Hitachi Horrors

[vega]

let the buyer beware .......

Hitachi seems to think 1800hrs use on a $6000 set is good enough, and almost 2 years to get it repaired timely. Now they feel that since the set cannot be properly repaired, I should give them another $1200 plus $100 shipping, plus $275 for a stand, plus tax, for a bottom of the line 55" plasma. This is to replace a 60" 60vs810 LCDRPTV, top of the line set.
The sorry saga began May of 2006 when, at 426hrs use the optical block failed. After numerous calls, December 2006 (7 months) the first of 4 optical blocks were replaced. Each was a refurb, each defective in different ways out of the box. The last was replaced in October.
Hitachi's literature for this set claims a life expectancy of 20,000 hours, excluding the bulb. Had it said 2,000 hours, (more than I got), I would never have purchased this set.

the company has become a joke.

vega

[captain_video]

Sorry to hear of your problems with Hitachi. I also have the 60VS810 and, aside from the known issues of green blotchiness and screen door effect inherent in LCD RPTVs, the set has worked fine for over two years. I'm on my 2nd projector bulb but it has otherwise performed well. I don't recall what it retailed for but I'm pretty sure it was much less than $6000 (I paid about $4200 for mine, including the extended five year warranty). There are countless reports of issues with this set posted in the dedicated thread at the AVSForums.

After owning the set for all this time I have come to realize it's anything but top of the line. In fact, it wasn't the top of the line when it was originally marketed (the Director's Series was the flagship line for these models). I have no clue as to the actual hours of use but it's been on for at least six hours a day since I bought it. The black levels are average at best and the overall image is much softer than I would like, especially when compared to current HDTV sets available. If I had the money I'd replace it in a heartbeat. It's a decent set but not even close to being a great one. My brother-in-law's Sony 50" SXRD set blows mine away completely (and I absolutely hate Sony).

The Hitachi was a good set when comparing it to other sets available at the time but it has long since been surpassed in so many areas. I would not even consider another LCD RPTV as my next set (or any subsequent set for that matter). I don't even know if LCD RPTVs are currently being marketed by anyone. I would definitely consider an LcoS or three chip DLP front projector as my next purchase (the thought of a rotating color wheel with the single-chip models just doesn't sit right with me).

I would consider it a blessing in disguise and a perfect excuse to get yourself a topnotch set. There are so many great bargains out there for HDTV sets and they're just a fraction of what you originally paid for the Hitachi.

[vega]

the directors series was not available in Canada, the vs series was then top of the line here. as usual, Canadaians pay a hefty price differential for any product after exchange. With the dollar at par now, check prices on any big ticket item in Canada vs the US. Price fixing is accomplished by denying warranty on any product purchased outside Canada (illegal under at least 3 different laws, but not enforced by the government).

The set was as good or better than most other sets I'd seen when I purchased it. If it worked properly now, it would still rate as a very good set. The new technology has been plagued with problems, but that does not give the manufacturer an excuse to not honor it's warranty. Trying to extort more money from a customer, to leave a major downgrade in its place would not make for happy customers. I still have the original literature for this set, the claim is 20,000 hours, excludung the bulb. During the last optical block replacement, the tech found the set was under 1800 hour total, less than 10%. This I would have expected from a no name product at $500, not a product of this caliber / price, from a company that at the time seemed to have a solid reputation of standing behind it's products. At this time, no major retailers carry Hitachi for this reason, and very few small retailers want to deal with their customer service.

This is meant as a warning to others, to consider carefully the company's reputation after the sale, before a major purchase.