Back in the nascent days of HDTV, when the standards were being set, two decidedly determined camps each proclaimed its solution as best. One group, composed largely of computer industry reps, espoused a purely progressive-scan display standard. The other group, mostly TV makers and broadcasters, pushed for an interlaced standard.

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The larger remote supplied with the 55HDX62 includes thumbwheel controls that let the user scroll quickly through channels and ramp volume up and down in an instant. (Click image to enlarge)

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The presiding Capitol Hill nabobs ducked a difficult decision and simply approved both approaches. Each side claimed victory, and we’ve been living with a tangled web of consequences ever since. The interlaced approach made sense to many back then, given the dominance of CRT-based televisions and the long-established interlaced infrastructure, but the progressive camp saw the far-off day when progressive displays would dominate.

Turns out the advocates of progressive scan were right. Now, CRT is all but dead in the high-definition arena. Almost all of the current HDTV sets—from plasma to LCD, LCoS to DLP—are progressive-scan, and yet every one of them must be engineered to accept and then display, as best it can, the interlaced signals that still make up the majority of programming sources, even high-definition material.

In high-definition displays, we routinely see even flagship models that do a poor job of properly converting interlaced HDTV signals into a progressively displayed form. Queries about this major shortcoming invariably bring the same tired response, along the lines of “Yes, we don’t deinterlace HD, we simply line-double it, but that’s what everyone else does, too.” I, for one, am weary of hearing it, and I know I’m not alone.

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An optional motorized stand for the 55HDX62 lets you swivel the TV for optimal viewing, then face it forward again when you are done watching. (Click image to enlarge)

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Which brings us to the 55-inch Hitachi plasma set under review. Priced at a now very reasonable $100 per diagonal inch, the 55HDX62 is but one more choice in the increasingly crowded plasma pantheon, and although lacking flashy bells and whistles such as a built-in hard drive DVR, it might at first even seem unremarkable. Clad in a handsome cabinet, the screen is barely smaller than the enclosure, giving it a look more reminiscent of a 50-inch set. Two remote controls are supplied; one is simplified for non-technophiles.

Around back, as well as off to one side, the connectivity options are numerous and up-to-date, with provision for two component video sources, a trio of composite and S-video inputs, two HDMI digital inputs, and two 1394 FireWire-type ports, along with a CableCard slot and a USB port for digital camera connection. Unlike its smaller 42-inch sibling, which ships with a motorized tabletop swiveling stand, the 55HDX62 offers the stand only as an option, which makes sense as a set this size practically cries out for wall-mounting.

Once everything is connected and energized, we put the Hitachi through its paces first with our collection of test patterns, both standard-definition and high-definition, and find that with the standard color temperature setting we get a superb gray scale result. There is nary a bluish nor reddish tinge all the way from bright whites down to the darkest grays and blacks. Proper gray scale performance is the foundation for correct color reproduction, and the Hitachi’s colorimetry—that is, its adherence to (or deviation from) the desired primary color value points—is essentially very good on an absolute scale, and better than most in comparison to a typical plasma TV’s behavior. We’re not cheering yet, but we’re drawing a deep breath in anticipation.

With standard-definition interlaced sources, the Hitachi only scores a middling result in the conversion to progressive form, delivering a fairly quick detection of movie-originated programming’s 3:2 interlacing cadence. We see some jagged artifacts in the process, but the effect is not what we’d call objectionable. Like so many others, the Hitachi also editorializes the color-decoding function, adding just a smidgen of extra red in the process, which results in facial tones that emphasize the Max Factor factor.

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The second, simpler remote Hitachi supplies still offers nearly complete control of the set through on-screen menus. (Click image to enlarge)

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Like a champion racehorse at the starting gate, the Hitachi is champing at the bit for some high-definition material, and here we find its true thoroughbred nature. Given that the bulk of high-definition programming will probably be interlaced in origin for a long time to come, our acid test with single-pixel height-interlaced test patterns reveals the Hitachi’s prowess—it delivers a virtually perfect progressive conversion, with none of the blurring and jittering associated with the simpler line doubling that we so often encounter. That the interlaced-to-progressive conversion process can and should be done correctly isn’t an arguable point. That it is done all so rarely these days is.

The benefit to the viewer is simple and powerful. You get to see exactly what was intended, with a clarity and crispness that fulfills the promise of high definition in the first place. With the 55HDX62, whether NBC-HD or ABC-HD, HBO-HD or ESPN-HD, the interlaced or progressive provenance of the HD source is no longer of any concern. Now that’s surely something we can all cheer about.

DESCRIPTION

55-inch plasma HDTV with analog and digital TV tuners. Can be wall-mounted with optional mounting bracket, or placed on a tabletop using optional motorized swivel stand

DISPLAY CAPABILITIES

Native 16:9 widescreen display. Accepts 720-line progressive and 1080-line interlaced HDTV, WXGA (1366 x 768) computer signals, and 480-line progressive and interlaced signals

RESOLUTION

1366 x 768 pixels

CONNECTIONS

Video: two HDMI inputs, two FireWire inputs, two component inputs, three S-video inputs, three composite inputs, two RF inputs for analog and digital antenna or cable, CableCard slot; USB port for digital camera; flash memory card slot for future software/firmware upgrade, S-video and composite video outputs

Audio: five stereo analog audio inputs, stereo analog output, subwoofer output, optical digital output

Control: two 3.5mm jacks for IR emitter output

DIMENSIONS

33.1 x 59.5 x 4.2 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT

PRICE: $5,499, stand $399

CONTACT: 800.HITACHI, hitachi.us/tv