I'm about to make a purchase of one of these two RPLCD TVs. I have a few concerns with both models regarding problems with the bulbs and the power supplies, as reported by numerous posters in this forum.
My biggest issue is that I'll be shipping it overseas, as I work for the fed gov and will be living in Colombia for a couple of years. I won't have a chance to test the TV and returning it or getting service will be expensive and/or difficult, respectively. So basically I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I get a good set right out of the box.
I have a significantly better deal (financially) on the Hitachi. I've seen the TVs side by side at CC and was most impressed with the Hitachi, although I understand the Sony can get close to as good quality with proper adjustment and calibration.
First question: Is there any way to get a reliable feel for which of these RPLCD TVs would be more likely to work correctly and stay that way? (Don't you wish manufacturers were forced to publish stats on service issues within 30-60-90-180 day increments?
Second question: Am I likely to find service for either of these sets from Sony or Hitachi in Colombia? Is Sony better established in Latin America generally? (I know most people won't have a clue about this, but just in case I thought I'd ask.)
Final question: I've seen some Hitachi purchasers complain about the PQ on normal cable. Is this degraded PQ with regular cable relatively lower on the Hitachi compared to the Sony, or is this just the standard degradation seen across the board when an LCD TV is fed an analog cable signal?
Thanks for all the great info. This forum is fantastic, as I mentioned before.