Toshiba vs Hitachi (1 Viewer)

[Roy Wallace]

Hello everyone:
I have a couple of items regarding these two makes that I would love this fine forums input with.
I have ended my search with these two mostly due to availability. (and that I know the sales dude who will give me a great discount.)
Anything I have found on this forum speaks fondly of both of these makes, so I am confident either will be a great choice, but any opinions are always welcomed.
Do you still agree, and are these models a good choice?
The two models I am liking so far are: Toshiba 57HDX82 and the Hitachi 57GWX20B. There are several different 57 inch rptv's listed on each web site. I have trouble determining the subtle differences between each, and would love any of your suggestions or experiences if you have recently gone through this decision procedure.
Thanks for any information

Roy

 

[Joe Meissner]

Roy

I think it will depend on what type of material you watch most. I just ordered my tosh 50hdx82. I picked it for a few reasons.

1....it is 21 inches deep compared to hitachi. 25"

2....overall picture on all sources.and The stretch modes are awesome on the tosh. this was a big factor due to the wife watching tv during the day.

3....price

4....like the look of the cabinet.

I thought the colors looked more acurate on the tosh in the store. and I dont plan on getting the set isf'ed for a while, so ootb performance was a deciding factor.the hitachi will do a little better on dvd and hdtv but the toshiba was very close. it deffinetly looked better with the other sources and the stretching of 4:3 material. so for the money i thought the toshiba was the perfect choice for me.

 

[Roy Wallace]

Thanks, Joe:
Great points.
I haven't had a chance to compare the stretch modes yet, but my salesman pal prefers the Toshiba and he will let me fiddle with settings and whatever in store before I buy one.
My viewing will most likely be about 50/50 so these modes will be important, and I have been reading about burn in etc.
The cabinet depth is a nice plus too.
Thank you for the comments. I look forward to my next visit to the store
Roy

 

[McPaul]

Roy, I'm curious, what price did the Visions guy quote you on those sets? I think the SWX would be much more in line with the HDX series if you want to compare apples to apples. Good luck with your choice!

 

[greg_t]

From what I've gathered just from general reading about these two, is that both upconvert 480i/480p sources to 540p. The hitachi is supposed to do a better job of upconverting, which would lead you to believe that the Hitch has the better line doubler. I've also read the the Hitachi's stretch modes are not good, and have read good things about the toshibas have very good stretch modes. However, I've also read about some ghosting issues with toshiba that seem to still be around. You also need to take into account if either of the two sets have DVI or firewire inputs. My theory would be if you are mainly going to use it for DVD and HD, go with the Hitachi. If you will watch lots of non dvd/hd sources, the Toshiba may have a little edge.

 

[Roy Wallace]

Paul:
I am actually shopping at the Bay, as I know one of the salesmen. We have not discussed what the bottom line will be yet, only that it will be a good bit below MSRP. He also assures me that warranty will never be an issue.
This way I can get a fair discount and still retain the conveniences of delivery, etc, that might be axed (and an extra cost) if I were to dicker for the ultimate lowest price.
I can also get a bunch of Airmiles by using my Bay card
Thanks for the interest, everyone.
Roy

 

[Emmett Maguire]

Roy, I have the 57swx20b Hitachi so maybe prejudiced. I did three months of research and decided to go with the Hitachi over the Toshiba. I am extremely pleased with the unit and would do it again. The picture quality is more than I hoped for, especially on SD satellite.

I was able to purchase this unit at Sears for the same relative price at the Toshiba hdx which certainly helped with my decision.

Regards
Emmett

 

[Jan Strnad]

I chose Toshiba because I preferred the picture over the other sets I looked at (did NOT look at Hitachi), the shallow depth, the overall appearance of the set, and the fact that this happened AFTER I'd chosen the 42H81 as my favorite:
My wife and I walked into a Fry's store. We confronted the first bank of TVs that we came to, which did not include the Tosh. She wandered a few feet away and pointed to the Tosh 42H81. "What about this one?" she said, "I like it."
"Me, too," I said. Decision made.
Now, about Hitachi: There's a bunch of discussion on the AVS Board about Hitachi's red push and an "unfixable" yellowish tint to the greens, most noticeable on green foliage and football fields, that gives them a kind of lime-green cast.
I haven't personally seen the Hitachi, so I can't say anything from personal experience. However, I'd look at this issue very carefully if color fidelity is important to you. (It is very important to me, far more than high-end sharpness.)
I'm not saying that Hitachis are no good! I'm just saying, "Check it out." Obviously we have a lot of very satisfied Hitachi owners here.
Good luck with your decision-making!
Jan

 

[John_Drake]

Hey Roy,
Just to add my 2 cents...
I bought the Toshiba 65HDX82 after researching RPTV's for almost a year. I originally had been looking at the Hitachi's but in the end I bought the Toshiba.
For one, the Toshiba looked great out of the box and was easy to calibrate (I used the Sound and Vision DVD).
I liked the stretch modes and the picture of the Toshiba from the beginning. My wife always ended up looking at the Toshiba whenever we went to the store to look at them.
I use mine to watch DirecTV, DVD, and X-Box. DVD and X-box look fabulous and the Satellite generally looks good (some stations are better than others).
I cannot comment on the Hitachi but the deciding factors for the Toshiba for me were:
1) Great picture
2) Easy setup
2) Slim and sleek cabinet design
3) DVI connecter built in
4) Great price and warranty (this was the clencher, it was less than the Hitachi)
I had asked the salesman at PC Richard when I was in the store deciding on which set if he recommended any other set over the Toshiba and he said "Hitachi makes a nice set too, but if you're already looking at the Toshiba, I'm not gonna try to change your mind, the Toshiba is a great set too".
I bought the Toshiba and never looked back...
I hope this helps.

 

[Roy Wallace]

All of your comments are very helpful, thank you all.
I will post an update once I make a purchase.

Cheers!

Roy

 

[Aaron Lock]

Roy,

I was in the same spot as you about a month ago. I ended up with the Toshiba 50H82. 50" is about the limit for my room, and there are problems (so I read) with this years 50HDX. I looked at the Hitachis and thought the Tosh had a nicer picture. Once I ran through it with Avia, man, it's sweet. I'm saving my pennies now to get it ISFed ($350 here in Windsor). I use it for the whole mainly for DVD, satellite, and x-box. All are great.

For a price reference, I picked mine up at the Future Shop for $3200 out the door with the 3 year warranty and a JVC XV-S502SL DVD player included. But, I worked the sales guy over pretty good.

Aaron.