Hitachi UT37X902

The good: Beautiful design highlighted by thinnest LCD panel on the market; solid picture quality with relatively deep black levels and accurate color; 120Hz refresh rate features dejudder processing.

The bad: Expensive; very dark areas of picture tend toward blue; some artifacts in dejudder mode; sparse inputs on monitor; poorly integrated optional AV Center.

The bottom line: A high price and a quirky, optional AV Center lessen the appeal, but the stunning design of the ultrathin Hitachi UT37X902 will draw buyers who want the ultimate in flat-panel chic.

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Description: The Hitachi UT37X902 is a 37-inch, LCD television. Compared to other LCD TVs on the market, it is expensive at around $2,160. This TV is an LCD display, which is generally the best kind of flat-panel screen for viewing in brightly-lit rooms.

Pros: With built-in HDTV compatibility, this television can display images that are significantly sharper and more realistic than regular television, as long as the source is high definition. (It can easily render standard-resolution digital TV broadcasts and also depict the full resolution of widescreen DVD video.) The 3:2 pulldown feature of this unit reduces artifacts that can occur when motion pictures are transferred to a digital format such as DVD.

Cons: None noted, given available product data.

Suitability: An LCD TV, suited for home entertainment. Also, a wide aspect display such as this one is well suited for DVD movies recorded in the popular 16:9 format, as well as high definition programming.

Value: In general, this TV's features are as expected for this price.

Suggestions: (1) For assistance in shopping for a new HDTV, read CNET editors' Ultimate HDTV Buying Guide . (2) If donating or repurposing your old TV is not a viable option, CNET encourages households to recycle their electronics. Please explore the following website to find a recycling center in your area Electronics Take Back Coalition .