Samsung HPT4264 42-Inch Plasma HDTV
See it at Amazon.com for $1,299.00Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First
(4 out of 5)Night and day difference from this model to last years
There's a HUGE difference in the picture quality between this model and the one from last year. Don't waste your time with the small Terk antennas, they all stink for the money. The ANT301 is the best one I've found (I've tried 10 or more different ones) for OTA HD.
Be SURE to change the picture settings out of the box. The ones it ships with are terrible and might make you think the blacks aren't fantastic on this, when they ARE amazing. You need to set up EACH input.
Here's the settings for the component input (from AVSforum):
Mode: Movie
Contrast: 65 (58 for dark room/low light settings)
Brightness: 35 (36 for dark room/low light settings)
Sharpness: 0
Color: 48
Tint: G 54/46 R
Color temp: "Warm2"
Dynamic contrast: OFF
Black level: OFF
Edge enhancement: OFF
DNIE: OFF
DNR: OFF
Detailed settings:
Color space: WIDE
Gamma: 0
White balance:
R offset: 13
G offset: 15
B offset: 15
R gain: 13
G gain: 15
B gain: 15
(5 out of 5)Jaw dropping HD
I received this TV from Amazon via Eagle delivery last Saturday in perfect condition. No problems with the tv tilting on the stand like some people reported in the avs forums.
So I hooked up the cable and set everything up and I was in for a treat. Before I go any further I want to add that I went TV shopping at Circuit City to see what this TV or rather the hpt4254 would look like. The demo feed at circuit city was good but it never prepared me for what I would see with my own tv. My first time watching an HD channel was truly eye opening. It was akin to a religious experience on the grandest scale. The clarity of the image and the colors gave shame to the real world. That's how good this TV is. If you're hesitating and wondering whether this TV is good, it's not. It's better than good, it is awesome. The picture quality is bewildering that anything can look this good.
What does regular TV looks like? It looks ok like regular tv. But after watching HD why would you even want to watch regular tv? Buy this tv now! I gave it a 5 star rating for its awesomeness and you'll agree with me once you have your own TV.
(1 out of 5)Amazon = Risky
Maybe I just hit the unlucky lottery. But I have had the worst experience buying this TV.
I bought it on August 15th. It is now August 29th and I have never seen it and likely never will. Eagle picked it up and then just sat on it for 10 days. I took the day off to be here on the delivery date. They didn't show.
Eagle may have screwed it up but Amazon was NO help. I called and emailed and called and emailed. Silence. I got one "we'll get back to you." They never did. I never got one respnse to any of my emails to Amazon.. Not one.
I finally found Eagle's phone number on some internet forum and called them myself. Finally they tell me it will be delivered. The next day I get a call from them saying the TV was stolen (cough cough..lost). Sorry, call Amazon
Nightmare.
Now I'll have to deal with trying to fight to get my money back ...which could take weeks...maybe longer...who knows. So I'll have been out $1200 with no TV for well over a month...if I'm lucky.
The moral of the story is..you roll the dice with Amazon. You may save a couple hundred dollars on a big purchase but you sacrifice the ability to return and get refunds easily. If something goes wrong you are screwed.
You feeling lucky?
FOLLOW UP: Just wanted to post a quick update. Amazon did refund my money without a hassle and I bought the same one elsewhere. The tv itself is excellent. Very very happy. You will need some external speakers but there isn't a comparable tv out there at this price point. Picture is as good as it gets and that includes the 1080p sets. Highly recommended...
(4 out of 5)It Really Is All About the Settings
I've only had the tv for 3 days, and I while the HD channels looked fantastic, I was very concerned that the basic channels looked terribly grainy. I decided to try the settings recommended by Victor Ireland and that solved the problem (thank you Victor)!
(5 out of 5)Best TV I have seen yet.
Bought this TV a week ago and it is absolutely amazing. I have a HD DVD player and a blu ray player and have watched a number of different movies. The clarity and sharpness of the TV are amazing. I love this TV. One of the best purchases that I have made in a long time.