Samsung SPR4232 42-Inch Flat Panel EDTV Plasma TV
Good "low-end" ED Plasma TV
After standing in front of Panasonic TH-42PD50U and Samsung SPR4232 at local BestBuy for several hours, I have purchased the Samsung.  Having been a royal Panasonic consumer for past 10 yrs, it almost came down to a coin toss. <br />Here are my two cents: <br /> <br />The Good: <br />1.  Design -- Though purely subjective, I have found three design elements to be both functionally and esthetically satisfying:  a) Black bezel to make the screen seem smaller and <br />smoother transition from picture to surrounding wall (although I wish the trim was matte, not glossy), b) Round pedestal that integrates with the TV better and makes side-to-side \\"tilting\\" possible without its \\"feet\\" sticking out over the TV console (the TV itself does NOT tilt; you have to move it), c) Round power button with surrounding illumination (minor design accent but it makes overall TV look a little less boxy). <br />2.  Picture Quality -- Although this was not a deciding factor against the Panasonic, the Samsung does exhibit sharper contrast from a distance.  However, from close proximity, the combination of DNIe and deeper black color makes the characters bit less 'natural.'  At the end, I knew I'll have at least 8~10 ft distance from the TV so I weighed the \\"distant picture\\" more. <br />3.  Sound Quality -- I'm not saying here that the sound quality is fabulous.  But, compared to my Sharp LCD TV, this one is acceptable.  With Sharp, the sound is actually louder behind the TV, not in front.  At least, I don't have that issue with the Samsung -- it projects sounds [conversation between characters] pretty well. <br /> <br />The Bad: <br />1.  Design -- The TV is too \\"rectangular\\" with rather sharp edges.  If it wasn't for some round elements (see my comments earlier), the TV might come across as a cheap imitation. <br />2.  \\"Ghost image\\" -- Well, this issue is not limited to Samsung but I had a scare.  During the first few days, I went through some old movies on VHS, and with these 3:4 aspect ratio seemed more natural so I changed to the 3:4 ratio and watched movies for 4~5 days.  And I went back to 16:9, I was surprised to find TWO \\"ghost\\" vertical lines where the edges of two side \\"black\\" bars were to make the screen 3:4.  It went away after viewing a movie at 16:9, but made me wonder why bother offering 3:4 ratio if the TV cannot handle it.  Later I have found out that Panoramic ratio handles old 3:4 ratio much better than 16:9 or, sometimes, 3:4 ratio itself (it keeps the distortions at minimum around the center, and slightly stretch at the end of both sides. <br />3.  Inputs -- The TV offers one composite input, which is a minor nuisance, but expected at least two (like Panasonic). <br /> <br />The Ugly: <br />1.  Remote Control -- This is a remote control from hell, unless you have ALL Samsung products (such as Samsung DVD, Samsung VCR, etc.).  The Remote from my DishNetwork has more functionality. <br /> <br /> <br />Overall, I'm satisfied with the purchase at the price I have paid.  If I have to pick one reason for picking this TV, it was ovall design.  The black bezel does make a difference, and that's why high-end Panasonic actually offer them.  Otherwise, you can go either and be pretty happy. <br /> <br />Happy Hunting.