Sonically, this Hitachi does a decent job of providing satisfying sound with bog-standard broadcast material. But you can also listen to the hectic and tune-heavy score of CSI: Miami without constantly adjusting the volume as you occasionally must do on some sets, raising it for quiet dialogue, and then turning it down again when the more dynamic musical score kicks in. There's decent stereo separation too, which makes for well placed voices and dialogue that's just busting with clarity.

However, it's worth mentioning that if you are planning on using this screen as your main movie viewing source (and the picture quality certainly deserves it), then we'd seriously consider partnering it with either a high-end, all-in-one surround system or a full-on home cinema receiver. Without these sound supports, if you push it too loud it starts cracking up and ruins an otherwise faultless performance.

The price of plasma televisions is dropping all the time and the price of this set seems to be in a free-fall all on its own. The street price of the excellent 42PD8700 fell by a couple of hundred pounds during the time we had it on our test bench, and may have come down even further by the time you read this.