Samsung SP-P4231 42" Widescreen Enhanced-Definition Plasma TV

Offering an incredible feature set and exceptional quality for its price, Samsung's fourth-generation 42-inch SP-P4231 gas-plasma TV uses the company's proprietary electronic chassis and the latest DNIe enhancement circuitry to deliver outstanding brightness, contrast, and image clarity. Use it for home theater and use it for your PC--it's perfect for both. It comes with a pedestal stand, detachable speakers, and a built-in NTSC tuner for split-screen and PIP viewing (small, large, double). The tuner allows you to connect an analog RF signal cable or antenna directly to the set and watch standard-definition TV right out of the box.

With a plasma screen you get vivid colors like you've never seen before, extremely wide viewing angles (wider, even, than those of most LCD screens), and easy placement due to a plasma monitor's slim profile--the SP-P4231 is a mere 3.4 inches deep without its stand, perfect for desk or wall mounting (using Samsung's WMN4240 for wall mounting). Brightness tends to be extremely uniform across plasma screens, which are also impervious to the picture distortion and negative color balances that afflict CRT monitors when placed near lighting or sound systems.

The set boasts an incredible contrast ratio of 3,000:1 and a brightness rating of 1,000 cd/m2. With every scene, the picture is clear and vivid, capturing and revealing every detail, even in bright light. The set's picture-frame design is finished in luxurious aluminum and acrylic with contrasting tones of sliver and black. The use of these colors and materials help eliminate glare and facilitate comfortable viewing, freeing your eyes to focus only on the picture.

The set's panel construction is calibrated for better performance and greater durability than earlier plasma models--even surpassing the longevity of prior-generation CRT sets, offering a 50,000-hour panel life (viewing time under normal conditions, after which picture deterioration may occur).

Samsung's exclusive Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) combines a Motion Optimizer, Contrast Enhancer, Detail Enhancer, and Color Optimizer to deliver a vivid, lifelike picture. With the Motion Optimizer, fast-moving images are rendered with more natural-looking motion, without blurring or noise. DNIe's Detail Enhancer analyzes video elements to produce sharper detail, clear image separation, and natural edge transition. The Color Optimizer gives colors lifelike realism while making whites more accurate and skin tones more natural. The Contrast Enhancer gives you deeper, richer blacks with greater detail and more natural whites.

In addition to rear-panel component (Y, Pb, Pr) inputs for an HD set-top box or DVD player (including progressive-scan models), the set also offers an RGB PC input, RF, composite-, and S-video inputs, and a DVI-D (Digital Visual Interface) jack for the best possible resolution in a direct-digital connection to a DTV receiver compatible with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). A composite-video-based AV output simplifies hookup with a digital video recorder or VCR.

The set features clip-type speaker outputs and 15 watts per channel power for driving either the supplied stereo speakers (which attach at the screen sides) or other speakers of your choosing. Helping out in the surround-effects department, SRS TruSurround XT wraps and delivers the following features: TruSurround 6CH Surround Effect, TruBass Virtual Woofer Effect, Dialog Clarity Virtual Center Effect, and WOW Stereo Enhancement--all of which you can appreciate through any 2 speakers, including those that come with the set.

What's in the Box
TV, 2 speakers, a detachable stand, remote control, remote batteries, an RF video cable, a user's manual, an AC power cord, 2 ferrite cores, 2 speaker cables, and a warranty card.

1 A couple of days ago, I'd have said that too!
My Samsung 4231 is about 6 weeks old. 3 days ago, I would have rated it 5 stars, easy! Today, maybe one star. Let me explain... It was everything the other reviewer said and more until a couple of days ago. This is my second HDTV, and the picture clarity and brightness blows away my HD Toshiba projection wide screen by a mile. Non-HD programming is really amazing on this set. It is almost as good as HD broadcasts on other equipment; and of course HD programming is mind-blowing. I don't think there could be a better picture at any price. HOWEVER, the past couple of days, this Plasma beauty has started acting up on me. It simply goes black (no picture) for about 15 minutes, and then comes back on. The sound is uninterupted. It goes black on all inputs. It might do it 3 or 4 times a over a 3 hour (or so) period. I have no idea why this happens, or what happens to make the picture come back. I haven't caught it going dark if I leave it on over 3 hours, but it only started a couple of days ago. If anyone knows what might be going on, I'd love to hear about it.

2 THE YAZS REVIEW OF SP-P4231 SAMSUNG PLAZMA TV
From shipping date to delivery date Amazon.com rated very good in my book. Cant say enough about tv for the price. picture quality is great. I used the S video hookup from my satelite dish box to receive the signal, nite and day differance between picture quality. black is black not a grayish black, tv came with speakers and table top stand, which is about a $700.00 savings,that most plazmas dont include when you buy them. buyer beware of this when buying these tv's. many other accessories came with tv as well, sound from speakers is plenty good for me, i spent a few months looking at all other brands at stores and to get one with a better picture quality it would cost over $3000.00 more and was'nt worth the extra bucks in my book, rather have the extra monies for a surround sound system to go with this tv if i needed it. on screen setup fetures are so simple its great. thank you Amazon.com thinking of getting another for my house, this ones in my garage.great addtion to my party room, everyone who has seen it so far cant say enough good about it.as i said, use a s video cable to receive your tv signal if possible, hookup with cable wire is still good picture quality, cant beat the s video hookup thou for tv reception quality.NASCAR RACES AND SPORTS CANT BE VIEWED ANY BETTER. And i dont have HD hookup yet,dont think i will waste the monies for that either, picture clarity is unreal.