SVA HD4208TIII-PDP 42-Inch Flat-Panel Plasma EDTV
Only EDTV, poor contrast, questionable reliability
SVA is a large TV manufacturer based in China, while the \\"heart\\" of this plasma screen, the plasma panel itself, is made by Samsung of South Korea.  This means two things: 1) questionable build quality and durability, and 2) subpar image quality.<br /><br />You may be attracted by the attractive price on this set, but believe me, there's a reason why it's so cheap.  Unlike state-of-the-art plasma planels from Pinoneer and Panasonic, the SVA exhibits poor contrast, no matter how you try to adjust the settings.  There's also significant pixelation when viewing fast-action scenes, such as sports.  The exterior also feels rather flimsy, which is not surprising given the low-cost market the company builds its \\"reputation\\" in.<br /><br />For two grand, you only get EDTV meaning the resolution tops out at 480.  A little more money will get you HDTV entries from Gateway.  Given 720p is pretty much a must given how fast the HDTV industry is evolving, I recommend against an EDTV no matter what.  So what if you have a 42\\" screen?  Remember the concept of \\"dot pitch\\" from the computer monitor world?  A low resolution looks especially bad on a large screen.  An older-technology-based screen like this SVA-Samsung is really not worth the savings, because in the long run you suffer, as you find yourself having to upgrade to true HDTV, not the least because all your friends have HDTV!<br /><br />Recommendation:  stay away from this cheap set with poor screen quality and unknown reliability.  I always think that if you are going to spend a lot of money on a TV, you might as well go with a good one.  Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Gateway, ... you have many choices that are much better and give you more bang for the buck.