Hitachi versus Sony 57" Proj.TV?? (1 Viewer)

[Dermot]

I am currently shopping around for a 57" projection TV for the house we are building.
I spec'd out the enclosure for the 57" Hitachi mainly due to the excellent measurement information in pdf on their website.
I am trying to decide on between the Hitachi 57UWX20B ($3800 Cad) and the new Sony KP57WS500 ($3900 Cad).
I could also belly up for the Hitachi 57GWX20B ($4200 Cad)with the anti-reflective screen.
I am also open to other recommdations but limited on the enclosure to max 54" wide and 55" high.
Which one should I go for?
TIA.

 

[James R. Geib]

If you want a push in a particular direction, I would suggest going with the Hitachi. Their new displays have what a lot of people are considering the best picture yet in a rear projection TV. I have auditioned the Hitachi 57GWX20B and the Sony you mention, and I preferred the Hitachi GWX.

You could go with a slightly smaller set if your viewing distance is closer than 10 feet. The recommended viewing distance for a 57" would be greater than 10 feet, so going with a Hitachi 51SWX20B could be an option, and save money at the same time. But then again, if my home theater could accommodate a larger display, I would have a larger display!

James R. Geib

 

[ChrisRC]

I have the Sony 57WV700. The main difference between that one and the one you are considering is that it has the "Uniform Brightness" feature, and it does make a difference. Unfortunately the big box guys(circuit city, best buy) dont carry the wv700, but it can be found with a little hunting. The ws500 is a great set too, but I would just hunt down a store that has both it and the Hitachi side by side. Its a close race, and nobody here can really tell you what is pleasing to YOUR eyes. The circuit city over here actually had the ws500 and the hitachi ???20 model side by side with the same programming, which I thought was helpfull.

The one thing that I absolutely HATE about the Sony is, it is only about 4 inches deep at the top. This posed a problem when putting my 9 inch deep center channel on top. However, I yanked the monitor shelf off the top of my computer monitor, and voila, it fit perfectly on top once I adjusted it correctly. Then I took it off again and sprayed it with a little flat black paint, and it looks like it belongs there now. I would really like to ask the Sony engineers WHY they would not allow enough space on top for a center channel, then not even have the decency to include a "center channel" mode on the TV so people can have SOMETHING while they try to figure out where to put their center. I ended up putting mine on a small table in front of the TV for the first week I had it so I could watch a movie with decent sound.

-Chris

 

[Dan Ponze]

I'd have to say Hitachi also but I'd go SWX. It has a pretty good non-reflective screen, much more features and a better picture than the Sony IMO. It also has a lot better internal speakers in case you don't want to turn the surround on at night.