Review
Hitachi L47V651 LCD - it's a winner (March 29, 2008)
| Ease of Use |
|
(4/5.0) |
| Value |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Michael B. - Sedgwick, KS
Ive had HDTV in my home through Dish Network for the past four years now. I got a 34 inch CRT monitor and receiver from them and have thoroughly enjoyed the outstanding picture.
However, the TV was huge, but only in depth and weight. Ive watched as friends and acquaintances have gotten 42 inch and bigger, Plasma and LCD sets and have been considering upgrading to a flat-screen set for several months now.
Decisions, decisions, decisions... the options are endless. Plasma, LCD, DLP - 720P, 1080P - 42 through 60 inch screen size, and of course dont forget the money it isnt like youre buying a low-budget item.
I havent found anyone willing to let me bring 7 or 8 examples to my home and compare them. So, I compared many in the local retail stores, read gazillions of reviews, read buying guides, etc, etc, etc.
I finally decided on some basic requirements. It had to be at least 42 inches to justify upgrading from my CRT. I have a brightly lit room, so I decided an LCD would be the best at reducing the glare, and I didnt have to worry about burn in. I wanted to get as many features as possible for the $ spent. And of course... it had to have great performance.
From Vanns this set for the performance it gives, feature-for-feature, and dollar spent, is a bargain. Sure you might be able to get a competing brand for $200 or $300 less, but if you set this one next to them - youre gonna be disappointed!
I was nervous about black levels. However, during the Superbowl I watched a friends new 50 inch P@##*#@ reference standard plasma set. If it had better black level performance, it was so minimal it isnt worth mentioning. Motion blur... there is no appreciable difference between this TV and my CRT. Lack of available tests... however the only ones I could find were positive - mine is no different. Side angle viewing - I cant find a place you can actually watch the TV and the performance degrades. Features... 1080P, 3 HDMI, PIP, multiple setting adjustment, and of course dont forget the WAY COOL motorized base.
I ordered this Saturday from Vanns with the help of a very helpful, non-pushy, pleasant sales rep - sorry I forgot your name, got quick and fairly painless interest free financing through their card, good communication and tracking numbers, and this thing was up and running the following Thursday. It came in pristine, new condition and was relatively easy to get going.
I hooked it up to my Dish receiver and turned this thing on and my first words were WOW. Very little if any adjustment was necessary and I was almost immediately watching March Madness Rock Chalk Jayhawk - Go KU. I couldnt believe the depth of the huge basketball arenas that you just cant appreciate on a smaller set.
If there is any downside - not really - this thing has soooo many setting options it can be a little intimidating. The operating guide has over 68 pages however it is full of useful info. I gave ease of use a 4 rating, although that might not be fair. It really isnt all that bad. All things considered, I feel this set is outstanding.
Dont overlook this Hitachi and only consider the 3 S brand names you know who they are... youll be overlooking a very worthy competitor, and in my opinion - the winner! I know technology is always changing, but I think this is a TV Im going to be happy to have for a long time to come.
Thanks Vanns.
Review
Hitachi L47V651 (March 06, 2008)
| Ease of Use |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Value |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Joe C. - boise, id
This set by Hitachi is awesome! Love the finish, swivel stand, and remote features. The softwaremenu system is really intuitive. Great product! You cant beat the price right now either!
Review
Hitachi L47V651 47' LCD TV (February 23, 2008)
| Ease of Use |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Value |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
|
(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
|
(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Eric C. - San Jose, California
I had this TV for about a week and a half already, and I got to say this TVs awesome!
1.Experience with Vanns.com
This is my first time ordering with Vanns and the experience was extremely good.The price was too good to be true. I ordered the TV on Thurs 11pm Pacific time, and received the TV on the following Tuesday. I was amazed with the shipping speed. I thought I had at least a week to plan my space out and get my HDMI cable for the TV etc, but before I could even start on that, I received an phone call saying that my TV arrived at the destination dock. Besides the shipping, the service was quick and easy. I hate talking to sales rep on the phone, and I saw many good reviews about Vanns, so I took a gamble. I was surprised that everything was automated and I didnt have to worry about calling or talking to any sales rep. Keep up the good work Vanns!
2.Experience with Hitachi L47V651 LCD TV
The TV came in a nice box, everything was protected nicely, it even has this composite wood board on top of the foam protector to go extra mile to protect the TV. When I took out the TV it looks extremely sleek and has a nice black gloss finish on the frame. The coolest thing about this TV was the power swivel. You can use your remote control to control the swivel!
Pros- This TV was extremely easy to setup, actually you dont even need to set up anything! The TV came out as a whole, everything attached right out of the box, except the cables of course.
First I got to say, this TV looks just perfect, looks nice in every single angle. The built in speaker was surprisingly good, better than I expected. Very clear sound, deep bass and great surround for an LCD TV. There are 3 HDMI inputs total, one on the side and 2 on the back. The side HDMI was useful for my PS3] In case people are wondering what version HDMI they have installed on this TV, its V1.3,latest HDMI version. Playing game systems and watching movies on 1080p with this TV was wonderful. The colors and contrast were almost perfectly adjusted right out of the box. Most people are worried about the blacks on LCD TV, so was I, but the black level on this TV is better than most of the LCD TV I have seen.
Watching HD channels was nice too. The TV controller that came with the TV was easy to use, and all the buttons looks and feels uniformed and clean.I also forgot to mention it has an SD card slot where you can put your cameras SD cards to view the pictures that you have taken from the camera, pretty cool touch.
Cons- The setup menu was alright, since this TV already delivers perfect colors out of box, you wont really use them anyway, unless you are crazy about tweaking your component. The Day and Night mode is pretty useless, you dont really see the difference. The build in antenna on the Tv isnt really good, I can only receive about 8-10 analog channels, no HD or digital, but you wont even need to bother with that if you have satellite or cable already. If you are thinking of using antenna, then just go to any local store to buy an external antenna and you will be fine. I also have to say Hitachi didnt put a lot of design work to the back of the TV, they did extremely well in the front frame but the back looks bulky and very typical. They should have put more time in the details of the TV even the back, because I dont hang my TV, I can see the back of the TV quite easily.
Overall, I have to say this TV is great. I would give a 10 star if have it for the rating system. All the cons are no big deals to worry about, and if you are a budget buyer like me, this is the perfect TV for you. Its worth every single of your penny, and its better than a lot of the TV that costs more. This TV also comes with 1 year warranty from Hitachi, so you have nothing to worry about! This TV well sure blow you away, great for gaming, watching movies and use it as your everyday TV. I also have to thank Vanns for passing on this great deal! I well sure buy from Vanns again!
