The 60VG825 is a 60-inch LCD rear-projection HDTV from Hitachi's UltraVision CineForm line that can admirably serve as the centerpiece of your home theater system. However, if you don't have deep pockets, the price may turn you away to more affordable models.

This big-screen set has a larger cabinet than many competing models, but that is due in part to the flanking three-way speakers that produce a satisfying stereo separation. The 60VG825 also packs in the features, including a side-panel USB port for viewing photos directly from a digital camera, and its CableCARD slot makes it digital cable-ready.

All content is displayed at 720p on the 1,280X720-resolution screen, which is noticeable lower than many competing rear-projection models that have upped the ante to 1,080p. Nevertheless, the 60VG825 ensures sharp edges, plenty of detail and accurate colors thanks to the three-panel LCD design and Hitachi's VirtualHD video processing, and it is capable of displaying up to 68 billion colors. LCD rear-projection televisions often suffer from poor black levels, but the 60VG825 combats this with four-step black enhancement.

The three-way speaker system produces a total of 40 watts of stereo output, offering a surprisingly full accompaniment to the images on the screen. Audio options include simulated surround sound and BBE sound enhancement, and the 60VG825's speakers can be used as the center channel in a complete home theater speaker system.

The integrated ATSC (HD) tuner features Quick Start technology, so when you turn on the 60VG825, the tuner doesn't need to scan for available channels before displaying an image. This set is equipped with full PIP options, and it has a freeze function that will freeze a full-screen image or put a frozen image into a split-screen or inset window. Day and night settings for each input are saved in memory, and a timer automatically switches the settings depending on the time of day. Other convenience features include on and sleep timers, parental V-chip controls and closed captions, and the illuminated universal remote control sports handy roll-and-click wheels for making speedy channel and volume changes.

The 60VG825 boasts a wide variety of inputs and outputs, including two RF inputs, five composite video inputs (one on the side panel), three S-video inputs (one side), the USB input, two wideband component video inputs, two HDMI inputs, the CableCARD slot, the center channel input, a composite video/S-video output and an optical digital audio output. In addition, two Learning AV NET (IR) outputs let the 60VG825 act as the control interface for a full home theater system with multiple connected components.

While it can't match the 1,080p resolution of some comparably sized rear-projection sets, the Hitachi 60VG825 is a technologically advanced and strong performing, albeit expensive, big-screen HDTV.

Pros:  Accurate colors and sharp edges, lots of connectivity options, three-way speakers
Cons:  Only displays in 720p, expensive

Warranty
1 year parts and labor, in-home service