Hitachi WS 53" vs. Toshiba WS 57" (1 Viewer)

[Hugh Scrivener]

I had pretty much decided on the Toshiba 57H82.. based on a friends 42H81..which is impressive in quality, but today I was in Sears and happened to find myself astonished at the picture they were getting on the Hitachi 53UWX10B. Its slightly smaller than the Tosh and slightly more expensive(at least based on the intro prices I've seen on the 57H82) so basically I'm now torn. Does the DVI upgrade really mean that much? Sears has the Hitachi at 2400 if I remember correctly,on clearence.
The Toshiba advertises 1600 lines of horz resolution while the Hitachi says it only has 1200, but the picture looked incredible. The Hitachi also has user selectable 540p or 1080i display settings. While the Tosh doesn't offer any way to select the display type, that I know of.
I really hated to start another " Which should I buy " thread but....
Thanks-In-Advance!

 

[Michael Silla]

Hugh,
If you are really interested in the Hitachi then head over to Circuit city. They have the model you are looking at for $2230. I am sure Sears will price match. I bought the 53UWX10B nearly two months ago for significnntly less than $2230 so you should be able to purchase one for a reasonable amount.
It is the picture quality that also drew me to the Hitachi. I really did not have much interest in the Toshibas when I was shopping. Most display models at the stores that I went to had a very "bright" picture which looked real good but somehow lacked the "color saturation" (deepness -whatever ) that the Hitachi's and Mit's seemed to have. For me it came down to price and the Hitachi just seemed like a better value to me.
The Toshiba model that you are looking at is a really good set. When I bought my Hitachi I had to look past some negative comments about it's "tweakability" - apparently the gains made from a ISF calibration aren't as great as some other makes. I believe the Panasonic sets are generally favoured.
That said, it all comes down to what works for you. In my case, the Hitachi was the best looking set for the features and budget I was shopping for. There are things I wish it had (separate memories for Contrast, brightness etc on each input comes instantly to mind.....) but for my particular situation it works just fine. It produces a drop dead gorgeous picture with my JVC prog scan player and there isn't a moment when I regret my purchase.
One question though, what is your seating distance?. If it is around 10 feet or so you won't really notice the difference in size between the Hitachi and Tosh.
Michael.

 

[Jeff Leeds]

I think you'll find that the Hitachi picture quality is one step better than Tosh. That isn't to say that Tosh doesn't make a great set, they do, but the Hitachi sets IMHO have a better picture quality. I had a top-line digital 4:3 61" Tosh in my house for about 2 weeks (this was about 3 years ago) and after that time told my dealer that I just wasn't blown away by it. The DVD picture was often grainy and just didn't hit you in the mouth. He swapped for a SDX Hitachi and the difference was staggering. The wife even could notice it. I've had that set for 3 years now and still love it, just watched the professional on it last night and still getting great enjoyment out of the set. BTW, the build quality on the Hitachi is also better.

 

[Hugh Scrivener]

Because of the lay-out of my room..kit,dining room, living room all-in-one..and the fact that both my sig other and me each require an entire couch for comfortable viewing.....not at all obese, but couch potato's like to stretch out their eyes.... we sit at staggered distances, she at 8.5', me at 13.5", on average.
Another + for the Hit is the size...its a hoss. The Tosh is a little smaller I believe...although I'm purely speculating as no-one here in the shining metropolis of Lynchburg(Fallwellland,USA), Virginia actually stocks a Toshiba 57. Can't spit without hitting a 42h81, or a 50 or even a 65...why the lack of 57's...locally I'm not opposed to buying the Hit at Sears, but NOT(absolutely) from Circuit City.....don't ask why, Although I do love to go in and check out their displays and then tell them that I'm buying but not from them...I'm a #%*king masochist.
At any rate still taking comments...
Oh by the way, send info on any internet deals on either you run across... have no prob with the internet purchase. I figure after a 30 day open ocean voyage on a massive container ship, being lifted and dropped by 200ft cranes dock-side, and then a lengthy ride by truck to my local Best Buy, how bad could the e-tailers stock be?
Did I ramble? heat+beer=