Hitachi 50V500 or Panny PT50LC13, or Samsung HLN507 (1 Viewer)

[DanS]

Hi all -

Have been on an HDTV hunt for @ 4 months.
Looks like timing is almost everything, with so many new models out (projected) this fall


I'm down to three 50"-ish choices(maybe four if a really great deal on a $3-$4 K LCoS comes along)

The ever-out-of-stock Samsung HLN507 DLP
The untested(?) Panasonic PT50LC13 LCD
The beautiful and untested Hitachi 50V500 LCD
Maybe the Phillips Cineos LCoS - if such a thing exists.

Any thoughts, advice etc?

Would appreciate any input.

Thanks,
DanS

 

[Stephen Tu]

Might as well throw the RCA 50" DLP HDLP50W151 into the ring. Same ballpark price range and includes ATSC 8VSB/unscrambled QAM tuner.

I'm deciding between a similar batch of sets. But there's a big hitch - none of the stores in my area have any of these in except the Samsung, so I have nothing to compare to yet. My advice - wait 1 more month.

 

[DanS]

What about the RCA LCoS mess? That makes me a bit nervous.

I have a feeling we're all going to be a lot poorer come October.

 

[Stephen Tu]

For the DLP set, RCA is sourcing their light engine from InFocus which has years of experience in the DLP front projector arena. So I don't expect another debacle like the RCA LCoS, which was a less mature technology from a much smaller company than Texas Instruments.

 

[Tony_Faville]

Have seen the Panasonic PT-50LC13 in action at my local Best Buy and have been blown away with it so far. Of course, that is under their conditions but it still gives me a good idea. They have it placed between two other projection TV's and it blows them both away with overall picture clarity.

So far, I REALLY like what I see with this TV.

 

[Tommy Haupfear]

I just purchased the Hitachi 50V500 today. They had it next to the Panasonic PT-50LC13 and even my wife instantly notice the superior picture on the Hitachi. The only downside of the Hitachi is that there is no PC input for computer graphics but since that is not something I'm interested in I chose the better picture.

$2899 for the Hitachi at Circuit City.

BTW - I initially wanted a 43" Sammy DLP until I saw how much LCD has improved over the initial offering of the Panasonic 40". I wish I could wait until the latest crop of LCoS sets hit the markert but I just sold my 34" Sony and my infant daughter needs her Monsters Inc. fix!

 

[John Robert]

I am on day 27 of 30 day BB return window and am packing PT-50LC13 back in box for exchange. I could never get a great picture from it with Samsung HD931 thru Dvi or component. Not sure where I'll go from here as I have not seen Hitachi or new RCA(are they out yet?)

 

[david kennedy]

The Hitachi is out now and i think the RCA is coming out in a matter of days or weeks. I have an RCA p61310 and i want to get an lcd or dlp and i think i am going to give the Sammy and the rca good look though i might be going with the Hitachi.

 

[Ted Ross]

I could never get a great picture from it with Samsung HD931 thru Dvi or component

Perhaps one of the 2 is faulty because I have both & via DVI in 720p the picture is stunning

 

[John Robert]

Perhaps one of the 2 is faulty because I have both & via DVI in 720p the picture is stunning

Ted -

Did you upgrade the DVI connect or use the one that came with the set? I've read that the cable can make a difference (don't want to start the whole upgrade connects discussion here). In 720p I saw better detail but could not get rid of grain and noise...

 

[Ted Ross]

Did you upgrade the DVI connect or use the one that came with the set? I've read that the cable can make a difference (don't want to start the whole upgrade connects discussion here). In 720p I saw better detail but could not get rid of grain and noise...

Im using a $70.00 Belkin DVI-D Dual link cable I bought from Best Buy-dont know if it makes a difference over the one Panasonic supplies. Sometimes i do notice grainy scenes(I dont see any noise such as the EE some people are saying the 931 exhibits), but those are only older dvds or dvds of older movies. I just watched Xfiles:Fight the Future & Hannibal on my setup & both looked razer sharp-on the other hand Conan the Barbarian did have many scenes that were grainy. I also turn down the contrast, which eliminates grain on any set. Hope this helps

 

[CarmineMW]

Saw the Hitachi, the Panasonic and the Sony XBR side by side at my circuit city. Hitachi produced the best static images and color by far. I made them take off the fast motion demo and play something for real. I had them hook up a sattelite connection. What good is a canned demo when I don't have that at home! All the sets were comaparable but HitaCHI stood out with less pixel movement and sharp text. That's where I'm heading...

 

[Mike Benson]

I have done extensive research on the different LCD and DLP projection televisions. Each has its strong points. The Panasonic 50" LCD does an excellent job with text (very crisp) and their TV tuner is the best one in the bunch. The problem is, the picture looks a little washed out compared to other LCD/DLP. The Sony XBR 50" has a good tuner, excellent color and brightness, but cost's about $1,000 more than Panasonic and Hitachi. The Hitachi 50" LCD has excellent color and brightness, the tv tuner is middle of the road, text is not as crisp as the other TV’s, so other items viewed are not as crisp either. You need to view scenes with small objects, you will see what I am talking about. Still, it is the same price as the Panasonic, and a $1,000 cheaper than Sony or Samsung. The Samsung 50" DLP has the best text, black colors and is the best HDTV display, but it does not do well with standard TV. The tuner doesn't come close to the Panasonic. My choice is the Hitachi; it is better than Panasonic with brightness and color, and costs $1,000 less than Samsung and Sony. If $1,000 doesn't matter much to you, then Sony for all around quality, or Samsung for the best HDTV display.

 

[John Geelan]

So far its still the Samsung HLN507W for me. Perfect size and width.

Hate that these new LCD's all have side speakers.

 

[CarmineMW]

Just to let you all know...I bought the Hitachi from Sears. They price matched CC which was 2899.00 everywhere. They also had to give me an extra 40.00 for the 10% difference. They tried to sell me the 3 year service agreement at $319.00 but I told them that their own web site listed service at 269.99. They took off an extra 50.00 to reflect the difference. They are shipping it to me for $40.00 instead of 45.00 normal or CC 49.00. And I had them give me 12 month interest free financing. Whole deal is 3169.00 with service and they deliver on Wedneday. Thanks to all of you who helped informed me on this product.Sears also had a complete Denon 683 DV D HTS on sale for 499.00 from 999.00. They are discontinuing caring that product...there is a new model coming out from Denon. I got them both and am waiting to let it roar!. Thanks for all your help! I feel very comfortable with all your advice. Also went to BestBuy website. There promo picture shows a big screen embedded in a built out theater wall. I got a nephew who's a carpenter/contractor. Looks like he's going to be getting a call very soon...Take care and good hunting...

 

[JohnBtampa]

Not to knock this forum, but a good area to help one decide on the merits of each technology is the AVS forum. You will find a very fierce argument for and against lcd rptv's. Many there still quite firmly believe that the best pictures are still on crt based rptv.

 

[Ted Ross]

Keep in mind the Hitachi shares its dvi input with one of the component inputs. From hearing that it doesnt sound like you will get a direct digital path with the DVI input

 

[ChrisRk]

Keep in mind the Hitachi shares its dvi input with one of the component inputs. From hearing that it doesnt sound like you will get a direct digital path with the DVI input

This may be a dumb question, but why would the fact that one of the component inputs is shared with the DVI mean that there was no direct digital path for the DVI? You think the DVI input is coverting the signal to analog before display?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Not to knock this forum, but a good area to help one decide on the merits of each technology is the AVS forum. You will find a very fierce argument for and against lcd rptv's. Many there still quite firmly believe that the best pictures are still on crt based rptv.

There is certainly less traffic here than there, but if you stick around long enough, you'll find plenty of long-timers, especially the more knowledgeable ones, feel the same way about CRT vs the various digital technologies. The main reason is black level. You just cannot get true black w/ those other technologies -- at least not yet.

_Man_

 

[ChrisRk]

Does anyone know if the DVI input on the Hitachi xV500 models supports HDCP?