Hitachi 42HDT52 Reviews
Filed Under: Home Theater Reviews, Plasma and LCD Displays Hitachi’s new UltraVision 42 inch 42HDT52 plasma screen conjures up a decent review at cnet. The machine is designed with motorized swivel stand. Now that’s a useful feature, not.
This thing is second from the top of the Hitachi line, but doesn’t quite measure up to the $4400 list price tag. However, it can be found for less than $2800:
“The good: Solid video processing with 2:3 pull-down; separate Day and Night memories per input; comprehensive connectivity; extensive feature package; power swivel stand.
The bad: Expensive; incorrect color decoding; poor black-level performance; visible false-contouring artifacts; no PC input.
The bottom line: While the Hitachi 42HDT52 plasma is full-featured and downright beautiful to look at, its image quality doesn’t quite measure up to that of the tough competition.”
HTdude says keep on looking.
December 13th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
[…] We took a look at this Hitachi plasma with eCoustics a few weeks back, which was not a favorable one. […]
December 14th, 2005 at 9:31 am
I also read the CNET review after my wife fell in love with this unit, and my initial thoughts were the same as yours. However, I wondered just how qualified CNET is to make reviews of higher end devices with such subjective parameters. It is for that reason that I continued research. To my surprise, and my wife’s delight, I found additional more favorable reviewsincluding the one linked here:
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=1080
I’m not going out of my way to defend this set, however, I’m not comfortable accepting the ‘HTdude says keep on looking’ comment without digging alittle deeper than CNET.
December 14th, 2005 at 10:10 am
I posted another review on this set yesterday, from Ultimate AV:
http://www.htdude.com/archives/267
they also comment on poor black level performance and color accuracy.
And I agree, all online reviews are subjective. It’s really only your opinion and desire that matter. No matter what any review or other opinion is, you’ll either like the purchase or you won’t. That’s what makes the difference.
Any time the wife falls in love with anything HT, we should always take heed!
WAF (wife approval factor) is sometimes the #1 biggest spec to look for, and that’s one you’ll never see mentioned in reviews.
If you get the set, please let me know what you think. I’d love post your full user review, if you’d like.