Hitachi 53FDX20B 53 in. TV

Pros: HDTV support
Cons: picture qual. isn't that great - default settings are bad

The other day I was in some Electronics Department in some store and a salesman actually used this line as a selling point for an HDTV, "In 2006, when HDTV goes into full effect..." I guess he doesn't really want to make money until 2006. Hahaha, oh...

Pros: Quality set,Highly rated reliability, Great Picture, Easy setup, Attractive cabinet, bang for the buck.
Cons: Too big for a 12x20 room but that is debatable.

We needed to replace our 15 year old 47" RPTV so I did a lot of research looking for the highest quality TV.
According to the various articles, reviews, and experts
I talked to the Hitachi is number one. Then it was a matter of choosing which...

Pros: Beautiful Picture Easy on-screen menu One-button calibration
Cons: Doesn't like video through receiver using component video.

I bought this TV 3 months ago and I love it. It was right next to the widescreen version and I liked this TVs picture quality better. I have about 70 DVDs that are only in 4:3 format (TV shows on DVD, I buy widescreen when its available) so this format ...

Pros: HDTV, large screen size, PIP, auto focus
Cons: Heavy to move

I've had this Hitachi big screen for 3 and a half years and have never had a problem. HDTV looks great and even regular digital channels look as expected.

Pros: Picture quality, ease of use, HDTV, 1080i
Cons: Over 200 pounds, understandable as it is rear-projection though.

Now this Hitachi is not a fancy plasma or DLP TV, but honestly it came out in 2002, it has served me extremely well since day #1. No glitches (the other reviewer surely had a rare bad apple). Everyone comes over to watch the games! This TV is perfectly great set for someone wanting a huge 53 inch HDTV who doesnt see the need to drop 3k on a DLP HDTV. The 1080i here is great! Love the picture.

Pros: 1280X1080i res screen, great color & pic, awesome split screen gaming (two 1280X540dpi widescreens)
Cons: Only 1280X1080i (best for it's time and aspect ratio), 220lb behemoth

I bought this unit in 8/03 and it hasn't had one problem. I chose a 4X3 aspect ratio unit because I mostly watched 4X3 programming (cartoons with my kids) and watched little broadcast TV and HD programming, even today (live HD sports, HD news, Discovery HD and a few others): This unit's widescreen is still equal to about a 48" widescreen TV in most regards, anyway. SD DVD widescreen movies look awesome in it's widescreen mode; this is only 1280X1080i (compared to modern 1920X1080p widescreen units) due to the 4X3 TV design but it is still great (1920X1080p is obviously better for HD widescreen). I never used the upscaling features because this 'smoothing' feature reduces clarity in interlaced displays.

I bought the 3 year extended warranty ($200) and had a tech come test/adjust/clean it once per year: Actually, every tech only cleaned and tested it - always awesome pic and gun test results (and commented so). Since it is a digital TV, it won't have any issues when all TV broadcasts go digital in 2/09 as well. Still runs great and looking forward to PS3 and Blue Ray (HD DVD) on it.

Pros: the picture was nice while it lasted
Cons: VERY expensive for just a few years' use. STAY AWAY!

We spent $1700 on this TV three years ago. We've already had a tech out last year to replace a part which cost us close to $300. Now something is wrong with the convergence, making the TV unwatchable. The repair estimate is another $375.

I will NEVER purchase another Hitachi item again. I called their customer service line for the last problem, and they told me, "Oooh. Looks like you are one month out of warranty. Sorry, we can't help you. You'll have to call a local TV repair shop."