Hitachi 37 LD9000TA LCD TV

Speaking of LCD TVs, I feel 26 and 32 inchers are too small (hypocrite that I am), and 40 inch and above won't let you enjoy after you hear their price. A 37-inch screen sort of hits a sweet spot between high-end and entry-level flat panel TVs. As soon as I was struck by this award-winning idea, I hooked up some 37 inch LCDs from vendors, hoping to have some fun – and of course review them for you.

Ah, Hitachi. This Japanese company started off as an electrical repair shop back in 1910, and a century later we can see the progress it's made. As a TV manufacturer it has a great reputation... almost any Hitachi I've reviewed has got high ratings. But no two models are the same, so I shall adopt a neutral stance and hope this one lives up to the reputation Hitachi has carved for itself.

Design and Features
A striking color contrast is evident as you fix your eyes on the unit. It has an aluminum-colored speaker panel on the bottom, which is married to a dense black bezel. No gloss anywhere, just a mild metallic luster on the stand and speaker – which incidentally are similar in their exoskeleton. Points for this, because I hate gloss actually (no offense meant to Samsung!)

There are the basic connections on the side, namely S-video and composite types. The main doors are at the back panel, on a step facing downwards.

Connections include an HDMI port, Composite and two component connections, PC input – the whole caboodle. No issues there, you can plug in what you want and experience HD in the form of 720p or 1080i. The native resolution is 1366 x 768, and did I mention the screen size is 37 inches?

The contrast ratio is high at 10,000:1, which feels good psychologically. The speakers give out 20W, while the brightness is not stated anywhere. Never mind, I'm going to test it anyway, so all these specifications should come alive shortly.