Mits WS-65809 vs. Hitachi 61UWX10B RPTV (1 Viewer)

[Todd Gregory]

After considerable investigation I have narrawed my choices down to these two models. I like the brightness of the Hitachi but the larger size of the Mits.
Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with either model?
Mits is promising ugradeability to future HDTV formats for a "reasonable" fee. Is this a considerations?
The price is the same as both have been offered to me for $2750.
I appreciate any feedback.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Todd,
I had the 53" version of the Hitachi you're considering for a couple of weeks. It had a distinct greenish tint in the darker parts of the picture, and at the Home Theater Spot many other Hitachi owners have reported the same problem.
I swapped for a Sony KP57HW40, and could not be happier. Unfortunately there is no larger model in the HW40 series.
Mits sets are generally highly regarded, though not known for having the best line doublers and stretch modes. They are also said to suffer from excessive red push.
Toshibas are generally thought to be excellent choices, with better doubling and more accurate color decoders than the Mits sets, and they do make a 65" model that has an msrp about the same as Mits' 65", though you may not get as deep a discount.
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Steve S.
I prefer not to push the subwoofers until they're properly run in.

 

[Jamie Cole]

Hi Todd,
I know this is a huge deal, and I wasted a lot of extra time and effort on other sets before I came back to a company that had done me right for years before widescreen TV: Mitsubishi.
After trying FOUR different Tosh sets, starting with the now-two-year-old 40X81 and moving on to the 55H80, I found the sets to have some nice stretch modes, but a little shoddily built (just my opinion, don't flame me) and every single one I had displayed raster ringing and reflection halos. The difference once I got the Mits 55809 was enough to make me jump up and down.
I love my Mits, you will find many others here who love their Toshes. For the record, I've never seen a Hitachi that even comes close to either of them.
~Jamie

 

[Ron-P]

I've had my Mits 46807 for about 6 months now and love it. Very tweakable. Over at the HomeTheaterSpot you will find tons of info on the Mits TVs and how to tweak'em. That was also info I took into consideration before I made the purchase.
Peace Out~

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http://home.earthlink.net/~peregrinefalcon

 

[davepr]

I guess I am the strange one..
I just chose Hitachi 43" over Tosh 42" or Mits 46".. IMHO the Mits had too much red for my liking. The Hitachi picture to my eyes was at least as good as the Mits and maybe a touch under the Tosh. I thought the Tosh had the best picture The concern about the Hitachi green tint was resolved in the hometheaterspot.com forum. I did not like the Tosh reflective screen. I also talked to a tech who had service both Hitachi and Toshiba. He thought the Hitachi was better built.
I like the Sony and it would have been a strong contender but did not make a set in the size I was looking for.
But these are all just opinions.. You heard from someone who thinks Hitachi ain't close... And now from someone who differs. I will tell you that Tosh's and Mits's are the most PC choice in the forums. Hitachi is not PC.
Dave

 

[Todd Gregory]

I spent the weekend parked in front of the Hitachi and Mits as well as a Toshiba and have found good and bad with all 3. If I looked at any one TV long enough I eventually like what I was looking at. Hitachi has a nice, bright screen but I saw a lot of jagged lines especially near the corners. The Toshiba had a nice clear picture but the screen protector created a glare at certain angles and overall build quality did not seem equal to the others. Lastly, the Mits Plat and Plat+ seemed a bit softer, without noticeable jaggies but as has been noted was clearly heavy in the “red”.
Someone pointed me to the “Spot” and I must say that is an excellent website. Lot’s of great user info and tweaks. After reviewing the info there and based on my own tests I am leaning towards the Mits 65819 (Platinum Plus).
I wish the input and encryptions standards were determined and I could purchase with the knowledge that I will not have an obsolete TV in two years. The Mits “promise” card appears to their effort to reduce these concerns but it is still a big question in my mind.
Thank you to everyone for you input.
Finger is on the trigger…… ,
Todd

 

[Jamie Cole]

Todd,
The red push tweak at the Spot improved the picture on my Mits about 150% ... PLUS it's easy and cheap. If you buy the set and can't find it, feel free to e-mail me and I will share it with you.
Also, one cool thing about the Mits is when you watch 4:3 material in OAR (I like to watch football games on Saturdays and some of thursday night TV), the 4:3 area on the set "moves around" (not during use but might appear in a slightly different area of the screen each time you switch to it) to reduce burn-in potential. This is a very cool feature that I didn't know about when I bought the TV but has really reduced my worry about burn-in.
Also, be sure to reduce the contrast and brightness right out of the box when you get your set, no matter which one you decide on.
~Jamie
(BTW, I think you're dead on in your assessment of the Tosh's build. And, the "glare screen" on the Mits comes on and off so easily you won't believe it; it literally takes seconds. And you can put the thing back on easily if you have rambunctious company.)

 

[Todd Gregory]

Well, I pulled the trigger this evening and bought a Mits Plat+ (65819). It should be delivered in a few days.
I really tried to be objective between the various units and kept coming back to the Mits. After tweaking the settings on several units I played the Shrek DVD on a progressive scan player and was amazed at the quality. It was clearly superior to the others I looked at.
I appreciate everyone’s input. Jamie, I may follow up with you regarding the "red push" tweak. I could not find anything on the "Spot" to correct it other than the attenuator.
Todd