Hitachi 50VS69A 50-Inch 720p LCD Projection HDTV

You'll enjoy 480p, 720p and 1080i high-definition viewing right out of the box thanks to the built-in digital ATSC tuner, which pulls HD signals right from the airwaves. You can also connect the set to an optional receiver or cable/satellite set-top box using either the HDMI or component connections (thanks to its built-in QAM tuner for unscrambled cable HD reception). An analog NTSC tuner receives standard-definition (SD) programming. And the set's CableCARD port means the set will also receive digital cable television systems services directly from a compatible cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box.

The proprietary Hitachi VirtualHD 1080p video processor de-interlaces 1080i programs to provide as much detail as possible for a clear, sharp image. HitachiÕs dynamic histogram processing delivers improved contrast, color and sharpness while reducing noise to a minimum. Each video frame is processed as a digital still image in real time with an astounding 68-billion color capability to produce the best final on-screen image.

This set performs 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal, too--a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. To adapt 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video, frames in the original movie must be duplicated; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this duplication by removing the redundant information to display a frame-accurate picture. A 3D Y/C comb filter (4 MB) further enhances resolution by removing blurred edges between colors and reducing dot crawl (tiny, moving dots of color along a sharp color separation in a vertical line, as in a depiction of a character's striped T-shirt). Rounding out the features is an anti-reflective diffusion screen, multiple color temperatures, black enhancement, three HD aspect modes, six SD aspect modes, and split screen/picture-in-picture capability.

A separate Day and Night Memory for each input ensures the optimum picture quality during the daytime or nighttime for each source. Simply press the Day/Night button on the remote or use the automatic timer to switch between bright daytime settings and high-fidelity nighttime settings. Other convenience features include a sleep timer, closed caption decoding, tri-lingual on-screen display (English, French, Spanish), and V-Chip parental controls.

This set has a powerful 24-watt, two-way speaker system (12 watts per channel) that can produce simulated surround sound via the two speakers. It has an optical digital audio output for connecting to a home theater system for true 5.1-channel (or higher) surround sound. Other audio features include mute/soft mute, bass boost, and capability of using the set as a center speaker in a multi-channel surround sound system. It includes the following video and audio connections:

• Composite AV (RCA): 5 in (1 front)
• S-Video: 2 in
• Component Video: 2 in
• HDMI: 1 in
• RF: 1 in
• Digital audio output: 1 optical

Tech Talk
HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. It provides up to a 5 GB per second bandwidth for transmitting pure digital video and audio signals with no degradation in the transfer. It can carry up to eight discrete audio channels, making it compatible with 7.1-channel surround sound systems. Signals are encrypted with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) to prevent recording. HDMI is fully backward-compatible with most DVI connections .

Component video (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound.

What's in the Box
LCD projection HDTV, remote control (with batteries), printed operating instructions