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Features
Velocity modulation.
Comb filter.
Spatializer 3D surround sound.
Teletext multi system.
24-Hour on/off alarm timer.
Multi-Language on-screen display.
Pros
Realistic price.
Consistent picture quality under various lighting condition.
Cons
Average sound.
Ratings
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Distributor
Hitachi Australia
Tel: (02) 9888 4100
www.hitachi.com.au
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Hitachi C29F100
68cm large screen colour television
Recommended retail price $1599
(inc GST)
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Reviewer: Carol mazur
Hitachi's well-earned reputation for high quality commercial display screens and projectors certainly applies equally in the domestic large screen television market. This knack of creating display equipment that performs, even under the high intensity lighting conditions usual to business offices, has be liberally bestowed on the Hitachi range of televisions.
And most of us can't deny the advantages of watching our favorite programs or movies on a large screen television. It comes as no surprise that the larger screen televisions are certainly the most popular, and the Hitachi C29F100 sixty-eight centimeter television is expected to become a very popular television indeed.
Historically, one of the drawbacks of the large screen television is that the images were clearly visible only in a darkened room and by those who were seated virtually directly in front of the screen. Things have progressed. These (and many other) problems have been overcome with a flattened screen profile and the addition of digital technology to the circuitry. Things have actually progressed so far that a large screen television has become quite an affordable item - the Hitachi C29F100 is modestly priced at $1599.
The screen on the C29F100 is 'Superflat'. It's the flatness of a television screen that determines how much reflection will disturb the visibility of a picture. The C29F100 screen doesn't have the sort of surface that easily reflects room lighting. The flatter the screen is the more resistant it is to reflecting light from other sources such as windows and rooms lighting.
This 'Superflat' screen aims to enhance the television image by making it clear under most lighting conditions as well as from a deeper angle. The angle over which a television image can be seen clearly is related to the amount the screen curves in at the edges.
As a screen gets flatter, the wider the viewing angle becomes. A curved screen requires the audience to be seated more directly in front. A flat screen creates a television picture that's clear even when the person watching is seated at an angle to the side and this translates not only into a clearer image but more choice of seating positions.
Add this to the fact that a flat screen picture remains clear, even around the edges, and it's quite apparent why Hitachi boasts of the advantages of its 'Supeflat' screen. The screen on the C29F100 is engineered to create a picture that's clear over the entire sixty-eight centimeters from all viewing positions regardless of the lighting conditions.
For even better image clarity Hitachi has added Velocity Modulation technology. This is meant to enhance the television picture in two ways. Because of the shape of the picture tube, the edges of a large screen television image can be blurred. Velocity Modulation rectifies this by sharpening the picture all the way to the edge of the screen while at the same time increasing and the clarity of the whole image.
According to Hitachi this is achieved through a process whereby the dark and light areas of the images are seperated. The edges of these picture elements are then clearly defined electronically so that the boundaries can be crisply displayed on the screen. Overall definition of the image is better since 'bleeding' of images is minimized.
The comb filter of the C29F100 is intended to further sharpen the picture by removing or filtering any spurious electronic signals that dull the colours or blur the images. The filters to maintain the clearness of the images displayed on the television screen during fast action sequences and also keeps intensity across the full spectrum of colours.
An essential part of modern movies, the sound track, has been catered for by 'Spatializer Surround Sound'. This is a technological effort to generate three-dimensional sound through the television speaker system.
During audition, even in our fringe reception area, the C29F100 performed remarkably well. Broadcast television programs were nicely presented. The images were clear and 'concise' in daylight as well as under incandescent lighting at night.
The television represented broadcast colours faithfully, with a natural hue that was easy on the eyes. However the intensity of colour that's typical of cartoons didn't suffer one iota.
It also passed the ultimate test - clearly presenting the colors and action sequences from various DVD movies. The hens of Chicken Run moved cleanly through their scenes, without fading during the nighttime sequences and maintained their brightness during the daytime sequences. The murky greens of The Matrix were clear and the fast action was easy to follow due to the image crispness.
Hitachi's attempt to generate home theatre sound through the C29F100 Spatializer Surround Sound speakers is reasonably successful, bearing in mind the practical limitations of a two dimensional system.
The adaptability of the PAL and NTSC format capabilities and multi-language on-screen display are useful features. And speaking of on-screen display, the television was easy enough to set-up and use in part because of the actual clarity of the displayed text (another measure of picture resolution).
All up this is a great place to start your sortie into the large screen television market. And perhaps once you've given the C29F100 a go, you may find no reason to look further.
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