Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I was amazed with the specs on the 42A3. It is Pioneer's lowest priced Plasma but they did not leave anything out. ATSC (Hi-Def Over the air built in), HDMI (great digital interface), Cable Card and 1,024 x 768 resolution. Pioneer is known for having the best plasmas on the market and this one is no exception. I can't wait to finally get it wall mounted. It looks great with my HD Tivo and Xbox 360

We have been wanting a plasma for three years and finally bit the bullet. We are pleased with the HDTV picture. And for the price there is nothing I feel this TV is lacking.

Excellent plasma. Highly recommended. I did research for 1 month and finally decided to buy this unit. Amazing picture and sound quality.
The only down side is that inputs are vertical so it makes hooking up components a bit difficult.

This is the first large size TV I have owned and am not a good judge of what functions make up a good Plasma TV. Having said that I had researched Plasma and LCD TV's and decided on this mode because of the price. Received the Plasma TV and had no problem getting it set up, I find the the menu easy to use and the picture quality very good. I do not have my HD Box as yet but look forward to HD.

this unit does not have a cablecard slot... at least not listed here, nor on Pioneer's website. Have to go up to the 4360HD for that.