No doubt about it, 1080p is the marketing catchphrase to tout in high-definition displays. That number refers to the number of horizontal scan lines, in progressive (not interlaced) format that represents the highest of all the high-def specification. But whether or not you can actually see the difference between 1080p and lower-resolution high-def formats is questionable. It depends on the size of the screen and how far you sit from it.

Hitachi’s 55HDX99 indicates that 1080p, while certainly desirable, may not be a make-or-break feature at the 55-inch screen size. The 55HDX99 features a more conventional 1366-by-768 pixel layout, a tad more than the 720p high-definition specification requires and matching exactly that of the computer world’s widescreen WXGA requirement.

We rather liked Hitachi’s 55HDX62 55-incher that we tested in our July/August 2006 issue (review at hemagazine.com). The new model is tagged with the company’s Director’s Series designation, which signifies the top feature tier, including a black soft metallic-finish cabinet mated with a light-absorbing, black-tinted glass front panel to absorb ambient room light and improve contrast. Which it did quite nicely when we placed it almost directly underneath a bright overhead ceiling lamp, and found the picture still retained good contrast with hardly any glare. The integral loudspeakers are side-mounted and nicely integrated within the facia, adding little to the overall cabinet width, but as with virtually all flat-panel displays, you’ll be far better off with external high-fidelity loudspeakers.

The color analyzer confirms Hitachi’s claim that the 55HDX62 delivers true-blue color, as the measurements show that both the blue and red primary colors precisely match the colorimetry of the digital television specification, with the green being a tad oversaturated. We measured a hearty 27 footlamberts of light output from the set, using the daytime standard setting; this should be more than enough to provide a lively picture even in a well-lit room. The Hitachi provides a nighttime mode that trims the contrast back for a more pleasing look in a darkened room.

Your installer will appreciate the range of adjustments provided in the setup menu, as the set’s color-temperature settings and adjustment controls are easily accessible. We found the standard color-temperature setting to be the best choice; it gave us an extremely consistent gray scale that never strayed more than three percent away from the 6,500 degrees Kelvin color-temperature ideal for television sets—thus, the color stays consistent no matter how bright or dim the picture content is. This is a superlative achievement matched by very few other displays.

With high-definition test patterns, the 55HDX99 scores a knockout punch. The conversion from 1080-line interlaced to the panel’s native 768-line progressive structure is accomplished properly with no line doubling or smearing, preserving as much of the interlaced signal’s detail as possible. Since most HD content is 1080-line interlaced in origin, having proper high-definition deinterlacing ensures the maximum picture detail, something that most HD displays still don’t get quite right.

It is not quite as good when fed standard-definition signals from a DVD player. The image is sharp, but the deinterlacing function is merely OK; it fails some tests. Your installer must be sure to activate the movie mode, which compensates for the slower frame rate of film-based material. Why the set is provided from the factory with it turned off is a mystery, although this peculiarity is not unique to Hitachi. Even with the movie mode activated, it’s slow to detect film-based material. The result is that some picture judder and possibly some moiré patterns will appear if you stop and restart a movie, but they will disappear within a second or two.The set is equipped with a useful contrast enhancement function, which bumps up the dark grays according to a scene’s overall brightness. With the movie Crash, which features many outdoor nighttime scenes and dimly lit interior shots, the effect worked well most of the time, without adding a washed-out look. While a motorized swivel stand is offered as an option, it isn’t a necessity as the picture looks fine even if you watch from well off to the side.

As befits its position at the top of Hitachi’s plasma range, the set includes plenty of connectivity, including both rear- and side-mounted inputs for both analog component and digital HDMI high-definition video sources. Those side-mounted inputs are just the ticket for families with serious gamers, as the component input takes care of the Xbox 360, while the HDMI input best suits the PlayStation 3, and the USB port is ready for a digital camera.

A good-looking plasma display with an even better-looking picture, the Hitachi 55HDX99 plays the numbers game just fine, giving a great high-definition picture with plenty of expansion capability for a growing home media center.

DESCRIPTION
55-inch diagonal plasma flat-panel widescreen HDTV. Wall mount and motorized swivel stand optional

DISPLAY CAPABILITIES
Native 16:9 widescreen display. Accepts 720-line progressive and 1080-line interlaced HDTV, WXGA (1366 x 768) computer signals, and 480-line progressive and interlaced signals

RESOLUTION
1366 x 768 pixels

CONNECTIONS
Three component video inputs, two S-video inputs, two composite video inputs, three HDMI digital video inputs, IEEE-1394 (FireWire) input, USB input, five stereo audio inputs; S-video output, composite video output, stereo audio output, optical digital audio output, two IR outputs for remote-control signal relay, RS-232 serial port for external controller, port for connection to optional motorized swivel stand

DIMENSIONS
33.2 x 59.5 x 4.6 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: $5,499
CONTACT: 800.HITACHI, hitachi.us/tv