Samsung HP-S4253
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"Disagree with review" on by felizpedra
Pros: Realistic HD picture
Cons: SD not as good as others
Summary: I've got to disagree w/ CNET not at least rating this even with the 42PX60U. I spent weeks reading online and after looking at several sets and considering price range, I decided on the Panasonic.
However, after going between various Sears, Best Buy and Circuit City stores looking at the sets and getting opinions from clerks, I decided to include this set in the running. Initially, I had no intention but to get the Panasonic but two things changed my mind.
The 42PX60U had really bright color but when it showed someone's face up close, it looked almost clay-like. I'm not sure what the technical terms are as this is my first new tv in ages but I couldn't get over that the people in the panasonic lacked realistic detail in their faces. It reminded me of a commercial I've seen for investments or something where the people were made to look somewhat cartoonish. I never saw that problem with the Samsung. The picture on the Samsung looked so realistic compared to the Panasonic that myself and the different people who accompanied me to the various stores could not help but notice.
At one store, I watched an HD news program on both sets and the broadcast had an inset picture of a man with grey hair with a blue background. In the panasonic, the background bled into the grey and the man appeared to have blue hair. On the Samsung, that did not occur and I could even make out the blemishes on the man's head.
The other problem was that the color seemed too rich on the Panasonic. Excuse the ignorance of proper terminology but what I mean is I was watching a soccer game on both sets and the grass was just way too green on the panasonic. Everything looked too lush. The samsung grass was by no means dull. It was just more of a real green. What's more,I could see the dead patches in the grass clearer on the Samsung and the issue with the people's faces came up again.
I do agree that the SD on the Samsung is not up to par with the Panasonic or some other sets I looked at but that was my only problem. -
"The best 42 inch. on the market!" on by bsakoff
Pros: Best picture of any hd set.
Cons: power cord length
Summary: After a year researching, and two returns later I finally found the Best 42 inch HDTV on the market at any price range. The picture is unbelievable, better then the Panny or the Sony (I tried them both first)And Samsung addressed the issue with Plasma's and screen burn, and are so confident that it works that they even added PC inputs. Also if you're a gamer like me the Samsung has game mode which made my XBOX360 look just sick. My advice is go with the new Samsung. Oh ya and a tip, make sure you have your DVD player set on the 16:9 setting or you lose some of the great picture detail. I also own the Sony 50" HDTV (KDF-E50A10)
Which is a great set, but the Samsung is much sharper. -
"Probably the best Plasma Tv to date." on by k_cheerangie
Pros: Great Picture from non- Hi Def broadcast.
Cons: Price and availability.
Summary: I work at Circuit City as a Tv salesman and do not work on an encentive based program. I watch a lot of Tvs and the Samsung plasma has stood out to me as one of the better plasma Tvs that we carry. The picture quality on a regular on non-hi def signal is noticabliy better than other 42" Plasmas and the professional calibration of this tv will guarantee that you are getting one of the best pictures in your neighbourhood. So I disagree with the original review given to it by Cnet and just had to sign up with then and give them my email and all that just to express my opion on this underestimated Tv.
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"Awesome HD Plasma; CNET Review blew it" on by uconnjak
Pros: Digital picture provides natural looking, vibrant colors
Cons: Hardly any; no photo memory card input and no cable card.
Summary: After studying the CNET review of this set, I went to Best Buy and Circuit City several times to observe, side by side and under various lighting conditions and programming, various 42inch HDTV Plasma sets including this one, the recommended Pani, Sony, Phillips, LGI and others. I couldn't believe my eyes as I was looking for a reason to reject the Samsung per CNET review. What I continued to see was that the Samsung picture quality simply blew away the competition. Maybe video noise, prevalent artifacts and green tinge along the edge of black does exist as CNET says but this non-technical consumer doesn't see it. I'm pleased that my eyes wouldn't let me reject this sleek,awesome set which I bought a month ago. When I attempted to bad mouth this set per CNET review, I was advised that the manager of my local Best Buy's high end Magnolia Department has just bought this model which he considered the highest quality "value" priced HDTV plasma set available. I'm glad I followed his lead.
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"CNET not quite right" on by dukemang
Pros: Inputs, Contrast, Color
Cons: Some banding of colors in dark images on SD
Summary: I think that CNET is somewhat right about color banding in dark scenes but it has alot to do with the settings and input. My set has some banding on SD broadcasts from my DirecTV DVR, but these tend to be only certain programs like older movies that have low contrast. Also, some poor video in shows may have some banding.
Quality SD input (s-video or component) like Discovery, Travel and local channels look good and do not have noticible banding.
I do not see any green tint or artifacts in dark areas and the preset input modes such as Movie and Dynamic work well for presets. You can also adjust tint and color yourself for each input. Movie mode makes DVDs look like film for color and contrast, and help keep them from looking too hot. Standard mode is best for SD and the picture is balanced and contrasty without being grainy. I'm looking into HD programming now and will update this when I get it.
For DVD I have component connections. I checked out Matrix Reloaded and The Lion King. The Lion King looked amazing with no artifacts or banding, and only the darkest scenes in the Matrix had any banding. This was not bad and not noticible if you were enjoying the movie and not testing the TV.
The only artifacts I've seen have been related to the digital compression of the DirecTV signal, not the Samsung.
Overall I'm thrilled with the unit and would recommend it for the money.
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