The Short Form

$2,100 ($2,500 LIST) / 43.1 x 31.3 x 4.5 IN / 68 LBS / hitachi.us/tv / 800-448-2244

Plus

•Best-in-class connectivity •Flexible picture adjustments •Clean reproduction of dark scenes

Minus

•Occasional fluctuation in brightness of blacks •Some vibration in static images

Key Features

•42-inch 1,024 x 1,080 resolution flat-panel plasma display •Adjustable Day and Night modes for each input •3 HDMI, 3 component-video inputs •CableCard slot

I love Hitachi's trademark Day and Night modes for each input, which enabled me to tweak each source separately for two different lighting conditions. There's also a newly added Dynamic Day mode on this model that's bright enough to sear through your eyelids. Other adjustments include a trio of color temperature settings (Standard comes closest to the industry-standard gray); a black-enhancement function that should be left off for the best shadow detail; a contrast mode that should be left in Normal, for the same reason; and an auto movie mode whose On position engages 2:3 pulldown detection and compensation (a good thing).

You can also choose from four levels of video noise reduction that do a generally solid job of cleaning up low-quality sources. But it's worth noting that in every noise-reduction setting except High, the Hitachi showed signs of edge enhancement (which appears as subtle exaggerations like white outlines around fine lines). Since I didn't notice a serious reduction in resolution with High NR engaged, I left the set in that mode. I also chose the "16:9 Standard 2" aspect ratio because it allowed me to see the entire image without any cropping, and Hitachi says it's the best mode for viewing 1080i sources because it performs minimal scaling on them. I really like having this no-crop option, which most HDTVs lack.

Like any self-respecting plasma, the 42HDS69 also offers a range of features to combat burn-in. Listed under "Screen Savers," they include three options to move the picture around on the screen, a "wipe" mode that puts up an all-white screen to help erase any retained images, and three "image power" settings that affect maximum light output. The two lower power settings had the unexpected side effect of making black areas appear brighter, so I left the control in its default Max position.

PICTURE QUALITY After making my adjustments, I connected a Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player and settled back to watch Firewall, an almost insufferably bad movie made nearly bearable by its excellent video quality. The opening scenes in the house of Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) came across beautifully on the Hitachi, with his well-lit (and flat-panel-festooned) domicile rendered in warm, inviting colors. Skin tones looked accurate and realistic; the faces of his blonde daughter and wife were suitably delicate and not tinged too red. As Jack drives off to work, however, I thought the lush greenery to either side of his driveway appeared just a little too yellow in the bright sun.

When Jack arrives at work the lighting darkens, especially in the back room where the computer security work gets done. While the blacks in the shadows behind the workstations weren't as deep as I've seen on some plasmas, they did look quite clean and free of roiling motes of noise and unnatural contours - a good sign.