5 over the air digital signals plus about 10 analog stations. The digital, over the air HDTV is out of this world - here is the bottom line - if you buy a HDTV and don't get a tuner (that is, you buy one of those monitor models), you're wasting your money, not getting what these units are made for. And, if you want to buy a box and futz with all those extra wires and technology, okay, but my recommendation is go for this unit with integrated HDTV tuners for air and cable, eliminate two set top boxes, get assured match-ups and simplicity - and save on all those extra $75-$100 monster cables you won't have to purchase - and that many less wires behind your TV.
Regarding HD tuners, there are three needs: over-the-air, cable and satalite. This one has the over the air and unscrambled cable; most other lines only give you over the air, and a few give you over the air plus either cable or satelite. I didn't find anyone who gives all three. But I did find lots of compatibility complaints on the web, folks who were frustrated buying HD tuners that didn't work with their units. Also, these Hitachi built-in tuners have signal meters that allow you to determine how much digitial signal you are getting over the air - a must feature that not all set top boxed offer.
Regarding over the air signals, our antenna is roof mounted and 15 years old - I've read lots of reviews on the web by folks who have in the attic antennas that work fine, and one guy who has two antennas mounted vertical in his attic, 18 inches apart, and gets all HD signals in his area 1000% without rotating! That's what I'll be studying and trying over the next few months. We've not paid for cable or satalite for all these years, and with this over the air quality in HD, we never will. The literature I've found also confirms that over the air HD is the best quality, satalite is second and cable is last (if you can get it at all).
With every HDTV big screen you need to tune the colors; a daunting task if you've ever been shown it in the stores -and make sure you ask, they don't volunteer. Hitachi's magic focus system takes only 20 seconds and we had a perfect picture - no joke. All the others we were shown involved what looked like hours of fine tuning the colors - no problem with Hitachi - quick, easy and perfect. All you do is go to menu, focus, select auto, and there it goes.
Some quick other things that sold us on this unit - you get two remote controls, one complete and one simplified; the simplified one is great. Good sound quality - 40W speakers; since we don't have surround sound yet. Firewire inputs and digital set top box inputs - evolving technology that you're ready for.
Well, that's all for now. Will update this review regularly; like I said, I want to share this info asap for anyone shopping now in June.
