I had been holding out for the 2010 42" Samsung Plamsa model to drop in price which I had been patiently watching since early November. When the price was still the same come March - I decided it wasn't getting any cheaper.
When to my surprise Amazon wasn't offering Free Shipping on that TV any, I noticed the 2011 Samsung Plasma's were available and with free shipping - I actually go the new model (which is now +1" to 43")for cheaper than last years Plasma.
Out of the box the TV appearance is a nice liquid glossy-black finish. Very thin TV - probably 1" deep in most spots (excluding where the mount attaches). The input panel required plugs to be plugged in horizontally - so expect to have to have a punch-panel or hole in the wall on the lower left side of the TV screen (lower left if facing the TV) to get the connections to hook-up. Why TV makers won't allow vertical input connections on TV's like this is beyond me.
If not wall mounting it comes with a good quality stand - though one of the mounting holes on the TV was stripped on my mount out of the box - something I didn't discover until days later. Since the free stand is temporary for me and I'll eventually wall-mount, I was not concerned.
Picture quality is what you'd expect from a plasma - bright colors, good blacks, and a little bit of a glossy (reflective) screen. The screen isn't too bad - I use it in a highly lit room and only if the sun is right on it does it bother me.
This set is 720p - and after reading 1000 different opinions/tech articles on 1080p vs 720p and it doesn't matter because you can't really tell the difference unless you are too close. I can say this - you CAN tell a difference if you are coming from 1080p to 720p.
I have a bigger 50" 1080p TV in a different/home theater room. It is also a Samsung - but a much older rear-projection LED (YES - LED, they offered it one way back year - new LED TVs are not rear-projection LED; they no longer make them). The 1080p picture is silky smooth compared to this new Samsung. Don't get me wrong, this set looks really good - if I hadn't spent 4 years watching TV on my other TV I would have never known. But side by side looking close at the 720 screen you see clear pixels - there are no pixels on my 1080p 50" screen - no matter how close I look. On this screen you can see pixels/not-that-sharp of an image from about 3' away. That not-that-sharp image can be see from a distance - the picture just isn't as 'liquid' as my old 1080p. However, until I saw it side-by-side I wouldn't KNOW better to complain - can you see the difference - yes. But my point is you won't know any better till you've seen then side by side. You don't know how clear it can be until you see it.
That said it's still really good for the price and I'd would buy it again since ~$500 was my price range.
Bottom-line this is a good 720p Plasma for the price, but if you are looking for that GREAT picture quality hold-out for a 1080p set. If my 5 year old 1080p looks better than this brand new 720p, the new 1080s have to be even better. Samsung PN43D450 43-Inch 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV (Black)
Just got this TV! Was wondering between Panasonic and Samsung and LCD vs. Plasma. I bought this one to replace my Panasonic Viera 32" 720p LCD. My room to watch is not so big and the space to place the tv was just right. I don't have a home theater and just use HD from the Comcast source.
The sound is great! The colors are bright and the image response is incredible fast. For sure is not a 1080 (which for this price, still the best buy!)And this is 43inch!
No regrets in getting this! The price, no sales tax and free shipping!! It came in time fashion and right when they told that was going to be here.
If you still wondering about this, pull the trigger, you will NOT regret!!!
This Plasma TV is INCREDIBLE!! I have been researching HD TV's for 2 years and kept going back and forth between LED & Plasma. Trust me, if your primary reason for purchasing a TV is picture quality there is not comparison to the RICH colors of Plasma. If you are a sports fan, this is the TV to buy! Just keep in mind where you locate the TV in a room that you do not have a window or excessive brightnes behind it but the colors are "real" and PLASMA is definitely the way to go. Oh ya, lets not forget the price at Amazon $539.00 with no sales tax & free shipping.
I wanted to buy a 42" flat screen for my bedroom and was deciding between this TV and the Panasonic VIERA TC-P42X3 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV. I don't watch that much TV in my bedroom so a 720p is just fine and I've read you can barely tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. I have also heard that plasma is the way to go over LED and LCD (best picture quality of the 3). The Panasonic model does come with an ethernet port which can take a separately purchased wireless adapter so you can get apps like Netflix, Facebook, etc. on your TV screen. However, a lot of the reviews complained about screen glare. Plus, I bought a Samsung 50" 1080P plasma for my family room in 2008 and it works beautifully. So I went with the Samsung...
The TV looks great out of the box and the stand is very sturdy. The only problem with the stand is that it does not swivel from side to side so you have to pick up the tv and move the stand if you want to change the viewing angle. The plug and play setup is a breeze and you can be watching TV within 30 seconds after plugging in the power and HDMI cable. It only has 2 HDMI ports but for me that's not a problem because I have one going into my Direct TV and the other into a DVD player. I watched Band of Brothers on DVD last night and the picture quality looked great. You can notice a window or sunlight glare if it faces directly on the screen but just close the blinds if this really bothers you. If I put it up side by side with my Samsung 50" 1080p plasma I might be able to notice a slight difference but I doubt it. Overall this is a solid TV for the price and is a perfect TV for the bedroom.
PS - remember to buy the cheap HDMI cables on Amazon. They work just as well as the expensive ones!'
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