Outstanding sound handling for analog output. Built in spekers that are better then most Sats and can be used as a true center channel.

Outsanding appearance and visual aesthetics for a Home Theater.

Big screen, small price.

Outstanding "day" and "night" presets for HDMI and composite inputs. 2 HDMI inputs.

Nice on set controls and input location.

Colors a bit off with component inputs.

Screen door and other artifacts would be less noticable if this were 1080p rather than 720p. (But very good for 720p)

Remote is average at best.

I have the 2005-6 model of this series, called 60VG825. It is out of date in the sense that most rear projection TVs over 50" are now offered with 1080p maximum resolution, but a couple of years ago this was the state of the art for LCD rear projection. OTOH, Hitachi seems to have given up on its rear projection lineup, so mine is the best that they offer.

My purchase was motivated by price, and by a few good reviews online. At the time, our local Circuit City had the 55" and 60" models on clearance. I was actual in the store to look at the 50" model since that was - and is - a pretty good value. However the 50" was actaully several hundred $ more than the clearence price for the larger sets, so I figured, "what the heck". We had just moved into a house with a 26X20 great room that is perfect for home theater, so I thought we had room. I would have purchased the 55" and saved $80, but by the time I made my choice that one was sold out. I am very glad I got this model at this price.

I would rate the picture quality as dead average for a modern HDTV. It all depends on the source. 720P television (e.g. ESPN HD) is dead perfect through an HDMI input. 1080i is very good, except that there are motion artifacts due to the interlacing. 480P from DVDs is usually good, but not great. Colors are a little different for component imputs relative to HDMI (more green, less vibrant.) The TV has independant settings for each input ,which is, unfortunately, quite necessary. The presets include a "day" and "night' setting for each input that is spot on for HDMI and composite inputs in natural or incandescent light. The only truly dissapointing video is analog TV captured from broadcast sources (our local affiliates) by our cable company. In the words of Nick Backai, it looks like, "somebody smeared peanut butter on my screen." Anything captured from satalite (e.g. national cable channels) is very good whether it gets to our set digitally, or as analog cable, and whether the decoding is done by the TV our our cable box. We do not have a "cable card" so I can't tell you how that works and I also havn't tried anythign with an S-video cable. As noted above I am not sure I see great results from component inputs, but the composite inputs are fine.

What makes this TV special (besides the large screen and the price I paid) is its sound handling capability, its input versatility, and its aesthetics - all part of what Hitachi calls "cine-form" . The lack of a pedistle makes this look like a flat screen from the front and the flat black finish really helps reduce distraction. The side controls and inputs are very convinient and also out of the line of view. The screen is non-reflective and offers about 45 degree viewing angle to each side. Note that the lack of a pedistal does require you find the tallest stand you can if you want optimal viewing height.

I have an analog pro-logic receiver (not pro-logic II). I send all of my audio sources through the TV becasue it processes sound so well and the output is exactly the coded 2-channel input that the receiver wants. This is a big change from my last TV that tended to output stereo devoid of the pro-logic coding. There are two DSP sound enhancements that I find usefull with the receiver, but essential without. One enhances stereo separation (and moves some of the main channel to the rear speaker for a wider surround experience. The other enhances overtones providing a brighter and more live effect. I find that each level and combination of these enhancements provides a different experience ranging from clean but bland without processing to slightly grating and overprocesses with both on full. Using one or the other at a medium setting or using both at the lowest setting provides the best resutls. The analog output level is switchable for fixed vs variable (variable is much more practical) and the built-in speakers can be set on, off, or as a true center channel, which is great. I get the best resuts using the TV as center and setting my receiver in "normal" pro-logic mode, even if I don't actually connect a center speaker. If I set the TV spekers to "on" and use the receiver on "phantom" mode I get nice sound quality, but don't get a true center channel. Neither the TV nor my receiver has a subwoofer output. I run the sub off my main from speker output. Acutually, my front spekers are good enough that the sub is redundant except for sound effects, so YMMV, but this certainly works for us.

If you are in the market now, I would recommend purchasing a 1080p HDTV for a screen this large, but we are pretty happy that we were able to get a comlete home theater setup for $2000 total that has no compromises in sound quality or screen size. (Lots of credit goes to buying fill sized Sony Speakers from Etronics. I paid more for my TV Stand than I did for my speakers and sub!!)

Customer Service

We bought an extended service warrentee that includes the first bulb replacement and runs for 4 years. We are litterally hoping that something breaks, (if it does die, they will have to replace it with a much more expensive set since they no longer sell this model.) So for no dice.

Similar Products Used:

This is our first HDTV and first big screen. Previously we had a direct-view 25" Magnovox SDTV.

Anyway, i am using the Bravo D2 player, for the price i paid this player has paid for itself, another great product. HDMI inputs(2) Component inputs (3 i believe) HDTV capable which is superb. cable card ready, photo input. every time i go to best buy or a HT shop/dealer i can honestly say to myself that, "my tv looks just like that" most of the time and alot of times better. tweakablity is great..color/hue/contrast/RGB all can be minutely adjusted if one desires. 3 levels of black enhancement which in my opinion is critical to have in a size/RPG tv like this. most do not really show blacks very well. i really wish that i could post some pics of movie screen shots that i have so u could see. displays all formats-480p/720p/1080i. not really concerned with 1080p due to the fact that there really isn't alot of 1080p material available and may not be for quite some time outside of HD DVDs.

one thing i just think is too coo. l with most TVs that are constructed in all black or high gloss, when the lights are dimmed or off completely and once your eyes adjust..the picture "floats". there is nothing that catches the eye or distracts the viewer on the tv. no silver buttons or alot of LEDs, just the picture. in my observation most high-end monitors/plasmas/LCD-RPG sets incorporate this into its design. it may seem that it isn't alot of difference but believe me its very nice.

the remote is nice actually, when my marantz rc3200 starting acting up i used the remote for all of my basic functions for my components, except the Bravo D2, no code for that.

the value is still apparent. i looked up prices a while back and they are still in the 28-2900 dollar range. highly recommended. Mitsubishi is nice also.

umm the only weakness would be i would have liked one more HDMI input. but that takes nothing away from the tv. if i really wanted that i would have gone one model up which i could not afford.

Hello everyone, id like to put a little info here about my experience so far with the 60VS810. I bought it last April and have been extremely satisfied with my decision. I previously had a Sony 42 LCD which actually was very nice especially for movies that have alot of bright color. however the reason that i decided to sell it and get another TV, aside from wanting something bigger, was the fact that it was not future-proof in that it only had a DVI in and we all know what problems lie ahead for this type of format. and the picture although good was not all-around good. blacks really were not good, there was not black actually only greys...

i have not used the speakers on the Tv much but the SRS is convincing when i decided to play around. i even left it on with my home theater and used as my center speaker, sounded pretty good.

more than prepared for the HD DVD/Blu Ray wars..

Similar Products Used:

Sony 42" widescreen LCD