The 49HK5601 is a 49 inch 4K TV from Hitachi, launched in the year 2021. It comes with a 10-bit IPS panel. It can achieve a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz with a pixel density of 90 ppi.
Picture Quality
After screen size and resolution, the next important feature to look for in a display is its Color Reproduction Accuracy (defined by its color gamut specification).
This TV doesn't provide a color gamut specification, so we have to make an assumption based on its panel type.
Now, since the TV features amassive 49 inch screen, it won't come with a cheap panel, so here we can assume its equivalent sRGB coverage to be 90-100% or above. The color accuracy on this TV will be Lifelike! It will produce color accurate images out of the box.
Understanding the Color Gamut Specification
Color gamut spec of a TV is the measurement of the range of colors that the TV can produce.
What this means is, it tells 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), the result would be a "washed out" picture quality.
It is specified in different units - sRGB(most popular), NTSC, DCI P3 to name a few. It is upto the manufacturer which one they choose.
But you don't need to worry about that, here is a chart that you can use to choose a TV with good color accuracy.
After color gamut, the static contrast ratio of a TV holds almost equal role in picture quality.
Understanding the static contrast ratio
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 might look dusty as shown in the below image.
As you see, this will impact your experience considerably.
Also note, 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 show both dark gray and black as black, 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., good enough to display 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, 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 aren't into gaming, you can safely ignore these specifications. But if you are also going to use the TV for playing games or use it as a PC monitor, you would want to get a TV that features the lowest input lag and response time.
Sadly, there is no specification for input lag on this TV. But as this is not a cheap TV from Hitachi, input lag on this TV could be 20ms or below.
Understanding Input lag and response time
This lag is the latency at which your key-presses or mouse movements changes the content of your TV. For casual Non-FPS games, input lag doesn't matter much.
But ideally, get a TV that has an input lag and response time of < 20ms.
Ergonomics and Dimensions
Now, coming to ergonomics — VESA mount is supported on this TV with an interface size of 200 x 200 mm. Swivel, Tilt or Pivot features are not supported on this unit.
Vertically, the TV measures 49 inches and horizontally 43.81 inches.
It weighs around 8.2 Kgs and 1.8 kgs extra including stand. So plan your space accordingly.
Hardware and Audio
The Hitachi 49HK5601 is powered by 4-Core CPU. However, Hitachi didn't provide any info about the available RAM on the TV's official specsheet.
The UI on this TV is powered by Android 10 Operating System.
For display connectivity, Hitachi has provided 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.
Wireless connectivity options on this TV include Wi-Fi (5Ghz + 2.5Ghz), Wifi-Direct, Bluetooth and DLNA.
Coming to audio, Hitachi has provided 2 x 10W built-in speakers on the 49HK5601.
In terms of power consumption, this TV consumes 110.4W on average and 0.5W on standby.
For powering this unit, you will need an 220 V - 240 V/50 Hz - 60 Hz outlet.