The 55-inch Hitachi 55HDX62 UltraVision CineForm Director's Series Plasma HDTV ($6,999.99 list) offers a stylish design and plenty of quality touches, but this premium television failed to deliver a premium picture. The 55HDX62 allowed common image artifacts to taint standard-definition video, and its performance as a high-definition plasma display was comparable with that of a good panel from a year and a half ago. Hitachi televisions are among the best in the world, and the 55HDX62's showing suggests a modernized successor is overdue.

The 55HDX62's black frame features a glass-topped display surface with thin strips of brushed metal bordering the top and bottom edges. Black metal grilles along the left and right sides of the panel encase a pair of two-way speakers (each 20 watts). The speakers are permanently attached, but they sound better than any other TV speakers I can recall and provide plenty of volume for a large room. The TV's on-display controls are located behind the speaker on the right side. Make sure you have an extra set of hands to help you set up this 139-pound unit. The optional table stand ($449.99 list) provides a generous 35 degrees (70 degrees total) of motorized horizontal swivel that can be controlled via remote control—a feature that is sure to impress anyone who sees it in action for the first time.

The 55HDX62's other premium touches include two remotes and a pair of IR blasters for controlling A/V components such as VHS recorders and cable boxes. The TV's slender main remote has a solid, well-constructed feel; it provides a fully backlit face and a pleasantly uncluttered button layout. I especially like the main remote's dedicated button for toggling day and night viewing presets, as well as the pair of scroll wheels that control volume and channel-changing. Codes provided in the manual let the main remote control additional A/V devices such as DVD players, DVRs, and other set-top boxes. The second remote is a curvy, palm-size design that provides a simplified set of TV controls. This "Simple Remote Control" lacks a backlight, but its button layout and tactile feedback made it easy to operate.