Hitachi 42HDS69 Plasma TV Review

Out of the box this set is able to pull HD signals (480p/720p/1080I) from the airwaves with its built-in ATSC tuner. In addition the 42HDS69 can receive unscrambled HDTV signals with its QAM tuner. A CableCARD port allows the set to get digital cable broadcasts directly from a digital cable service provider without the need for a bulky set-top box. A standard NTSC tuner is also built-in to allow reception of standard definition broadcasts. The TV comes with a table top stand or can be wall mounted with additional hardware.

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Every TV capable of high definition reception is instantly judged on its picture quality. The Hitachi 42HDS69 delivers stunning images with 1080 vertical lines of interlaced resolution. This ensures that the colors are vivid and smooth throughout the entire picture.

Further enhancing the picture quality is Hitachi’s proprietary ALiS (Alternate Lighting of Surfaces) technology. AliS helps to reduce the barriers between the pixels to give the picture a more film-like appearance. The AliS technology allows the Hitachi 42HDS69 to deliver more than a million pixels and can reproduce more visual information than any TV in its class. Standard HDTV broadcasts at 1080I and the Hitachi is designed so that it comes close to matching that standard.

Picture sharpness and contrast are handled by the PictuerMaster HD II processing technology. This technology is third generation in the Hitachi 42HDS69 and uses a new histogram-processing algorithm that delivers a clean, sharp picture through contrast, sharpness and color enhancement. Viewers of standard TV know that colors are often poorly reproduced, but the Hitachi 42HDS69’s extended color capability allows it to reproduce reds, greens and blues with16-bit/281 trillion colors that deliver much truer color and a 16% brighter display than other TVs, plasma or otherwise, on the market.

Most plasma televisions use some sort of comb filtering technology and the Hitachi 42HDS69 offers a 4 MB, 10-bit digital 3D Y/C filter that separates color signals and brightness in the 3D space so that cross-color, cross luminance and dot crawl distortion are nearly eliminated. Also, field-by-field comparisons of the image are done so that black and white information is properly separated which means a sharper, higher quality image on screen.

If you choose to watch progressive scan movies on the Hitachi 42HDS69 you’ll appreciate the automatic 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal feature. This allows progressive scan films to be seen in their native 24 fps format on a set that displays 30 fps video. The system works by duplicating the original film and removing the redundant information so that the proper frame rate is displayed.

Other features to the Hitachi 42HDS69’s image quality include 3 color temperature settings, a four-step black enhancement and multiple aspect ratios (four HD, six SD). Viewers can also watch two programs simultaneously with the picture in picture feature.

Sounds Abound

Running a close second to the picture quality is a plasma TV’s sound quality. The 42HDS69 uses a 3-way speaker system that simulates real surround sound. It can be used alone or as a center channel in a full surround set-up.

Connection options give plasma televisions added flexibility. The Hitachi offers the following audio and video hookups:

* Composite A/V: 4 rear, 1 side

* S-Video: 2 rear

* Component Video: 2 rear, 1 side

* HDMI: 2 rear, 1 side

* RF: 1

* Digital audio output: 1 optical

Conclusion

Best DVD Recorder Reviews Rating

9.5/10

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