The 42HE4300 is a 42 inch Full HD TV from Hitachi. It was launched in 2021. It features a 10-bit IPS panel. It can achieve a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 with a refresh rate of 60 Hz and pixel density of 52 ppi.
Picture Quality
After screen size and resolution, the very next specification of a display that will impact your viewing experience is its Color Gamut.
Hitachi has not provided a color gamut rating for this TV. But don't worry, we have other means to guess that. Considering the TV comes with a 10bit IPS panel, we can safely assume its equivalent sRGB coverage to be 100% or above. Undoubtedly The color quality on this TV should be Lifelike!
What is Color gamut ?
Color gamut spec of a display indicates the range of colors that the display can display.
In other words, it determines the ability of a display to produce accurate colors. A TV with low color gamut coverage will miss out on some colors (such as deep red), so the image produced will look "washed out" in colors.
It is specified in different units - sRGB,sRGB (standard RGB), NTSC 1953, DCI P3 to name a few. It is upto the manufacturer which one they choose.
But you don't need to worry about that, below is a chart that you can use to choose a TV with good color accuracy.
After color gamut, the static contrast specification of a TV has equally important role in picture quality.
Understanding Static Contrast
A TV with high enough static contrast ratio will produce deep blacks while a TV with low contrast ratio (<1000:1) will produce images that will look dusty as shown in the below image.
As you see, this will rob your experience considerably.
Note that, static contrast ratio and resolution go hand in hand when it comes to details. To put it into perspective, a TV with low contrast ratio will produce less shades of colors, thus lesser detail overall.
If given a choice, I will prefer a FHD TV with high contrast ratio over a 4K TV with low contrast ratio.
This TV features a static contrast ratio of 8000:1., well enough to achieve deep blacks. The panel comes with local dimming technology which is a plus.
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), HDR and HDR10 are also supported on this TV.
Coming to brightness, the peak luminance it can produce is 300 nits. The panel of this TV is powered by Direct LED backlight.
Gaming Performance
Now if you are planning to use the TV other than watching videos — like as a PC monitor or for gaming purposes, you should take a TV with lowest input lag. For gaming, both the input lag and response time affects the performance.
Sadly, there is no specification for input lag on this TV. Now, IPS panels in general are infamous for high input lags and response times. So, expect the input lag to be above 20ms. Though, Non-FPS and casual games should be playable.
Understanding Input lag and response time
This lag is the latency at which key-presses or mouse movements changes the content of your display. For casual Non-FPS games, input lag doesn't matter much.
But ideally, look for a TV that features an input lag and response time of < 20ms.
Dimensions and Ergonomics
The TV measures 42 inches vertically and 37.71 inches horizontally. In total this TV weighs around 6.8 kgs including stand. Without stand, it weighs 5.0 Kilograms. So plan your space accordingly.
Now, speaking of ergonomics — a VESA mount with interface size of 100 x 100 mm is provided for wall-mounting. The unit doesn't come with Swivel, Tilt or Pivot support.
Hardware and Audio
The core of Hitachi 42HE4300 is powered by a 4-Core CPU. There is no mention about the RAM on the TV's specsheet.
For display connectivity, there are three HDMI 1.4 (ARC; CEC) ports, one D-sub (15-pin) port, one AV Composite In (Video + L/R) port and one AV Component In (YPbPr + L/R) (via D-Sub) port on this TV.
For connecting USB devices, you will have one USB 2.0 port. Other connectivity ports include — 1x CI+ 1.4, 1x Satellite In (Main — F-type female), 1x Antenna (RF) (female) and 1x Ethernet RJ45.
Regarding wireless connectivity, the manufacturer has provided a 5Ghz Wi-Fi, 2.5 Ghz Wi-Fi, Wifi-Direct, Bluetooth and DLNA.
Speaking of speakers, it is packaged with 2 x 8W built-in speakers.
Speaking of power consumption, on average, it uses 40 watts and on standby, it takes 0.5 watts.
It supports a power outlet of 220 V - 240 V/50 Hz - 60 Hz.