Due in the Autumn, the flagship X and XR series, available in 1920 x 1080 resolution, will ship in 42, 50 and 60in sizes. The larger two will sport 250GB hard drives, able to make recordings direct from a Freeview EPG. This built-in PVR (personal video recorder) allows the viewer to record one channel while watching another, comes with a 28-event timer and features audio playback of recordings during slow (x0.8) and fast (x1.5) trick replay.
The PVR plasmas can even have their recording capacity enlarged through slot-in iVDR (information Versatile Disk for Removable storage) drives. This removable caddy may become a common standard for all hard drives used with consumer electronics kit. Over 62 companies are members of the iVDR licensing group, including Canon, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and JVC.
The plasma trio will also be joined by the brand’s first Full HD
37in 1080p IPS Alpha LCD TV. All feature three HDMI inputs (two rear,
one front-facing).
Preceding these models will be two more affordable 1080 interlaced
plasmas. The T-series 42in and 50in models will feature 1024 x 1080
and 1280 x 1080 resolution respectively. According to Ikuo Yuki,
Corporate officer and general manager of the brand’s product
development division, its 1024 x 1080 resolution ALiS panel is a big
improvement over rival 768 resolution WXGA versions as it allows an HD
picture to be seen without scaling or overscan.
To make the most of its new high-res panels, Hitachi has developed a graphic engine to be known as Picture Master Full HD. This comprises a suite of processing refinements, including a 16-bit picture processor with colour management and contrast control and digital noise cancelling. The latter is able to reduce component dot noise and cross colour moiré patterning.
Web: www.hitachidigitalmedia.com
Tel: 0870 909 0760