Review of the Hitachi 37LD8600 37
Design |
| Hitachi have always kept to a modest design spec, and the 37LD8600 is by no means an exception. The matt black frame is edged by a thin silver surround, which meets to form a strip along the bottom of the screen. This leaves a nice 94cm of screen visible. The two 8-watt speakers are inbuilt keeping them nicely hidden. We are grateful of Hitachi’s uncluttered design, making it easier on the eye, they have only put their logo centrally and the HD-Ready logo to the left-hand side. The pedestal stand is included, and dominates the central third of the TV. If you need to measure up beforehand, this LCD’s dimensions are 933 x 647 x 107 (WHD). |
| Features |
The biggest feature missing from the Hitachi’s 37LD8600 37” LCD is an integrated digital tuner. We can only put this down to the price, but it really is no excuse at this stage. So, with just an analogue tuner worthy of receiving 100 channels, we got it plugged in to see what else it could do. First of all, the screen resolution is again pretty average with 1366 x 786-pixels and a smallish 800:1 contrast ratio. And, my friends, that is about it for picture features, so now for the sound. The 37LD8600 features the 3DS spatial sound system with dynamic bass, which is supplied through a pair of 8-watt speakers. As for connectivity, this LCD isn’t doing too badly, with 2 scarts, a solo HDMI, component, headphone jack and 15-pin PC socket, we can hardly grumble. We do expect to see two HDMI connections by now, but on a TV with a price tag this small we will make an exception. |
| Performance |
| Even though we were pleased by the plug-and-play set-up, we were still sightly perturbed by not having a digital tuner, so we plugged in the Pioneer DV989-HD DVD player and stuck Oceans 11 in. We must start by admitting our surprise at seeing what was, in our opinion, a good all-round picture and sound performance. With great amounts of contrast and superb colours, the picture was a pleasure to watch. Motion caused the 37LD8600 a slight amount of distress, which may not have been noticeable to the LCD amateur. On removing the DVD and watching HD BBC sport, we were again happy with what we saw. The colours were vibrant and full-bodied, and contrast was again great. Standard definition struggled a bit too much by our standards however, with a larger than average amount noise including fuzzy edges, especially compared to the sharper HD images. The Hitachi 37LD8600 handled sound well, with high volumes and crisp, clear dialogue. |
| Overall Opinion |
| Hitachi has produced a stylish LCD TV with an average specification that would keep the home viewer happy to a certain extent. But if the viewer were to put this LCD TV side-by-side to a model costing £500 more, they would notice the sacrifice they are making in terms of picture performance. |
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Pros + 800:1 contrast ratio + PC input + Stylish uncluttered design + 1 HDMI |
Cons - Lacks an integrated digital tuner - Only 1 HDMI |
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Picture Quality 6/10
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Sound Quality 8/10
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Connectivity 7/10
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Future Compatibility 6/10
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Ease Of Use 7/10
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Overall Rating 
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By Lisa Malyon
24/10/2006 at 9:45:46am
24/10/2006 at 9:45:46am
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