The Color Management adjustments are also
welcome, but significantly less useful to most people. The adjustment
effectively changes the primary red, green, and blue colors used to create the
image, and is a valuable tool for a qualified technician to obtain the most
accurate and vibrant picture possible from the set, but you need experience and
expensive test equipment to adjust it correctly. This should be a service or
hidden enthusiast-accessible menu item. As it comes from the factory, the set’s
colors are good.
Another great attribute of the 32HDL51 is its onboard
“VirtualHD 1080p” video processor, which upconverts both standard- and
high-definition programs to fit the panel’s native resolution. Like the Pioneer
TV I reviewed last month, Hitachi’s VirtualHD processor is the best internal
scaler I’ve seen in a TV and one of the rare few that actually upconverts 1080i
signals to 1080p before converting them to the panel’s native resolution. This
preserves as much image detail as possible. The processor does an excellent job
of detecting a program’s film or video origins, as well, and provides
appropriate image processing to the signal. This ensures the cleanest picture
possible under nearly any circumstance. Even image blur and lag, common problems
on inexpensive LCD panels, are not major issues here. The image is incredibly
sharp as a result.
With newcomers like Syntax offering acceptable low-cost
flat-panel alternatives, it becomes harder for veterans like Hitachi to maintain
its competitive edge. But it does. With features like CableCard, FireWire,
advanced color decoder controls, and outstanding video processing, the 32HDL51
may cost more than other, less recognizable brand names, but if you can afford
it, the difference is worth the price.
RATING: EXCELLENT
Description: 32HDL51 32-inch Flat-Panel LCD Television
High Points:
VirtualHD video processor upconverts 1080i to 1080p and easily compensates for
film or video material; excellent color decoder
Low Points: Needs easier,
more discrete remote commands; two-headed umbilical cable needs smaller
connectors
Contact: Hitachi Electronics, 800.HITACHI (448.2244),
www.Hitachi.us/tvPrice: (MSRP) $3,499
