Hitachi 55HDS69 Plasma TV Review

Picture Perfect

Plasma televisions are ultimately judged on their picture quality and the Hitachi 55HDS69 delivers absolutely breathtaking images. Out of the box the set is able to receive HD signals from the airwaves with its built-in ATSC (DTV) tuner. Unscrambled HDTV cable broadcasts can be viewed thanks to the QAM tuner and the set is also ready to go if you have a digital cable subscription with the Cable CARD port. In addition regular standard-definition programs can also be picked up with the analog NTSC tuner.

The 55HDS69 plasma TV employs PictureMaster HD III processing technology. This is third generation 1080p processing along with new histogram processing that puts out clearer, sharper images by enhancing sharpness, color and contrast. Colors such as reds, blues and greens reproduce smoothly and accurately thanks to the set’s 16-bit/281 trillion color capability. Added to these features is the fact that the set uses a 16% brighter panel display than other TVs in the same class.

Watching progressive scan movies on monitors meant for video can be a problem because progressive scan runs at 24 frames per second (FPS) while video runs at 30 FPS. The Hitachi 55HDS69 solves this problem by including an automatic 3:2 pull-down detection and reversal. This works by duplicating the progressive scan film and digitally correcting it by removing redundant visual information so that you get an accurate frame rate. Another feature included in many plasma displays as well as the Hitachi 55HDS69 is a 3D Y/C comb filter. The Hitachi uses a 4 MB, 10-bit digital Y/C filter to separate the brightness and color signals better in the 3D domain. This helps to do away with annoyances such as: dot crawl distortion and vertically hanging dots, which makes for a razor sharp picture.

As mentioned before the Hitachi 55HDS69 has an impressive 1365 X768 pixel resolution which, when combined with the massive 55” display, makes for a superior picture. In addition the set employs a high contrast black rib structure that delivers very deep blacks and above average contrast capabilities. There are three color temperature settings, four-step black enhancement, a split-screen picture in picture function and four HD and six SD aspect ratios to choose from. The screen itself has an anti-reflective surface that allows the Hitachi 55HDS69 to absorb ambient room light so that reflections are kept to a minimum and shadow details don’t become muddied.

Sounds Like A Winner

Sound is just as important in a home theater set-up and the Hitachi 55HDS69 puts out above average sound with the built-in three-way, 36-watt speaker system. This sound system is capable of simulating surround sound without having to go to a full-blown surround set. However, if you choose to use, say a 5:1 surround set-up, the speakers in the TV could be used as your center channel.

Audio and video connections included with this set are:

* 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

Additional features that come standard with the Hitachi 55HDS69 are: On/Sleep timers, closed caption decoder, screensavers to protect against screen burn, V-chip parental controls and three language on-screen display (English, French and Spanish). The box includes a remote control (batteries included), swivel table-top stand and a printed operating manual.

Conclusion

Best DVD Recorder Reviews Rating

10/10

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