Hitachi 42PD7200 review

If you are more experienced, you can delve into the menu system, and you'll find that Hitachi offers a lot of options for the power user. You can go as deep as changing the colour temperature or adjusting the individual colour levels. On the audio side, things are just as in-depth, with separate adjustments for treble, bass and balance. The sound system also has built-in Dynamic Bass and Matrix Surround, but they're off by default and we suggest you leave them that way.

Behind the scenes, the major improvement in this next-generation panel is Hitachi's Picture Master processing. Like Sony's Wega Engine, it aims to keep digital-to-analogue conversions at a minimum. The television analyses and adjusts individual sections of the picture to make them appear more natural on-screen, and if you're using the RGB Scart or component inputs, the results are noticeably improved. Of course, if you upgrade and keep everything in the digital domain with DVI or HDMI video then the picture quality is even better. But as this won't be made widely possible until the introduction of high-definition standards, Hitachi's interim solution gives your television viewing an immediate improvement.

One feature on the Hitachi plasma increases the 'wow' factor considerably. The desktop stand is motorised, meaning you can use the remote control to swivel the TV left and right automatically. If this isn't fancy enough, bear in mind that there is also a Freeview model called the 42PD7500, which costs around £200 more.

Performance
At a mid-range price, the 42PD7200 could potentially be forgiven for having a weaker picture quality than recent efforts from Pioneer and NEC. This hasn't been the case though, as this plasma offers a rock-solid picture performance across all sources. We got into the cricket while testing the screen, and Channel 4's Ashes coverage showed off a nice mix of colours and some fast camera pans. Usually, there is significant breakup from Freeview material when viewed on an LCD or plasma, but Hitachi's screen showed no weaknesses in this area. If you go close up to the screen, you can see some colour banding, but it's a great improvement over the 42PD5200, even though it's hardly more expensive than the older model.

The great thing about the speakers is that they can easily be removed. While we expect a good proportion of plasma buyers to have a dedicated surround setup, the quality of the included speakers is very good, and they add to the sophisticated look. The two 12W speakers aren't particularly powerful, but they perform well in the mid-range and always provide vocal clarity -- making them good for television programmes, as opposed to movies.