HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was only decent. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Edges of objects in the image stood out too much because of over-enhancement. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most models. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--was good, so images had depth and dimension. Black level was generally good, though not as dark as better performers on the darkest scenes (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). This was one of the brightest models we've tested (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture remains quite viewable in a very sunny room. A lower backlight setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. There was visible banding (unnatural contours) on scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, rather than smooth transitions. Film mode operation for HD film-based content was excellent, with no visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes. Deinterlacing was very good, with minimal jaggies visible when converting 1080i video content, such as from cable, to the display's native resolution.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Hitachi has a very narrow viewing angle overall, among the worst performing on this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was good. The picture showed some change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall UHD performance was below par and showed very good HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, showed generally very good detail when played back via the TV's HDMI input, but fell short of the better performers. Via the USB port, high-resolution photos were a mixed bag, with images showing full 2160 pixel vertical resolution, but horizontal resolution was cut in half, showing compromised 4K detail on our test images. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. This model does not support HDR.
MOTION BLUR. This Hitachi TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass was lacking, as was treble detail, and the overall sound was a bit thin notably closed in. The volume from its speakers was limited -- just adequate for a smaller, quiet listening environment. Quality does degrade at the highest settings and we also noted slight cabinet resonance. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. Hitachi's basic remote offers a traditional button keypad with high contrast labeling, but text is small and not so easy to read in a dimmer environment. It lacks the ability to add custom labels to different input sources. The TV's stand is 44 inches wide.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV does not provide access to the Internet.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time) one USB port, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out. Analog connections are made via a special breakout cable adapter (included) that attaches to the TV as a single plug.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. Breakout cable adapters (one component). A detachable power cord.
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
