Hitachi Thin Panel LCDs Coming Early 2008

Author	Hugo Jobling
Published	25th Oct 2007

Hitachi Thin Panel LCDs Coming Early 2008

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Samsung's 10mm thin panel LCD TVs may have looked mighty good, but common sense suggests that when eventually available they are going to be inordinately expensive. Clearly we need a middle ground between insanely thin and sanely priced. Luckily, Hitachi looks set to make that compromise with its forthcoming 35mm thin TV range which, while thick by Samsung's standards, aren't exactly obese.

Three sizes will be available, a 32in, 1,366 x 768 (720p) model and a both 37in and 42in, 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p) sets. All three sets include what Hitachi dubs Picture Master Full HD, which should work just like every other manufacturer's image enhancement tweaks. Foremost of these is the Advanced Dynamic Contrast, which works by dimming the backlight depending on the image on screen.

Hitachi also indicates that won't be any direct 24fps playback mode, instead opting for an interpolation system, creating new frames to make up the 60Hz image. The sets also offer a feature called video Power Save which switches the set to standby when there is no input signal. The 32in model will be available in Q1'08, while the 37in and 42in sets will arrive slightly later in Q2. Pricing hasn't been confirmed yet, but expect to see much more reasonable prices than Hitachi's thinner competitors.

Link:
Hitachi press release.