Hitachi 42PD9800TA (42-inch plasma)

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By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
Jan 26, 2007

While full-HD plasma panels are extremely hard to pocket with their sky-high pricing, healthy headway has been made in the 1080p signal handling. First, it was Pioneer with its gen-seven PureVision TVs. Now, we have Hitachi closing in at its fellow compatriot's heels. Announced recently were the Japanese company's latest 9000-series plasma TVs, comprising the flagship 42PD9800TA and 42PD9500TA 42-inchers.

Design
There's an idiom which goes, "if it aren't broken, don't fix it''. And that's exactly the approach taken by Hitachi for the 9800's aesthetics. Bearing a new dash of silver trimming and squarish stand, its styling hasn't deviated much from the company's past flagship models. You still get a thin frame bezel welded with a pair of side speakers, all measuring in at 1,134 x 648 x 109mm. Cost-saving plastics are obviously a no-no here as the sleek chassis is cast almost entirely in metal. Not only does this give the set a darn solid build, its weight has probably benefited one way or another.

Another familiar sight is the series' motorized swivel stand targeted at lazy bones. This offers a two-way 30-degree adjustment at the touch of a button, conveniently located on the bundled remote controller. Apparently, the similarities do not end there. To maintain its customary clutter-free front, the less commonly used accessories are again relinquished to the corners, concealed from prying eyes. On the left of the set are the quick-access A/V inputs, while on the opposite right lie the TV controls together with a standard-sized (type A) USB port and SD/MMC media slot.

	Control up to 20 brands of DVD players and settop boxes with this versatile controller. (Click for larger image)

There is little to complain about when it comes to the multibrand, multifunction remote controller that's shipped with the TV. On top of the ergonomically arched bottom, there are also eight dedicated input buttons for instantaneous video switching which usually takes less than 2 seconds to complete. Appearance-wise, Hitachi has given the matching dark grey stick a special treatment of clear overlay which makes it stand out among the crowd. This would have been a near-perfect implementation if only the buttons were given some form of illumination ideal for dark environments.

Diving deep into the intuitive graphical user menu reveals a comprehensive suite of video, audio and power settings. Besides the usual spread of basic picture adjustments, there is also a wide selection of advanced configurations to satisfy most tech-savvy videophiles and enthusiasts. In total, we counted no less than 43 settings available at your disposal. Best of all, most are available with three levels of settings for finer customization. Hitachi has also thrown in a well-illustrated 58-page manual, lest you need some extra guidance during setup.

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