Hitachi 53FDX01B 53 in. TV
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Hitachi 53FDX01B -- HDTV Ready, Are You Ready with $2,600?
Pros
Very sharp, pleasant picture for RPTV.
Cons
Only covers a couple of HDTV-ready modes, expensive.
Recommended it?
Yes
Hitachi calls the 53FDX01B an "HDTV Monitor," which might mislead some shoppers into thinking the set is ready to receive high-definition television broadcasts. It might be somewhat more accurate to call the set "HDTV-ready," since, to receive digital HDTV broadcasts, the television needs a set-top HDTV tuner.
Digital is the format currently being phased in for high-definition television broadcasting in the United States. However, the HDTV standard does not require that broadcasts use a digital system. In Japan, HDTV is sent over the airwaves with analog transmitters. However, as we use digital here from Sea to Shining to sea, analog HDTV is not a worry for us Yanks.
The 53FDX01B has all three of the common video inputs which are, in order of ascending picture quality, composite, S-Video, and component. The set has two rear-mounted composite inputs, which are the standard, yellow, RCA-jack (the same kind of jack used to connect a CD player to a receiver) inputs, plus a single composite input on the front of the set. The front-mounted composite input will come in handy if you want to quickly plug in a camcorder or video game to the television.
Taking a big jump up in quality, there are two rear-mounted S-Video jacks (a four-prong mini-DIN jack which carries the luminance and chrominance signals separately, allowing for a higher-quality signal), and one S-Video jack on the front of the set.
Finally, there are two sets of rear-mounted component video input jacks, which provide just about the highest-quality way to connect a video signal to the set by taking the video in Y-Pb-Pr form (a similar connection standard, RGB+H/V, provides a quality boost, but there are currently few source devices which use this type of connection).
Combined with the 53DX01B's 1000 lines of horizontal resolution, and ability to go up to the 1080i display level, the set's component input jacks provide you with an upgrade path to the digital HDTV future. With a set-top HDTV tuner (which is not included with the set, and will currently cost at least another $600) to decode the digitally-broadcast video signal, you'll have the highest-quality analog video input into the set via the component jacks.
For the audio input, there are also two rear-mounted L/R RCA-jack analog input pairs and one front-mounted pair.
This set also has what's labeled as a "monitor" output, which comprises a S-Video output jack, a composite output jack, and L/R analog audio output jacks on the rear apron of the TV. The lower rear apron, by the way, is made of beige particle board covered with ventilation holes. While this is no doubt good for air circulation, the particle board looks cheap and clashes with the high-tech charcoal PVC finish of the rest of the television. Then again, the back of the set will most likely face a wall.
You won't need to buy a separate stand with the 53FDX01B as it stands at a good viewing level with its own integral base. The base, by the way, houses the set's stereo speakers, the A/V inputs, and a small control panel that gives you access to volume, channel, and a couple of other functions.
The 53FDX01B has a 53-inch screen (measured diagonally) in the 4:3 aspect ratio, i.e. it's four units wide and three units high, basically almost square. Unfortunately, human vision perceives the world as more of a rectangle, and the High Definition Television standard calls for a 16:9 width:height ratio. This set will have no trouble displaying 16:9 HDTV and DVD's, as it will just letterbox them, putting in horizontal black bands above and below the 16:9 image. If you want a set with a 16:9 display, you might consider the Panasonic rear-projection HDTV-ready 56WXF95 which sells for about $100 more than the 53FDX01B. The protective shield on this set is permanently attached to the front of the screen, which is unfortunate, since it generally improves the picture to remove this.
While there are 18 resolution levels currently specified by the ATSC for HDTV, the most popular, and relevant, ones are 480p, 720p, and 1080i, in order of ascending quality, the 53FDX01B only handles 480p and 1080i. Despite the permanently-attached protective shield, this set has a pleasant, accurate picture. If you're considering a similarly-priced Panasonic or Sony, take a look at this Hitachi before making your final decision (though make sure that, in any direct comparisons, you use the same, preferably high-quality, source -- such as High Definition Satellite HBO). As with any rear-projection TV, you'll have to adjust the convergence (the alignment of the R-G-B CRT's which project the picture onto the screen) once you have the set delivered to your viewing area.
While the 53FDX01B is fairly tall and wide, as its large screen area makes necessary, it follows a happy trend in RPTV's in that it's quite narrow, measuring just a couple more inches than two feet at its deepest point. This would make it much more practical for use in a small A/V room or even an apartment, though you'll want a friend, or two, or three to get this beast up the stairs and into your apartment, as it tips the scales at over 200 pounds.
Other features of the 53FDX01B include dual-tuner picture-in-picture, "thumbstick" remote control, two-level mute, parental control, sleep timer, four-event on-off timer, closed caption decoder, commercial skip, velocity scan modulation (though this feature can cause image ringing effects and you might want to leave it turned off), and a 24-watt stereo speaker system. With its good-sized speakers and fair amount of audio amperage, the 53FDX01B will provide plenty of audio oomph for viewing DVD's and movies on VHS tapes. While it's not quite the same as a surround-sound system, it'd let you put off buying one for a couple of years.
The 53FDX01B is a transitional product. A year ago, $2,600 wouldn't have netted you this much TV. With its analog video input and capability of displaying 480p and 1080i resolutions, this set is ready for use with a set-top HDTV digital tuner or a progressive-scan DVD player. However, since it doesn't have the HDTV-standard 16:9 screen, you'll end up watching widescreen programming with less than the entire screen. Another drawback of the set is that it lacks 720p one of the standard HDTV resolutions. Since a progressive image paints the entire picture onto the screen in a single pass, while an interlaced image paints half the lines at a time, 720p is actually a higher-quality resolution than 1080i.
Does this set provide enough features for the money? You'll have to see it, judge the picture quality, and decide that for yourself. The one thing this set does prove is that prices of HDTV-ready sets are finally beginning to show some substantial drops. Since this inevitably means that, slowly but surely, prices for HDTV sets will continue to fall at an accelerating pace, you might want to wait a while before investing.
Digital is the format currently being phased in for high-definition television broadcasting in the United States. However, the HDTV standard does not require that broadcasts use a digital system. In Japan, HDTV is sent over the airwaves with analog transmitters. However, as we use digital here from Sea to Shining to sea, analog HDTV is not a worry for us Yanks.
The 53FDX01B has all three of the common video inputs which are, in order of ascending picture quality, composite, S-Video, and component. The set has two rear-mounted composite inputs, which are the standard, yellow, RCA-jack (the same kind of jack used to connect a CD player to a receiver) inputs, plus a single composite input on the front of the set. The front-mounted composite input will come in handy if you want to quickly plug in a camcorder or video game to the television.
Taking a big jump up in quality, there are two rear-mounted S-Video jacks (a four-prong mini-DIN jack which carries the luminance and chrominance signals separately, allowing for a higher-quality signal), and one S-Video jack on the front of the set.
Finally, there are two sets of rear-mounted component video input jacks, which provide just about the highest-quality way to connect a video signal to the set by taking the video in Y-Pb-Pr form (a similar connection standard, RGB+H/V, provides a quality boost, but there are currently few source devices which use this type of connection).
Combined with the 53DX01B's 1000 lines of horizontal resolution, and ability to go up to the 1080i display level, the set's component input jacks provide you with an upgrade path to the digital HDTV future. With a set-top HDTV tuner (which is not included with the set, and will currently cost at least another $600) to decode the digitally-broadcast video signal, you'll have the highest-quality analog video input into the set via the component jacks.
For the audio input, there are also two rear-mounted L/R RCA-jack analog input pairs and one front-mounted pair.
This set also has what's labeled as a "monitor" output, which comprises a S-Video output jack, a composite output jack, and L/R analog audio output jacks on the rear apron of the TV. The lower rear apron, by the way, is made of beige particle board covered with ventilation holes. While this is no doubt good for air circulation, the particle board looks cheap and clashes with the high-tech charcoal PVC finish of the rest of the television. Then again, the back of the set will most likely face a wall.
You won't need to buy a separate stand with the 53FDX01B as it stands at a good viewing level with its own integral base. The base, by the way, houses the set's stereo speakers, the A/V inputs, and a small control panel that gives you access to volume, channel, and a couple of other functions.
The 53FDX01B has a 53-inch screen (measured diagonally) in the 4:3 aspect ratio, i.e. it's four units wide and three units high, basically almost square. Unfortunately, human vision perceives the world as more of a rectangle, and the High Definition Television standard calls for a 16:9 width:height ratio. This set will have no trouble displaying 16:9 HDTV and DVD's, as it will just letterbox them, putting in horizontal black bands above and below the 16:9 image. If you want a set with a 16:9 display, you might consider the Panasonic rear-projection HDTV-ready 56WXF95 which sells for about $100 more than the 53FDX01B. The protective shield on this set is permanently attached to the front of the screen, which is unfortunate, since it generally improves the picture to remove this.
While there are 18 resolution levels currently specified by the ATSC for HDTV, the most popular, and relevant, ones are 480p, 720p, and 1080i, in order of ascending quality, the 53FDX01B only handles 480p and 1080i. Despite the permanently-attached protective shield, this set has a pleasant, accurate picture. If you're considering a similarly-priced Panasonic or Sony, take a look at this Hitachi before making your final decision (though make sure that, in any direct comparisons, you use the same, preferably high-quality, source -- such as High Definition Satellite HBO). As with any rear-projection TV, you'll have to adjust the convergence (the alignment of the R-G-B CRT's which project the picture onto the screen) once you have the set delivered to your viewing area.
While the 53FDX01B is fairly tall and wide, as its large screen area makes necessary, it follows a happy trend in RPTV's in that it's quite narrow, measuring just a couple more inches than two feet at its deepest point. This would make it much more practical for use in a small A/V room or even an apartment, though you'll want a friend, or two, or three to get this beast up the stairs and into your apartment, as it tips the scales at over 200 pounds.
Other features of the 53FDX01B include dual-tuner picture-in-picture, "thumbstick" remote control, two-level mute, parental control, sleep timer, four-event on-off timer, closed caption decoder, commercial skip, velocity scan modulation (though this feature can cause image ringing effects and you might want to leave it turned off), and a 24-watt stereo speaker system. With its good-sized speakers and fair amount of audio amperage, the 53FDX01B will provide plenty of audio oomph for viewing DVD's and movies on VHS tapes. While it's not quite the same as a surround-sound system, it'd let you put off buying one for a couple of years.
The 53FDX01B is a transitional product. A year ago, $2,600 wouldn't have netted you this much TV. With its analog video input and capability of displaying 480p and 1080i resolutions, this set is ready for use with a set-top HDTV digital tuner or a progressive-scan DVD player. However, since it doesn't have the HDTV-standard 16:9 screen, you'll end up watching widescreen programming with less than the entire screen. Another drawback of the set is that it lacks 720p one of the standard HDTV resolutions. Since a progressive image paints the entire picture onto the screen in a single pass, while an interlaced image paints half the lines at a time, 720p is actually a higher-quality resolution than 1080i.
Does this set provide enough features for the money? You'll have to see it, judge the picture quality, and decide that for yourself. The one thing this set does prove is that prices of HDTV-ready sets are finally beginning to show some substantial drops. Since this inevitably means that, slowly but surely, prices for HDTV sets will continue to fall at an accelerating pace, you might want to wait a while before investing.
