Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung PN42A450 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

We bought this tv for our bedroom we were replacing an old 36" crt. We got it on sale for $790 so we didn't expect much, but it turns out this is the new model with touch buttons, 3D, 3 HDMI ports. We don't have HD in this room so I expected the SD picture to be rather pixelated. But man I was so impressed on how well it displays SD content that I'm almost inclined not to put in an HD reciver in this room. I did hook up my pc and used it as a monitor and wow it looks great! Picture is smooth and the colors have alot of depth, I also hooked up my Xbox360 to it and the games look awesome! This tv looks cleaner and crisper than my $3000 Samnsung 61 inch DLP. I can't believe i! If your looking for a 42" TV this is the one to buy! Don't worry about it being 720p I've compared it with my 1080p set and you can't notice the difference.

Like a few others I have read here, I am new to HDTV. I did a bit of research and narrowed my choices to this model and the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U.

I was looking at the Panasonic because initially I thought I wanted 1080p resolution, but after reading a few articles I decide I did not need it. HD cable is 720p right now and apparently will not be 1080p for some time due to bandwidth issues (although someone more knowledgeable on this topic is free to correct me on this point). And this TV is several hundred dollars cheaper than the Panasonic 1080p model. I looked at the Panasonic 720p 42 inch but that model (TH-42PX80U) does not have a PC input, which I wanted.

Anyway I went to my local Best Buy and they happened to have the Samsung PN42A450 and the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U right next to each other, and they both had a great picture. I liked the colors better on the Samsung though--they appeared richer to me.

So I went with the PN42a450 from Amazon. Best Buy's list price beat Amazon's, but when you factor in free shipping and no sales tax, Amazon had the better deal by about $70. I've had the TV for about 6 weeks now, and I love it. Baseball games and movies look great on this TV.

A few words of caution about my experience with the free shipping: you do get what you pay for. In my area at least, the company that Amazon contracted to do the delivery did not seem to have a particular specialization in electronics or TVs. The guy who delivered my tv was courteous and helpful, but did not have a high degree of knowledge about plasma TVs. First of all, it was only this one fellow win an unmarked white panel van full of boxes. He was pulling the TV out and was going to bring it into my house by himself and he was kind of awkwardly carrying it (it really is a two man job to keep it level) so I helped him carry it in. Also this TV comes in a special box that lifts off of the TV so that you don't have to lift the TV out of if. The delivery guy didn't understand this (and neither did I initially). First he was going to lay the box on its side to slide the TV out which from what I understand is not the best thing to do with a plasma TV (laying it on its side can possibly damage the huge piece of glass that makes up the screen). I didn't know much about plasmas but knew enough to stop him from doing that. Finally we cut the box apart to get to the TV, after which point I found out that the box can lift apart by itself. So I ruined the box which I could have saved to safely transport the TV if I ever need to move. Not a huge deal, but it would have been nice to keep the box.

So in summary I am happy with this purchase. The only caution is that I would advise you to be home when the TV comes in order to make sure it is taken into your house and unpacked correctly.

I always wanted a HDTV, and I decided on this model by reading the reviews from other people who have purchased it. I could not believe that plasma TVs are a lot less than LCDs especially that I can get a 42" for less than a $1000 compared to a 32" LCD for the same price.

I ordered this TV on Friday 6/20/08, and it shipped on 6/23/08 to Ceva Logistics in Reno. Amazon said it would be delivered by 7/2/08, but on Ceva's website, using the tracking number, they said it would be here on 6/27/08. I waited patiently for the phone call from Ceva, and someone called me that Thursday evening with a delivery window from 8 am to 12 pm. I was very excited that I would be getting my TV to play with on the following day. The delivery guys came to my apartment at 8:20 am, opened the box for me, and placed the TV on my entertainment center. I hooked up the coax cable from my cable box, and I was blown away by the color and the size of the screen. The delivery guys from Ceva were great for being prompt, polite, and professional. I was very impressed with their service, and if I buy another TV again I definitely will use Amazon again

I tried watching standard definition, some high definition channels in my area through the antenna, played a few DVDs, and a VHS tape. Each one looked very good, and I have no complaints about this TV. I am looking forward to trying out some more HD programming when I exchanged my cable box for an HD one. I am planning to buy a Blu-Ray DVD player once the prices have come down a bit, and I am sure it will look great on this TV.

The manual is kind of confusing, but I figured it out in the end. There is an ample amount of connections on the back and on the side for anything you may have.

If you are looking for a TV with a fantastic picture, then do not look any further because you will love this TV.

I bought this TV about two weeks ago... I was originally looking for a Sony LCD Bravia 40" 1080HD (W300 Series) or the Samsung PN50A550 (50" Plasma 1080p/i resolution).

I went to a local store and saw this TV lying between the models described above - I thought it was a 1080 TV... image quality was about the same. It has better color and sharpness than the Sony LCD, and as in all TVs, it has a slight advantage over the bigger Samsung Plasma despite its 720p versus 1080p so called "disadvantage".

Then came the issue of pricing and looks... this one is a looker and for around $900 bucks it is a steal. Something told me to buy it and so I did.

When I got home I was first disappointed in its display of standard cable (coaxial analog)... standard cable only works in a regular CRT.

Next day I took it to a friends house who has digital cable and lord behold - Digital Cable is 720P so there is no real use for a 1080 Tuner - Image quality was great.

Then came the real reason I wanted a Plasma... My Sony Playstation 3 AKA Blue-Ray Player.

OH MY GOD... I had purchased Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Turismo 5 Prologue. I connected it USING A $20 Radio Shack HDMI Cable (Dont spend $100 on Monster Cable, its not worth it) and the games came alive. I could feel myself driving in the Ferrari F430, I could literally feel my self in the middle of war as I played MGS5. The definition, color depth, sharpness and lack of image noise was incredible. Its a great TV for any PS3 or new generation video game console.

Then I went and purchased Transformers the Movie in Blue Ray... Holly Cow!!!. You haven`t seen this movie until you have seen it through blue-ray and this TV. You can see every minor detail about Optimus Prime, Bumble-Bee and the rest of the characters... plus the size is excellent for a small living room or your bedroom (mines is about 60 square feet and it looks gigantic)

I dont understand how it works but it has and integrated circuitry that takes and ordinary 720P signal and digitally converts it to 1080 resolution, plus ·D filters for gaming. Believe me, I hate Digitally Remastered anything (just try using your digital zoom on a digital camera and you know hoe poor this technology usually is) but in this case IT WORKS... Realistic Colors, no aliasing, no blurs, great whites, great blacks, blues, reds, and little or no image "double-edges".

Both my games and Blue-Ray movies are converted to 1080p resolution and they look amazing.

One complaint: Speakers at 10x2 watts are weak and have no bass power... but we all know that is not the idea behind an HDTV... I have a Sony 6.1 Home Theater... I just plugged it to get outstanding sound and a recreate a real movie theater experience... Any Sony, Denon op Kenwood Receiver with 5.1 or better performance (500 Watts at least) will solve this problem in a snap.

It is definitely a great bang for your buck deal, it is truly designed for HDMI devices and it looks cool too.

I am One Happy Camper!

I purchased the PN42A450 from BB yesterday for $899. Easy set-up and menu options for the not-so-tech savvy. I have been researching HDTVs for the past 5 months and spent a lot of time at local retailers watching different TVs. I narrowed it down to plasma simply because I prefer the more natural look of the pitcure vs. lcd. This TV is in our bedroom and is used primarily for watching recorded shows and DVDs. We do have 4 windows along one wall, but have found the reflection to be no less of an issue than the old 27" CRT. I selected the 450 because the picture was very good and the price made it a steal. Side-by-side with much more expensive models I could pick apart the 450 vs., say, the Pioneer PDP-4280HD, which was excellent. But, the 4280 was also at least $600 more money. So, the very good picture of the 450 and its price made it easy to select at the end.

After getting it home and set up, my wife and I were watching some HD channels. We had to laugh because it all looked so great. Without a way more expensive model next to it, the 450 looks like a million bucks!