HDTV Reviews

Hitachi’s new HDTVs include a 1080 plasma screens lines and four slim 120Hz LCD televisions.

Hitachi has taken the wraps off three new series of 42-inch and 55-inch plasma HDTVs plus four new LCD television offerings which, as they ship this year, at least make your HDTV options more plentiful and complicated.

Plasma HDTVS

Hitachi’s new plasma televisions will be available in both 42-inch and 55-inch configurations, and Hitachi says the 42-inch models—the 42HDS69, the 42HDT79, and 42HDX99 —will be the first plasma screen to bring 1080i resolution to that size.

The 42-inch and 55-inch UltraVision models will feature Hitachi’s PictureMaster III processor, giving the 42HDS69 ($2,499) a 1024 by 1080 resolution and the 55HDS69 ($4,299) a 1365 by 768 resolution. Both sizes will features three HDMI and three component inputs, a six-speaker 36-watt audio system, and are designed to look like they were hewn from a single slab of aluminum. They’re expected to ship in June 2006—well, Hitachi says “this month,” but really, it’s almost June, right?

The UltraVision CineForm 42-inch and 55-inch models have all the features of the HDS69 series (above), with the addition of an onscreen TV Guide programming guide, an adjustable color decoder, two IR outputs (and an IR pass-through), and a USB photo input. The list price for the 42HDT79 will be $2,999, the 55-inch 55HDT79 will be $4,799; both units are expected to be available in July 2006.

The UltraVision Director’s Series 42HDX99 and 55HDX99 have all the features of the HDS69 and HDT79 models (above), then add FireWire, Custom Color Temperature, and a “Film Quality Image” setup, along with the Learning AV NET V with Simple Remote, which is intended to distill all home theater operations down to a single 12-button remote. These units will be available in August 2006; the 42HDX99 will run $3,499 while the 55HDX99 will have a spendy list price of $5,299.

Back at the lower end of the spectrum—and outside the product lines above—Hitachi is also offering the 42-inch 42HDF39 plasma TV, with a titanium finish, bottom speaker design, and a fixed table-top stand. The unit will offer a 1024 by 1024 resolution, NTSC and ATSC tuners, three color temperatures, a 3D comb filter, a 2-watt audio system, plus HDMI and component inputs. The 42HDF39 is available now with a list price of $2,299.

LCD HDTVs

Hitachi is also rolling out four new LCD TVs, all of which feature fast 120 Hz refresh rates and the company’s black frame insertion technology. Like the new plasma models, above, the units feature the PictureMaster HD III video processor with advanced 1080p histogram processing, 281 trilling color capacity, and motion overdrive technology. Each supports four high-def and six standard-def aspect modes, as well as picture-in-picture, split screen functionality, a 20-watt audio system with bass boost, optical audio output.

The 32-inch 32HLT79 ($2,199) and 37-inch 37HLT79 ($2,699) UltraVision LCD TVs offer three HDMI inputs, side panel controls, a pre-programmed illuminated remote, three-language onscreen displays, parental locking, and discrete IR codes.

The Director’s Series 32-inch 32HLX99 ($2,499) and 37-inch 37HLX99 ($2,999) offer “film-quality”image tuning, custom color temperatures, an adjustable color decoder, and Hitachi’s Digital Color Management II technology. Plus: a swanky swivel tabletop stand and the TV Guide onscreen programming helper.

The 32-inch HLX99 will be available in October 2006; the other three LCD models will ship in November 2006.
Source: http://news.digitaltrends.com/