Getting a new television for the home is a major purchase nowadays. The idea of parting with what could be a couple of hundred notes does tend to concentrate the mind somewhat.

Ensuring that any purchase you make is to all intent and purposes future-proof has to be the most major of all criteria when deciding which TV to buy.

Digital television (DTT) is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound by means of digital signals, in contrast to analogue signals used by analogue (traditional) TV. Introduced in the late 1990s, this technology appealed to the television broadcasting business and consumer electronics industries as offering new financial opportunities.

With this article the aim is to take a look at what is on offer with the latest generation of Flat Screen Televisions and in this case the Hitachi 55PMA550E.

The 55PMA550E is a 55in Plasma TV and the prices for these would be in the region of 3500 pounds sterling or 7000 US dollars. The resolution of the screen is 1366 X 768 and with regards to being HD Ready the answer is yes. The Hitachi has 1 (1 RGB) scarts and the type and number of Multimedia interfaces the 55PMA550E uses is DVI and 1. The type of Tuner for this TV is Analogue and the Hitachi is available from a wide variety of outlets.

All these points being taken into consideration, how would we view the Hitachi 55PMA550E?

Well to start with our score for the picture quality is 10 out of 10, and for the sound quality we would rate it at 8 out of 10. Another useful aspect to review is the availability and number of relevant connections and our score here would be 10 out of 10. With regards to the overall level of features, our view would be 10 out of 10 and for ease of use and overall value for money we would give it, 8 out of 10 and 10 out of 10 respectively.

The overall verdict would be that this Plasma TV has we feel got performance, style and sophistication oozing out of every connection but this has to be balanced by the fact that it is not the cheapest Plasma screen available.

It is extremely unlikely given the variety and range of makes and models available that you will not be able to find something to match your tastes or budget. You could either opt for one of the more cutting edge newer options available or stay safe and go for one of the more established options available. We hope that after reading this article you will find yourself better informed and as such it will mean that really it will not matter which rout you take.

Please be aware that the prices quoted in this article are taken from a number of leading e-commerce websites and as such should be taken as guides and indications of prices rather than absolute quotes.