Digital Trends

Hitachi 60VX915 December 12th, 2004 | by Dennis Barker

Introduction

Hitachi has long been considered a progressive and innovative television company.  It now looks to embrace the future of high definition television by offering widescreen TVs designed to take full advantage of the burgeoning HD signals.  While other companies are embracing Texas Instruments' new Micro-Display DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology, Hitachi has gone down a different path pioneering rear projection LCD technology.  The company now offers a complete line of 2^nd generation models (11) designed to take full advantage of this technology.  Unlike its leading brand-name competitors, who also features rear projection LCD TVs, Hitachi has produced a stunning example of this technology that can compete with the best HDTV models currently available in all types of display technologies.

Unique Features

Hitachi‘s new UltraVision CineForm Director's Series television is the 60VX915, which is a 60-in. widescreen integrated rear projection LCD HDTV model.  While including twin NTSC tuners and an integrated ATSC tuner (for over-the-air HD broadcasts), this model also includes a QAM HD cable tuner that allows it to receive unscrambled HD signals from your local cable provider (without using a set-top box).  As an industry innovator, Hitachi was also the first manufacturer to integrate Cable HD QAM tuners into their integrated HDTV sets allowing for the reception of “in-the-clear” high definition signals.  As well, it is a DCR (Digital Cable Ready) model featuring the new CableCARD slot.  As you may be aware, CableCARD eliminates the need for a digital cable set-top box to receive premium HDTV channels from your local cable company.

This impressive HDTV set utilizes LCD technology and Hitachi's Dual Focus Light Engine, which uses proprietary technology to get the most out of its rear projection design.  Capable of producing more than 1 billion colors accurately, the Dual Focus Light Engine has been engineered with 10-bit color performance and a whopping 25-Element Lens for image accuracy.  Unlike other rear projection LCD sets from market-leading brands, Hitachi has improved the entire light engine so that there is brighter picture performance overall.  This is because of a sharp focusing technique employed that improves the stream of illumination along the complete light path with very little light loss.  Hitachi has also included special filters and polarizers that produce even brighter whites and considerably darker blacks (sounds like a laundry detergent commercial doesn't' it, but its true).   As well, there is no screen-door effect that is found on other rear projection LCD sets.

Image courtesy of Hitachi