Customer Reviews
Love this HDTV! 
2008-03-29
I've had the Hitachi P42T501 42" plasma TV for about 3 months now and I have not been disappointed. The picture is crystal clear and when watching HD programming on my DishNetwork Satellite Receiver, everything looks so real. When watching a game on NFL HD it feels like you are sitting right there on the field. I got it for a reasonable price at Vann's online store with free shipping to boot. That saved some big bucks since it was delivered to my home via 18-wheeler. Sound is adequate for my living room and this TV has plenty of A/V inputs for all your electronic components. I currently have a DVD player/recorder, HD-DVD player, X-box, Wii, Gamecube, and Nintendo 64 connected and still have an HDMI and a composite input available. Also, this TV has a really good built in digital tuner so that you are ready for the digital transition in Feb. 2009. I live about 50-60 miles from most of my local TV stations and with my rooftop antenna this TV picks up the analog, digital and HD signals available. Also, this TV may not be a top pick in Consumer Reports, but it did come in on the list at number 29 which I feel is a pretty respectable number considering the number of TVs on the market.
Hitachi P42T501 Exceptional! 2007-12-15
I am very please with this purchase. The resolution of this set is great even for the non-HD channels on digital and especially the analog cable channels. I also purchased a HDMI v1.3 cable and the picture was even more stunning particularly on the Discovery HD Theater Channel. Although not full 1080P, I could hardly notice the difference when connected to my Toshiba HD-DVD 1080P player-the HD-DVD Movie "DreamGirls" looked great! This is a terrific set for those who watch regular HD Programming and want good analog resolution from cable channels at a reasonable price. Highly recommended!!!
Hitachi P50H401(a) 2007-11-26
I purchased the Hitachi P50H401A this year (2007) after the price drop. This set was introduced in spring of 2007. It is 1080i resolution (not 1080p) but if you're not sure what that means, read more below.
RESOLUTION: 1080i VS 1080p
Most people think that 1080p is a better picture than 1080i. However, they're wrong. The pixel count in a 1080i unit is exactly the same as all 1080p TVs. The only difference is how the 1080 resolution is achieved. In 1080i (interlaced) units, the horizontal lines are drawn first, then 1 millisecond later, the vertical lines are drawn. In 1080p (progressive)units, the horizontal lines are held back 1 millisecond so that both horizontal and vertical lines arrive on the screen at the same time. The human eye is physically unable to see the difference since the interlace process happens so quickly.
PICTURE QUALITY
The Hitachi P50H401A has a gorgeous, beautifully detailed picture out of the box. However, a few "tweaks" such as setting the color to "Film Standard" makes it even better since it matches the color standard of the Hollywood studios. I used the Avia Home Theater CD (used by professional AV installers) to calibrate my Hitachi. Believe me, blacks are BLACK (not dark gray) and whites are WHITE. You simply can't get a better match.
MENU SYSTEM
The menu system is intuitive and easy to use. There are many user selectable functions to enable you to configure the Hitachi exactly as you want it. (It'll even wake up, turn ON, and tune in any user selected channel - a nice feature.)
ATSC TUNER
The quality of the built-in tuner was a nice surprise. My Hitachi is hooked directly to a very small HDTV antenna (no set top box of any kind) and I'm still pulling in all local station with perfect HD quality.
TABLE-TOP STAND
The included table-top stand is very sturdy and unobtrusive. It holds the TV securely (no wobble at all). It dark black and has an imitation marble look to it (very attractive indeed).
SPEAKER SYSTEM
The Hitachi P50H401A has a built-in speaker system. Frankly, this is the only area where I think Hitachi could've done better. The sound isn't bad but it isn't stellar either. Hitachi does a great job of hiding their speakers but should've installed a beefier speaker system. For smaller rooms, they'll be fine buy in my 25x20 living room I could've used a few more watts of power. However, the Hitachi does come with speaker OUT jacks and an audio optical OUT jack so you can hook up your own speaker system to it (for the audiophiles out there).
SUMMING UP
I could have paid $2400.00 for a Samsung or $2700 for a Sony but why? Hitachi has put together a great TV at a terrific price point. Believe me, when you get this set home, you'll love it as much as I do. (And you'll have hundreds of dollars left too.)
PS. If you're considering a 42-inch TV, remember that NO 42-inch TV has a true 1080i or 1080p resolution because they cannot physically contain all of the pixels required for the higher resolution. A 50-inch TV is the smallest TV that is physically capable of containing all of the pixels required for a true 1080 resolution. Sure, they tell you that a 42-inch TV is true 1080 but what they mean is that the pixel density is such that it WOULD be a true 1080 unit if it were big enough to contain all of the required pixels. (Hey, but what do I know. I only worked in the engineering department of RCA, designing TVs for a few years.)
Outstanding Picture 
2007-11-21
At 1024x1080 it's not the full 1080p, but the picture is outstanding!
It's priced competitively making it an awsome value.
