Question:
Dear Big Picture Big Sound,
I would like to ask Mr. Boylan a question regarding the article he wrote and published Sun Feb 18th 2007 entitled: 1080p Plasma HDTVs Coming from Pioneer, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Hitachi.
Mr. Boylan, in the second to last paragraph you briefly mention the Hitachi P50H401 and describe it as a 1080-line TV. How should one refer to a tv that is not full 1080P capable but rather has a crippled 1280x1080 resolution? I have many friends and family members that always come to me for electronics advice and recently have had this question asked. We have begun to see this TV advertised at a couple of brick and mortar stores where they have described it as being 1080p and then retracting the statement but then qualifying it by stating if used in conjunction with an HDMI cable you can appreciate 1080P. If 1080P is 1920x1080 should this TV ever be referred to as 1080P or not? Finally, Hitachi also released a 42" size with the same resolution.
Thank you for your time,
-Thomas G.
Answer:
Hello, Thomas,
I wouldn't call the new Hitachi plasma HDTVs "crippled" simply due to their pixel count. At 1280x1080 pixels (50-inch) and 1024x1080 pixels (42-inch), these new Hitachi sets each offer about 30% more detail than most competitive plasma models which measure in at 1366x768 (50-inch) and 1024x768 (42-inch) respectively. But these Hitachi sets do fall short of the detail of native 1080p displays (1920x1080 pixels) with about 33% fewer pixels than those sets (in the 50-inch size).
Technically you cannot call these new Hitachi sets "1080p native" even though they do offer 1080 lines of resolution in a progressive scan format. The term "1080p" is shorthand for 1920x1080 pixels, progressive scan. These sets fall short of that pixel count. But there is a difference between input format support and actual native panel resolution. The Hitachi HDTVs (as well as many new plasma and LCD HDTVs) do support 1080p inputs, without having a full 1920x1080 pixel array. They simply take the 1080p signal and re-map it to fit the native panel array of 1280x1080 pixels. This does lose 33% of the detail of the original signal, but this still leaves you with plenty of detail.
Personally I do find Hitachi's decision to move forward with this design a bit problematic from a marketing perspective (who wants to have to describe their most strategic feature with a mandatory footnote?), but there is nothing inherently wrong with HDTVs that offer non-standard panel resolutions. If implemented properly (with a high quality video processor, good glass, good interlacing, etc.), the Hitachi sets should be capable of reproducing a highly detailed, high quality HDTV image.
But it would be incorrect to describe these models as "1080p TVs" or to define these sets as having the "highest resolution" of any plasma HDTV -- both Pioneer and Panasonic have already come to market with true 1920x1080 plasma televisions. Even Hitachi themselves offer some true 1920x1080 pixel models in their current line (the 50-inch P50S601), which makes things even more confusing. It would be accurate to describe the 1280x1080 Hitachi set as having "50% more detail than 720p" or to describe the 42-inch model as having "30% more detail than the competition."
You have to keep in mind that, as with digital cameras, the resolution of the panel of an HDTV is only one part of the equation for picture quality, and probably not the most important part. In my experience, HDTVs with a lower resolution can have a better picture than "higher resolution" HDTVs, simply due to better color accuracy, better contrast, better reproduction of moving images, etc.
So before ruling out the new Hitachi plasma sets just for having fewer pixels than the current top-of-the-line plasma HDTVs from Pioneer and Panasonic (and Hitachi's own more expensive model), take a close look at the picture and see whether you like it.
I hope that helps.
Regards,
-Chris
