Hitachi UT42-XV700

If you thought you'd seen thin TVs before, think again because the Hitachi UT42-XV700 is nothing short of amazing in comparison with some of the other TVs we've seen recently. With a depth of 1.5 inches excluding the stand, this TV really is almost dangerously thin and ludicrously light. So, let me show you the back, where you'll find a plethora of inputs. And when I say plethora I actually mean two. That's right, the only sockets on the back of this TV are a single HDMI and a lone VGA. Oh, and there is an audio-in for the VGA socket too. Not only does the TV not have that many inputs, it also doesn't have a built-in TV tuner, which technically means this isn't a TV, but a monitor. But I'm going to carry on calling it a TV anyway. With no TV tuner I can hear you asking over the inter-tubes "Ian, how do I watch TV on it". Well, you have a few options. Hitachi will be selling a sort of break-out box which has some HDMI, component, composite and SCART sockets as well as a built-in Freeview receiver and PVR. If you don't want that, then you can get an HDMI splitter box, and plug in your own stuff. There are Freeview PVRs from Panasonic, Philips and others that have HDMI out and of course PS3s and Blu-ray players. Because the TV has so few features the remote control is almost ridiculously simple too. All the settings are controlled through a simple menu system and everything you need to use the TV is right there on the remote. It's actually quite brilliant. The picture quality of this TV is, in our opinion, nothing short of superb. You don't see sharpness like this on that many TVs, even in these days of 1080p. Blu-ray movies look unbelievable, PS3 games are just epic and even regular DVD upscaled looks great. Sound too is good, as you can see, the speaker is pretty tiny but that doesn't stop it from producing a bold, clear sound that is loud enough to suit normal viewing. So, do we think this TV is worth the £2000 or so price tag? Well, kind of. If you're someone that chases an inflated pigs-bladder at the weekends and drives a Range Rover sport, then the money won't be an issue. For the rest of us, it's likely we'll have to think a bit more carefully about the purchase. That said, it's still an excellent TV with a truly stunning picture with plenty of detail and surprisingly vivid sound and we really like it. It will also make your lounge look like something out of the future, which is sure to appeal to geeks. I'm Ian Morris, and this is the Hitachi UT42-XV700.