Hitachi 42HDT79

Pros: Great Picture!

Cons: Poor sound. Bad manual. Sluggish remote.

Summary: If you want a great picture, this plasma is for you. It’s very clear and sharp. I thought the bright aluminum 3/4" metal strip across the top and bottom were distracting so I put black tape over them. Now it’s perfect! I also had to adjust the factory color settings a bit, but that’s always a personal preference. The sound is poor. It took a long time of fiddling with the adjustments to make it OK. You might want to consider purchasing external speakers. The set does not respond quickly to the remote (are all plasma’s that way?). Until you learn the rhythm of changing channels smoothly, it’s a pain. The manual is poorly done and there is no Quick Start Guide. For example, ‘volume’ is not in the index. It’s listed under the P’s for Perfect Volume.
Finding how to skip a channel when surfing is a real test of you electronic skills. The store where I bought it couldn’t even do it! I finally figured it our. Forget using the manual. The Favorite Channels feature is nice. I don’t like the rolling wheel to change channels and adjust the volume. I’d rather push a button so I bought a universal remote that works better. The on screen TV Guide is a nice feature. Overall, if it’s a great picture you want, the screen quality out weighs the negatives.