| Brand: | Samsung | ||
| Average Rating |
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42.3 screen (measured diagonally) * 1024 x 768 pixels * 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio * 600Hz Subfield Motion anti-blur technology * FilterBright anti-glare filter * more info
Popularity: 1% [?]
Samsung PN42B450 42Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooooooh~ Aaaaaaah~
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Like many smart shoppers here at Amazon, I’ve done a fair amount of research for my first HDTV purchase, e.g. LCD vs Plasma, 720p vs 1080p, Samsung vs other reputable brands, etc. Thanks everyone for your in-depth posting of your review of Samsung PN42B450.
I bought mine two days ago at Nebraska Furniture Mart during the Berkshire Hathaway (which owns NFM) 26th anniversary sales event for about the same price as I would have paid here at Amazon, tax included and 18 months interest free.
So far, I’m very impressed with the picture quality, sound, and user-friendly menu design. The remote control is sleek and functional, but I wish it had lighted/glow-in-the-dark buttons (I don’t think any HDTV at this price range has one).
FYI, I have my TV placed in a fairly dark half basement family room and sit about 6 feet away from the TV. I watch mostly sports and documentary programs – I’m glad that I didn’t buy a 50″ TV, because 42″ is plenty big, much bigger than it seemed at the store with so many other TVs to divert your attention.
* I think I overpaid for the HDMI cable, so I ordered one for less than $5 from. Let’s see if I see any discernable picture quality loss after switching the cable – I’ll post a follow-up here!
Best Value, by a landslide!! BUY THIS TV!!
I have owned this TV for 4 months now and I am in LOVE! I’m trying to think of a reason to buy another!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been shopping for a flat screen TV in the 40-50 inch range for 3 years. I am a perfectionist and notice little problems with the picture on all TVs under say $3,000. This is the fist TV I have ever found under a grand that has a picture that is not going to irritate me. I have looked at HUNDREDS of TV’s and this is the ONLY one in this range I would buy. Most are ridiculously sharp, or too blurry, or way too bright and give me a headache after 10 minutes and others are dull and washed out. I am very particular about the colors being true to life, which is hard to find. I’m not a fan of orange skinned people, call me prejudiced! And I can’t stand pixellation or what I call Digital Blur-out. This TV doesn’t have those issues. It also stays surprisingly cool after leaving it on all night.
Run to get this TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you are looking for a 42 inch TV, run, don’t walk to get this one. $600 bucks for this beauty is one of the best deals out there. You are getting a wonderful picture and decent speakers on a dependable brand TV that won’t (or shouldn’t, anyway) fall apart after a few months of use.
It took a little tweaking right out of the box to get the picture the way I like it (it came way too bright), but now it’s perfect. It has everything you need in a TV, and doesn’t have the stuff you don’t need. That’s why it’s so well-priced.
Superb Picture and Quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This TV was my first venture into the HD experience. I had actually narrowed my options between a 42″ Insignia LCD and a 40″ Samsung LCD. I saw this Samsung plasma on sale and figured it was worth checking out. Compared to the LCDs I was considering, this set has equal if not better picture quality. One of the possible issues with plasma is glare, but this set actually handles light better than my old CRT and handles well even in the daylight. That being said, you can’t truly experience the amazing color performance and deep black levels until you watch it in darkness. I mainly use this for TV viewing and have not noticed any blur when watching sports. The set also has plenty of customizable picture options — more than I would ever use. The connection options are more than adequate. The only drawback is the sound, which is adequate, but how much can you expect from speakers built into the set? I plan on purchasing a good stereo system that can better express the low and mid-low sound ranges.
This is an excellent buy and its Samsung, so you know it will be good quality. Only videophiles may notice a difference between this set and “higher end” sets. Don’t worry about the lack of 1080p. There are diminishing returns to scale with respect to high definition images, and only the most discernable viewer will notice a difference between 720p and 1080p on a set this size. The performance of this set blows any standard definition 480i image out of the water. If you buy it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Great TV for Great value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This TV works great, was a great value at $679 and seems to fit just perfect in the mid-sized living room. Not a 5-star review because we did have a dead pixel on our TV after one month. It isn’t a big deal since its a pretty common occurance, but if anymore pop up this thing may have to be exchanged.
No Headphone Jack!!!!!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
First of all, this is a great TV despite my 2 stars. After two weeks, everything is perfect with DirecTV HD. The sound, the picture, everything.
Everything, that is, except the lack of a headphone jack.
Now, I knew it didn’t come with a headphone jack when I bought it. But on the Samsung web site, it stated that I could use the audio out to connect to headphones.
I use headphones for about 50-60% of my TV viewing. They are of utmost important to me because there are kids next door, and I can’t turn up the volume after a certain hour. Plus, I have a loud fan going so it’s more comfortable to listen with headphones rather than turn up the volume at full blast.
When the TV arrived, I immediately tested the audio out to headphone connector I bought at Radio Shack. But I soon discovered that in order to listen to the headphones exclusively (without the speakers blasting) I had to turn off the TV volume.
Unfortunately, turning off the TV volume disables the volume control and mute buttons on the remote.
Thus the sound on the headphones, which is VERY, VERY LOW, can’t be turned up or down.
In response, I bought $22 external computer speakers to try to boost the volume. Unfortunately, that didn’t work.
Then I called Samsung, and they said there was no hope of boosting the volume. I was scared I just wasted $680 on a TV that I can’t truly enjoy most of the time.
I assumed listening to a TV with headphones would be a very basic component on a TV set, like it is for possibly every other device.
I had all but given up hope and was going to return the TV, when I discovered the Boostaroo headphone amplifier on Amazkon, which costs about $22. So I bought it, and it actually works great. It boosts the volume. But unfortunately it requires AAAA batteries, which are expensive and hard to come by (unless you buy them en masse).
So because Samsung didn’t include a headphone I had to shell out the following:
Audio out cable and headphone jack connector: $12 at Radio Shack
External speaker: $22
Boosteroo Headphone Amplifier $22 (it now lists at $42).
50 AAAA batteries: $30
I spent $86 to use this TV with headphones.
Anyways, sorry for the drawn-out review, but nobody mentioned a headphone problem in other reviews. Hopefully this will help anybody interested in purchasing this TV.
After comparing images…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I spent about an hour in Fry’s Electronics walking among all the different TVs, watching different things (primarily football and I Robot with Will Smith). Way at the back of the store I found the plasmas–and was genuinely surprised at the image quality of the 720p Samsung plasmas (42″ and 50″) when measured against the 1080p LEDs of several other brands, including Samsung itself. Even in the store, some graininess was evident during fast action with all the LEDs. I did a lot of back and forth with the 42″ 720p plasma and a variety of other sets, looking for a drawback that justified the much lower price. Couldn’t find one.
The 1080p Samsung plasmas were possibly a titch better at the 50″ size, but I honestly couldn’t tell the difference below that. Given that 42″ was all that I needed, the final decision was easy.
Bottom line: Three months later I’m still very happy. It’s a great buy. I’m not sure why LEDs dominate the marketplace, unless it’s because a lot of businesses buy them for their brightly-lit stores, lobbies, etc. I’m told that LEDs have the edge in brightness, but honestly I’ve watched a lot of sports on my plasma during the day in a brightly lit room and have no complaints.
Excellent TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great Picture Easy to Install Plug and Play. I actually went to Best Buy and selected the TV I wanted, already rated the picture etc. compared to other TV’s and you all know how many TV’s Best Buy has. Price was better at Amazon, no delivery, so how could I go wrong. Love it.
Best Picture for Money but Poor Audio
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
As most of all of you I have looked at many Flat Screens. This is the best picture for the money that I have found under $2000. The LG plasmas are very good but to me they are more forgiving on regular tv and not quite as good as the samsung on HDTV signals. FYI LCDs flat screens in the $800-$1000 range drive me nuts with action blur and off angle viewing. Also, you can adjust this picture to your liking in either dark or bright rooms….maybe too much control. I have no idea how anyone could review this tv with all the different settings. I am an audiophile and the audio is terrible…downward firing tinny sounding speakers, no bass. You will need to use the TV equillizer to get it listenable. AND yes this TV has Left and Right RCA Fixed Audio out which is not clear in literature. Very striking TV. Also, it does not get as hot as other Plasmas??? Not sure why.
Mark
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I haden’t researched the various styles and brands very much.
I had only once gone to a store to view different brands and styles but did not notice much diffference.
So I simply went to Amazon and chose a product that seemed to have good value.
I’m very satisfied with the picture and overall quality.
The only problem would be if it were to break prematurely!
Outstanding is the operative word…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Ive only had it 4 days but it worked flawlessly right out of the box, I’m in the video production business, and will use it to play back edited programs as well as viewing cable programming … Ive not seen anything better – Five stars barely covers the overall rating for the price and quality for this well built unit. Everything from the sound to picture – IMO, the best value on the market for the money. Bravo SAMSUNG !!
Pros: So far everything
Cons: So far none, (it would be a 10 if it had more inputs:)
plasma rocks !
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The picture on this TV is incredible . I’m using all factory default picture settings and could not be happier. If you don’t need a larger screen relative to your viewing distance, buy this Samsung Plasma TV. You will not regret it!!
Samsung admits can’t view in 4×3 without glaringly bright sidebars. Link Included.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I have a Samsung 450 series plasma TV. When I watch a 4:3 picture, even during a very dark movie, the gray bars throw off so much light I can read the TV guide. That means my eyes never really adjust to the dark so I can’t even get used to the actual film! But I bought a plasma so I could watch *dark* movies. I just wanted a rich black, but now I have a rich black next to a pair of shimmery columns of flaring light.
You don’t realize how much good 4×3 content is out there until you can’t enjoy any of it.
They admit they did it to reduce burn in, which is an admission that Samsung TVs have a serious problem with it. Don’t take my word for it, read the Samsung tech team’s admission to my query here:
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Buy This TV!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great TV!!DVDs look AMAZING. Works out of the box. It took me about 4 minutes to set it up; which is the time required to remove the box, find an outlet and turn it on. No tweaking required for me.
Buy this TV!!!
Mom’s new TV
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
What was advertised is what was received. The delivery was prompt and the product was in good condition. Would definitely buy from this vendor again.