For those who are looking for a large, all black plasma television for a reasonable price, it is hard to beat the Hitachi p50h401. The Hitachi p50h401 features a gloss black finish with clean lines that don’t detract from the screen. The speakers are mounted beneath the screen to make it more entertainment center friendly. Most of the buttons are kept from view, hidden beneath a panel to help maintain the clean lines.

The Hitachi p50h401 comes equipped with 3 HDMI inputs, each of which will accept a 1080p signal. These inputs are perfect for that new Blu-Ray disc player. Also featured are 2 component video inputs, composite and s-video inputs. A built in digital tuner also comes standard, ready for receiving your favorite programs in high definition by simply connecting an antenna. The Hitachi p50h401 also comes with parental controls, to make sure your little ones only view content you want them to watch. There is a front panel memory card slot, although this reader is only for service upgrades.

The experts were impressed with the picture quality right out of the box. Hitachi does a good job of producing clean, sharp images with good black levels and detail. The built in speakers weren’t very powerful, although there is an optical output so you can connect it to an external amplifier. The Hitachi p50h401 also allows the user to customize each input, so the picture can be just the way you like it when you play video games, or watch a DVD. The consumers were also impressed with the picture quality. Most consumers won’t be able to tell the difference between this TV and ones that offer true 1080p resolution. Most were happy with the smaller price tag for this 1080i model.

The Hitachi p50h401 combines an impressive picture with an affordable price tag, making this model hard to beat in the competitive 50 inch plasma market.