Customer Reviews

HP Pavilion PL4200N 42" Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After having a bad experience in early 2005 with two of the first Hewlett-Packard Plasmas, {the PL4245N} and their non-existent customer service. I promise myself i was never going to buy anything from this company every again. Fortunately, around mid-June 2005 that change when i became aware of the new Pavilion TV series and i was sort of interested to know more about them.

After reading the specs for this model, i knew this TV was manufacture by Panasonic based on their PX500 series. The Pavilion is not entirely a Panasonic, there are a few changes. one for once is the D-Sub PC input which on this set is located on the back instead on the front like in Panasonic's PX500. During the first hours of operation you will heard the fan very loud, but after 4-hours of usage, that noise is somehow regulated, there's a good amount of heat coming out of the back, so proper ventilation is A most.

Be aware this TV when is fully assemble is VERY HEAVY a whopping 148-LBS. When my set was delivered, three men where taking it out of the box and setting the swivel stand. I have 2 other 42" plasmas and another 50" and this Pavilion is heavier than the 50-incher.

Picture quality is very vibrant. NO false countouring, NO Screen door effect, NO red Push, NO green neon color effect, NO flickering. The colors are the closest i've seen to a Panasonic CRT set {which i also own}. No other plasma i've seen can deliver such accurate colors and true deep blacks.

The only complaints i have is the bezel is not entirely High Gloss Piano Black like the Pioneer plasmas, only the two 1"-wide stripes on the sides are. The upper and lower stripes are somewhat Semi-Gloss Black.

The other complaint is you cannot eliminate the Gray sidebars when you're using the ATSC tuner or the top and bottom {also Gray} Bars with Split/Swap picture-by-picture. This is a downfall for any Plasma TV made by Panasonic as burn-in will occur if you keep using thouse features frequently for extended period of time.

The speakers are well-hidden, unfortunately that doesn't mean sound is the best, this could use some improvement, also there is no SAP, only BBE 3D sound, which can leave your ears ringing for a while if you set the volume higher than 25 and the Audio Level higher than 1+. Even with six speakers i notice the Pavilion cannot distribute sound output correctly, like my other 2 Philips FlatTV can.

The remote control is very-well designed, one of the best i've seen, very comfortable to hold and to operate, The remote keys are not entirely backlit ONLY the characters on the keys such as the numbers and "Photo", "Source", "Day +", "Day -" etc. will lite-up in blue and the devices "TV", "PVR", "VCR" in red just like cellphone keys. Note: Panasonic codes WILL NOT work with this unit, however, access to the service menu is possible like if it was the PX500.

This TV is OEM by Panasonic made in Japan that i'm very glad i didn't shut HP out after the problem with the first plasmas. I'm very happy with it. So happy that i got all 3 Pavilion LCDs which are manufacture by Sharp. I can wait to get thouse!

Very-well recommended!

Some may say to the contrary. The best brands for plasma televisions are Pioneer and Panasonic. And this is a true statement. The HP PL4200N is a Panasonic 42PX500U in sheeps clothing. The same glass and electronics are shared between the two sets, only the aesthetics differ (in which I prefer HP anyways!). Also, the Panasonic model is now discontinued unofficially.

This television has the absolute best contrast and picture quality I have seen and rivals that of Sony's SXRD models. And you can hang this baby on the wall! I highly recommend any HD pioneer, panasonic, or HP plasma televisions (no EDTV, thank you). I just happened to get the HP.

The tv has a great picture, for the 21 days it worked. The bottom portion, completely went out. It kind of shows fuzzy color on occasion. Thank god it was before the 30days was up. I just returned it. The tv also showed burn in, and considering it only had about 12 hours of watching on it... Thats just sad.

This is the first plasma HDTV that i have bought and I am very pleased with it. The colors and lighting is amazing. I have compared my tv to many other plasma tvs and I have found mine to be far superior to most other plasmas. It even rivals sony and panasonic for quality.
The selection of inputs on this tv is fairly impressive a wide assortment of component HD, analog, and S-video inputs are avalible on the back and front. It also has a VGA input for your computer and will look much better on this plasma than on your LCD monitor. Also there is one HDMI input which is the only complaint that I have. And of course there is coaxial and a CABLecard slot on the back.
The remote control is by far the best perfoming and looking factory remote that i have seen. It is able to control all of your various devices and the owners manual comes with a detailed listing of all devices codes. The remote is very stylish and feels good in your hand.
I bought mine directly from HP and I was more than impressed with their customer service.