Speak to Hitachi representatives and they'll tell you that everybody is going crazy nuts bananas over 1080p. Sure it's nice, but there is a definite lack of content at the present. Yet that hasn't stopped Hitachi from building its first 50-inch plasma with full HD support* -- the P50X01, which also has a few extra nifty features up its sleeve.
Upside
The hero feature of this AU$5,999 TV is the Frame Rate Conversion (FRC) system, which is designed to remove the judder from movies and even TV programming. Film is recorded in 24 fps, and converting this to a PAL friendly 50 Hz has resulted in some inelegant hacking of the signal -- and this causes judder, or "jerky" movement in sideways motion. The Hitachi system -- similar to those announced by Philips (Pixel Plus 2 HD) and Toshiba (Meta Brain Pro) -- interpolates extra frames to "smooth out" this motion. And from what we saw during the launch it works very well.
Other features of this TV include an integrated digital tuner, a motorised base, and one-touch control. The three HDMI inputs on the Hitachi are version 1.3 compliant for better compatibility with Blu-ray and HD DVD -- though we highly doubt this means it can decode Dolby True HD.
Downside
Plasma pictures may have superior contrast, but where they can struggle against LCD is in the reproduction of colour, and from an overall softness. The P50X01 certainly has some of this lack of crispness to its image -- especially when compared side-by-side against its 42-inch LCD companion, the Hitachi L42X01.
There is also a AU$2000 premium on other 50-inch models by Panasonic and Samsung, but of course the important distinction is that it supports full 1080p and features enhanced processing capabilities.
Outlook
Despite being pricier than some other plasmas of the same size, the Hitachi P50X01 comes in at a good amount for a 1080p-capable screen -- especially when you consider that the 12 month old Pioneer PDP-5000EX is almost twice as much. Until Pioneer can come up with a rebuttal, this Hitachi looks to have all the features and performance you could ask for. The Hitachi P50X01 will be available in mid-August 2007.
Editor's note: Hitachi has clarified that their initial definition of the P50X01 as a "Full HD 1920 x 1080" panel means this is a 1080i screen, and not 1080p. The P50X01 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and will replay 1080p content.
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Omkar Dubey
20/05/2008, 03:56 PM
rating
10/10
Biggest advantage is that its made in Japan beside other features.
Today how many are coming with made in Japan.
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sree77
04/01/2008, 02:07 PM
rating
8/10
Appreciate if you could review Hitachi L42X01
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Whitey
08/11/2007, 09:59 PM
rating
7/10
I have just recently purchased a P50X01 and just discovered online that there are complaints to Hitachi that this is in fact not a full 1080p but only a 1080i. I had checked ther website before the purchase and it stated full HD 1080p but I have since looked again and they have changed this to 1080i as claimed by reseller. For many vendors the issue is a fine line as 1080p resolution -- which equates to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels -- is Full HD because 1080p screens are theoretically capable of displaying every pixel at the HD highest-resolution. 1080i, the former king of HD TV delivers an identical 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions however it conveys the images in an interlaced format with the image "painted" on the screen sequentially.
The odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on first, followed by the even-numbered lines -- all within 1/25 of a second. Progressive-scan formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content.
Pros: 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions
Cons: Only 1080i, not 1080p.
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Whitey
08/11/2007, 09:20 PM
rating
7/10
I have just recently purchased a P50X01 and just discovered online that there are complaints to Hitachi that this is in fact not a full 1080p but only a 1080i. I had checked ther website before the purchase and it stated full HD 1080p but I have since looked again and they have changed this to 1080i as claimed by reseller. For many vendors the issue is a fine line as 1080p resolution -- which equates to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels -- is Full HD because 1080p screens are theoretically capable of displaying every pixel at the HD highest-resolution. 1080i, the former king of HD TV delivers an identical 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions however it conveys the images in an interlaced format with the image "painted" on the screen sequentially.
The odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on first, followed by the even-numbered lines -- all within 1/25 of a second. Progressive-scan formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content.
Pros: 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions
Cons: Only 1080i, not 1080p.
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Electric_Haggis
23/09/2007, 12:17 PM
rating
9/10
Well a friend of mine bought the P50X01 a few weeks ago, and I had a chance to give it a proper test drive with some TV, HDDVD, Blu-ray and regular DVD.
Out of the box - like most TVs - it looks wrong, and needs some callibrating. Such as...
* Picture mode: Linear
* Colour Temp: Cool
* Contrast: Around 30
* Brightness: 0 or 1
* All the picture processing modes, like noise reduction, black expansion, etc, should be turned OFF.
* Aspect: Full 1080
Once done, it's a very nice TV - MUCH better than Hitachi's previous 50 inch. All the detail in HD is there to see, and regular DVDs look surprisingly good (we played them off an upscaling Playstation 3). This TV can refresh at 48Hz (confirmed by Hitachi), so Blu-rays playing at 24p off the Playstation (or whatever else) will be displayed correctly.
The HD tuner works perfectly, the piano black finish is very classy, the swivel-stand can be handy, and the remote is nice.
It can be picked up around town for under $5K if you haggle, so its good value - much better than a similarly sized LCD. I've also tested out the Sony X-series Bravia LCD, and a plasma like this beats it every time for picture quality and value.
The only downsides with this TV are the black levels, which are definitely not as deep as a Pioneer or Panasonic. You'll need to be watching darker material in a darkened room to really see this, of course. There's also a tad more noise and colour banding than you'd get on a Pioneer or Panasonic.
As of this writing, the competing Panasonic full-HD 50-inch plasma is still a couple of weeks away, and the Pioneer is still around $10K.
As the Panasonic is going for around the same price, it'd represent similar bang for buck to the Hitachi. I have NO DOUBT that it'd offer deeper blacks and a slightly cleaner picture, so for those reasons I'd personally prefer it. But on the other hand, it will lack the Hitachi's piano-black finish, swivel-stand, and the ability to display 24p HD at the right refresh rate. It may also turn out to be dimmer panel. The Pioneer will be better than both the Pana and Hitachi of course, but you are paying double, so it damn well should be!
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