Norcent PT-425 42-Inch Plasma Flat-Panel HDTV-Ready TV

by Norcent

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 150 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: B00008RUP3
• Item model number: PT-425
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,683 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Why divide your focus between so-called "home" and "computer" entertainment? Norcent's 42-inch PT425 plasma display is optimized for both home theater and computer use. The set's stunning WVGA (852 x 480) resolution will make your eyes water with pleasure, and its built-in digital visual interface (DVI) greatly simplifies direct digital video connectivity to a computer (so long as the PC is equipped with a DVI video display adapter).

With a plasma screen you get vivid colors like you've never seen before, extremely wide viewing angles (greater than 160 degrees, vertical/horizontal--wider, even, than LCD screens), and easy placement due to a plasma monitor's slim size--the PT425 is a mere 2.5 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.

Now you'll be able to view not only computer desktop and Internet pages, but full-resolution HDTV (everything from VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, UVGA, UXGA, and DTV--480i, 480p, 1080i, 720p) all from one monitor. The PT425 performs 3:2 pulldown detection, a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. Digital video mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture.

With picture-in-picture, you can also watch two programs simultaneously (with four selectable window positions), and Norcent color-rendering technology is designed to provide the most realistic color rendering available in both NTSC (U.S.) and PAL (European) video formats. Other features include selectable aspect ratios (with zoom in/out) and a high (600:1) contrast ratio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, but with flaws, August 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Norcent PT-425 42-Inch Plasma Flat-Panel HDTV-Ready TV (Electronics)

I would have given this 3.5 stars, but I give 5 to balance out the review from "Laura" who apparently works for a competitor of Norcent.

Norcent seems to be a manufacturer owned by a large Taiwanese OEM but operating out of China. (Don't quote me on this.) They sell some very good DVD players, which have a huge fan base across the world. I own one such DVD player and have been very happy. Which led me to check out their plasma offering. The exterior design of the plasma TV is quite attractive, but you can tell that the overall build quality is not as refined as units from the Japanese manufacturers (Sony, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Panasonic, JVC, etc.). But not bad when compared to a South Korean brand (Zenith or Samsung). So if you are already thinking of a "cheap" unit from Korea, this Taiwanese/Chinese model will save you money and give you the same quality.

Picture wise, it's bright, but not as sharp as the standard bearers from Fujitsu, which arguably makes the best plasma screens on the market today. I see some blocks of pixelation which is usually associated with LCD screens. Response time seems ok. Setup was a bit confusing and you might want to hire a professional. (Note: many plasma TVs require tune-up, and like the Norcent, the user's guides are usually inadequate.)

This is HDTV-ready, like all other plasma TVs on the market today, which means you'll need an HDTV decoder to get HDTV broadcast. If you do get an HDTV decoder, get a quality one from Sony or Panasonic or JVC. I recently saw a no-name one and also a Samsung one at Circuit City selling for cheap, but the salesperson said they were terrible because they couldn't even decode a lot of information. So stick with a name-brand like Sony. You get what you pay for.

So this is a good plasma TV for the price, especially if you know how to work around plasmas. For my money I'd get a Fujitsu for the top-notch picture quality. I think I'll wait for the Xmas season to see if the Fujitsu's price comes down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Please, Especially for price, December 30, 2003

By 

X (Canada, Quebec, Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Norcent PT-425 42-Inch Plasma Flat-Panel HDTV-Ready TV (Electronics)

I'm not an expert so I'll just say it how it is. This TV was 1600$ off for a Boxing Day sale and cost me 2999$ CAD. When I got home with it and plugged it in, it had a hard time recognizing the component hookup. But I believe it to by my “monster cable” cables. The picture as some other said was a bit dark but I have brightness and contrast set to about 90% and it's perfect. One thing to keep in mind I found that when I plugged in the s-video cable for some reason it would make the screen darker...not sure why myself. I have it on component and then plug in S-Video...goes darker. Anywho I don’t use S-Video because I feel its garbage:) What I also love about the TV is the remote. The setup is nice and the lighting on it is great! It's a VERY bright red and you can easily see what buttons are what when watching your movies in the dark. What don’t I like about the TV? I think the quality could be a bit better but when I was looking at them in the store I ranked it higher than the Sony one sitting beside it. The colors are very nice but slightly more pixilated than some of the other brands. The hookups in the back are nice and well labeled. Also the stand it comes with and the look of the plasma screen itself are very nice. I feel that if you slapped a Sony label on this and jacked up the price 2000+ people would still buy it. (Maybe not the experts, but the avg Joe would just dive for the name) To summaries it all off, I saved myself an easy few 1000 dollars by buying the Norcent, and very happy about it. If you want plasma and want really good quality TV viewing, this is the one that let you do that without taking out a second mortgage:) Plasma screen = Cosmetically nice and visually VERY good as well Connectors = nicely placed connectors Options/remote = Got all your esencial options but not as many if you pay 3000$ more. Remote very nice in the hand well placed button and wonderful bright red light that light up all buttons. 4 stars just because the picture could be more solid and could have more options. But if you want to rank it based on its cost it gets a definite 5/5 if not more. I paid 2300 USD for it and when you sit back and relax...it's picture perfect.

5.0 out of 5 stars GREATNESSS, August 6, 2003

By 

Victor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Norcent PT-425 42-Inch Plasma Flat-Panel HDTV-Ready TV (Electronics)

I've been very impressed with this Plasma teleevision, the quality is so awesome not to mention the price, I can't wait until the Laker's season starts to watch my games in HDTV. I was so impressed that i decided to buy 2 more before they run out.The quality of the screen is very sharp and clear. I did encounter some setup issues, but i called Tech Support which, may i add, were very helpful and knowledgeable, and they quickly sorted me out.