Hitachi 50VS810 50 in. HDTV LCD TV

Pros: Beautiful cabinet. Good analog cable pictures. Two HDMI inputs.
Cons: Small viewing angle even for LCD projection TV.

I bought this 50" ULTRAVISION 50VS810 on 12/7/2005. I have dreamed of plasma TV but I made practical choice. I have used it for one and a half month now. Here are basic specifications for whom is not familiar with this model; Manufacturer: ...

Pros: Beautiful HD cable channels, decent sound, fabulous plasma-like cabinet, narrow depth, decent blacks
Cons: Screen splotches, corner green overshoot, consistency, SD (especially TIVO with green highlighting everywhere)

I had great expectations when I bought this rear projection LCD HDTV in November 2004. In early November I took delivery of this set that was manufactured in October 2004. The TV really had a fairly narrow depth (16 3/8") to the case so it didn't ...

Pros: looks, SD picture, 2 HDMI inputs
Cons: not a plasma

When I started looking for a big TV, I realized that the majority of my viewing for the next few years would be DVDs and SD TV. I ruled out a plasma (my first choice-Panasonic was the best)because my kids wanted a TV that they could play video games on. ...

Pros: Looks great, lots of inputs, nice picture.
Cons: short lamp life, expensive replacement lamps.

When I bought this TV in February 2005 for $5000 (Canadian), I thought that I was going to have trouble-free HDTV viewing for at least 10 years. Previous experience from Hitachi has shown me that they make a reliable product (usually). I was quite ...

Pros: Outstanding picture quality. Plasma like design.Upgradeable firmware.Duel HDMI inputs.
Cons: None that i have found.

I decided this year would be the year I upgraded from my 35" Hitachi tube. I owned this T.V for 12 years and was always happy with it. So I was leaning toward buying Hitachi again. However I was willing to invest up to 3,500 so I was keeping an open mind ...

Pros: great picture with HDTV. Sound is excellent.
Cons: needed repair and still not right within warrenty period.

We bought this set for christmas 05 (family gift) as a discounted "open box" for $1800 US. Plugged in, it had a amazing picture and sound. 2-3 months later, red vertical lines showed up after 2-3 hours of use. Called warrenty, repair dudes hauled off and ...

Pros: Silver cabinet looks Great. Sound OK Thin build great for small areas.
Cons: BAD BAD Engineering. Poor Product Quality. Lamps short life span. Projector system melts.

Lamp burned out after 4 months. The product is now melting when turned on. This product is a lemon from word go. Buy yourself a Panasonic Plasma and save $2000. Lamp costs $281 and lasts 4 months. PLEASE DO NOT BUY! Worst TV ever made.
Runs good for two months before problems begin. Projector system melts down after short period of use.

Pros: Good picture, especially on high definition.
Cons: Slow to warm up, horrible customer support staff.

I have had this set for about a month and am very impressed with it overall. One design flaw is that the use speakers as center option has a separate input jack for each of the A/V inputs. Since most receivers have only one center out jack, if you have multiple audio sources, you have to figure out some way to get the sound from that one output jack to all the different inputs on the set.

When I called Hitachi customer support to ask about this it took three tries to get someone intelligent enough to even comprehend the question, much less answer it. (the answer turned out to be you're out of luck). The first two customer support reps were incompetent and belligerent.

I like this set but I'll probably never buy another Hitachi product.

Pros: picture
Cons: Short lamp life and high to replace

We purchased the TV on 10/14/04. On 2/17/05 the lamp burned out after 4 months. Hitachi only warranties the lamp for 90 days. $250.00 to replace the lamp.