Picture quality with DVD and analog TV is astonishing. Easy menu system and set-up. Well designed remote. PIP features.

Build quality, fit and finish.

The truth: This TV may have the best picture I have ever seen, but it is not the best built set I have ever seen.

POSITIVES: Other than the feed from Dish Network (more on that below), the picture is astounding. DVD yields the best non-HD picture possible. If you have never seen the set before, you will be shocked at the crispness and clarity. Even at viewing distances of nine feet, the only flaws in the picture are those in the recording. Even my wife, who can hardly turn the TV on without instructions, repeatedly commented about the picture clarity, especially when we viewed Gladiator, Chicked Run, and The Patriot. Analog cable picture is not nearly as good, but that is to be expected. However, you can't find a better analog cable picture on any other set. Scan lines are a thing of the past. The full-time progressive scan really helps analog broadcasts. Concerning Dish Network, the pictue looks blurred and at times very pixelized. Dish Net's feed is the cause, I'm sure. When viewed even on a 26" analog JVC set, the same anomolies occur. Unfortunately, when increased to 53", these flaws are magnified. The picture isn't terrible, but the flaws are obvious. Better resolution on the Dish Net feed would eliminate the pixelization, but that's another conversation (I can't wait for HD broadcasts).
The menu is very intuitive, if not just plain simple. The remote has great ergonomics. The layout is perfect. The remote isn't too cluttered with tiny buttons like many remotes are. Connections are adequate, but not plentiful. I had to use my A/V receiver (Pioneer Elite VSX36TX) to handle all video and audio switching, except for analog cable. The receiver doesn't have an "F" connector input so I ran cable into the antenna A input on the TV. The audio from the cable feed is sent out to the TV's speakers.
This TV has similar features compared to others in its class/price range. One feature I love is the split-screen PIP. Two 26" pictures from different sources can be viewed simultaneously. Grey bars are placed at the top and bottom to fill the screen, but they don't bother me. I use this feature frequently. Overall, Hitachi offers quite a bit for the price. But all is not well.

NEGATIVES: Let me preface this paragraph by stating that I know of two friends who have the same set and have had no problems. Unfortunately, I ain't so lucky. I have experienced two problems; the much documented vertical grey bars (read the other reviews below) and the internal speakers quit working randomly. The grey bars must be either a design error or a quality assurance issue. The fit and finish is dreadful, but that is an industy-wide problem. The speaker problem is a mystery to me. When I turn on the TV to watch cable, sometimes I get no sound. I can't repeat the error, which drives me nuts. The only way I have found to remedy this issue is to unplug the set and then plug it back in. I can't figure this one out. Regardless, for $3,000 I expect more. I both placed a call and emailed Hitachi and I am waiting for a response. Hopefully, customer service will handle these issues quickly.

CONCLUSION: If build quality/QA were better, this set would rate a 10 from me. However, poor craftsmanship can't be overlooked. Obviously, not all sets have problems. Maybe I got the random lemon, but I doubt it. If you can buy from a local dealer who has good good customer service practices, this TV is wirth the risk. Otherwise, be carefull. By the way, I used the Video Essentials DVD to tweak my set. It really helps. The factory contrast, sharpness, and brightness settings are way too high. Set the sharpness down near zero.

great picture quality & color contrast

S inputs not working on delivery

Overall, we really like the unit. Upon set-up I was $#@$#2! to see only a black & white picture from my DVD unit. After replacing the S cable twice, the Circut City repair crew was quick to respond to my home. The part is now on order, so time will tell. Regarding the additional service warranty I purchased.....they will only come out if there is a problem with the set vs service calls for annual cleanings and adjustments like the sales staff insisted they would do. I would buy from Circut City again, but make sure you pin them down on exactly what you receive in exchange for the extra warranty costs.

Picture was beautiful.

Time to get replacement parts. Broken three times in 6 months.

This is a follow up to my 8/200 review below. In one word....HORRIBLE. The tv worked fine for one year and the day after the NBA finals 2000 it died. Luckily VAC corp worked me to get it fixed and Sears(contracted by VAC) came out to fix it THREE TIMES. Each time it would work for one day and break again. I even got a new circuit board and it died while the service guy was here adjusting the screen. The circuit board was orded from Hitachi in August and Sears did not receive it from them until the beginning of November. I even called Hitachi customer service thinking that IT COULD'NT TAKE THAT LONG, but they backed up what Sears had told me. So for the better part of THREE months I had a 53 inch black box in my LR. Luckily I have a 31 inch backup. I noticed previous writings about cg electronics and cannot definitely say that they knew their product was prone to malfunction. I even called them in between repairs and they said that there were no common problems reflected in the refurbished 53 inch Hitachi tvs. In the end Vac corp(the only company I can say I was pleased with here) got fed up with Sears incompetence and just paid me the cost of the TV, but I had to eat the warranty even though it had 2 years remaining. I am selling the big black box to a repair shop down the street for 100$ which will make up for part of the warranty cost. All in all I had investigated heavily concerning projection screen tvs and for the first year I was very happy but in the end you get what you pay for.

no scan lines visible,sound system above average,built in protective shield.

remote doesn't have a biderctional input,progessive scan has trouble with handling interlace errors.

I purchased this unit with high expectations considering the suggested price of $3499.When I first turned on the set I immediatly knew a calibration would be needed.The contrast was cranked all the way up.After I calibrated it with Video Essentials it looked pretty good,not great.I felt the reds were over saturated and the picture lacking a sharp picture.I then noticed a light gray vertical line in the center of the screen,mostly noticable watching a hockey game or any scene with a light background.I notified hitachi and suggested a service tech. come check it out.To make a long story short he could not remedy this problem nor could hitachi.They finally authorized a return to the store i purchased it from.be carefull of this set,i believe this problem is a desighn flaw and not an isolated problem.

HDTV, large screen, built in screen protector.

Only one component input, remote looks about 10 years old.

I bought this TV before reading all of the reviews, so I was a bit worried how it was going to look when delivered. I am pleased to say that I do not have any lines in the screen. I did get the 53SDX89BA, which may have fixed some of the problems that other people had with the line. The picture is a bit grainy when viewed up close, but the scan lines are still pretty hard to see. When viewed at the proper distance the picture is very clear. DVD's look awesome. I have had some problem getting the color to be exact, but I guess I should get Video Essentials to help me out with that. Only thing I noticed is that occasionally a straight line will look a bit broken up.

Considering I got this TV for $2,299 it was a great value for me, but if you pay list...it is not such a great value.

Fantastic Picture, less the Barber Pole

Twirling Barber Pole that won't go away

That's right, I've been living the Hitachi Hell for a year and a half now, and it just got a lot worse today after talking to the Hitachi service rep. I made the mistake of buying both a 53SDX89B and the DVD player DV-P250U together (in order to save money) in September '99. There are issues with both, but this is about the 53SDX89B. Check out the DVD section, DV-P250U, for the full story on it after reading this.

I can't print the service problems in this column but, needless to say, like other owners of this set, I to have the "Barber Pole" twirling away on the right side of the screen and yes, after a year and a half, I still can't get them to fix it. Once it is fixed, (and runs like the unit in the store), it will have a great picture. Until then…

Really, words can not express how disappointed I am with Hitachi. I understand they are at the mercy of the stores, but maybe they should at least follow up with customers who call their 1-800 number to see if they have been serviced. And after my phone call today about my DVD DV-P250U player, I am left totally stunned!

If you do buy this unit, keep in mind there is only one set component inputs. If you want your DVD and HDTV on component, well, you will have a lot of plugging and unplugging to do.

If you are looking for a TV you can stop looking now. Boy I got a TV for you.

I bought this product, the Hitachi 53SDX89B 53-Inch Digital Projection TV with HDTV Input
, to show off to my friends. But I got so much more than that. I have seen a part of TV you mostly dream of. Best part is you don't have to be a millionaire to afford this. All you have to be is prepared for a journey of a lifetime.

First thing you have to do is go to YourInsider.com to get it. Only $2875.95

These mega speakers on the bottom are awesome for those parties. Plus cleaning is a breeze you don't need fancy expensive equipment. All you need is a cloth or a rag. You can also hook up your game system to the TV (Playstation(2), Nintendo 64,etc...). It feels like your in the game. Either shooting someone or or playing baseball it's like your there. I would recommended this to anyone with a family.

When someone comes in your house what do you think is the first thing they notice?

Great color. Great sharpness. No scan lines. Great field of view. Great sound.

Remote is awkward to hold, but easy to figure out.

I am continue to be impressed, amazed, happy, and trouble-free with this set. The picture quality is the best I've seen. The sharpness of the players on the football field just makes me smile. I can't watch football at the local sports bar anymore because ny 53SDX89B is so much better. I keep looking at the newer models at the stores, but I haven't seen anything that competes yet.
The picture I got with this TV led me to invest in a whole lot of home theater speakers, sub woofers, a DVD player, many new DVDs, and a new VCR for recording. The picture is so sharp that playback from VHS is noticeably inferior, and I only watch movies on DVD now. I guess a Dish is next.

Great picture, sound, and picture....

Remote kinda weak

When I first plugged in the TV, I was really stunned! The picture was great off a regular cable line. Then I plugged in the DVD player, and started the movie "The Bugs Life" and Holy Moly!! My son and I were totally amazed on how the picture was soooo clear and bright! I would recommend this TV to anyone who is looking into buying this set.

I paid $3099 at Circuit City with a warranty for 4 years, total was about $3700. Now thats a lot a money! but you know what, I love this TV it is totally awesome!!

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba

Excellent picture

Awkward video adjustments, problem with unit (see review)

This television has an excellent picture. Of all the side-by-side comparisons I have done (Sony, Mitsubishi, Phillips), this tv has by far the best picture. I chose the 53 inch model because I was a little worried about seeing scan lines from a 12 foot sitting position, but I think the 60 inch version would have done just fine. You have to nearly be on top of this tv to see the scan lines. Currently I am only using "standard" cable input, and a DVD player. The cable picture is very good, and the DVD picture is the best I’ve seen (short of an true HDTV set).

Video adustments are awkward due to the large intrusive menus visible while trying to make adjustments. I would like to have separate tint and color controls for the different video inputs. Using the Video Essentials DVD to set the picture optimally for my DVD yields a less than perfect picture on the tv. I’ve picked a comprise setting for both that I'm happy with.

The only real downside that I have for this television is the "grey line" problem. Like another posting on this site, I have experienced a line down the middle of the screen since I purchased my television in October. On my tv, the "band" appeared as a 2-3 inch wide line down the middle of the screen where the brightness appeared higher than the rest of the picture. This effect is especially noticeable when the screen is light colored. The "grey scale" tests on Video Essentials is an excellent example to test this problem.

When I first called Hitachi, they told me the brightness was set too high. Adjusting the brightness to where the problem was "acceptable" make the picture impossible to see. The second call a few weeks later yielded no additional help. I decided to call Sears after 3 months of putting up with the annoying "band". They came out, and said that they could swap the tv for another one. After a phone call, the repair man found out that there is a fix for this problem, and the part was ordered. I next called Hitachi again, telling them that Sears had a repair, told them what the part was, right down to the location on the board, and again they denied any problem with the set. After a long wait, I got the new part. After a single piece of wire on a circuit board was replaced with a ferrite, the picture is now perfect. For those of you who may be experiencing this problem, here is the solution as described on my repair bill (use at your own risk) :

"Replace L761 from piece of wire to a coil". The Sears part number is 46-83740-3 (ferrite buzzer core), and it appears, although hard to see, that the Hitachi part number is 2123461. The part cost is a mere $2.48 ( I suspect it’s closer to a 25 cent part), with a $172.00 repair cost, although mine was covered under warranty.

In summary, I am very happy with the television, although the line problem annoyed me for several months. Hopefully Hitachi has corrected this problem on the newer sets, but I have been unable to determine this. None of the sets (3) that I have looked at various stores exhibited this problem. Best of luck to anyone else who may be experiencing this problem.