Low End Price and Good Quality – The Samsung PN42A400 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Introduction

Priced under $700, the Samsung PN42A400 42” 720P Plasma HDTV television is a very affordable large plasma TV. Lately, I have noticed that many are being sold on the Internet, as well as in the major retail outlets; therefore, I decided to pull some strings and get one into the lab for testing. Allow me to share my results here.

Features / Performance

Feature wise, the PN42A400 doesn’t come with a few of the bells and whistles that the more expensive models do; however, it does come with all of the essentials. It offers two HDMI ports, a PC port interface and it supports USB as connectivity options.
The TV produces good, but not remarkable, sound quality from its two integrated stereo speakers. Angle viewing is nicely adjusted by use of the included swivel stand; moreover, the unit does include Samsung’s QAM HDTV tuner technology, which enables it to receive major network HDTV programming without an additional cable box. The included remote control is well made; however, it does not offer as many features as we would like to have seen. Nevertheless, the remote control does function well and it does readily detect and configure new peripheral devices.
While the Samsung PN42A400 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV isn’t as feature rich as other Samsung plasma TVs we have tested, its performance is admirable. Picture clarity and quality is excellent; furthermore, since it’s a plasma TV, blacks, whites and grays are sheer perfection and are rich and deep.
Contrast ratio at 15,000:1 is more than adequate for most installations; in addition, the 5ms response time insures virtually no ghosting or motion blur when playing video games or watching fast action sequences in films. Although the PN42A400 does not use 1080P resolution technology, it does maximize the ability of the 720P protocol; on the other hand, on screens less than 42 inches in size, the difference is virtually undetectable. The virtues of 1080P resolution technology are not easily appreciated with screen sizes less than 50 inches.

Conclusion

The Samsung PN42A400 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV offers above-average picture quality, connectivity and performance at a remarkably value conscious low price. While the TV is not one of my favorite Samsung plasma units, it is a very well-made TV. For those on a budget, it should serve you well indeed.

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