Television Reviews

I researched on plasma TVs and came to the conclusion that in this size range (37-42″), the EDTV sets were a much better deal than their HDTV counterparts. I was able to get the 42DPC85 for under $1700. Compare that to $3000-$3500 (or more) for the same-sized HD LCD or Plasma from a reputable manufacturer.

I still love my TiVo, so I have the set hooked up multiple ways (both with Verizon’s new FiOS TV). I have a standard digital box feeding through the TiVo and into the TV via S-Video. This picture is acceptable for regular TV watching, but not the way you really want to sports or movies if you’re spending this much money in the first place. I also have an HD DVR connected through the HDMI cable. This picture is simply fabulous, and unless you are a complete video snob, you’ll think you’re watching true HD (it takes the 1080 or 780 signals and displays them at native 480). People have already come over and assumed it was an HD set based on the picture quality. It’s definitely a better picture than an HD DLP or other projection set. The DVD player is connected via component cables and also looks amazing (most newer DVD players only display at 480 as it is, so having a higher resolution set may even make things worse unless you upgrade your DVD player).

I quickly narrowed my search down to the 42DPC85, the Panasonic TH-42PD50U (which is sold at Best Buy and everywhere else), and the Samsung SP R4232. I chose the Toshiba over the Panasonic for a couple reasons, including that it’s a much better looking set than the Panasonic (which is unexplainably ugly as sin), and has a much better contrast ratio (10,000:1) than the Panasonic (4,000:1). In fact, many HD sets have contrast ratios around the 4,000:1 mark. I was relatively neutral between the Toshiba and Samsung sets, going the Toshiba way as I felt more comfortable with the store selling it (Meyer Emco) than the Samsung (Tweeter), plus my last set was a Toshiba and it served me well.

In whole, I’m very pleased with my purchase and was happy that I looked around before I decided to buy this 42DPC85 because you could dropped an extra $1500 just so they can have a “true HD” set even if the picture is marginally better.

Features

• Technology - Plasma (PDP)
• Supported DTV Resolutions - 480p
• Additional Features - ColorStream Component Video Input, video noise reduction,
• Image Aspect Ratio - 16 x 9

Specifications:

Model: 42DPC85

Item Package Quantity: 1

Display Technology: Plasma (PDP)

Display Size: 42 inches

Display Color Support: Color

Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9

HDTV Compatible: Y

Channel Labeling: Y

Parental Lock: Y

Audio Output Mode: Stereo

Surround Sound Effects: Virtual Dolby Surround

Speakers Included: 2 speakers

DVD Type: None

Width: 43.34 inches

Depth: 3.9 inches

Height: 26.16 inches

Weight: 108.7 pounds

Warranty: 1 year warranty

Tags:42in plasma tv Toshiba Toshiba Plasma TV

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 22nd, 2006 at 10:26 pm and is filed under Plasma TVs 43-Inch and less, HDTV Reviews, Plasma TV Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.