Plasma Lovers Finally Get TV at Competitive Price

If you think the Hitachi name has been around for awhile in the TV marketplace, you’re right—51 years to be exact. During that half-century, the company has staked out a well earned rep for reasonable prices and high quality. And just to start off the next half-century of TV production on the right foot, the company chose CES to announce a 50-inch high-definition plasma TV that will sell for less than $2500.
 
Scheduled to ship in February, the P50H401 is part of Hitachi’s second tier of plasmas, dubbed HD 1080, that will hit the market in 2007. Unlike the company’s first-tier 1920×1080 Full HD line, the HD 1080 models will deliver 1280×1080 resolution. As a result, the P50H401 panel will produce more than 1.3 million pixels, making it competitive with 720p and 768p HD sets.
 
While many prefer plasma flat panel TVs over LCDs for their ability to display action-packed programs such as sports and car chases with fewer noticeable motion artifacts, large-screen plasma sets have traditionally been beyond the budget of many consumers. But Hitachi is betting that a 50-inch HD plasma for less than $2500 will be considered a sweet spot in the market and help move the company ahead in its already strong position in flat panels.

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