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Hitachi P50T01U Review |
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Reviewed: 18 May 2007
Design
The Hitachi P50T01U is a bit of an oddity in the shiny ebony black minimalist world of large Plasma screens. To be frank, it looks a little dated compared to rivals from Samsung and Panasonic to name just a few. However, you do have the option of ordering it in either a matte black or gloss black finish.
Although design is not cutting edge, the P50T01U through its shear presence will bring admiring glances, and this unit has got a trick up its sleeve that will leave owners of other Plasma's a little envious. Oh yes, serious one-upmanship is available with a remote swiveling stand.
Features
Connectivity on the Hitachi P50T01U is good rather than outstanding. 2 HDMI inputs are complemented by 3 Scarts, component video input, Composite video input, PC input and S-Video input. In addition, there is an SD card slot, USB and 7-day Electronic Programming Guide (EPG).
Screen size & shape: 50in 16:9 Tuner: Digital and Analogue Sound system: Nicam Stereo Resolution: 1,280x1,080 pixels HD Ready: Yes Contrast Ratio: 10,000:1 Brightness: 1300cd/m2 OTHER FEATURES: Colour transient improvement, Transient improvement, Black enhancement. SOCKETS: 2 HDMI (1 Side), 3 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input.
Don't be confused by the screens resolution of 1,280 x 1,080 pixels, the P50T01U is not Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) even though it has 1,080 horizontal lines.
This is an unusual screen resolution (we are more used to seeing 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080) and it will be interesting to see what difference, if any, this specification has on performance.
This format accommodates ALiS (Alternating Lighting of Surfaces), which uses an interlaced approach, lighting even and odd lines every 1/60th of a second, doubling the vertical resolution.
The picture processing core of the P50T01U is Hitachi's Picture Master HD Processing which has been designed to reduce video 'noise', improve colour saturations, detailing and the tone of colour.
Performance
Quality of black levels are always the first element of a screen's performance we look at, and in the P50T01U's case this performance came as a bit of a disappointment. Six months ago, the P50T01U would have been up there with the best in this respect, but times have changed. Rival plasma screens from Samsung and Panasonic have raised the bar in this area.
With darker scenes, the Hitachi's P50T01U shows signs of greyness where there should be pure black. The problem doesn't detract too much from viewing pleasure, its just that other Plasma screens are better in this respect, and far more enjoyable as a result.
Hook the P50T01U up to a High Definition (HD) DVD however, and we can see where this screen excels. HD looks superb, with a level of detail and sharpness that competes with the best. Subtle detailing is immaculate, and colours are reproduced faultlessly and with a subtlety that makes skin tones look supremely realistic.
Standard Definition (SD) performance is not the P50T01U's strong point, although the picture is pretty good with Sky TV (1080i). Fast motion scenes are handled surprisingly well, but there is evidence of some video noise and picture jaggedness. Standard Freeview broadcasts inevitably don't hold up so well, with a noticeable deterioration in picture quality on all levels.
Conclusion
Hitachi's P50T01U is a competent all round performer, and definitely worth a look if you can get a good discount.
Large screen Plasma performance however has moved on rapidly over the past six months, and rival manufacturers such as Panasonic, Samsung and Pioneer have raised the bar in all areas. The P50T01U is a good screen, its just that its rivals are that little bit better.
