A decade ago, the notion of a flat panel set was anything under five or six inches in depth, and rear projection sets were almost as deep as they were wide at the time. Today's rear projection DLP sets are just about seven or eight inches deep, slowly creeping in on the "flat panel" displays. What's an LCD set to do? Well, in the case of Hitachi, it meant making even slimmer LCD sets.

This year sees the 1.5 generation of sets, which is actually the depth in inches of Hitachi's new LCD line. Fortunately, the Hitachi UT42X902 isn't a mere proof of concept design either (akin to those over-sized sets that are made just to prove you can make it). Instead, this is a likely harbinger that flat-panel sets will continue to get even slimmer. Design-wise, this set is a winner all around: The thin black piano bezel and clean lines make this 42-inch model look even sleeker.

More importantly, the Hitachi UT42X902, which is part of the Director's Series line, offers very good picture quality and will turn heads beyond the thin profile. The set offers a 178-degree viewing angle, ensuring that every seat in the room is worthy of the film's director. In regards to picture, we liked what we saw there, too. Advanced dynamic contrast and 3D color management mean the set offers very good black levels, along with sharp and realistic colors with lifelike skin tones.

As expected from a Director's Series model, the set features the Anti-Judder Reel120 technology to offer a smoother transition for film content. For video content, motion interpolation is used to display 120 images per second. All this means that the set provides a smooth picture even with fast-moving action sequences. HD content sources look simply fantastic on this 42-inch HDTV, and the set does a very good job with standard definition content as well. It won't fool anyone into thinking that an older TV show is in HD, but we were pleased with the overall results.

The UT42X902 features a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 and can thus handle every pixel from 1080i and 1080p source material, and can downscale 720p sources with ease. However, the connectivity options are a bit lacking to get said 1080p content. This set does support the HDMI 1.3 (x.v.Color) technology, but surprisingly this set features a mere single HDMI input. No doubt this is to keep the set as sleek with a minimalist design as possible, but this is a major shortcoming for the set.

Likewise, our only other significant complaint is that the 1.5 models feature only 6-watt speakers. Even for a 42-inch panel, and the fact that many HDTV buyers will want a separate sound system besides, that seems a bit underpowered for most users' needs. The bottom line is the UT42X902 is a good set that has a great design and a solid picture, but with a premium price that isn't even close to a bargain.

Pros: HDMI 1.3, ultra sleek design, two year warranty
Cons: Speakers only 6-watts per channel, single HDMI input

Warranty
2 years, parts and labor, in-home service