This is a good, inexpensive (that’s a relative term) plasma display. Prices are dropping and quality is getting better in the world of flat screens. This Samsung is an solid plasma display for the masses, but this one may not satisfy true videophiles. If you’re looking for the absolute best plasma and price is no object then move on to another review, but if you want a good plasma TV without breaking the bank then this one’s tough to beat.

I say that inexpensive is a relative term because $1000+ for a TV is a little absurd, but for those that want it and/or can afford it this plasma could be a good choice. I just couldn’t fathom spending a mortgage payment on a TV, so I told myself that I would wait until a few decent brand name 42” plasma displays dropped below $2000 (at national retailers) before I would take the plunge. Recently several manufacturers have lowered prices below this mark and some retailers are offering further discounts. After much debate and research (and convincing of my wife) I finally broke down and bought the Samsung HP-S4253 42” plasma display. Best Buy had an online special on this TV for $1799 so I bought online and picked up at the store which turned out to be a pleasant and fast experience. I will admit that I really, really wanted the Pioneer 42” as I am convinced that Pioneer makes the best Plasmas on the market today. I have other Pioneer (Elite) components at home and wanted the TV to match, but the Pioneer was retailing for about $1000 more at the time and I couldn’t justify the cost difference.


The Ratings & Reviews:
Before buying I did a lot of research and I had read reviews on various models (in my target price range) on ePinions, cNet, Consumer Reports, and other online sites. The Samsung was rated in the middle segment in most of the ranked reviews and was towards the lower end of the price spectrum. There were similar priced TV’s rating higher and lower and some more expensive TVs rating higher. I also went to the manufacturer’s websites to get the full spec lists. I encourage everyone to read reviews and learn as much about the different flat panel TV types and models before buying. I am not a professional video product tester or reviewer and I won’t pretend to be one in this review. In order to avoid any biased reviews from my initial excitement, I waited until I had logged at least 50 hours of watching time in different formats (Standard Def, HD, DVD, etc.) before writing. The observations below are based on my own personal experience.

The Eyes Don’t Lie (or maybe they do):
I read the reviews until my head started spinning, but ultimately I had to make a choice based on what I was actually seeing with my own eyes. When you go to the retail outlets Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. they are showing only hi-def images on their hi-def TVs so they all look good. The drawback to this is that you don’t really get to see what regular TV is going to look like until you get the unit home (more on that later). After I had decided to go Plasma (and not LCD), I went to the store to look at the displays in more detail. I was strongly considering the Hitachi with 1080i resolution and the Panasonic, but the best looking picture on any Plasma displays that I saw anywhere was on the Pioneer and the Samsung. I had the Hitachi right next to the Samsung and tried adjusting the picture controls on the Hitachi, but it never got the brilliant deep colors of the Samsung. I also looked at a Panasonic that was similar, but again it was the same thing with the picture not looking as good as the Samsung. In order to convince myself that it wasn’t just this TV in this store, I went to two other retailers and saw the same results. After viewing it in person, the Samsung won out in the price range I was looking at. What I discovered in the end was that the Samsung has a better "out of the box" picture setting when compared to other models. Onc properly calibrated, other modelslook as good or better.

I also like the way this TV looks physically (aside from the picture). It has a glossy black surround that looks very classy. It is an understated appearance that doesn’t scream “look at me” like some flashier silver models. (I like subtlety). The speakers are hidden and it has just a simple glowing blue power button on the front of the TV. Nice and clean looking. Since the speakers are hidden on the bottom, the TV is not as wide as some models with side speakers so if size is a consideration you may want to consider that.

Specs:
I’m not going to bore you with all of the specs that you can get on the manufacturer’s website, nor will I waste my time quoting them to you when you should be doing your own homework, but I will tell you what I think is important. Contrast ratio of 10,000:1 makes the blacks deeper and colors really pop. I also think that the black frame surround may have the same affect since the silver colored TVs can look a little washed out. 2 HDMI Inputs may seem like a small amount, but it’s ample for me as I only have a HD Cable box and an upconverting DVD player (you could/should be controlling your home theatre signal through a receiver anyway with a single connection to the TV). There are other component, s-video inputs. PC monitor input was also a plus as many Plasmas don’t have one (you have to convert to another type of input). Now I can show digital pictures or slideshows on the display right off my laptop instead of having to burn them to DVD. 720p HD display is good and most HD programming isn’t in 1080i yet anyway. If you must be on the cutting edge then you’ll have to pay a LOT more for a plasma with true 1080i resolution. This TV is heavy (@ 80 lbs) so make sure you have an adequate piece of furniture or wall mount for it. Also you must transport it in the upright position so keep that in mind when picking it up at the store. Samsung also has an anti-glare coating on their screen which minimizes reflections for a better picture and it works well. I have my screen in a brightly lit room and had considered an LCD for that reason alone (no glare issues), but the Samsung looks great with no problems. DNie picture enhancement is OK, but it probably distorts the true picture somewhat. I have watched with it on and off and found no significant difference other than brightness level.

Video:
I have HD digital cable, standard digital cable, and an upconverting DVD player. I have used all three sources. This display does well with dark colors. It’s 10,000:1 contrast ratio helps highlight the subtle colors and shadows in dark scenes. I keep the TV in the 16:9 display mode to avoid burn-in on the sides of the screen (a drawback of plasma).

Standard TV (digital cable) is in 4:3 aspect ratio so the picture is stretched to fit to the 16:9 on the plasma which makes everything look a little skewed in terms of size (things look wider). My wife calls it the “fat head” syndrome. All standard def TV looks better on the plasma regardless of screen sizing, but I noticed when in 16:9 mode that some pixilation occurs on fast moving images or those that are not on a high quality signal feed. I was a little disappointed to see that football & other sports do this on occasion, but drama shows, etc. are fine. The dark images in shows like CSI look good without too much false shadowing or blending, but some visual artifacts are prsent. Colors are incredibly vivid. When in 4:3 display mode the pixilation is imperceptible, but it subjects the screen to potential burn in with the black bars on the sides. It would be nice to be able to see a standard def picture in the store as this is what you’ll be watching most since there is still very little HD programming on the air. Had I been able to see this and other sets in standard def mode it is possible that my choice would have been different.

HD TV looks very good. The colors pop off the screen and images look incredible. Pixilation during football and the World Series were non-existent. The colors are very vibrant but maybe just a little over saturated. Sharpness & contrast are excellent and very few contours are visible except on low quality video feeds. Duran Duran’s live at Wimbley Stadium concert was an impressive HD experience with the light show coming full blast. While standard def leaves a little to be desired, Hi-Def is very good on this screen.
DVDs look excellent with an upconverting DVD player and I have no issues here at all save for a few minor artifacts in darker scenes. That said, even older “analog” movies that were converted to digital on DVD look great. This is a higher quality signal then standard def and the result is a higher quality picture. Movies that come in a 16:9 ratio were made for the big screen and get that professional treatment on this TV.

Audio:
The sound on the TV alone is adequate, but the speakers are small and you don’t get the room filling sound that you would get from a home theatre system. Their reflecting nature make the sound a little more hollow than other directional models. I have the TV wired to a home theatre and I don’t use the speakers on the TV very often unless its late at night and I don’t ant to disturb anyone w/ the home theatre noise. There is a simulated surround sound mode, but it’s of no consequence a it is only using 2 speakers to achieve the false surround. There are plenty of Audio inputs on the TV.

Controls/Connectivity:
The remote is rather basic as is the feature set on the TV. It has all of the standard picture and sound adjustments, but if you want something more tunable with professional picture adjustment ability then look at a Pioneer. The remote is not a learning remote so plan on buying one if you want to control the TV and other components with one remote. The setup/program menus were intuitive, very user friendly, and easy to navigate.

2 HDMI inputs, 2 component video, 1 S-video, standard audio in/out, 1 digital coax audio out, 1 optical audio out, 2.5 mm (PC audio in, PC video (RGB) in, and 2 service ports are on the back. A single side component, s-video and audio in are present as well as side volume and menu controls. I liked the PC input and have used it to connect to my laptop to use the TV as an external monitor to show picture slide shows. Not all Plasmas have this type of input and that was one reason I chose the Samsung. Some may consider 2 HDMI inputs not enough, but I only have a cable box and a DVD player connected to the TV so that was no problem for me. Most older DVD players use component video.


Misc:
The Best Buy online purchase/store pickup was nice. I received an e-mail about 45 minutes after I paid indicating that the order was ready to be picked up and I was in and out of the store in about 10 minutes.


Buying Considerations:
Consider these points if you’re thinking about buying a flat panel TV:

Hi Def TV is still limited in my area – even with digital cable subscription I can only get CBS, ESPN, TBS, DISC, PUBLIC TV, and a few other non premium HD Channels. I pay about $5 extra per month to get these channels. I can pick up local over the air HD broadcasts via antenna, but not all programs are in HD. I would guess that 90% of programming is still in standard def so you won’t really get to take advantage of your 720p display for a few more years when more shows are filmed in Hi Def. (That’s probably what all the suckers that paid $8-10K for their TVs a few years ago said and there’s still not much HD content.)

If the store will allow it, view standard def picture signals on the screen before you buy for the same reason above as that’s what you’ll be watching more of.

When you’re standing in the store looking at the screens from a few feet away (remembering your 27” TV at home) they all look huge, but when I got it home and mounted it on the wall it didn’t look quite as big and I found my self saying “hmmm…I could have gotten away with a 50” screen.” If you’re going to sit 8 feet or more away from the TV then consider a larger model (if you have space).

Connector cables are expensive – especially HDMI cables. A mid-grade, 6’ long HDMI cable will set you back @ $70. You can expect to pay $150 or more for the same length premium cable. I paid about $250 for all of the cables that I bought to connect everything to the TV when I wall mounted it. Factor that into your buying decision.

Wall mounts differ in price and quality. I bought a Peerless brand mount online at Mounts And More for $80 over the $175 Sanus that was offered at Best Buy. The people at Best Buy couldn’t confirm that the Sanus would work for this TV. I had to call MAM to find out what would fit my panel, but I received good service, a better product, and I paid half by going online.

Conclusions:
Overall I am satisfied with this purchase. I would like to have seen a better standard def picture, but it is still way better than my old 27” CRT. Besides - I'm not in control of the quality of the SD bradcast and that has an overall effect on picture quality. Hi Def looks very good as do DVDs. Color is great and I didn’t break the bank getting what I wanted. I’ll continue to update this review as I log more watching time.

*
I am sure some of you picked up on the asterisk in the title. I have added the update below based on a recent experience I had with this television.

Update as of 11/20/06
Last Friday I noticed something strange when I turned on the TV. Approx 4" up from the bottom there was a visible horizontal line running the entire width of the screen. upon further closer inspection I was able to see a line of approx 4 pixels tall in the display panel. Everything inside this line appeared 4 shades lighter than the rest of the display. I dark scenes it was not noticable and it was faint for the most part, but it irked me that it was there on a new $1800 TV.

Not knowing the cause, I wanted to isolate the problem so I switched to the 2nd HDMI input, tried a different HDMI cable, switched to component video and a different source for all inputs. In the end, everything pointed to the TV as the culprit. Fortunately I was only 25 days into the 30 day Best Buy return policy and I was lucky enough to have saved all of the packaging.

I took it back to Best Buy where the "Geek Squad" was able to confirm my diagnosis. No problem - we'll return it they said. Now comes the dilema - do I swap it out for another Samsung? After all I liked this TV when it was working w/o the line. Or do I get a different model? 2 Days after I bought it Consumer Reports came out with a new issue on Plasmas and Panasonic came out on top (the Samsung was 9th).

I debated, but in the end several factors prevailed: 1)the fact that if I exchanged it I would be out of the 30 day window in 5 days and 2) There were better overall reviews on the Panasonic (not just from CR bt other sources as well), and 3) The Panasonic was on sale for $300 less and I had a 10% off coupon. I chose the refund and bought the Panasonic TH-42PX60U.

I have nothing against Samsung and I still stand behind my original review of the TV. I have owned other quality Samsung products and I was epecting the same from this TV. It just so happened that I received a defective product (which can happen). Best Buy stood behind it and I am sure Samsung would have taken care of it as well had I not been able to return the TV. Don't let that dissuade you from buying the TV as I was prepared to exchange it for another one. It just so happens that other circumstances ($) led me to make a different choice the 2nd time.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1800