Hitachi 55HDS52 55-inch plasma HDTV
Date Published: 4/22/08
The Hitachi UltraVision 55HDS52 is a 55-inch plasma HDTV designed to be the centerpiece of a high-end home theater system. The attractive black monitor includes side-mounted stereo speakers, an anti-reflective glass screen and convenient control buttons and inputs along the side panels. Slim enough for wall mounting (using an additional bracket), the 55HDS52 comes with a removable tabletop stand, and an optional powered swivel stand is available for those who want the ultimate in convenience.
The images on the plasma screen are extremely sharp and detailed, with rich blacks, high contrast and over 68 billion colors available. Movies are subject to automatic 3:2 pulldown conversion to ensure a smooth picture, and special black-and-white film settings optimize colors when watching old movies. The 55HDS52 has a native resolution of 1366X768, with high-definition content displayed at 768p. This plasma TV is digital cable-ready, with a CableCARD slot potentially eliminating the need for a cable box. Twin tuners enable multiple PIP functions. The audio system holds up its end of the bargain, producing 40 total watts of stereo output.
The 55HDS52's jack pack is extensive. In addition to side-panel audio/video, S-video, and USB inputs, the rear panel is home to a pair of RF inputs, four more audio/video inputs, two more S-video inputs, two wideband component video inputs, two HDMI connections, an audio/video output with S-video, an optical digital audio output, two IR outputs for a learning AV Net IV and a fixed/variable audio output.
Convenience features include memory for separate day and night video settings for each input, digital photo viewing via the USB input, parental locks, and a two-level mute. The 55HDS52 can serve as the center speaker in a home theater system, and it even has a subwoofer pre-amp output. The 55HDS52's universal remote is a well-designed model that includes handy roll-and-click wheels for volume and channel changing, as well as fully illuminating buttons.
Warranty
1 year parts and labor, in-home service
