Samsung SP-R4212 42" Plasma (1 Viewer)

[Bill Cowmeadow]

First foray into Plasma TV's.

The first thing that I must say is: If you only have a standard satellite or cable signal, the results are less than spectacular. That said, the panel is great for everything else.

As a person who tweaks things for a long time, this was the easiest screen I have ever set up. Warning, the contrast is set to full blast when you turn it on, and the reds are a little strong. But you can have a respectable image in a few minutes using the menus. Again, simple to navigate and adjust everything.

The Panel has more inputs the you should need, component, Svideo, HDMI, Composite, PC, Digital...

The unit does not get as hot as I thought it would, and there is no cooling fan. There is a slight buzzing noise heard from the top rear of the unit, but not audible from more than two feet in front of the unit.

This unit also has pixel shif technology. When static images are present on the screen, the pixels shift to counter screen burn. This is defeatable in the menu.

The only thing that I found to be of no use on this unit was the DNIe Demo. It serves no purpose except to show you what the screen would look like without it. You can't defeat the feature, so why give you a demo mode?

DVDs played in the progressive mode are pristine, and that is the main thing I wanted. Watching TV on it was secondary for me. But a hi-def source should be stunning for as good as DVDs look.

All in all, a nice unit that I felt was priced about right for the feature set, and it does look good in the living room. $1750

Bill

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

Last week I put up a huge antenna on the shed in the back yard, connected it to an amplifier as I am about 65 miles from the transmitter and then to the TV. I set the TV to do an Autoscan for channels and what do you know, I get 6 channels in Hi-Def. While this screen is an EDTV, the results are stunning. So much so, having to wach the majority of programming via standard direct TV signal is almost torture compared to the prime-time line up on OTA available digital channels.
While the results as noted are stunning in Hi-Def, the amount of work required to get the image is something most people will never attempt, especially if they are on the fringe area of reception like me.
I guess I could get the HD Direct TV package, but the expense to upgrade is not worth it to me at this time.

Bill