Home Entertainment, 1.5, 1.5 inch, hitachi, hitachi ultrathin, lcds, tvs, ultrathin

Hitachi UltraThin 1.5-Inch LCDs Finally Hitting US Soil

Six months after announcing it would bring its 1.5"-thick UltraThin line to the US, Hitachi is finally starting to ship product. Sizes range from 32" to 47" and 1080p from 37" and up—previously we thought the line would stop at 42". HD Guru tells us they don't have integrated HD tuners, so you'll have to use your cable box or spring $299 for a separate tuner. But hell, they are sexy, and they come with 120Hz image processing for better motion. The only thing remotely wrong with them is their high price: the top of the line 47-incher will set you back $4,700—and won't be here until September. What's that saying? Never too thin—or too rich? Specs, pricing and shipping dates of the full line below.

Hitachi to Showcase the World's First UltraThin Line of Displays at Annual Dealer Show This Week
The Much Anticipated and Only "1.5" Displays Are Now Available to Consumers
CHULA VISTA, Calif. —(Business Wire)— May. 1, 2008 At its Annual Dealer Show this week, Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. will showcase its "1.5" family of UltraThin Displays, which, for the first time, are now available for purchase by U.S. consumers.

Unveiled to rave reviews at the Intl. CES in Las Vegas in January of this year, the 1.5 displays — so named due to their sleek 1.5-inch depth — continue to generate excitement and momentum, particularly now as consumers are able to purchase these slim, stylish displays through retail and specialty AV dealers nationwide for the first time.

Available in four screen sizes (32-inch, 37-inch, 42-inch and 47-inch), the 1.5 displays embody an array of Hitachi's engineering breakthroughs which have resulted in an award winning design, unrivaled thinness and outstanding picture quality. From the patented ventilation technology to the backlight, power supply and unique crystal frame, the innovations found in the 1.5 line represent Hitachi's achievements in areas as diverse as automotive design, server systems and optical R&D.

The new 1.5 line is further differentiated by its appealing design that, importantly, extends a complete 360 degrees around. So whether the displays are seen from the front, a side angle or from the back, the elegant lines and distinctive aesthetics demonstrate an attention to detail that make the displays the ideal complement to a luxury lifestyle.

Another important first: Hitachi has now outlined the pricing structure for the new 1.5 line, which will be offered in Director's Series (X) and Ultra Vision (V) models. Pricing and availability for each model is as follows:

9:45 AM on Fri May 2 2008
By Wilson Rothman
3,225 views
28 comments

Comments

liveinvt at 09:57 AM on 05/02/08
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I got my Sammy LN46A550P on Wednesday and it is so awesome. Replaced a 27" tube from 1993 ;) My first TV purchase ever.

I was walking to another room while watching the screen and was amazed as the screen went from gigantic-46-inch-ness to 3-inch-nothing but I could see the image perfectly until I was parallel with the edge. Awesome.
liveinvt at 09:59 AM on 05/02/08
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Like my new avatar? lol
bms at 10:02 AM on 05/02/08
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I hope they last longer than their hard drives.
itb at 10:10 AM on 05/02/08
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@liveinvt: my dad got one for his "multimedia room"
it is BEAUTIFUL
Darrone at 10:19 AM on 05/02/08
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Connectedness Index: 90
Brought to you by Acura TSX

No HD tuner? Talk about a serious bummer.
ANoel at 10:24 AM on 05/02/08
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Connectedness Index: 175
Brought to you by Acura TSX

Buy these and get the thinnest wallet too.
Munch at 10:33 AM on 05/02/08
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Poor Asian gents - even when it's 47 inches, it's lacking in girth.
PipeRifle at 10:37 AM on 05/02/08
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My opinion is that until things like media players, surround sound receivers, or even DVD cases and other things I want to keep around the TV...until those things are completely flat, I will always have something in the way of a shelf or platform that at least sticks a little bit out from the wall.

So why the rush to "the thinnest", when it comes at the cost of features and the cost of, well, cost? Sure, it's great for wall-mounting and such, but I'd rather have a thicker, feature-packed LCD at the top of the line for half the price, please.
liveinvt at 10:50 AM on 05/02/08
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@PipeRifle: Ya srsly. If you can't roll it up, then it doesn't really matter if it's 3" or 1"

It still gets mounted on the wall. It's still just as thin as other LCD TVs. So who cares about an inch of width being saved?
MrBlahBlah at 10:53 AM on 05/02/08
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While it is sexy, who really cares about how thin the LCD is? You don't move it around, it stays on or near the wall....CRT--> LCD is a much bigger step than fat LCD -->thin LCD
Yeebles at 10:56 AM on 05/02/08
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@liveinvt:

It's just that engadget logo. Are you trying to start a Which blog is better flame war?
Yeebles at 10:58 AM on 05/02/08
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BTW apologies if I have used the term flame wars incorrectly First time I have used it....
Siouxperman at 11:06 AM on 05/02/08
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@PipeRifle: ask Steve Jobs to explain this to you, he seems to have a handle on the topic of "the thinnest with less features at a higher price"....... Just think envelope!
Maksimir at 11:27 AM on 05/02/08
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is it just me or does that guy look like Jackie Chan?
j4sk868 at 11:29 AM on 05/02/08
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how thick is this 1.5" LCD? :)
liveinvt at 11:39 AM on 05/02/08
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@Yeebles: No I am trying to mock them. But apparently it is taken as something offensive, not comical. So I guess I have to change it.
Noobs-R-Us at 11:48 AM on 05/02/08
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@Munch: It's the quality and how you use those 47" that can really wow the ladies.
phoghat at 11:55 AM on 05/02/08
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@Siouxperman: Ah Yes! $40 bazillion dollars and no tuner, but it is thin and well, thin.
Does it fit in a very large manila envelope?
EQC at 12:20 PM on 05/02/08
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No tuner? Well who cares if it's thin then. It absolutely requires the use of a non-thin box somewhere near it with some ugly cable winding its way to the TV. These aren't even LCD TV's or HD TV's -- they're just big flat monitors.

Does it even come with it's own remote? I'm guessing "no" since the remote control would be paired with the tuner.

Also: other than the warranty/price/availability date, can anybody tell the difference between the Director and UltraVision lines?
TOWken22 at 12:58 PM on 05/02/08
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@Munch: Low blow man, low blow.
OG512 at 01:18 PM on 05/02/08
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@Munch: DDAAAAAMMMMNNNN! Below the belt dude! Anyway, Samsung still has a better and cheaper TV any day of the week!
CaptCaveman at 01:21 PM on 05/02/08
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The cost is a bit much. Plus, I tend to watch the front of my TV.
Yeebles at 02:09 PM on 05/02/08
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@liveinvt:

I feel bad now, I am obviously not seeing the humour in it. It's just I see soo many posts provoking attacks on product or website XYZ. Change it back, I'm over-ridden with guilt!
ripfire4 at 02:11 PM on 05/02/08
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Hey! Whatever happened to cheap TVs coming soon? If I'm going to end up paying that much, I expect it to be no thicker than an inch.
LoganSix at 02:43 PM on 05/02/08
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@ripfire4: Yes, when can I get a 40" LCD/Plasma/DLP HDTV with a tuner for under $500 new? Just make them cheaper now, they are thin enough.
Sora57 at 03:05 PM on 05/02/08
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If all you want is thin, you can get the 11" SONY OLED for $2,500.

Yeah it's small and expensive, but its 3mm in thickness and you can sit REAL close.
aec007 at 03:50 PM on 05/02/08
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Too bad they go up to 47"... I need 60" plus....
Melonado at 03:59 PM on 05/02/08
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Not sure about the rest, but the 37 inch Director series only has a 1 HDMI port and 1 VGA port. It's a very expensive large monitor really, it does come with a 3 or 4 foot HDMI cable in the box... which is neat.... I guess.