Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MediaSmart - A Great Investment, August 26, 2007
First the easy stuff: The LCD TV and associated specs are exactly what you would expect from any of the top 1080P providers. There isn't a significant difference between this display and similar displays from Samsung, Sony, etc. The image quality is tremendous. The available connectivity options are as expected. Great warranty. Great price point. Gloss black frame may be rather unique compared to some other displays.
Now the real differentiator - MediaSmart: HP's MediaSmart solution is incorporated into this fine 1080P HDTV and provides some truly unique value for anyone with a home network. (Wired or wireless, or both). With built-in ethernet (hard wired and 802.11 b/g/n) you can easily make the TV the hub of your entertainment experience. Using just the TV remote you will be able to access all the pictures, music, and videos stored on any PC in the house.
Music - Even using 802.11b, your music will stream flawlessly through the MediaSmart TV. I use 802.11g and can stream music while someone is using the PC that the music is stored on. No interuption for either person. Very cool.
Pictures - After kicking off a favorite music playlist, or creating a new one from the TV, you can then switch over to your pictures and start a slideshow of favorite pictures or a favorite folder. The slideshow will transition between pictures very gracfully as your music plays in the background. I use this during parties for the kids or when adults attend I take 30-40 quick pictures of the couples/group and download them to the shared folder on the PC. In under two minutes you can display brand new pictures in VERY high resolution to your guests. I use a dSLR camera with 10 megapixels and the results are stunning.
Video - Since I do not yet have Blu-ray or HD DVD, I downloaded a few 1080P videos off the internet to really show off the 1080P capabilities of the display. The videos are stored on the local PC and via the TV remote you select the movie of choice and press play. It's that simple! I stream the videos via 802.11g, but if someone is using the PC at the same time you really need 802.11n or a hard wired ethernet connection to get uninterrupted streaming. A simple $125 wireless router upgrade is in in my future.
As a final note, I also have an HP Digital Entertainment Center connected and the display is outstanding as a PC Monitor. The HP DEC connects via one of the three HDMI ports and is very easy to see even from 15 feet away. Using the included wireless keyboard, I can sit on the couch and surf the internet or play games with ease.
I also have a DVR cable box, bose sound system, and Nintendo Wii connected to this TV. Even with all that, I still have an open HDMI port for a soon to be added blu-ray or HD DVD player as well as component video connections if needed for other devices. Throw in a SlingBox and you have a virtually perfect home entertainment system for your family room.
MediaSmart is the real deal. Better then AppleTV and Sony's difficult solution. Highly recommended.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
HP = Nightmare Support, August 25, 2008
I wish I had read the review by F. Damico, 18 months ago(of course impossible as it was recently posted). I purchased a 65" HP DLP which I loved as a product....great picture, great sound, etc. Of course, things break..and that's where you look for a company to stand behind it's products.
Well if you are looking at HP and TV's.... I'd look somewhere else! They clearly are not serious about the TV business or their reputation in it, to whit;
1) I have so far made 7 telephone calls to HP. They won't provide a direct access to there TV department , only their HP 1-800 HP INVENT number, no matter how clearly you speak to their IVR system, it inevitably routes you to their PC support center on the other side of the globe...
2) roughly 50% of the time that support center is successful in connecting you with their TV department
3) if out of warranty, you need to purchase a service agreement (for $629)..which I did. HP says they will make three attempts, and if failing to repair the product, they will drop the charge to $369, and of course you are then stuck with a very large boat anchor.
4)HP represented that AT&T was the service provider, which it turns out is not truthful (AT&T turns around and subs that work out to someone else...no company, just individuals from what I can piece together)
5) in the one attempt to repair the TV, in two weeks time, the individual who came out to work on the unit, confided to their sidekick " I've never work on this fancy a unit before", got scared half way through.... put the parts back together...told me he would read up on the TV and be out the next day to finish it.
6) You guessed it...no show, no call...
7) Back to HP (30 mins to get to the support department) at which point they inform me that someone will be out in another two days' time. Won't tell me who, won't narrow it down to a half a day, etc.
8) NEW EDIT 8/28/08 ; You've got the drill by now..... no show on yesterday's service call...no call from HP or the Service tech infoming me of same (I was there the whole day). When I have an hour too waste on the telephone, I will yet again attempt another call.
So, like Mr. Damico, I beg you to save yourself the grief....do not buy an HP TV.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great TV, March 16, 2008
I did not purchase this TV for the computer use. I was in the market for a new TV and went to my local Best Buy. They were selling the display model. At $1100 I could not pass it up! I have to say I have not been disappointed. The 1080P picture with my Blu-Ray and HD DVD via HDMI is outstanding. My only complaint is when watching my DirecTV on my local CBS HD station it cannot keep up with the picture. Especially fast moving screens like college basketball. I'm not sure if this is the TV or the channel as I have not experienced any problems with any of the other HD channels. My main use of this TV is for the Blu-Ray and HD DVD, so I would have to give this item 2 thumbs up in that category.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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HP's exclusive visual fidelity engine delivers all high-definition programming1 with amazing clarity, color, and contrast. Both 47-inch and 42-inch models offer 1920x1080 Resolution, 1200:1 Contrast Ratio, 8ms Response Time, a TFT active matrix with 16:9 Aspect Ratio, and full stereo audio output through dual internal speakers
The MediaSmart TV makes it easy to unlock photos stored on your home computers. You can finally view your hi-def images on a hi-def TV. For photos so clear, it's like being there all over again. Your digital camera produces big, beautiful images. View them on a big, stunning, hi-def TV. Easy-to-use controls make it a snap to browse and view high-resolution photos. Find images using thumbnails, ratings, date taken, keywords, and album name. It's easy to share your photos in a slideshow with a soundtrack the whole family will love.
Tune in video from all your home computers. An HP MediaSmart TV makes it all possible from the comfort of your living room. Control videos from all your home computers with a single remote3. Sort and find videos by genre, actor, favorites, folders, and more. Know more about what you're watching before you press play with video details that include title, rating, and more. Whatever you watch, HP's exclusive visual fidelity engine delivers it with amazing clarity, color, and contrast.
Your high-speed internet connection turns your HP MediaSmart TV into a window to great Internet content. Rent or buy digital movies, stream videos, share online photos, or listen to Internet radio. All with your high-speed connection and a few clicks of the remote.2 With the HP MediaSmart TV, there's always something on. Use your connected TV to stream videos and share photos with all your friends and family. Listen to new music on Internet radio. Rent or buy movies thousands of movies from CinemaNow directly from the MediaSmart TV, including a growing number for high-definition downloads. Start watching your movies while they're still downloading.Browse available movies by new arrivals, action, adventure, classics, comedy, and more., or create your own wishlists and go straight to the movies you've been dying to see. Movie ratings and complete summaries make it simple to find and download just the right family film.
It's simple to set up your home network for centralized access to digital entertainment on all your computers. And you can enhance your experience by connecting a home server, like the HP MediaSmart Servers3. 
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