Samsung SPN4235 42-Inch Widescreen Plasma Flat-Panel HD-Ready TV
Excellent value, good first plasma
We bought this TV via Amazon in 2004 and have been very pleased overall. At the time it was one of the cheapest 42\\" plasmas available at around $2800, and now it can be had new for closer to $1500 thanks to the rapid developments in plasmas. If, like us, you don't have HDTV service or immediate plans to upgrade, it's a good choice. DVDs look excellent and standard channels (we use DirecTV and Tivo) look as good as they possibly could.<br /><br />Keep in mind, though, that this isn't a top of the line and will have some trade-offs. Most notably, the resolution is not true HD even though the TV can accept all HDTV formats and will display them at its own maximum resolution. Also, there are no built in speakers or HDTV tuner, but this isn't an issue when most people will use the unit with a surround system and cable box/satellite receiver. We route all our video sources (DirecTV, DVD, VCR, video game) through a $300 Sony surround system that routes the video into a single cable to the TV and the audio to 6 satellite speakers. If you have HDTV service the set does support the DVI connector but not HDMI, so you may need an adapter.<br /><br />She set emits an audible buzz that's loudest when the unit first turns on, but never goes away fully. It does not have a noisy internal cooling fan, though, as some early plasmas did. The set also radiates a lot of heat and draws a large amount of power -- more than 350 watts according to the specifications.<br /><br />Many people mistakenly fault plasmas like this one for premature burn-in when what they're noticing is only temporary. If you see the shadow of a previous image on the TV you need only watch something else for a few minutes and it's gone.<br /><br />Picture quality will be astounding for those upgrading from a standard CRT TV like us, but it's not perfect. Darks lack clarity and night scenes are often hard to make out. Bright scenes look excellent. We watch standard TV in the \\"Panorama\\" mode, which gradually stretches the square image to fit the rectangular screen. We prefer this to watching with gray (not black) bars on the sides of the image, but that mode is available too. DVDs will display in full 16x9 widescreen mode and look beautiful.tretches the square image to fit the rectangular screen. We prefer this to watching with gray (not black) bars on the sides of the image, but that mode is available too. DVDs will display in full 16x9 widescreen mode and look beautiful.