HP Pavilion PL4200N 42" Plasma HDTV
One of the best 42" Plasma HDTV of 2005.
After having a bad experience in early 2005 with two of the first Hewlett-Packard Plasmas, {the PL4245N} and their non-existent customer service. I promise myself i was never going to buy anything from this company every again. Fortunately, around mid-June 2005 that change when i became aware of the new Pavilion TV series and i was sort of interested to know more about them. <br /> <br />After reading the specs for this model, i knew this TV was manufacture by Panasonic based on their PX500 series. The Pavilion is not entirely a Panasonic, there are a few changes. one for once is the D-Sub PC input which on this set is located on the back instead on the front like in Panasonic's PX500. During the first hours of operation you will heard the fan very loud, but after 4-hours of usage, that noise is somehow regulated, there's a good amount of heat coming out of the back, so proper ventilation is A most. <br /> <br />Be aware this TV when is fully assemble is VERY HEAVY a whopping 148-LBS. When my set was delivered, three men where taking it out of the box and setting the swivel stand. I have 2  other 42\\" plasmas and another 50\\" and this Pavilion is heavier than the 50-incher. <br /> <br />Picture quality is very vibrant. NO false countouring, NO Screen door effect, NO red Push, NO green neon color effect, NO flickering. The colors are the closest i've seen to a Panasonic CRT set {which i also own}. No other plasma i've seen can deliver such accurate colors and true deep blacks. <br /> <br />The only complaints i have is the bezel is not entirely High Gloss Piano Black like the Pioneer plasmas, only the two 1\\"-wide stripes on the sides are. The upper and lower stripes are somewhat Semi-Gloss Black.   <br /> <br />The other complaint is you cannot eliminate the Gray sidebars when you're using the ATSC tuner or the top and bottom {also Gray} Bars with Split/Swap picture-by-picture. This is a downfall for any Plasma TV made by Panasonic as burn-in will occur if you keep using thouse features frequently for extended period of time. <br /> <br />The speakers are well-hidden, unfortunately that doesn't mean sound is the best, this could use some improvement, also there is no SAP, only BBE 3D sound, which can leave your ears ringing for a while if you set the volume higher than 25 and the Audio Level higher than 1+. Even with six speakers i notice the Pavilion cannot distribute sound output correctly, like my other 2 Philips FlatTV can. <br /> <br />The remote control is very-well designed, one of the best i've seen, very comfortable to hold and to operate, The remote keys are not entirely backlit ONLY the characters on the keys such as the numbers and \\"Photo\\", \\"Source\\", \\"Day +\\", \\"Day -\\" etc. will lite-up in blue and the devices \\"TV\\", \\"PVR\\", \\"VCR\\" in red just like cellphone keys. Note: Panasonic codes WILL NOT work with this unit, however, access to the service menu is possible like if it was the PX500. <br /> <br />This TV is OEM by Panasonic made in Japan that i'm very glad i didn't shut HP out after the problem with the first plasmas. I'm very happy with it. So happy that i got all 3 Pavilion LCDs which are manufacture by Sharp. I can wait to get thouse! <br /> <br />Very-well recommended!