Pioneer PDP-42A3HD 42-Inch High Definition Plasma Television

by Pioneer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 27.5 x 48.6 x 10 inches ; 114.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 115 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: B000CGME3S
• Item model number: PDP-42A3HD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,258 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The 42-inch Pioneer PDP-42A3HD plasma television delivers large, lifelike images right out of the box, thanks to the built-in ATSC (digital) tuner that can pick up over-air high-def channels with an optional antenna. You can also hook up an HDMI-capable cable or satellite set-top box and enjoy the the highest standard of high-definition audio and video--with only a single cord connection. This stylish set features a clear front that's actually an optical-grade glass panel, which acts as a color filter, equalizing the spectrum of light emitted by the plasma. The result is a full, accurate range of colors and increased contrast.

Pioneer's exclusive Crystal Emissive Layer is sandwiched between the plasma glass and the individual light cells. This advanced layer helps conduct energy more efficiently so that each cell can be charged and discharged three times faster than before. Pioneer's Advanced Continuous Emission IV (ACE IV) works in conjunction with the Crystal Emissive Layer in the glass to reduce the visual steps between levels of color, making color transitions smoother than ever before. It also offers both vertical and horizontal ribs that help keep the light focused and concentrated, and prevent it from bleeding into neighboring cells. This cell structure means a brighter, sharper, and more accurate image that consistently reminds you of the reasons you bought a plasma TV in the first place.

The PDP-42A3HD features a 1024 x 768-pixel resolution and a wide 160-degree viewing angle. This Pioneer PureVision plasma TV uses Pure Drive II, 10-bit all-digital processing that maintains a digital path throughout signal processing. This streamlined Pure Drive process provides an optimal picture with virtually no video noise or loss of quality. Other features include picture-in-picture (PIP) capability, color temperature control, AV memory selection presets (standard, dynamic, movie, game, and user configurable), and aspect ratio control.

High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the speakers built into the sides of the TV. SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. It produces 10 watts of power per channel (for 20 watts total). This set offers the following connection options:

• Composite AV (RCA): 3 in, 1 out
• S-Video: 3 in
• Component Video: 2 in
• HDMI: 1 in
• RF: 2 in
• S/PDIF digital audio: 1 in

Tech Talk
HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It supports all ATSC formats--standard (SDTV), enhanced (EDTV), and high (HDTV).

TruSurround XT audio adds three new audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.

• Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into ÒfocusÓ during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
• TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
• The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.

Component video (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound.

What's in the Box
Plasma TV, remote control (with batteries), cleaning cloth, power cord, printed operating instructions

Product Description

The Pioneer PDP-42A3HD Plasma TV features built-in speakers, an included table stand and built-in NTSC and ATSC TV Tuners. The PDP-42A3HD uses Pioneer's Encased Cell Structure technology for truly vibrant colors and ultra-bright images. This unit has HDMI (with HDCP) as well as 2 component video inputs to connect all your high definition equipment. ATSC enables free over-the-air reception of HDTV broadcasts (an optional antenna is required). The 42" 16:9 widescreen has excellent contrast and brightness. It can display HDTV at 720p. Includes Built-in Speakers and Table Stand Picture-in-Picture mode and Swap Function to meet customer operation preferences Aspect Ratio Control - Wide, Zoom, Cinema, Full, 4 - 3 Full Function Remote Control 10 watt x 2 Stereo Amplifier with built-in Stereo Speakers / SRS TrueSurroundXT Surround Sound Audio Processing for a virtual sound TV Experience Antenna x 2 (F-Type Connection) HDMI (with HDCP) x 1 with composite L/R Composite or S-Video x 3 (Selectable) with composite L/R Audio Component Video x 2 with composite L/R SPDIF Digital Audio x 1 (Dolby Digital / PCM) Composite Video x 1 with composite L/R Audio Unit Dimensions - (HWD) 27.5 x 48.6 x 9.9 WEIGHT - Without Stand - 77 lbs. With Stand - 89.1 lbs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding image quality, incredible black levels, January 20, 2006

By 

Real Person (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneer PDP-42A3HD 42-Inch High Definition Plasma Television (Electronics)

This Pioneer 42" HDTV plasma monitor (42A3HD) has outstanding quality, even when you play regular DVDs back on this. It's at its best when you have HDTV content, such as HD cable. I can't wait to get the Toshiba HD DVD player when it comes out in March and get a few HD DVD movies to watch on this Pioneer. The images on this plasma are crytal clear, and the black levels (i.e., shades) are just incredible. Don't settle for a lesser brand. Magazines like PC World and Consumer Report rank Pioneer and Panasonic and Fujitsu (harder to find) as the best. The only (minor and common to all plasmas) drawback is power consumption, but the picture quality is just fantastic.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pay attention to the specs, March 22, 2006

By 

nathan (close) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneer PDP-42A3HD 42-Inch High Definition Plasma Television (Electronics)

The specs on the Amazon site appear great, with features like "3:3 pulldown at 72 Hz". Go to the Pioneer site and download the detailed specs and you'll see that this TV doesn't have that feature, and several others, touted here.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great picture quality and value for the money. Good amount of features and inputs for the money., March 8, 2006

By 

R. Kung "r0n" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pioneer PDP-42A3HD 42-Inch High Definition Plasma Television (Electronics)

I shopped around for quite some time for a name brand 42" Plasma. I looked at the Panasonics, Samsungs, Toshibas and Sonys. This pioneer was the best overall value from a "get the most for your money" perspective. I would say the Panasonic may have slightly better picture quality but you get a ton more features (PIP, HDMI, more inputs) with this Pioneer. This pioneer is not as nice as the ELITE line but definitely a contendor in its class. I recommend purchasing this unit with a credit card that doubles the warranty which is (1 YR Parts & Labor)

Pros:

- Great Picture quality

- Good amount of inputs and features for the price compared to other brand name models in the same price range.

- Nice Sound quality

Considerations:

- Wish it had a swivel stand and is quite heavy for a plasma.

- Annoyed by the way the inputs are vertical so it makes hooking up components a bit awkward.

- I do notice some burn-in but this is common with plasmas in general and there are steps that you can do to prevent/minimize the effect. You just need to do some searching on the internet for the proper way to break-in a plasma TV.