Fujitsu PDS-4209 42" Plasma Flat-Panel TV

by Fujitsu

Product Details

Product Manual [618kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 87 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00005O7I0
• Item model number: PDS4209
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,962 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 28, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com

Offering high technology at an amazingly low price for a plasma monitor, Fujitsu's widescreen PDS-4209 is engineered to offer vivid, high-contrast images from virtually any source, a terrific display for business presentations or for home theater movie viewing. Its native 852 x 480 resolution is perfect for movies and other programs formatted for 16:9 aspect-ratio screens, and the monitor's HD component-video inputs accept full 720p and 1080i HDTV signals from set-top boxes and DTV receivers. An RGB computer input is compatible with signals from XGA computer resolution up to 480p.

With a plasma screen you get vivid colors like you've never seen before, extremely wide viewing angles (wider, even, than LCD screens), and easy placement due to a plasma monitor's slim size--the PDS-4209 is a mere 3.3 inches deep, perfect for desk or wall mounting. Brightness tends to be extremely uniform across plasma screens, which are also impervious to picture distortion and negative color balances that afflict CRT monitors when placed in close proximity to lighting or sound systems.

Fujitsu's flat Plasmavision monitors are free of the complicated optics required by CRT designs, a condition granting perfect focus throughout the monitor's screen. Smooth, filmlike images appear in over 16 million colors, and you can enjoy a high-quality image from large distances even in dim or ambient light.

Note: As this set is intended for display purposes only, it does not include an NTSC television tuner. All television reception must come from external devices like DTV receivers, satellite receivers, cable boxes, and VCRs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

230 of 233 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thinking Plasma?, November 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fujitsu PDS-4209 42" Plasma Flat-Panel TV (Electronics)

I had actually planned to buy a rear projection tv (hdtv, 16:9, etc), but plasma screen prices have come down quite a bit lately making it competitive with rear projection....

Anyway, back to Fujitsu. The 4209 is a fairly good screen, although the technology is 2-3 years old. And they are literally screens since they don't have a built in tuner or audio. You need to supply an external tuner (cable or satellite box) and a home theatre system to get this up and running. Something to consider.

For those needing the tuner and audio, the PDS4229 is a better choice. The 4209 is more of a corporate/trade show type monitor rather than a consumer home theatre monitor. Also, while the 4209 is hdtv compatible, they don't have the 3:2 rollup feature, as in other later models, to down convert from 16:9 to the current 4:3 screen aspect ratio. Another consideration point.

Plasma screens can also have some setup work to properly distinguish the input source (dvd, sat, vcr, cable, pc) and display the proper color settings. The majority of the time, the setup is automatic though.

Finally, mostly all plasma screens have problems generating "a good black" color like for night time or space movie background scenes. Instead, of displaying black, the plasma screens display more of a dark, dark, gray due to the plasma gas still being electrically charged. Because of the constant charging of the plasma cells, the lifetime of the TV is estimated at 20,000-25,000 hours (at this point 50% of the plasma has been discharged). If this bothers you, you might want to stick with direct view or projection.

In conclusion, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Plasma can offer one of the best, brightest pictures around, but there are some drawbacks as with anything. And with anything in technology, the prices can only go lower over time.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great new experience in Plasma TV's, April 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fujitsu PDS-4209 42" Plasma Flat-Panel TV (Electronics)

The Fujitsu 4209 is great, for the price and the picture quality is better than more expensive TV models like the Sony Plasma's and Panasonic Plasma's... I am really happy with my screen, the various imputs make it easy to switch back and forth, I like that I can alos hookup my computer to it, for presentations...
(Family presentations of downloaded pictures on a 42" screen). Plus it was allot better than the "Sampo" made TV's that GATEWAY.com is offering, plus I don't have to wait 3 months for mine. For the peace of mind of the Fujitsu name brand, and picture quality, I realy am happy with my new TV.

1.0 out of 5 stars DO YOURSELF A FAVOR & BUY SOMETHING ELSE, January 7, 2005

By 

BC6474 "BC" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fujitsu PDS-4209 42" Plasma Flat-Panel TV (Electronics)

I paid $5000 for this unit. It was stunning when I first got it. It broke after 2 1/2 years & cost $2000 to fix. It has not worked as well since. IT IS A $7000 PIECE OF JUNK.