Features and Performance
Though the Hitachi plasma claims to support resolutions up to 1080p, the results on that resolution are quite disastrous. Its native resolution of 720p is where things look the best, and that's the resolution we used for testing purposes.
The overall interface is pretty easy to navigate, just about everything was easy to find without looking it up in the manual.
The TV features a Multi Picture (PIP) mode, where you can have two inputs displayed at the same time, side by side. You can switch the audio output between the two sources and move on to having a primary and secondary display like in a standard PIP mode. What it doesn't allow you is to have two separate channels displayed simultaneously from the same input.
It also features a freeze frame function that basically takes a screenshot of whatever is being displayed on the screen. It splits the screen into two, with the first part continuing the broadcast display, and the second one showing you the frozen frame. There are two things I didn't like about this. Firstly, I don't have an option to see the frozen frame in fullscreen mode, so if I had to note down any text from the screen, I'd have to move in closer. Secondly, there was a two second delay between me pressing the button to freeze the frame and the screenshot captured. These gripes may be minor but mentionable.
When it came to display quality, this was definitely one of the finest Plasma screens out there. Both games as well as movies showed excellent overall detail levels. When watching a DVD movie upscaled to 720p, we did notice a lot of screen noise up close, but that was more due to upscaling rather than a problem with the plasma. Anyways, the grain was visible upto only a foot away from the screen, and considering it's a 42 inch display, your viewing distance would (should) at least be 6 feet.
Plasmas have a pretty good edge with their high contrast ratios, which was very apparent with this model. The deep 10,000:1 black levels brought out new depth in all colors.
The sound, as expected, was flat and practically bass-free. Of course, if you are using the in-built speakers with a TV this expensive, then there's something wrong with you.
Conclusion
Rs. 139,900 for a plasma HDTV that performs best at 720p doesn't sound like a very good deal, but considering the kind of options and features this one has to offer, the price may just about be worth it. If you're a movie buff with a huge DVD library, this TV will serve you well. Still, there are cheaper options available in 42-inch plasma displays in the market. I advise you to take a look at them before investing in this one.
Bought Hitachi 42" Plasma (42HDT79) in March 2007. Failed September 21. Still waiting for parts November 26, 2007. Hitachi has no idea when the part will be available. Probably after the warrante is up! I had to have the set delivered to the repair centre. Colborn's TV. 
