Hitachi P42H401 Reviews

Remote is terrible
by F. Zhou from San Francisco, 2009-09-14

TV is good but the remote control is terrible. I changed the battery, move far / close to the TV, but I can only get sound and channel works. The remote is in good shape. The problem is the TV neglects all other remote control commands.

Just a note about sound for Yue Zhang
by Roberto Pippalada from La Crescenta, CA, 2008-12-02

Yue Zhang, I am not sure if you will read this review. But in any case, a general note about sound. This TV comes with so called "Perfect sound" set to on. I didn't know about that for a while. Out of the box the sound was VERY low. One day I thought it is not possible for a unit this good to have such a lousy sound. Then I found the "Perfect Sound" under the Setup-Audio, turned it off, and voila, I got great sound! Hope it helps folks who didn't thinker with Audio properties of this TV.
As a more general note, I have the unit for more than a year, and I like it very much. Even though it is not true HD (1080P), the picture is great. Also, I leave in Austin area, and when it is on Air, it picks up 4-5 over the air HD channels with impeccable quality.

It's worth for that price
by Yue Zhang , 2008-07-07

I purchased this item at a Sears for $699 +tax while open a Sears credit card last Thanksgiving. After 8 month, I feel<
Good:
1. No complain for the money I paid.
2. Image is excelent.
Bad:
3. Speekers are not load enough for some TY channels, even I scale to max.
4. No memory to keep last setting, such as sound volum and making black side (when you see 4:3 vedio).

Much better than I expected. Great first time HDTV
by J. GONZALEZ from MEXICO CITY, 2008-03-08

I have had this TV for 14 months and so far it is GREAT. Some reviews are right: Read the Manual. it is simple and you will get what you want how you want it. Remember that Plasma uses more power (Watts) and the screen gets warm, which in my case is good to warm up a little our Family Room. The "air-antenna" High Definition channels are incredibly sharp and FREE. The screen has survived a Toddler and a 5 years old, minor hits, ice cream, and all kinds of dirty hands. The remote is OK but we use a Universal Sony Remote. I highly recommend this item, specially if this is your first HDTV, there are many more expensive models with far less capabilities and lower resolutions. Good Luck

Glued to Tube!
by S Coffee from Chicagoland, IL, 2008-02-27

I initially planned to buy an LCD TV (32" to 37")but after bringing home a 32" Memorex LCD from Sears and experiencing some image quality issues and crackling sounds and cloudiness brought about by a poor Comcast cable signal I took the unit back. I want to mention that it was later concluded that the TV (Memorex) was not failing. Instead, it was simply a weak connection at my home. But, because I was already planning to buy a more expensive LCD to replace the Memorex, Sears did not charge me a restock fee for returning the TV. So, as I am perusing and trying to make a decision I scour the back wall showcasing the Plasma TVs. I saw a $1399 Hitachi marked down to $999 (400 bucks off!) and I took note of the size 42" vs my previous targets at 32" and 37". I was already partly sold on the TV because it is Hitachi and I own 2 large Hitachi projection screens already. I have never had any issues whatsoever with either TV. So, after looking at the TV specs and the deep discount, not to mention the size of it for the money, I decided to buy a Plasma. Unfortunately, I had to wait til the next day because my Audi was too small for the enormous box it came in. So, next day I picked it up in the SUV and went home to plug it in. As others have said, the factory settings will need some tweaking to get the best picture for the room you have it in. Afterwards, you will be treated to a gorgeous magnificent picture especially in HD. I love this TV. I was glad to know that Plasma has inherently a better picture than LCDs and that fast action sequences pose no issues for plasma as compared with LCDs. We bought this for our bedroom so bright day lights are not an issue. I didn't even test out the factory speakers since I planned to fire up the 5.1 Onkyo receiver with Polk & JBL speakers. I can't say enough how great a buy this was and the reputation of Hitachi along with the advancements in plasma this is a great deal.