LG 42PC56 Plasma TV
October 28, 2008
Pleasant viewing is made possible with LG 42PC56 HDTV. This one is the means to alleviate all you audio and video viewing problems. You can access and operate the unit according to your whims and fancies as it is offers user friendly features and controls. It is characterised by effective audio and video functions each with a special purpose. Compact structuring is made possible with a dimension of (H) 71.3 cm, (W) 104.8 cm, (D) 8.4 cm and weight of 24.57 kg. Black enclosure of the unit is very attractive in looks as well.
Crystal clear view
It is the quality of the display that matters the most when it comes to these units. Widescreen viewing is offered with 42 inch screen size. In this case the unit supports 1024 x 768p resolution that adds to the clarity of the pictures. On the other hand lays effective brightness and contrast with ratio of 1,500cd/m2 and 15,000:1. Minute details of the pictures will not be missed with 12.5bits colour and 16:9 aspect ratio. Clear Filter Pro is the filter type included in the unit with. Various adjustments are facilitated with 178 degree view angle and Swivel, Tilt angle adjustments.
The life span of this LG plasma TV is considered to be 60,000 hours. Analogue and digital broadcasting systems are PAL?/I’, PAL/SECAM BG/DK, Secam L/L’, NTSC M (AV ONLY and Video ATSC, DCR, Satellite, DVB-T, (CI Type), DVB-S , DVB-C , Broadcasting System (Data), MHP, MHEG (UK Only) and XD Engine. NTSC, PAL and SECAM are the tuners facilitated that offers effective tuning. Progressive scan is supported by the unit.
Broadcast format displayed and supported are 720p (HDTV), 480p (EDTV), 480i (SDTV) and 1080p (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV), 720p, 576p, 576i respectively. HDTV is set ready in this unit and supports HDCP DVD, HDD and VCR is supported in the unit. Teletext of 100 pages is supported by the unit.
Power Requirements
Voltage required by this unit is 100V~240, 50Hz~60Hz and power consumed is 300 watts on average and 400W maximum. On stand by mode the unit consumes as low as 1 watt.
Connections
Connectors such as Component x 1, HDMI x 2, RF x 1 and 1 x D-Sub (RGB PC) are the featured rear input connectors. Front input connectors include S-Video x 1, Composite x 1and Audio (RCA) x 1.
Effective audio
The audio factor is given as much importance as the video factor as it is equipped with 2 Speakers of 10 Watt as the speaker power. Surround sound in the audio mode facilitated in the unit. Digital noise reduction is facilitated in the unit. Bass, Treble and Balance are also included.
Other details
English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Finnish, Greek, Polish, Danish, Norwegian, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovakian, Serbian and Croatian are the OSD languages supported by the unit. All the functioning of the unit can be controlled by a standard remote. Added feature includes a parental lock that secures the unit from alien access.
LG 42PC56 42” Plasma TV recreated the whole TV viewing experience and discards poor audio and video performance.
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Brand | LG |
| Model | 42PC56 |
| Weight | 24.57 kg |
| Dimensions | (H) 71.3 cm, (W) 104.8 cm, (D) 8.4 cm |
| Screen Size | 42 inch |
| Resolution | 1024 x 768p |
| Number of speakers | 2 |
| Speaker Power | 10 Watt |
| Sound type | Surround |
| Brightness | 1,500cd/m2 |
| Viewing angle | 178 degree |
| Power consumption for operation | 300 watts |
| Power consumption for standby | 1 watt |
| Features | |
| Remote control | Yes |
| Built-in speakers | Yes |
| Child lock | Yes |
| DVD player/recorder | DVD player |
| Wall mountable | Yes |
| Language menu | Yes |
| Digital video noise reduction | Yes |
| On/off timer | Yes |
| AV inputs | Yes |
| S-Video | Yes |
| Component video connection | Yes |
| Progressive scan | Yes |
Brief Comparison Of Popular 42 Inches Plasma Televisions
October 4, 2008
Walking past a TV store, one’s attention will certainly be captured by the Plasma TVs on display in the window. What a great treat to the eye that would be, to see the TVs, standing elegantly, basking in the admiration of the on-lookers. With the big giants of the plasma market, like LG, Samsung, Pioneer, Philips, Panasonic and Toshiba, constantly striving to bring out the best plasma models, laden with the latest technologies, consumers will always find themselves in great dilemma while making a choice.
A brief comparison of 6 most popular plasma TVs is made below, hoping to help consumers in their decision making process. Our contenders are - Pioneer PDP-428XD plasma TV, Samsung PS42A457 plasma TV, Panasonic TH-42PX80B plasma TV, Philips 42HF7444T plasma TV, LG 42PG3000 plasma TV and Toshiba 42WP46P plasma TV.
| Physical Features Attribute/Name | Pioneer PDP-428XD | Samsung PS42A457 | Panasonic TH-42PX80B | Philips 42HF7444T | LG 42PG3000 | Toshiba 42WP46P |
| Screen diagonal measure (inches) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| Dimensions W x H x D (mm) | 1040×679x115 | 1055×667x 96.2 | 1020×727x327 | 1240×680x104 | 1040×674x84 | 1273×710x137 |
| Image Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 | Not provided | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Weight (kg) | 30 | 26.8 | 28 | 42 | 25.5 | 25 |
| Display
Attribute/Name |
Pioneer PDP-428XD | Samsung PS42A457 | Panasonic TH-42PX80B | Philips 42HF7444T | LG 42PG3000 | Toshiba 42WP46P |
| Resolution (pixels) | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 768 | 852 x 480 |
| Screen brightness (cd/?) | Not provided | 1500 | Not provided | 1200 | 1500 | 1000 |
| Image contrast ratio | 16,000:1 | 30,000:1 | 15,000:1 | 10,000:1 | 20,000:1 | 3000:1 |
| Display Formats | 720p | 720p | 720p | 720p | 720p | 480p |
| Connections
Attribute/Name |
Pioneer PDP-428XD | Samsung PS42A457 | Panasonic TH-42PX80B | Philips 42HF7444T | LG 42PG3000 | Toshiba 42WP46P |
| HDMI | 3 (ver 1.3) | 3 (ver 1.2) | 3 | 2 | 3 (ver 1.3) inputs. 1 Port PC Mode - SIMPLINK 1/2 Port | Nil |
| SCART | 3 RGB | 2 | 2 RGB | Nil | 2 (1-Full and 1–Half) | 3 (2-RGB and 1–S-Video) |
| VGA/PC | 1 | 1 D-Sub PC input | 1 | 1 | 1 RGB input and 1 audio | 1 |
| Headphone | Nil | 1 | Nil | 1 | Nil | 1 |
| Composite | 1 | 1 audio + video | 1 | 2 (1–audio + video, 1– video) | Nil | 1 |
| S-Video | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Component | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| RF | Nil | 1 | Nil | Nil | 1 | 1 |
| Audio output | Nil | 1 optical | Nil | Nil | 1 optical | 1 audio line-out |
| Others | 1 USB port, 1 CI slot, RCS audio output | 1 RJ-45 input, 1 RJ-12 input, 1 SmartCard Xpress | 1 RS-232C, CI Slot, USB 2.0 port | 1 Subwoofer output, 2 audio line-in |
Audio
| Pioneer PDP-428XD | Samsung PS42A457 | Panasonic TH-42PX80B | Philips 42HF7444T | LG 42PG3000 | Toshiba 42WP46P |
| 2 stereo SRS; SRS Focus; TruBass with sub woofer | 2 Down-firing SRS TruSurround XT speakers | 2 stereo speakers | 2 Virtual Dolby Surround stereo speakers | 2 SRS TruSurround XT/Clear Voice Speakers, with Dolby Digital Decoder Invisible speakers | 2 integrated NICAM stereo speakers with BBE High Fidelity Sound and Bass Boost |
Colour (Appearance)
| Pioneer PDP-428XD | Samsung PS42A457 | Panasonic TH-42PX80B | Philips 42HF7444T | LG 42PG3000 | Toshiba 42WP46P |
| Black, simple yet stylish | Black with a silver tinge at the bottom | Piano black | Silver frost, Black deco | Black glossy | Black and silver titan |
What’s special about these plasma TVs?
Pioneer PDP-428XD Kuro plasma TV - “Kuro” means “black” in Japanese, and this TV, true to its name, gives rich black levels. Pioneer has implemented the “true matrix imaging with deep waffle rib structure” technology, which plays an important role in producing bright and crisp images, while reducing any blur. The i-CLEAR drive, employed in the plasma TV, enables reproduction of the most subtle colour differences. The in-built Intelligent Brightness Control, automatically adjusts the screen brightness in accordance with room lighting and on-screen lighting. The TV features a Movie Mode as well, that does a good job in displaying lifelike movie images. Also noteworthy, is the menu system of the TV, which is well designed and easy to use. The Kuro Link HDMI CEC feature enables controlling the AV devices connected to the TV with a single remote control. The HD plasma TV also includes Colour Temperature Control, Picture-in-Picture, TeleText, integrated Freeview and Analogue Tuners, a user-friendly Electronic Program Guide and noise and flicker reduction routines.
Samsung PS42A457 plasma TV – This plasma TV incorporates the DNIe+ technology, which enables portray clear pictures with fine details. The Colour and Motion optimizers employed in the TV, produce images that look true to life. Also doing a great job are the Contrast and Detail Enhancers, which create great colour depths. The Filterbright technology implemented in the plasma TV, removes unwanted reflections by absorbing external light that approaches the screen and transmitting its internal light, thus achieving rich contrast levels. There are 3 modes offered, for cinema, sport and games respectively, to make picture quality suitable to the viewing content. Clear, fluid motion pictures are achieved with the 100Hz picture processing technique, that has been employed in the plasma TV. The HDMI CEC functionality called Anynet+ by Samsung, allows easy control of the AV devices connected to the TV, with a single remote control. A wide viewing angle of 175° is presented by the screen. The HD plasma TV also includes a 3D comb filter, digital noise reduction techniques, a clock, sleep timer and anti burn-in technology, all performing their jobs with great fidelity.
Panasonic TH-42PX80B plasma TV – This plasma TV employs techniques like Real Black Drive system, 24p Playback and x.v. Colour standard to achieve great picture quality with brilliant colours. The Real Black Drive system enhances contrast, 24p Playback allows film-like reproduction of pictures and the x.v Colour provides a large palette of colours. A rare feature that this TV provides, is the power on/off button, which could turn out to be a good power saving option. Another rare feature is the SD card slot, for displaying pictures from your digital camera. Like the plasma TVs discussed above, this one too supports HDMI CEC functionality, thus avoiding confusion while handling multiple AV gadgets. The HD plasma TV promises great black levels and very low noise levels. If you are a games freak, then this TV would surely impress you with its judder-free graphics quality. This plasma TV comes with integrated Freeview Tuner and Colour Temperature Control as well.
Philips 42HF7444T plasma TV – Philips too, is no way behind in the race. Philips 42HF7444T plasma TV also incorporates a basket full of features for delivering great picture quality and performance. The Pixel Plus feature focuses on enhancing analogue broadcast signals. Cinema like images are produced by the Digital Crystal Clear technology. Other features like Smart Picture Control, Luminance Transient Improvement, Colour Transient Improvement, Contrast Enhancer and Video Noise reduction techniques contribute to displaying clear images, with good black levels and natural looking colours. This HD plasma TV supports both PAL (2:2 pulldown compensation) as well as NTSC (3:2 pulldown compensation) encoding systems. A 3D comb filter is employed for filtering out the brightness and colour details in the incoming video signals.
LG 42PG3000 plasma TV – Here is a tough contender in the plasma arena. Throwing a glance at the lengthy features list of this plasma TV, we have the 100Hz processing technique, Dual XD Engine, Vivid filter, Colour Temperature Control, TeleText, Clock, Sleep Timer, built-in digital Freeview tuner, 3:2 as well as 2:2 pull down compensations, 3D Noise Reduction techniques and modes like Picture mode, AV mode and Expert mode. Phew!!! The 16 bit panel of the TV enables displaying pictures with large gradation of colours. The HDMI CEC functionality - Simplink, makes way for ease of control of AV devices connected to the TV. An eight day Electronic Program Guide, which is user friendly and well laid out, is also available. The HD plasma TV is also equipped with an integrated Freeview tuner and a 3D comb filter.
Toshiba 42WP46P plasma TV – Toshiba has kept things simple, yet efficient here. This EDTV comes equipped with a digital comb filter, Colour Temperature Control, Video noise reduction methods, Colour Detail Enhancer and built-in digital and analogue tuners. There is a simple to use on-screen menu with options to control various picture quality attributes. Picture-in-Picture, Auto Power off and Teletext are some of the other features that come along with this HD plasma TV. The black levels of the TV are accurate and deep and the picture performance is also good. While Toshiba 42WP46P would prove to be light on your pockets, it definitely does not compromise on performance and quality.
The plasma world will always have tough competitions, with the big brands always striving to reach the top. Pioneer PDP-428XD plasma TV, Samsung PS42A457 plasma TV, Panasonic TH-42PX80B plasma TV, Philips 42HF7444T plasma TV, LG 42PG3000 plasma TV and Toshiba 42WP46P plasma TV are some of the strong players, which are here to stay, perhaps for a long time.
Fujitsu P42HTA51 HD Ready Plasma Television
September 21, 2008

Fujitsu P42HTA51 Widescreen plasma TV is a 42-inch plasma TV with PC connectivity and detachable speakers. It is one of Fujitsu’s numerous attempts to make a more domestic or home focused plasma TV rather than a business oriented one. Relatively cheaper than most Fujitsu plasmas, this TV comes equipped with the normal in-built TV connections.
This slender, silver coloured plasma TV with curved edges can be mounted on the wall or on its desktop stand. There are 2 detachable speakers that can be fitted to the screen or mounted separately on the wall. Other sound systems can also be used instead of these speakers.
The plasma TV has a standard analogue tuner. There are two Scarts that can handle premium-quality RGB signals as well. An HDMI jack is also available for high-definition input. A component video input with progressive scanning is present too. The TV is Sky-box as well as HDCP compatible. The most note-worthy of all the connections is a PC socket to connect to your computer.
This 1022(W) x 610(H) x 96(D) mm sized plasma TV weighs about 27 kilograms. It has an image aspect ratio of 16:9. The resolution of this screen is 1024 x 1024 pixels and it is compatible with the key, 720p and 1080i HD formats. The image contrast ratio is an average 3000:1 while the screen brightness is a high 1400 cd/m2. With a total audio output power of 30W, the sound effects are pretty good. The television also features a colour temperature control option. The other accessories that come along with the TV are a power cable, an infrared remote control, batteries and an instruction manual.
The Fujitsu’s native Alternate Lighting of Surfaces (AliS) technology used, gives a visual effect of 1024 horizontal lines though only about half the lines are present. The AVMII image processor is used by the set, which takes care of MPEG blocking noise, buzzing noises, jagged and ghosted edges. A light sensor is present that can adjust the picture with respect to the amount of light in your room. A White wash feature is also present that floods the screen with white to handle screenburn problems and individual ’signal’ and ‘drive’ contrast settings.
However, there have been complaints referring to the poor picture standards and unnatural looking colours of this television. Also, the absence of an integrated Freeview tuner and a digital tuner are seen as drawbacks. S-Video inputs and composite video inputs are unavailable too. Also, the features that can be set through the menus are not as interesting as one would expect. The thumbs-up aspects of the Fujitsu P42HTA51 42” flatscreen plasma TV like space saving design, good sound effects, low noise, smooth colour blends and fine details on the screen are masked by its poor coloured images and lack of certain advanced connections. Thus giving a poor competition to its rivals.
Hitachi P50T01U Widescreen Plasma TV
September 13, 2008
Hitachi is a world leader in manufacturing various products for both home and business. Home products such as DVD cameras, plasma TV, LCD projectors, air conditioners and business products such as automotive, construction equipment and much, much more are manufactured by them. Watching programmes on a widescreen with all the necessary features in it, ultimately takes you to another world. Hitachi has recently come up with their latest model plasma TV, Hitachi P50T01U Plasma TV.
This model plasma TV offers advantage of HD broadcasts and the latest game consoles and Blu-ray pictures. This model comes with a screen size of 50”. The image aspect ratio of this model is 16:9. The video resolution of Hitachi P50T01U HD Plasma TV is 1280 x 1080 pixels. HD formats are 720p, 1080i, 1080p . Image contrast ratio of 10000:1 produces clear pictures. Brightness of 1300 cd/m2 allows the user to watch movies even in a bright room. The viewing angle of 178 degrees is comfortable enough for the user to watch programmes even from this angle. Speakers produce stereo type sound with SRS TruSurround surround sound effect. The total output power of the speakers is 20W. Remote control is of infrared type.
Hitachi P50T01U Plasma TV features Picture Master Full HD processing, Picture in Picture, parental control and sleep timer. You can connect to digital and analogue devices through various connectors like HDMI, SCART, S-Video, composite and component video inputs. Accessories that are included are power cable and remote control. Hitachi P50T01U High Definition Plasma TV weighs about 41Kg and measures 1240mm (W) x 821mm (H) x 128mm (D). The enclosure comes in silver colour.
Pioneer Kuro PDP-428XD Plasma TV
September 7, 2008

Special Features
The new Pioneer Kuro PDP-428XD HD ready Plasma TV comes with a screen size of 42”. This TV has a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. The aspect ratio of the TV is 16:9. The intelligent brightness control function gives you the best picture even if the room has bad lighting system. USB host function helps you to connect your USB memory stick and you can watch your digital photos on the screen. Subwoofer out put of this plasma TV gives you high clarity sound. The ISF C3 function allows your screen to be optimised for your viewing environment. This product is an HD ready TV that supports HD film direct 24 features.
Product details
Pioneer Kuro PDP-428XD Plasma TV supports progressive scan function. The aspect ratio of the plasma TV is 16:9 and the contrast ratio is 16,000:1. Integrated digital (DVB-T) and analogue TV tuner gives you digital clarity pictures. The product also supports CI slot. The input terminals includes 3 HDMI, a component, an S-video, a RCA AV, 3 Euro-SCART, one CI slot, one PC input and a USB host and the out put terminals include a optical, a RCA audio, a headphone and a subwoofer out.
Pioneer Kuro PDP-428XD Plasma Television comes with an intelligent Bass control which helps you to control the bass of your system. Product supports electronic program guide function as well as true matrix imaging with deep waffle rib structure. The device includes dynamic HD converter, PAL 3D Y/C separation, intelligent DRE colour temperature adjustment and colour management function.
The natural enhancer function gives you natural pictures with digital clarity. Digital flicker free functions help you to watch the pictures without any flickering. The noise reduction programmes includes DNR function, MPEG NR, block noise reduction function and analogue tuner noise reduction. Electronic Programme guide and PIP are the other remarkable features supported by the unit.
Video signals of the system include PAL, SECAM, NTSC3.58, NTSC4.43, PAL60 and HD. The PC signals supported by the unit include VGA, SVGA, XGA, Wide XGA and SXGA. The device supports 2 integrated stereo speakers that give out a total power output of 37 watts. Sound options supported by this unit are SRS (Surround), SRS Focus (Audio orientation) and TruBass (Bass Boost) SRS (Surround), SRS Focus (Audio orientation) and TruBass (Bass Boost). Audio decoding the mode of the unit is MPEG1 1&2, AC-3 and the video decoding is MPEG2. Preset channel included is 99 and this unit supports digital tele text functions.
This product also has an auto channel search function which helps you to search the channels. The device has 17 display languages supported. The product can also be mounted on a wall.
Technical details
Pioneer Kuro PDP-428XD 42” Plasma Screen includes dimensions of height 679 mm a width of 1040 mm and a depth of 115mm. The total weight of this plasma TV is 29.6kg. Company gives a warranty of 1 year to this product. The power consumption of the device is 299 watts and the same in stand by mode is 0.4 watts.
| General Info | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Pioneer |
| Model | Pioneer PDP-428XD |
| Weight | 29.6kg |
| Dimensions | 1,040 x 679 x 115 mm |
| Screen Size | 42” |
| Resolution | 1,024 x 768 |
| Number of speakers | 2 |
| Speaker Power | 37 Watt |
| Sound type | Stereo |
| Contrast ratio | 16000:1 |
| Number of preset channels | 99 |
| Power consumption for operation | 299W |
| Power consumption for standby | 0.4 Watt |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Features | |
| Remote control | Yes |
| Built-in speakers | Yes |
| Headphone socket | Yes |
| Picture in picture | Yes |
| Sleep timer | Yes |
| Child lock | No |
| Auto tuning option | Yes |
| On screen menus | Yes |
| Anti glare screen | No |
| Wall mountable | Yes |
| Table top stand | Yes |
| Digital video noise reduction | Yes |
| Used as a PC monitor | Yes |
| On/off timer | No |
| AV inputs | Yes |
| S-Video | Yes |
| Component video connection | Yes |
| Progressive scan | Yes |