Hitachi Broadens Plasma Display Panel Product Line

[Gregg Lengling]

The Home Electronics Division of Hitachi America Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), announced the availability of its next-generation 42-inch plasma display panel (PDP). The CMP4201/4202U is a high-definition, 16:9 PDP featuring Hitachi's own VirtualHD™ technology.

"Hitachi has a long-standing commitment to the PDP market and is continuing to evolve all of its products with the most advanced innovations available," said Bill Whalen, Senior Product and Marketing Manager, Hitachi America, Ltd., Home Electronics Division.

The CMP4201/4202U features Hitachi's proprietary VirtualHD digital video processor to increase the resolution of all incoming, non-HDTV signal sources up to 1080p. The processor features automatic 3:2 pulldown correction, new 26-point advanced video processing, and 1080i/720p/540p/480i input processing.

Boasting a native resolution of 1024 x 1024, the CMP4201/4202U features Motion Adaptive Processing, and multiscan capability for compatibility with VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, or UXGA resolutions. The CMP4201/4202U also accepts a range of video signal formats and can be connected to various home electronics devices as well as PCs.

At 68 pounds and less than four inches deep, the CMP4201/4202U provides a 160-degree viewing angle and can be hung on the wall or from the ceiling. The CMP4201/4202U also comes standard with a life extension mode that provides a longer life span for the plasma display without sacrificing brightness, picture-in-picture, a SleepTimer function, and built-in screen savers.

The CMP4201 and CMP4202U are available in charcoal black and silver, respectively, and are both priced at $7,999.

For more information about Hitachi America, Ltd., Home Electronics Division, visit //www.hitachi.com/tv and //www.hitachi.com/digitalmedia.