Samsung HPT4254 42-Inch Plasma HDTV

I've owned this set for about 10 months now, and it never ceases to amaze me with its picture and ease of use. Simply put, it's an outstanding HDTV, especially for the price.

The color is what strikes me first. It's drastically better than almost every LCD set I've come across that's been below $3,000. In general, plasma tv's produce better color output than LCD's, so that in and of itself isn't really surprising. What IS surprising, though, is just how much more vivid a picture this set has than almost all LCD's and plasmas anywhere remotely in and out of its price range. My dad paid twice as much for his 40" LCD 1080p, and all he does is comment on how pretty my tv looks everytime he comes over. Same with a close friend of mine who also owns an LCD that cost more than twice as much. I never realized how beautiful reds, yellows, blues, and greens were until I got this set. Yellow has become my new favorite color, strangely enough, because it looks so bloody brilliant on this set. Bumblebee from Transformers blows my mind every time I watch it. It's absolutely beautiful.

In terms of clarity, it's again a stunning product. Blu-Rays shine on this set, and I'm constantly showing off Transformers and Planet Earth to the delight of my friends. Also, the contrast on this plasma outshines any and all LCD screens I've tried out, too.

I can't comment on the sound because I use my surround sound set-up at all times, but the three or four times I've utilized the factory speakers, they've been fine.

My only major gripe is that the factory remote doesn't have preset buttons for each of the input selections. There's only one button, and you have to cycle through the input types until you reach your desired destination. I ended up purchasing the Harmony One remote which already has those inputs programmed in. Sweet!

The only other concern I have had is screen burn-in, which has happened on occasion. I'm fairly mindful of it and whatever burn-in my tv has received has always worn off after an hour or so, but I imagine if you play video games with HUDs on them for many many hours at a time, this could become an issue. I haven't had any problems with my games (all three of the "next gen" systems look and play great on this thing), but I am not as hardcore a gamer as I used to be.

Overall, this set is dynamically beautiful, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic picture that will wow you and your friends and family for years to come.

After reviewing many TVs, I decided to go with this one. I've had it for 4 months now and love it.

One bit of advice for those about to break into the HD world. When we first plugged in the TV, I thought I did something wrong because the picture didn't take up the entire screen area. What I found out later is that non-HD channels only display in a portion of the screen. I wish there were more HD channels to display on this great TV.

After years and years of suffering with a smaller screen, I finally splurged and went out and bought one of these bad boys. I was not disappointed at all!!

I did a ton of research on the web and then went and looked at the ones I liked at the local "Best Buy". I even brought in my favorite DVD to see how the different models looked in a familiar show. For the price, this was the one I went home and bought online at Amazon.

Why in the world would anyone want to lug a piece of equipment like this anywhere when you can have it delivered for free from Amazon!! My delivery was perfect, but I understand there needs to be a little flexibility when you have to ship this stuff by a heavy weight carrier. I love the fact they bring it in and let me inspect the TV for damage.

The sound is pretty decent. I don't even feel the need to fire up the sound system for daily TV viewing any more:).

The picture is outstanding. I never noticed how much stuff gets purposely blurred out in TV shows before now. Thing like license plates, a protruding nipple, that bloody scene on ABC. It is amazing some of the stuff they blurred out in shows that I never even noticed before getting this TV.

The number of connectors is satisfactory. A network connection would be that extra nice touch. With all the HDMI stuff coming out now days, a 3rd one of those would be handy eventually as well. The USB connection for possible updates was a huge relief to see. I think I might even be able to play some picture from it, but I haven't given that a try yet.

Overall, a very solid buy after having it almost 6 month!

the poker room really enjoys it !!
have a 50" samsung upstairs.
love it !!
no complaints on either tv.
if you open your eyes, explore, and read, it is very user friendly.
don't use the sound cuz we have surround sound on both.

Bought this TV for myself last November and liked it so much bought another for Mom last month. HD picture is as good as any TV costing much more. For the money you cannot find a better TV. Don't be fooled by the need for 1080p when this will give you a picture that is comparable. It has all the bells and whistles that most people want and need. Study the Specs carefully when you buy coz many times people are paying more for features you may not need or use. Very happy with my purchase.