Customer Reviews
Awesome!!! 
2008-06-15
i ve been looking for plasma tv for 4 month and in the end i relized the LCD sucks, so i started to consider to buy a Plasma because is really better. I was about to buy the Pioneer 42 because i really love the design wich is the best ever but the price was a little too high if compared to other brands. when finally i saw this Tv and with that price about the half than Pioneer i bought it right away...and it's awesome..the image is the best i've ever seen in many store i went (you cannot see any difference about 1080 or 720..please dont chose your tv based ont hat feature..)...the design is sleek and simple, minimalist as i like to have...no big buttons and you can even turn of the standby light that i usually dont like. best design ever. maybe the remote control is a little bit gaudy because is glossy and it looks like my girlfriend cosmtetics bag but i dont mind. Bottom line: you can buy it blinfold. PLUS the delivery guys brought the package up to my 5th floor in my walk-up building...awesome!!!!!
Great Bedroom Television 
2008-06-12
Purchased the first in April but the controls on the front of the TV were inoperative. Contacted Amazon who had me contact Samsung who had me contact a local television repair shop. The shop and Samsung tech support didn't know anything about this new model so I contacted Amazon to have the unit replaced. The new TV was delivered in about a week, the defective unit picked up and about two weeks later Amazon received the return. The TV I have now is great. The only improvement, I want the ability to assign labels to my preferred channels which is not available in cable mode. Other than that, the picture is superb but the speakers are very tinny and cheap. Added some externals and I'm happy. I appreciate Amazon's customer service and recommend this unit.
Happy Camper! 2008-06-08
Pros: Price, Display, Sound, Plasma, No difference when compared with 1080 p
Cons: None
I bought this TV after I spent 3 weeks deciding which one to go with. My budget was $1,500 and I was about to get the A650 or the A550 but ran into this one only be blown out to what it has to offer. I now have this TV for 4 days and I couldn't be happier.
What a deal 2008-06-07
I received this Television yesterday via CEVA. Out of the box this thing is beautiful all around. I did a lot of research and going back and forth with LCD and DLP. I was going to jump on Samsung's new 5 and 6 series LCDs, but then I came across this plasma. I did some research on this new line and found that for the price I was getting A LOT of TV. I was set on grabbing up 1080p vs. 720p but at this size, I can't tell the diff. This thing performs. The menu is easy to navigate, the picture is crisp, the design is sleek and the offered features are more than I could ever expect at this price. Also, you can't beat the free HD TIVO that shipped with this.
I did the auto search for channels, which took a few minutes (~10) and I was amazed at how many extra channels it found. I have basic cable, which I only received approximately 20 channels on my other TV (~4yrs old), but this TV ended up finding another 30+ channels, which many were over the air digital channels and others were just unscrambled.
The PC to TV feature is great. We watch many shows and movies via the laptop in our bedroom and didn't mind the small screen as it was on our bed, but having the option to hook it up to a 42" screen makes this an option for never going back to that small screen.
Of course now with the new HD TIVO, we'll also stream movies and shows via the ethernet connection, which I originally questioned why we might need this option in a bedroom since we have wireless, but now I see it will come in handy. This will be another topic of discussion when I review the TIVO.
The short of it...if you are looking for an HDTV and might be on the fence about this one...jump off and snatch it up.
I'll now comment on the shipping. When I placed my order, Amazon had sent an email stating that the shipping date was going to be delayed. The order date was 6/1 and the original expected arrival date was 6/10. With the delay it was going to be between 6/12-6/14. I had no problem with this, but it seemed I didn't have to wait long as a follow up email stated the TV shipped. I was supposed to receive it on 6/10 according to CEVA. Well, they called me on 6/5 and it was delivered the next day. The guy set it up and everything looked great. I offered him a tip and he declined with a statement saying, "No worries...it's my job and have a great weekend."
Excellent 2008-06-03
I just received my TV yesterday. The picture looks incredible out of the box, the design of the television itself is very sleek, and the sound is excellent for television speakers. The swivel stand is very stable, and also makes it easy to position the TV for optimal viewing angles in your room.
I did a significant amount of shopping when looking for my new plasma TV, and this Samsung does not disappoint. Plus, you can't beat getting a free Tivo with the TV... I highly recommend this TV for anyone looking to upgrade/ replace an existing set.
Great TV with an awesome picture 2008-07-01
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.
Value Priced HD TV with blowout performance 2008-06-30
Shipping
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Amazon.com shipped it right away and CEVA called to set a date and then arrived on time to deliver and set it up. In my case, that involved removing it from the box, setting the old tv aside, plugging the new one in, and connecting the cable wire.
The TV Itself
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This is a Plasma 42" HD with 720P output, and it looks excellent when you supply the HD Source. With ordinary programming, the picture is still good, but not great. But HD output will blow your mind.
At first I was going to get a 42" Vizio LCD from local Costco for about $900.
But here, you are getting a Samsung which obviously is much better. And I didn't have to worry about hauling the TV from the store to my home.
The TV itself from the outside is beautiful. The screen when the TV is off is grey color. I wish it was black, but apart from it is beautiful. The panels have a shiny feel which is great too.
If you are wondering whether to buy this or a LCD of same size with 1080p and couple hundred extra, I suggest you look at this one instead. How in the world will your eyes notice the 1080p vs 720p?
I'll tell you, the HD channels on this TV appear better than what you would see in real life. It's that good.
I haven't tried any upconverting DVD players or Blue-Ray inputs, but with HD input from my silver comcast cable box, the picture is unbelievable.
Having said that, I don't think these TVs will get any cheaper. This is as cheap as they get. Everything from this point on will be more expensive, because of the rising fuel costs, weaker dollar, and bunch of other reasons. So, if you feel, you need the best possible resolution to insure against improving technology in the future, then 1080p for couple hundred extra might be a good bet.
Now I just wish they had all my favorite channels in HD. Watching HD programming is very addictive. The price of this TV I paid is worth every penny, especially if you look at my cable bill.
Best value for money 2008-06-27
After scouting for a LCD for about 3 months and wating july 4 sales i settled on to this TV. We went to almost every store to decide the LCD. Zeroed on Samsung 42A550 1080i, thats when we saw this TV. We played this TV along side the other TV's. Absolute winner for the price. LCD appears to be bright and crisp due the environment in stores, this one has more natural colors and superb contrast. we went to FRY's where there was a little lobby kinda place which matched our room lighting. We have a wide (about 5feet) window 2ft beside the TV unit I always thought LCD is best. The store guys were good enough to move the TV and play it for us. Hooked up a Samsung DVD player with HDMI , Lo the LCD was like a flourescent tube light, this one was like a real world window with pleasing colors, I took with me two ICE AGE 2 DVD, We played this DVD in all 3 models we Zeroed on Samsung A550 and 650 and there very little difference, having seen so many models and reading scores of review about different tv's i would say this TV is bang for bug. This TV has all the required connections. Almost the same i couldnt believe it. I wanted to take a step back and decide, we left the store. Came back and read the review on this. Next couple of days i was quite convinced that this is the TV. Finally bought it in Best buy. If you want best value for money and not comprimise on picture quality look no further.
Excellent purchase after not buying a new tv for 16 years! 2008-06-24
The last TV I bought, in the early 1990's, was a 13" and the color was starting to go finally. I figured it was time to step up and buy something nice to replace it. After researching carefully, I decided to buy this Samsung 42" plasma which is consumer reports rated "best buy".
What an excellent decision! The picture is crisp and clear, the colors are true, and the DVD playback is excellent and so is the game play from my 1g XBOX. It is also much nicer to view my audio/video from my PC on this screen as the resolution is absolutely as clean as the screen I use at work.
Although I consider myself fairly savvy, setup seemed to be pretty easy following the directions and instructions in the owner manual. It has been three weeks and I have yet to be disappointed with any aspect of this television. I can't wait until I have saved up enough to buy a nice sound system and upgrade my DVD and XBOX!
Really Impressed and didn't expect to be - 1024, NOT 1360 resolution 2008-06-17
UPDATE: (@~250 hours) Just in case you don't jump to Samsung to -confirm- the specs, Amazon is incorrectly listing this set as having 1365x768 resolution. Only the 50" model has -1360- (not 1365) resolution. I looked originally because of the VGA-DSub connector that the Panny didn't have, as well as believing (and Not checking) the resolution specs to serve that PC. Be sure to check the 50" reviews as well, the sets are nearly identical, and the 50" received Best Value and Best Sound from CR HDTV showdown. -end update-
This is copied from my comments on AVSForum, addressing user issues that have been identified with the Samsung 450 plasmas (ota=Over the Air broadcasts):
I am ~45, somewhat farsighted but uncorrected, ear destroyed by engineering audio for a few years and general love of metallica.
Expanding on the title - I was pretty sure there would be a loss in PQ, going with a set so much cheaper than the panasonic (80u), I am happy to report the opposite is true - I like it better. Received set from Amazon, white-glove delivery sub-par, but acceptable, and Quick!. Set is 7 days old as I write this, run 24/7 on OTA PBS excepting ~12 hours off-time this last Father's Day. Used movie-cont60-brite40, all dynamics off for burn-in.
heat: non issue, a/c at 80deg F, decent ventilation, but Yamaha 2500 -can- overheat if we play LOTR too loud (i.e., 0 to +3 db). set is barely warm on top, cool on back. No buzzing/ringing that my questionable hearing can detect.
sound: all I can say is that my expectations here were somewhat lower than other reviewers, I think the speakers for crap TV broadcasts are very good, and would go so far to say that piano and concert footage on OTA PBS, my only real source, was nearly ok. I have had 5.1 on Infinitys since I purchased the Yamaha, so I'd have settled for Not AWEful - and they are better than not awful to my abused ears. I disagree with the people that say "who cares?"about internal speakers, as turning on the 5.1 is a pain and Loud for casual crap-tv watching.
Remote: keep it to teach my ancient but trusty sony universal, heheh, but no complaints.
Color: I have used every built-in setting and can give high marks to movie AND dynamic, though I turn off the DNIe, so it may only be 'torch' when all enhancing circuitry is re-disabled. That is -not- my experience, as it still pops more than "movie" turned up to the same settings. IMHO, choose dynamic for HD OTA sports and have insta-pop for the upcoming Olympics (wish it weren't NBC
).
Posterization: I haven't spent a great deal of time actually Looking for it, and the kids viewing positions of 8' are the closest that I examine from, but I have not seen it on my set.
pixel conversion: my 16:9 setting seems to be worse than some here, I use just scan for all ota, only get the garbage at the top when they switch to 4:3 transmitted at 16:9 (tell by black bars). I switch by remote to 16:9 if I have to watch it, as in local news. I find the real tell is from the Oppo. As suggested here, I tried 1080p as the output from DVD and saw no improvement from 480p. 720p on 16:9 gobbles 5 pixels per side, so 720p justscan for DVD here. Again, Oppo and OTA are the Only sources here. I think that properly mastered/compressed 1500MB (two CDs) movies written to flash-drive and played on the USB 2.0 of the Oppo look pretty good, pixelation in high motion action, but no worse than SD CRT (36" Toshiba is what I am graduating from. My First Plasma TV, our 24" LCDs on our computers dint-impress-me-much, larger sizes same opinion, only more-so, lol )
Problems: I am experiencing the brightness shift that I have read about. It is consistent as follows: talking head on grey-sky background, I believe the sky slow-wwly increases so that my eyes cannot perceive, then drops a brightness click down all at once. Gray background seems to be the environment when it will occur repeatably - think news show, outdoors, "so how did you feel as the flood carried away your house with your mother-in-law in it, Mr. Nurrgerrtz?" - it happens elsewhere but hard to define and harder to demonstrate and describe.
UPDATE: setting dynamic contrast to 'low' seems to solve the brightness-shift / flicker. This Will require changing other settings to return to the brightness/contrast that you had, recommend making this setting before any fine-tuning.
The gray screen-burn protection scroll screen has definite colors (magenta and yellow) appearing in the gray behind the darkest or starting bar. bands are semi-moire` shaped, 1-2 inches behind the start bar, 2-4 occurrences total.
I'm not real excited about either issue - I will call samsung and complain - but hope that a firmware is already being written as I type this - NOT a deal breaker.
recommendation: screw the burn-in dvd, just play OTA PBS with volume turned down for fast burn-in. The mild Image Retention disappeared completely after 50 hours and the colors lost their neonesque in about 24. fwiw. NO STEWPID LOGO on ota PBS! Furthermore, I believe there is no better comparison source for depth and color than PBS, assuming a strong ota signal. Puts NBC to shame (self-evident) and what minimal amount of sports PBS does show, beats CBS (no abc HD signal here, lol... Fox is at least Trying HD, but haven't worked the kinks out yet.) No I am not employed or compensated by PBS for this biased review of ota signals, lol.
I feel absolutely GREAT about this purchase, prefer this set to best friend's panny 80u - what I had planned to buy - and really appreciate the three hun dred savings (I sold the free tivo).
carpe` cervesi
knf
