Hitachi 42PD8800TA

[pbwhi0]

Glad you guys are able to enjoy your machines.

I turned up on Tuesday to pick mine up some 45 minutes before store closure. It took just over 30 minutes for the goods to be ready in the loading dock (I had pre-paid so I only had to collect the items). I was then rushed through with the goodies (8800 + LG HDSTB + HDMI cable/adapter + Component cable +cleaning kit) and told to sign in 7 places for receipt. It wasn't till I was around the corner that I realised I forgot to ask about the stand. Too late to turn around. Got home and sure enough no stand.

Rang the next morning (early) and after a little run around (the staff member we approached was suspicious that we had received the stand and were chasing another as a freebie) thankfully two staff remembered that we hadn't been given the stand. One staff member remembers seeing the stand somewhere but 30 minutes later after a search of the store they could not locate it.

Order another one from Hitachi Melbourne. Hopefully will be here (Brisbane) early next week. Over two weeks since order placed.

So at the moment I am STILL watching the good ol' 68cm $250 CRT over the top of a cardboard box with words 'PLASMA TV' written on the side. I will get it hooked up one day and hopefully before the cricket season ends !!!

Cheers, Paul

[gjws]

Hi all,

Just new to the forums and have already learnt more in a couple of days browsing the site than I have over the last 3 months talking with salespeople!!

Regarding the Hitachi 8800, my brother and I are looking at getting 2 of these in the next week or so. Looking at some of the pricing quoted I'm going to aim at $6600 for both. Am I aiming to low...or to high?? I've also noticed that the extended warranty is very popular, would the concensus be to get the extended warranty for this purchase as well?

Lastly, what would you suggest as a good STB to go with the panels, and what sort of a price point should I be aiming for, once again buying 2.

Thanks very much for you help.

Cheers,

gjws.

[JandG]

Hi all,

Just new to the forums and have already learnt more in a couple of days browsing the site than I have over the last 3 months talking with salespeople!!

Regarding the Hitachi 8800, my brother and I are looking at getting 2 of these in the next week or so. Looking at some of the pricing quoted I'm going to aim at $6600 for both. Am I aiming to low...or to high?? I've also noticed that the extended warranty is very popular, would the concensus be to get the extended warranty for this purchase as well?

Lastly, what would you suggest as a good STB to go with the panels, and what sort of a price point should I be aiming for, once again buying 2.

Thanks very much for you help.

Cheers,

gjws.

I reckon you might get them for that price.

Re. Extended warranty: I would purchase it for peace of mind. I got mine for $3900 plus $299 for warranty.

The HD STB I use is a Toshiba HD-C26H which can be had for about $550. It has HDMI out which is nice.

It has performed fine for the last 8 weeks. The only negative I have is that changing channels is somewhat slow (Like 3-4 sec). But once used to it's not really a problem anymore.

The picture is superb in my opinion but not straight out of the box. You will have to tweak the settings (down) to get the picture right and save yourself from burning the plasma.

The swivel base is great if you can use it. Especially if you need to get back to the cables.

Cheers

Edited January 11, 2006 by JandG

[JandG]

Glad you guys are able to enjoy your machines.

I turned up on Tuesday to pick mine up some 45 minutes before store closure. It took just over 30 minutes for the goods to be ready in the loading dock (I had pre-paid so I only had to collect the items). I was then rushed through with the goodies (8800 + LG HDSTB + HDMI cable/adapter + Component cable +cleaning kit) and told to sign in 7 places for receipt. It wasn't till I was around the corner that I realised I forgot to ask about the stand. Too late to turn around. Got home and sure enough no stand.

Rang the next morning (early) and after a little run around (the staff member we approached was suspicious that we had received the stand and were chasing another as a freebie) thankfully two staff remembered that we hadn't been given the stand. One staff member remembers seeing the stand somewhere but 30 minutes later after a search of the store they could not locate it.

Order another one from Hitachi Melbourne. Hopefully will be here (Brisbane) early next week. Over two weeks since order placed.

So at the moment I am STILL watching the good ol' 68cm $250 CRT over the top of a cardboard box with words 'PLASMA TV' written on the side. I will get it hooked up one day and hopefully before the cricket season ends !!!

Cheers, Paul

What a bugger that is.

Mate, I hope you get your stand soon and can enjoy your purchase.

When you pick-up the stand check for the correct Part Number which should be: SD8G4237 for the 42PD8800TA plasma.

Hope you get it sorted soon

[Billy Two Hats]

Hi all,

Just new to the forums and have already learnt more in a couple of days browsing the site than I have over the last 3 months talking with salespeople!!

Regarding the Hitachi 8800, my brother and I are looking at getting 2 of these in the next week or so. Looking at some of the pricing quoted I'm going to aim at $6600 for both. Am I aiming to low...or to high?? I've also noticed that the extended warranty is very popular, would the concensus be to get the extended warranty for this purchase as well?

Lastly, what would you suggest as a good STB to go with the panels, and what sort of a price point should I be aiming for, once again buying 2.

Thanks very much for you help.

Cheers,

gjws.

I think you might be pushing it to get 2x$3300-. $3500- is a dam good price that a few people have only just been able to get and is not readily available. People keep saying buy an extended warranty for peace of mind, but if you do not know what is covered and what is not - how do you get this peace of mind. Also what is covered and what is not varies considerably from JB to HN to DS etc as they use different 3rd party warranty companies.

Edited January 11, 2006 by Billy Two Hats

[rosy]

I bought my Hitachi 8800 last week plus a HOTCHIP 6000HD set top box for $3,600 from Bing Lee - Plasma $3,300, Set Top Box $300.

Fantastic unit, but I am having trouble with the DVI - HDMI. The picture works ace but there is no sound. I realise the DVI does not carry sound so I was using an optical audio cable, which I thought would work. Is the Hitachi not equiped to take the optical audio? Is there another type of cable which I should be using for the sound? Anyone else having this problem? The AC cables work fine with both picture and sound, but I was hoping to use the HDMI.

Is anyone else using the Hotchip 6000HD with their Hitachi 8800?

[Bucks71]

The optical audio cable is to go to an amp...is this where you are using it.

If you want the sound to come out of the tv, you will need to use the analogue sound from the STb to the tv.

[Ohboy]

I bought my Hitachi 8800 last week plus a HOTCHIP 6000HD set top box for $3,600 from Bing Lee - Plasma $3,300, Set Top Box $300.

Fantastic unit, but I am having trouble with the DVI - HDMI. The picture works ace but there is no sound. I realise the DVI does not carry sound so I was using an optical audio cable, which I thought would work. Is the Hitachi not equiped to take the optical audio? Is there another type of cable which I should be using for the sound? Anyone else having this problem? The AC cables work fine with both picture and sound, but I was hoping to use the HDMI.

Is anyone else using the Hotchip 6000HD with their Hitachi 8800?

Hi rosy,

You will need to buy a cable with a mini jack plug at one end and red and white RCA plugs at the other end.

connect the red and white to the audio out on your STB and plug the jack plug in just above the HDMI plug on the plasma.( analogue input )

It will cost you about $14.00 for the cable from Trickie Dickies

cheers

[pbwhi0]

What a bugger that is.

Mate, I hope you get your stand soon and can enjoy your purchase.

When you pick-up the stand check for the correct Part Number which should be: SD8G4237 for the 42PD8800TA plasma.

Hope you get it sorted soon

Thanks JandG,

I will definitely make sure this time. At least the delay has enabled me to re-arrange the cabinet and equipment. I spent three hours last night improving air circulation for audio/video equipment. Enclosed cabinets with doors to reduce dust does nothing for keeping equipment cool - although the wife was not too impressed with me cutting away timber from the back of the cabinet to create a nice air vent at the top.

I have also added the LG HDSTB into the setup which includes Kenwood amp, Panasonic DVD-F87, Pure Acoustic speakers and 12inch sub. All TV cables are now resting at the back of the cabinet waiting for the day I can bring the beast out of its box.

Cheers, Paul

[Nathan Willos]

Just bought my 8800 from JB Erina (Central Coast NSW), paid $3,300, but packaged that STB, 4 yr Warranty and cables for $3,800.

I have hooked it up and am noticing some ghosting(?) of faces when free to air tv is watched. This does not happen through the STB or DVD. Can anyone please help me with a possible cause or solution. The aerial (RF?) is running from the wall to the STB, to the VCR, and then to the TV, could this be the problem?

Thanks in advance for you help.

Nathan

[JandG]

Just bought my 8800 from JB Erina (Central Coast NSW), paid $3,300, but packaged that STB, 4 yr Warranty and cables for $3,800.

I have hooked it up and am noticing some ghosting(?) of faces when free to air tv is watched. This does not happen through the STB or DVD. Can anyone please help me with a possible cause or solution. The aerial (RF?) is running from the wall to the STB, to the VCR, and then to the TV, could this be the problem?

Thanks in advance for you help.

Nathan

Hi, Ghosting is usually caused by the fact that you are receiving the signal via multiple paths due to reflections of objects nearby. Try putting the antenna directly into the Plasma and see what that gives.

What is the reason you want to bypass the STB and receive analog directly to the plasma??

Congrats on your purchase. Great price for a great TV.

[Faking]

Just got mine for $3300 in Brisbane. Picked this one for the motorized stand as it will be very useful for the room we have it in.

Not sure why you're all raving about the picture. In my opinion the pioneer is best, followed by panasonic, fujitsu then the Hitachi. The picture is good, just not the best (especially the blacks). Although bang for buck the Hitachi is a clear winner at the moment.

[Nathan Willos]

Try putting the antenna directly into the Plasma and see what that gives.

What is the reason you want to bypass the STB and receive analog directly to the plasma??

Congrats on your purchase. Great price for a great TV.

Thanks for the advice JandG. I will run the antenna directly into the plasma.

You have confused me with your last comment. My set up is wall => STB (in/out) => VCR (in/out) => plasma. There is no reason at all I want to bypass the STB, and I didn't think I was. Sorry if I am misunderstanding something.

I will also try to pull the VCR out of the equation and see if that helps (obviously I want ultimately be able to use it)

Thanks again for your help

[Billy Two Hats]

Thanks for the advice JandG. I will run the antenna directly into the plasma.

You have confused me with your last comment. My set up is wall => STB (in/out) => VCR (in/out) => plasma. There is no reason at all I want to bypass the STB, and I didn't think I was. Sorry if I am misunderstanding something.

I will also try to pull the VCR out of the equation and see if that helps (obviously I want ultimately be able to use it)

Thanks again for your help

I think it was this comment "I have hooked it up and am noticing some ghosting(?) of faces when free to air tv is watched. This does not happen through the STB". What connectors are you using to connect the stb to the vcr and the vcr to the plasma?

[JandG]

Just got mine for $3300 in Brisbane. Picked this one for the motorized stand as it will be very useful for the room we have it in.

Not sure why you're all raving about the picture. In my opinion the pioneer is best, followed by panasonic, fujitsu then the Hitachi. The picture is good, just not the best (especially the blacks). Although bang for buck the Hitachi is a clear winner at the moment.

I would be interested if you could give us your settings on your Hitachi plasma 8800.

Just like to compare with my settings on the same set.

Enjoy

[Mike B]

Not sure why you're all raving about the picture. In my opinion the pioneer is best, followed by panasonic, fujitsu then the Hitachi. The picture is good, just not the best (especially the blacks). Although bang for buck the Hitachi is a clear winner at the moment.

Not sure? Thats an odd thing to say. Perhaps it because despite endless supposed comparisons by most of us, once it (or any other display) is home and properly setup, it will indeed look fantastic. Pioneer may be the best but at best the others are not really better or worse, just different.

I must admit I was worried about the apparent less-black black of the Hitachi (or other non-Pioneers) but once I got one home at started using it, it hardly seemed relevant to me. Contrast and colour balance are far more important... well to me...

[MichaelJS]

The Pioneer does show deeper blacks, but it also shows greener greens and redder reds - resulting in a less than natural picture. It was particularly stark today comparing the Hitachi and Pioneer on Channel 7's coverage of the tennis - the court colour was a different green (not darker or lighter - different altogether) on the Pioneer.

Funny thing is that people seem to asign quality to something just because it's more expensive. When the Hitachi came out, it was more expensive ($5K) than the Pana (which people were buying for under $4K). At the time, the Hitachi was getting rave reviews.

If the Pioneer didn't come with a 5 year warranty and free installation (like every other country it's sold in), the price would be MUCH cheaper (around $1000 cheaper: $400 extra warranty, $400 wall bracket, $200 installation - am being conservative). This would give it an RRP of $4999 and a selling price of around $4K. I bet that would change people's opinions quite a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Pioneer - it's probably the nicest looking (stylistically). But the PQ ain't necessarily any better than the Pana or Hitachi.

Ultimately, once it's in your home - if the PQ is good - it's a masterpiece.

[selze]

I spent many many many hours comparing the Pioneer , Panny and Hitachi. Mainly looking at black levels and black detail. I found I couldn't pick a difference between the panny and hitachi and ended up buying the Hitachi for the looks and features. In all my hours I never saw the Pioneer come even close to the black detail of the Hitachi or Panny. BUT BUT BUT in Pioneers defence ( before I get flamed ) I never had the Pioneer remote to play with it's settings during comparisons.

A good example was one day at JB HiFi there was a 42" Panny then Hitachi then Pioneer next to each other.

All were playing a component loop of a Eagles DVD concert. When the camera showed a wide angle shot showing the whole stage the area outside of the stage was black ( very dark ). All 3 showed about the same black level, but on the panny and hitachi you could actually make out the building structure where the Pioneer showed none, just a black area. Please remember I didn't adjust Pioneer settings.

Not sure why you're all raving about the picture. In my opinion the pioneer is best, followed by panasonic, fujitsu then the Hitachi. The picture is good, just not the best (especially the blacks). Although bang for buck the Hitachi is a clear winner at the moment.

Didn't realize you actually bought one. Are you running it on dynamic picture mode ? Most people run it on natural and adjust settings from there for individual tastes.

[Peter D]

Thanks for the advice JandG. I will run the antenna directly into the plasma.

You have confused me with your last comment. My set up is wall => STB (in/out) => VCR (in/out) => plasma. There is no reason at all I want to bypass the STB, and I didn't think I was. Sorry if I am misunderstanding something.

I will also try to pull the VCR out of the equation and see if that helps (obviously I want ultimately be able to use it)

Thanks again for your help

If you have a STB, why bother with the analogue tuner in the plasma?

Just got mine for $3300 in Brisbane. Picked this one for the motorized stand as it will be very useful for the room we have it in.

Not sure why you're all raving about the picture. In my opinion the pioneer is best, followed by panasonic, fujitsu then the Hitachi. The picture is good, just not the best (especially the blacks). Although bang for buck the Hitachi is a clear winner at the moment.

I find the blacks better than any other plasma. I have my picture set to Cinema mode without any other adjustments.

[Nathan Willos]

If you have a STB, why bother with the analogue tuner in the plasma?

Thank you everyone for your help and feedback. I got myself confused, when trying to set it up how the manual shows you (being new to digital). Couple this with the fact that the initial "quick scan" of the STB only gave me SBS & ABC.

Now, after a complete scan last night gave me all the channels, I realise that you watch all the tv through the STB.....guess what....no ghosting!

The one thing I cannot get is the Ch7 HD loop that they play in the stores.

Now I have to teach the boss of the house to use the different channel setup!

I am now using my tv correctly, and am very very very happy with my purchase, because I was starting to get a bit nervous.

Thanks again for all your assistance....you saved me a lot of trouble.

Nathan

p.s. The colours are quite impressive aren't they!!!!

[JandG]

Thank you everyone for your help and feedback. I got myself confused, when trying to set it up how the manual shows you (being new to digital). Couple this with the fact that the initial "quick scan" of the STB only gave me SBS & ABC.

Now, after a complete scan last night gave me all the channels, I realise that you watch all the tv through the STB.....guess what....no ghosting!

The one thing I cannot get is the Ch7 HD loop that they play in the stores.

Now I have to teach the boss of the house to use the different channel setup!

I am now using my tv correctly, and am very very very happy with my purchase, because I was starting to get a bit nervous.

Thanks again for all your assistance....you saved me a lot of trouble.

Nathan

p.s. The colours are quite impressive aren't they!!!!

Glad you got it sorted.

Let us know one day what your settings are please.

Enjoy

[blizzard76]

Hey guys,

Does anyone else get white lines on the top and bottom of the picture (i.e. where the image intersects with the empty blackness)? Is there any way to avoid them?

[Mike B]

Hey guys,

Does anyone else get white lines on the top and bottom of the picture (i.e. where the image intersects with the empty blackness)? Is there any way to avoid them?

Are they white or just lighter than the next line? From what source: Analog, STB, DVD? Model #'s?

Edited January 13, 2006 by Mike B

[BlackMagic]

Just reporting back, ive had my 8800 + LG5100 + Yamaha657 setup now for a week, I'm happy with the setup, just in the process of tweaking things all beit ive spent more time trying to get my sound right as the PQ from the hitatchi has been great out of the box.

I do now want to start playing around more with the PQ settings, now that more and more people have got these panels what are you favourite PQ settings? and what are some of the things you would adjust straight away?

Cheers

[MichaelJS]

Ok, finally took the plunge! Ordered by 8800 yesterday! Very exciting!

Also got a Philips 5900 DVD player, a Topfield 4400 PVR and lots of Monster cables. Will be connected to a Yamaha 657 receiver.

Won't be set up until the weekend following Australia Day - taking the Friday off work to move and install! Can't wait!!

Thanks for all your help guys