Launched in the year 2021, the 43HK5601 is a 43" 4K TV from Hitachi. It comes with a 10-bit IPS panel. The max. resolution it can achieve is 3840 x 2160 with a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a pixel density of 103 ppi.
Picture Quality
After screen size and resolution, the next important spec of a display that defines picture quality is its Color Gamut.
Hitachi did not provide a color gamut specification for this TV. But don't worry, we have other means to guess that.
Now, since the TV comes with a 10bit IPS panel, we can safely assume its equivalent sRGB coverage to be 100% or above. Undoubtedly The color accuracy on this TV will be Lifelike!
Understanding Color Gamut
Color gamut spec of a TV is a measure of the range of colors that it can display.
Put Simply, this specification tells the ability of a display to produce accurate colors. A panel with low gamut coverage will miss out on some colors (such as deep red), the result would be a "washed out" picture quality.
Different manufacturers use different measurement standards to define color gamut. Such as — sRGB, NTSC, DCI P3 etc.
But don't worry, here is a chart that you can use to choose a TV with good color accuracy.
Other than color accuracy, you should look at the static contrast specification as it influences the picture quality the same way.
What is Static Contrast ratio ?
There are two types of contrast specifications for a TV. Static and Dynamic. We are interested in static contrast ratio as dynamic doesn't matter much.
Static contrast tells the intensity of black levels. That is, a TV with static contrast ratio < 1000:1 may produce black images something like this:
Moreover, such TVs are likely to suffer from backlight bleeds that will affect your experience — as shown below.
The image is an example of another display, it is not this oneOther than black levels, a TV with high constrast ratio lets you to see more details. So, resolution and static contrast ratio go hand in hand in a sense.
This TV features a static contrast ratio of 8000:1., well enough to achieve deep blacks. The panel comes with local dimming backlight technology which is a plus.
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), HDR and HDR10 are also supported on this TV, so that's a plus.
As for brightness, it can go as bright as 250 nits with the help of Direct LED backlight.
Gaming Performance
If you are going to use the TV other than watching videos — say as a PC monitor or for gaming purposes, you should get a TV with lowest input lag. For gaming however, both the input lag and response time affects the performance.
Sadly, there is no specification for input lag on this TV. Now, as this is not a cheap TV, we can expect an input lag of less than 20ms.
What is Input lag ?
This lag is the latency at which key-presses/mouse movements changes the content of your TV. Though, this won't matter much if you aren't into competitive/FPS games like call of duty.
For best of both worlds, get a TV that has an input lag and response time of < 20ms.
Ergonomics and Dimensions
Coming to ergonomics — VESA mount is supported on this TV with an interface size of 100 x 100 mm. However, there is no Swivel, Tilt or Pivot feature support on this TV.
The TV measures 43 inches vertically and 38.58 inches horizontally.
It weighs approximately 6.06 kilograms, another 1.86 kgs including stand. So plan your space accordingly.
Hardware and Audio
The internals of this TV is powered by Quad Core CPU. However, Hitachi didn't provide any info about the available RAM on the TV's specsheet.
To power its UI, the TV runs Android 10 Operating System.
For display connectivity, there are two HDMI 2.0 (ARC; CEC) ports and one AV Composite In (Video + L/R) port on this TV.
To connect USB devices, it includes one USB 2.0 port. Other connectivity ports include — 1x Satellite In (Main — F-type female), 1x AV Component In (YPbPr + L/R) (via PC input), 1x Antenna (RF) (female), 1x CI+ 1.4 and 1x Ethernet RJ45.
For connecting to this TV wirelessly, the manufacturer has provided Wi-Fi (5Ghz + 2.5Ghz), Wifi-Direct, Bluetooth and DLNA.
For audio, it is packaged with 2 x 10W speakers.
In terms of power consumption, the TV consumes 86.4 watts on average and 0.5 watts on standby.
It supports a power outlet of 220 V - 240 V/50 Hz - 60 Hz.
