Few companies have been as vociferous in their support of plasma technology as Hitachi.
Indeed, as recently as last year, the brand joined forces with those other arch plasmaphiles, Pioneer and Panasonic, to finance a huge marketing campaign extolling the virtues of plasma technology over liquid crystal displays. Yet today we are faced with a new 42in TV from Hitachi that employs an LCD panel. What's going on?
Clearly the move is one tinged with market realism. Demand from Hitachi's dealerships, driven by consumer demand, will be high, and from a manufacturing point of view it's actually probably getting easier to build an LCD TV of this size than a plasma.
Not that Hitachi comes to the L42VP01 as an LCD virgin. The Japanese giant has long been a key proponent in the development of IPS LCD panels. As part of a joint venture with Toshiba and Matsushita (Panasonic) it's pushed the boundaries of LCD performance, improving off-axis viewing and response times.
Hitachi is quick to stress that it's not ditching plasma; it's just adding LCD as an option. As the brand's Senior Manager of Display Products, Richard Bass, puts it: 'Our intention here is to extend the choice available to both first-time flatscreen buyers and discerning consumers seeking to upgrade to a large-format solution that offers real added value.
Consumers will find a flatpanel TV, whatever their budget, backed by the peace of mind which comes with making a purchase from a leading flatpanel brand.'
Pixel count
If you're looking for an upmarket specification, then this £1,000 42-incher delivers. Built around a 1920 x 1080 resolution panel, this is actually Hitachi's first true Full HD screen (it's offered a number of 'nearly' Full HD PDPs in the past - 1024 x 1080, anyone?)...
Aesthetically, the L42VP01 is probably best described as functional rather than flash - but, unusually, it ships with both tabletop stand and wall bracket mounting options, so there's no post-purchase angst to worry about.
Connectivity is standard for a screen in this class. Two HDMIs provide digital HD input support (including 1080p/24fps), but there's also component video, a D-Sub PC option, and, naturally, full Freeview tuner support.
