Customer Reviews
Great Price- Even Greater TV 
2007-10-02
After reading a recommendation from Consumer Reports, I shopped this unit around and purchased it off the internet for $2,000 (freight incl.) and am very happy with the quality of the picture- although as with most high-tech electronics; my lack of understanding of all of the ways to connect to your cable box, DVD recorder, surround-sound, etc. made set-up a very confusing and time-consuming ordeal. If you are not an audio-video technophile, you may want to consider hiring a professional to come in and do it right.
Don't buy Hitachi! 
2007-06-28
My Hitachi HDTV is still broken after 4 repair attempts. Phone support flat out lies to me telling me they don't offer refund or exchange. After escalating it to her supervisor, got him to admit that exchange is an option. Now waiting for them to call me back with their decision. Not holding my breath.
You must buy this HDTV...NOW!!!! 
2007-06-26
All I have to say is wow! Like some of the others have said, I too did a TON of research on this TV along with every other TV in its's class. Hitachi is a fantastic manufacturer and this is an incredible TV. Amazon's price of $1,999.99 is completely fair for a machine of this quality and their price is consistent with other retailers fortunate enough to have a couple of these TV's.
I watched my first Blu-Ray movie on this TV last night and I was blown away. Watching sports in High-Def is truly amazing. I just cant say enough.
Also, if you happen to own a PS3, this TV really brings out the quality picture in your games.
WORD OF ADVICE: Don't wait on this too much longer. These TV's are in limited supply and, as you can imagine, are selling out quickly. Also, be prepared to spend around $200 for either a stand or a wall mount kit.
Bigger is better 2007-06-14
I did over 6 months of research and found this set to be the best bang for the buck. I was able to get it for $1729 at Tiger Direct and was lucky enough to be just out of state so no tax and I picked it up so no shipping. I put it on the wall with a Peerless Tilt mount rated to 200lbs and it was the easiest install I had ever done. The only word of caution: This is a huge set and it takes 2 big guys to lift and install.
Now I am into professional video and work closely with video reproduction on computer monitor and other screens so my eye is more critical than most and I have one thing to say. There are purchases that don't live up to your expectations, products that come out about what you expected and the few that far exceed your expectations. My experience was the latter. For the cost, this set blew me away. You can't get a better looking image from a set this size for this cost. I paired it with a Toshiba HD-2A HD DVD player and though the Toshiba is a little clunky, it has awesome image upconversion and features (an obvious early adopter box). The SD DVDs I have played on it look awesome. I will let you know how the HD DVDs look once I pick a few up. I plugged my XBOX 360 in and WOW, there is nothing like it (there were audible gasps from my friends)...even from 3 feet away!
This set is being phased out by Hitachi and replaced by a smaller 50" 1080i 401 series set now which I hear is also very good, but I was quite happy to save a grand and have 5 more inches on my wall.
LOTS OF LYEING GOIN ON 
2007-05-07
I even called the store before ordering the tv to make sure it would come with a stand so the tv wouldnt just fall over. But they promised me that it would come with a small base stand. Of course it didnt and when I called them they said they would send one right out, which of course they never did. Horrible purchases and follow through ...........It cost me over two hundred more to buy an cheap stand so I could use the dumb tv. Just beware from this company.
Just Bought One 2007-04-09
The Hitachi UltraVision 55 Inch Plasma HDTV produces a truly cinematic home viewing experience. The VirtualHD 1080p III Video processor technology ensures a sharp, smooth and seamless, by analyzing and optimizing each frame. An anti-reflective screen ensures the best picture performance possible in any lighting. With its ultra-slim design, the UltraVision 55" Plasma HDTV has a sleek profile as sophisticated as the innovative technologies inside. Anti-reflective glass screen Seamless HDTV (ATSC), NTSC tuner Digital Cable Ready (QAM) 3 Color Temperatures 4-step black enhancement 10-bit digital 4MB 3D Y/C Comb Filter Resolution - 1366 x 768 Pixel Pitch - 0.90 (H) x 0.90 (V) mm MTS Stereo/SAP with dbx Simulated Surround Bass Boost 36-Watt 3-way speaker system 3 language on-screen display Parental Lock (V-Chip) Connectivity - 2 S-Video in, A/V in(4 rear, 1 side), Optical & Fixed/Variable Output, RF input, IR output 3 HDMI interfaces -- 2 rear, 1 side Photo File Viewer USB CableCARD interface Color - Black with Silver trim Monitor Dimensions(HxWxD) - 33-1/8 x 59-1/2 x 4-1/4 Weight - 139 lbs. Wall Mountable Does not include TV stand. Optional Stand or Wall Mount required
Excellent 2007-03-10
I read all the reviews here and concur with all the rave reviews. The only problem I see and it's not unique to Hitachi is that Closed Captioning does not work in HD modes.
Hitachi Ultravision 55" Plasma 2007-01-12
I bought this to replace my 61" projection TV.
Sleek, beautiful picture. Stock speakers sound great! Easy to figure out gadgets.
PIP option is awesome too!
You'll be glad you bought this if you do!
Erik
Great tv for its price 2007-01-07
Pros
The picture quality is unbelieveble. HD quality is second to none. It is probably the sharpest picture I have seen (researched plasma/lcd tvs for over 2 years). It has lots of inputs for all devices and the setup out of the box is pretty easy. Picture in Picture quality is great.
TV comes with a WIPE functionality. This allows you to clean the plasma screen and prevent any burns. (Usually available with much more expensive models)
Cons
Remote is bit antiquated for the price of the tv. Picture in picture works only if one of the feeds is HD. Base needs to be bought (add $200 to the price.)
Bottom line - I would recommend buying this tv. Shop around and you should be able to find it for less than $2500.
Great Product - but be careful when mounting! 2007-01-03
This TV is phenominal for the price - can't beat it! It's much cheaper than any of the Panasonic or Samsung series, and has an abundance of inputs. I ordered the OmniMount Systems Plasma Tilt Wall Mount (U3TILTMOUNT) for the unit. The screws that come with the panasonic TV have a hex head while the screws that come with the OmniMount Systems Wall Mount were only phillips type 3 screw heads. I figured the hex heads would be stronger, so I attempted to mount the wall-mount bracket to the TV with those screws - BAD IDEA! The first screw snapped off inside the TV with very little pressure. Regardless, I was lucky to have a screw extraction kit handy (thanks Dad!). I drilled a small hole in what was left of the snapped-off screw and extracted the screw with surprising ease. I then used the scres that came with the Omnimount Systems wall-mount and they were much more secure. I'm a little worried that only four screws hold this unit to the wall, but I hear that's how they all are. The mount I am using is rated for up to 200lbs, and this TV is only 130lbs.
One other note is that the TV does not come with a stand or mount of any kind - you need to purchase some mount. I would highly recommend the OmniMount Systems Plasma Tilt Wall Mount (U3TILTMOUNT) (can also be purchased on Amazon).
I also read online that some users were having difficulty hooking a computer up to some of the inputs. I have a computer with DVI output. I bought a DVI-to-HDMI converter on eBay and attached an HDMI cable from this converter to the TV and it's great! You can't really see any text because it's really not made for that, but video games look AWESOME! Can't beat it!
Time to get ready for the football playoffs!
