Robin Smith

Hi,

I am looking at buying a RPTV and am deciding between the Hitachi and Panasonic offering in the 51-53" range.

I can get the Hitachi H51F510 at a pretty decent price (cheaper than the Panny PT-53X54). For about $230 Canadian more (~US$160) I can get the Hitachi Ultravision 51S500.

Is it worth the extra cash? I am trying to decipher what some of the specs mean.

The Ultravision's biggest feature diff (that I can work out) is that it has a 5-element lens system, which the F500 does not have. What does that buy me?

The room its in gets lots of light during the day (we mostly watch in the evening) so would any of the Ultra's features help with this? Plus, I'll probably still watch a fair bit of SD TV, so would like an RPTV that will perform as well as it can at that task.

Beyond that, here's some differences in a semi-table:

F500- -S500 Ultravision
High Brightness Lens/CRTs- -Super Contrast Lens/CRTs
N/A- -Day/Night Mode Memory by Input
N/A- -1080p processing
N/A- -Adjustable Colour Decoder
N/A- -4 step edge enhancement
N/A- -4 step black enhancement


Can someone decipher the value of some of these features "in the real world". Are the Ultravision RPTVs that much better?

Robin Smith

Bump

Do I want to buy Ultravsion S500 over reg F510? Do I want either of these over the Panny 53X54?

Help

Tyson Wetzel

The F510 has an HDMI input instead of a DVI. Edge and Black enhancement are evil. They will both have the 1080p processor (the best on the market for SD IMO) and Day/Night mode (which is cool IMO). The F510 will be slimmer by around 3 inches. The biggest difference is exterior cosmetics, very different, but I like them both. I like both Hitachi's better than the Panny.

Robin Smith

Thanks for the reply. Are you saying the technical differences don't count for much and they are basically just cosmetic differences?

I need to know if the S is worth the price differences.

Thanks

Tyson Wetzel

because it's last years S and this years F it's probably not worth the price difference

Robin Smith

The S500 has a 5 lens system, but I think the F510 still has a 4 lens system. How much of a difference will this make in PQ/contrast/etc?

Robin Smith

Hmm, I just noticed that the spec table I posted was for last years F500, so I don't have the specs of the F510, so I can't properly compare. Anyone know what the F510 added over the F500?

Seth_L

51S500

Picture
• 1080i HDTV Format CRT Display1
• DVI-HDTV Digital Video Input
• New Super-Contrast CRTs
• Super-Contrast 5-Element Lens System
• High-Contrast 0.52mm Fine-Pitch Screen
• Anti-Reflective High-Contrast Shield
• First Surface Mirror
• Magic Focus® Auto Digital Convergence
• Magic Focus® Timer
• 117-Point Convergence Fine Tuning
• New VirtualHD™ 1080p Video Processor
1080i/540p User-Selectable
Display Format
New Automatic 3:2 Film Correction
New 26-Point Advanced
Video Processing
New Aspect Modes (6) Plus HD Zoom
New Pure Digital Color Management
1080i/720p/540p/480p/480i
Input Processing
Advanced HD Digital Window™
Split Screen
• New Adjustable Color Decoder
• New Four Color Temperature Memory
• New B&W Film Color Temperature
• New 4-Step Edge Enhancement (SVM)
• New 4-Step Black Enhancement
• Digital 4MB 3D Y/C Comb Filter
• 1280 Horizontal TV Lines of Resolution

Sound
• MTS Stereo/SAP with dbx™
• SRS® Surround Sound
• BBE® Sound Enhancement
• 24 Watt Speaker System
• TV as Center Speaker

Convenience Features
• New Day and Night Memory by Input
• New Photo Memory Card PCMCIA Slot2
• Illuminated Preprogrammed

Remote Control
• Front Panel Menu Controls
• Dual 181 Channel NTSC Tuners
• Three Language On-Screen Display
• Parental Locks
• Closed Caption Decoder
• Sleep Timer

Inputs and Outputs
Antenna Inputs ............................................2
A/V Inputs (Rear/Front) ............................3/1
S-Video Inputs (Rear/Front) .....................2/1
Wideband Component Video Inputs..........2
DVI-HDTV Input...........................................1
Center Channel Input..................................1
AV Output .................................................. ..1
Variable Audio Output.................................1

Specifications
Color............................................B lack/Silver
Energy Star Compliant............................Yes
Dimensions (inches)
Height ............................................. 50 1/4
Width............................................. .. 48 3/4
Depth .............................................. 25 1/4
Weight (lbs.) ............................................238



51F510

Picture
• 1080i High-Definition Display
• New Super-Contrast II CRTs
• High-Contrast 4-Element
Lens System
• High-Contrast 0.52mm
Fine-Pitch Screen
• High-Contrast Protective Shield
• Magic Focus Auto
Digital Convergence
• Magic Focus Timer
• 117-Point Convergence Fine Tuning
• New 9-Point Convergence
Fine Tuning
• First-Surface Mirror
• VirtualHD™ 1080p Video Processor
-1080i/540p User-Selectable
Display Format
-Automatic 3:2 Film Processing
-26-Point Advanced
Video Processing
-3 HD Aspect Modes
-6 SD Aspect Modes
-Digital Color Management
-1080i/720p/480p/480i
Input Compatible
-HD Digital Window™ Split Screen
• Adjustable Color Decoder
• 4 Color Temperature Memory
• B&W Film Color Temperature
• 4-Step Edge Enhancement (SVM)
• 4-Step Black Enhancement
• Digital 4MB 3D Y/C Comb Filter

Audio Performance Features
• MTS Stereo/SAP with dbx™
• SRS® Surround Sound
• BBE® Sound Enhancement
• 24-Watt Speaker System

Convenience Features
• Preprogrammed Remote Control
• Day and Night Memory by Input
• Front-Panel Menu Controls
• Dual 181-Channel NTSC Tuners
• 3-Language On-Screen Display
• Parental Locks
• Closed Caption Decoder
• On/Sleep Timers
• AutoLink Input Sensor

Inputs/Outputs
• HDMI™ High-Definition
Multimedia Interface: 2...................... 1
• Antenna Inputs: ................................ 2
• AV Inputs (Rear/Front): .................4/1
• S-Video Inputs (Rear/Front): .........2/1
• Wideband Component
Video Inputs:.................................... 2
• AV Output: ........................................ 1
• Fixed/Variable Audio Output: .......... 1
• RS-232C Control Interface:.............. 1

Specifications
• Color:............................... Bright Silver
• Energy Star Compliant:................Yes
Dimensions (inches)
• Height:......................................50 3/16"
• Width: ..................................... 48 13/16"
• Depth:.......................................21 7/16"
• Weight: ..................................188 lbs.

Robin Smith

Okay, I found it. They just added it to the Hitachi Canada site this week. Its got "new super contrast II lens" (still 4 element) and many of the other of the features the S500 had.

So basically, it looks like the only differences is 4 element lens vs 5 element lens. SO is that worth the extra money? I am really leaning towards the F510, since its the newer model and its cheaper.

Any F510 owners out there want to chip in?

Robin Smith

Thanks Seth_L!