Features & Specifications
If you aren’t familiar with Hitachi’s line of HDTV sets and you are in the market for a new HDTV, you should be familiar with Hitachi. The P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV I’m looking at today has full 1080p resolution. Hitachi uses several technologies to enhance the image quality on the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV like ClearWindow and a PictureMaster HD IV Video Processor. The PictureMaster ID IV video processor provides MPED noise reduction, dynamic contrast, dynamic histogram processing, 16-bit/281 trillion color capability, automatic 3:2 pulldown for film enhancement, four HD modes, and six SD modes.

Other features include three preset color temperatures, four-step black enhancement, a 10-bit digital 4MB 3D Y/C comb filter, and an anti-reflective high contrast screen with black-stripe filter. The audio features of the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV include MTS stereo SAP with dbx, simulated surround sound, bass boost, 20-watt speaker system, and the ability to set the TV as center input.

Hitachi also includes a trio of HDMI ports supporting 1080p. Two of the HDMI ports are on the rear of the TV and one is on the front panel. Two wideband component inputs, two S-video inputs, PC D-sub, coax connector and a pair of composite inputs rounds out the connectivity settings. An optical output is also included for digital audio out and an additional composite input set is located on the front panel. Hitachi even gave the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV a motorized table top stand that swivels the screen automatically via the remote.

A built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner combines digital and analog channels into one tuner. Hitachi also provides three customized settings for each input that allows you to match the picture to the viewing environment. This allows for a brighter picture during the day when the viewing environment tends to be brighter and a dimmer display at night when not as much brightness is needed.

Picture Quality and Use
I’ve looked at several HDTV sets of the years and the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV certainly had one of the more robust feature sets. Features aside, what really makes me happy with a TV is the picture quality and the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV was second to none. The clarity of the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV is very impressive. One of the things that I never really liked about watching SD shows on a HDTV was that the picture just didn’t look very good when stretched to fit the entire screen. Standard aspect ratio shows have never looked as good as they did on the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV.

HD programming from my local cable provided was flawless. The P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV is the next best thing to being at a live taping of your favorite shows. The dynamic day/night contrast of the screen worked very well at night it provided good image quality without being too bright and during the day when the room was brightly lit the picture was bright enough to look fantastic. The screen does a great job of reducing glare in a room from light sources.

Color reproduction on the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV was superb with deep blacks and bright vivid colors. Skin tones looked natural, you almost feel like you are in the same room as the actors. Black levels were very good and I didn’t notice any pixilation during grayscale transitions. Upscaled DVD movies looked great at 1080i on the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV and 300 on Blu-ray looked superb.

The motorized display stand Hitachi used is very cool. To be able to sit back and move the screen for your optimal viewing angle via the remote is a very nice feature. Low points for me with the P5S601 50” Ultravision plasma HDTV were few, these days I think three HDMI ports on the rear of a HDTV are a must. It’s not uncommon at all to have a minimum of three HDMI sources with your DVD player, game console and cable TV box. Putting one of the three available HDMI ports on the front isn’t the best setup for a high-end TV like this one costing right at $3500. A front panel HDMI is a good feature, but it should be a fourth not a third in my opinion.