It was an executive at Hitachi who once said that a good picture and a large TV shouldn't just be reserved for the rich. Everyone deserved a quality picture from their television, and true to his word, Hitachi has a set that provides a large screen at a price that really isn't that large. The Hitachi 50VS69A uses a high-efficiency 3-panel LCD light engine to deliver pure colors with what can only be described as eye-pleasing smoothness that is free of distortion and digital artifacts.

But what makes the Hitachi 50VS69A almost as attractive as the image it can project on the 50-inch screen is the price. While the MSRP is just less than $1,300, the set can be found online for a good deal less. This 720p set features a maximum resolution of 1,280x720, and is good for over-the-air, cable and dish-delivered high-definition content. The 50VS69A is also compatible with 1080p content from Blu-ray or HD-DVD players, but the resolution is down-scaled accordingly.

In addition to not having the highest resolution on the market today, the 50VS69A does have a large footprint for a 50-inch set. It is nearly a foot and a half deep, which is reasonable considering rear projection sets from only a few years ago, but still considerably more depth than other sets. However, for the price, this is a small complaint. The casing is designed so that you see as little of the set as possible from the front, and this further explains why it is a tad deeper than the rivals' 50-inch TVs. From the front, you see the screen and not a whole lot more.

Seated just below the screen are the dual speakers, which offer 24-watts of total power with the 2-way speakers system. Audio is complemented with MTS Stereo/SAP with dbx, and simulated surround sound along with bass boost. This provides adequate sound, although the surround sound fails to deliver the results that you'd get from a dedicated home theater system. On the plus side, the Hitachi 50VS69A has a special TV-as-center speaker option, which can be used with home theater in-a-box systems. This unique option can come in handy, as there often doesn't seem to be that "right" spot for the center channel speaker. Hitachi includes two levels of mute options, including full mute to kill all the sound and a soft mute that just brings the volume down.

The 50VS69A features some advanced technology on the inside to deliver a very good picture, including PictureMaster II video processing, which analyzes and optimizes every video frame to deliver improved picture clarity. The Hitachi High Contrast Lens System also helps ensure a very sharp image, while the anti-reflective high-contrast diffusion screen minimizes reflection from ambient light in the room. There are also separate day and night memory settings to accommodate different light conditions too.

About the only area where the Hitachi 50VS69A comes up short is in terms of connections. There is a CableCARD interface, and the set is digital cable ready with a built-in QAM tuner. In addition, there are dual component inputs, as well as dual S-Video inputs, plus four additional composite A/V inputs and optical digital output for audio. An additional HDMI input seems almost like a necessity today.

Despite the minor oversight the 50VS69A is a quality set at a price that is going to be very hard to beat. It isn't the smallest large-screen TV on the block, nor does it have the highest resolution, but it has a solid light engine and video processing technology. The results make great picture that can truly be called affordable.


Pros: Anti-Reflective High-Contrast Diffusion Screen, Built-in speaker can be used as center channel with surround sound system
Cons: 720p maximum resolution, large footprint

Warranty
1-year limited