It appears Toshiba and Hitachi assembly lines will shut down for a month or so to deal with ‘damages’ cause by the quake and following tsunami that recently ravaged China, the hub of operations for many of our HDTV producing friends. No firm estimates have been given for full operations to resume for either company.

Who knows if this will affect supplies of HDTV screens in the near future, but some mild shortages are likely according to a number of blogs and sources, but that’s the least of the problems facing that country we suppose, in the big scheme of things.

BestBuy – Samsung has been very much on the ball with HDTV technology of late, and here’s a Samsung 46” 1080p LCD HDTV for $969.99 with free in-store pickup as well for those near one. Fine deal on a monstrous beast of a TV.

OneCall – We don’t feature this company much, but this Hitachi UT47V702 47″ V Series UltraThin 1080p LCD HDTV for $899.77 with free shipping is a heck of a deal, indeed. Prices continue to fall, and you reap the benefits!

Thanks for checking out this installment of HDTV Deals!

Newegg.com - The Hitachi 32” LCD HDTV + Free Hitachi AVC08U Audio Video Center (great combo!) for $579.99 – 10% discount with this link = $521.99 with free shipping too. Instant entertainment unit at an amazing price.

Walmart – This is just insane – the Vizio VX42LHDTV10A 42″ 720p LCD HDTV for only $598 – with free ship to Store available too. (or $50 otherwise; still an amazing deal). Decent stats for the price: 720p, Contrast ratio: 1000:1, 2 HDMI ports. Grab this one; it could be gone any minute!

Feel free to check these out, and have a great weekend!

The 4 XP plasmas range from 42″ to 50″ and will feature better contrast ratios, as high as 40,000:1 in one case, with improved colors and energy savings too, as mandated by improvements made by other companies.

The super-thin 35mm / 1.4-inch thick LCDs are back in four cool new models, with UWB connected tuners, auto sensing brightness and green “eco” features too.

The XP line of LCDs has just 3 displays, but like the rest can hook up to the net and interface with Yahoo! Japan’s web TV portal (sadly probably won’t see the light of day when the US versions of these debut later this year).

The XP and Plasmas are scheduled to be available to get our greedy mitts on in Japan in the next month or so, and the ultra-thin line should be debuting around October or so.

Overall: The TV got excellent marks for its scaler for SD images, and its HD quality and colors are pretty good. Power swivel and viewing angle are very good.

However, the reviewer considers it a bit overpriced at its current retail price level, and there were complaints about its HD imaging at times. The menu system, remote and speakers received low marks too.

Here’s the whole detailed review: Link

Hitachi Ultravision 55HDS69 55″ Plasma HDTV

With all of the advanced features that this plasma television offers, you’ll experience both a crystal clear high definition picture and amazing sound. This 55″ TV has a built-in CableCard, so you can connect this HDTV directly to an HD source to begin experiencing the best picture quality without any hassle. With its wide viewing angle it doesn’t matter where you sit, because you’ll be able to see everything happening on the screen of this Hitachi Ultravision television. As this 55″ plasma television features PictureMaster HD III 1080p processing technology for enhanced contrast, sharpness and color means that you see a picture that is clearer and sharper with the purest colors on an even brighter screen. Along with the large and clear picture, the Ultravision 55HDS69 features a 36-watt three-way speaker system that is capable of producing simulated surround sound and can double as a center-channel speaker for your full surround sound system. So when you’re ready to experience the best picture and sound in a television, then you’ll want to buy the Hitachi Ultravision 55HDS69 55″ Plasma HDTV to anchor your multimedia room.

Hitachi L47V651 47″ V-Series LCD Flat-Panel TV

This LCD television is meant to make the most of today’s high-definition format, and will deliver the ultimate in viewing pleasure. The V-Series of televisions from Hitachi feature 2.6 times more pixels than the standard XGA flat-panel screens that are full HD ready. With the latest in image processing the L47V651 is great to watch, and its sleek design make it nice to look at in your media room. You’ll experience crystal clear viewing from almost any angle on this 47″ HDTV, and it produces exceptional results when you connect it to your HD games consoles and Blu-Ray DVD players. With analog and digital tuners and stereo sound, you can enjoy great television now when you buy the Hitachi L47V651 47″ V-Series LCD Flat-Panel TV