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Hitachi's 42HDF52 is a 42-inch plasma TV that can handle high-definition programming, PC content, and progressive scan DVD movies with equal ease. The wide-format screen is made of anti-reflective glass and surrounded by a black frame, with a gray titanium panel below the screen containing stereo speakers. The control buttons are front and center below the screen, where they are easy to reach. All of the inputs and outputs are located on the rear of the monitor but accessible from below, so the wires will not interfere with wall mounting. Unfortunately, the 42HDF52 has no front inputs or outputs.

Images on the 42HDF52 are very bright, sharp and well defined. A 4MB 3-D Y/C digital comb filter eliminates dot crawl and hanging dots, and the native resolution of 1,024X1,024 creates a rich picture that is well suited to HD content. The internal NTSC and ATSC tuners can accommodate all input signal formats, from 480i to 1,080i. Both analog and digital images can be viewed in picture-in-picture format, including PC content and signals received via the component video input.

The internal stereo system on this plasma TV is not especially noteworthy, but it does its job, producing 20 watts of audio output with separate adjustments for treble and bass. Among the attractive features on the 42HDF52 are on/sleep timers, memory for picture settings for each of the inputs (including special PC settings), a full-screen freeze, favorite channel memory and a choice of seven screen-fill modes.

The jack pack is not as extensive as on some competing models, with only one of most types of inputs or outputs. The selection is still adequate, however, with a composite video input, an S-video input, a wideband component video input, a DVI input, an RGB D-sub analog PC input with audio, two RF inputs, an optical digital audio output and a composite video output. The black remote control is a universal model with colorful buttons to help you find your way through the 42HDF52's numerous functions.

Warranty
1 year parts and labor, in-home service