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Submit your own review of a Toshiba Plasma, LCD or DLP Television
- Sony KE42-M1 42" Plasma TV Review
- Sony KDE50XBR950 50" Plasma TV Review
- Sony KDE42XBR950 42" Plasma TV - 2 Customer Reviews
- Sony KE42TS2 42" Plasma TV Review
- Sony PFM50C1 50 Plasma TV Review
- Sony PFM42B2U 42 Plasma TV Review - 2 Customer Reviews
- Sony PFM42V1 42" Plasma TV Review
- Sony KE42-M1 42" Plasma TV Review
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Joseph Pannell
Location: Lawrenceville, GA
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: KE42-M1
PICTURE:
I purchased this TV as I have wanted a plasma since 2001. The picture is crystal clear, and I really like that you can change the screen from vivid to standard to pro. The colors are very rich, and can be adjusted from cool to neutral to warm. I currently have basic cable TV coming in, but have ordered digital cable with a hi-def box to be installed soon. Signals from a DVD come in very clear and the picture with respect to movies, etc., is fantastic.
INSTALLATION:
The appearance of the display is fantastic, even with just basic cable coming in. I had the TV flat mounted on a wall over a fireplace, and it is beautiful.
PLASMA FUNCTIONS:
I find that the remote is relatively easy to work with. The menus are understandable and friendly, and you can see the changes being made before you have to exit the menu. It does not have PIP as it only has a single tuner, but to me, that is something else that could go wrong. The sound system is great as it has 2 built in 16 amp speakers. It sounds good even through just the TV, although I have it connected to a digital receiver and use it most of the time.
QUALITY RATING: 10
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- Sony KDE50XBR950 50" Plasma TV Review
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Karl Fazekas
Location: MD
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: KDE50XBR950
Q: Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.
A: It could be just my preference but the clarity, briliance and vividness of colors are none plus ultra. I had 50" Pioner Elite, but there is no comparison mainly on the color brilinace.
Q: Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.
A: It is on a glass multi-level stand, cord hidden. Elegant!
Q: Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?
A: I purchased my TV from DTVExpress. Before I commited myself to buy a 12K item, I checked out the store by the BBB. They had quite favorable report. Than, I called your store and I was referred to a soft spoken, polite gentleman, who had even on repeated calls answered clearly all my quetions. Therefore, I decided to order. While the delivery people recorded my phone number wrong eventually, they called on the same day as I started to check on the order. The delivery to the house was good. The delevery person was not allowed by his complany to enter the house, but was polite and helpful to check out the unit before I signed the receipt. Overall, I think I got an excellent price, service and even more so- the product.
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- Sony KDE42XBR950 42" Plasma TV - 2 Customer Reviews
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: David Oswalt
Location: Grand Junction, CO
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: KDE42XBR950
Desribe-Input-Signals:
The picture quality from a DVD player through the component (Y, Pb, Pr) connectors is excellent. Watching movies on DVD with the plasma screen is better than going to the theater. Not much difference in quality between off the air digital signals and analog cable signals. Both look good. There is some minor pixilation with weak signals or very dark scenes, but overall the picture is still good. VHS signals through the A/V composite jacks also have a very good quality to them, although not as good as the DVD signals. Sony has done an excellent job with the wide zoom feature that displays the 4:3 picture in a wide screen 16:9 format. The picture has an normal appearance to it.
Desribe-Plasma-Installation:
The plasma screen is mounted on the wall with the two cables being concealed in the wall. It took less than one hour to mount the screen and conceal the two cables. I really like the black frame surrounding the screen on the Sony. The clear section makes it appear that it’s floating in space.
Desribe-Plasma-Functions:
I was a little disappointed in the Sony remote control since it will not control my Sony amplifier and having a backlit remote or even glow-in-the-dark buttons would have been better. The buttons are also a little small and I have some difficulty finding the right button in a dimly lit room. The remote was easy to program to control the VHS player and DVD. The set up functions for the TV were good. The menu was easy to get around and make any adjustments. The factory default levels of the display were good. I used a calibration disk to check the various levels of the display and only needed to make a minor adjustment on the black level. Switching between the various inputs is easy. It’s also good having the Media Receiver Unit being separated from the screen. It made adding components easier and there are not any additional cables to conceal.
Desribe-Buying-Experience:
The plasma TV package (including wall mount) was purchased through DTV City of Atlanta GA. I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous purchasing such an expensive piece of electronic equipment over the Internet and having it shipped freight. I had purchased a TV before from another company and the TV arrived broken as the freight company had dropped it. The Plasma TV arrived very well packed and the “tip indicator” let me know immediately that it had not been tipped over. Besides the e-mails letting me know the status of the order, I also received a phone call from the company after my initial order. Overall, I was very please in how my order was handled. It also arrived within one week (five working days), which I believed was exceptionally short time.
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Mark Szczygiel
Location: Ottawa, ON, CANADA
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: Sony KE-42XBR950 Plasma Television
PICTURE:
During the viewing of my DVD, Moulin Rouge, I noted only a few slight problems with gray scaling. This Sony still remains best in contrast and picture detail in the dark levels. Regarding picture quality one of my only complaints with the Sony was a loss of detail in darker images and scenes tested on the screen. It was also evident that there was slight "mapping" effect in the gray scales.
Each individual picture setting on the XBR Sony plasma displays have their positive and negative attributes. Additionally, these picture modes are integral to the use of this display and are controlled by the "picture" button on the remote control. They are: vivid, standard, pro.
These advanced calibrated picture settings are great for bypassing all the menu options necessary to create varying picture effects. Why altering looks? Different input signals will often need calibrating by using completely diverse methods in order to optimize picture performance for the individual user under current lighting and room conditions. In other words, your satellite feed may need a different picture setting than an incoming DVD signal. And while I have seen this feature on other plasma TVs, I have never seen it so well calibrated and effective.
The Mild setting was used on the previous model - KE-42XBR900 to produce a softer image but is not included in this new offering. The Vivid function increases color saturation and contrast while losing much detail in darker images. It will also give the user "pop" while sacrificing image quality by creating false edges caused by the image enhancement. Standard is a combination of all settings and coincides almost perfectly with CIE Chromaticity Coordinates for the NTSC standard. And lastly, the Pro setting will be used when the viewer wants little to no enhancements from the media receiver box. With this setting the sharpness feature has been reduced to cut down on false edges. It is my preferred setting. This setting might be used in a controlled lighting environment like a home theater and may help to extend the vibrancy and life of the plasma. It has a classic look and feel and will view the best over time. Sony's latest terminology for line doubling or upconversion is! Digital Reality Creation or DRC. This technology upconverts NTSC signals significantly. However, I found that our Samsung HDTV decoder actually did a slightly better job with most signals (of upconversion and enhancement that is). High density will be the preferred mode here for most video programming. Cinemotion enhances film-based content with 3:2 pulldown processing. The feature is designed to eliminate motion artifacts created when converting frame rates. I thought the Sony XBR plasma did a superb job of decoding and displaying DVD content. Lastly, regular NTSC cable looked very clear and the media receiver did a nice job of upconverting with the Zoom mode of the plasma being used to scale to full screen size from the original 4:3 source. Some of the picture quality still depends upon the bandwidth allowed per channel but the media receiver definitely improved the process and cleaned up the picture images I was viewing.
INSTALLATION:
The media receiver has been much improved over the previous model XBR950. It no longer makes the disturbing high-pitched noise as before aside from the size reduction. Thankfully, the media receiver makes a low hum that is now barely audible with no audio on. This is a big improvement over the previous model. Another improvement in the media receiver is that now for your $10,000 investment, you also inherit a coveted ATSC over the air broadcast HDTV tuner. An outboard HD receiver must still be purchased to receive Satellite or Cable HDTV programming (as with any plasma or LCD), but at least broadcast is covered. Put up an inexpensive antenna and your ready to go!
The plasma TV itself has a well-ventilated back panel and contains just one fan and an internal cooling system. It is passably quiet though not the best I have encountered. From 10 feet I can hear a slight spinning/whipping noise from the plasma with the audio turned off. When turning on audio function, noise from the plasma is not a notable distraction to the main event.
PLASMA FUNCTIONS:
I prefer to use an extremely expensive Universal Remote control from Sony that has it's own built in LCD however the one provided is enough to satiate the appetite of any lazy tv monger.
QUALITY RATING: 9.5
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- Sony KE42TS2 42" Plasma TV Review
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Rick Hannon
Location: Burr Ridge, IL
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: KE42TS2
Desribe-Input-Signals:
S-video picture is fine. Could not get component video to work until I talked to Sony and said I need a progressive scan DVD player. No big deal but I wisk I had known in advance. I wasted a lot of time
Desribe-Plasma-Installation:
Looks Great. Is displayed on top of cabinat in family room
Desribe-Plasma-Functions:
Remote if fine. biggest pain is DVD comes in video 4 (compontent video), SatTV comes in video 1 (s-video), VCR comes in video 2 (regular VCA cable since it is not digital).
Desribe-Buying-Experience:
I purchased the screen from PlasmaDisplayGroup.com It was $1000 cheaper than any local store. The unit came 1-2 days earlier than expected. No problems at all. The Plasma Display Group uses tip-n-tell sensor to hlep me upon receipt of unit.
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: David Oswalt
Location: Grand Junction, CO
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: KE42TS2
Desribe-Input-Signals:
The picture quality from a DVD player through the component (Y, Pb, Pr) connectors is excellent. Watching movies on DVD with the plasma screen is better than going to the theater. Not much difference in quality between off the air digital signals and analog cable signals. Both look good. There is some minor pixilation with weak signals or very dark scenes, but overall the picture is still good. VHS signals through the A/V composite jacks also have a very good quality to them, although not as good as the DVD signals. Sony has done an excellent job with the wide zoom feature that displays the 4:3 picture in a wide screen 16:9 format. The picture has an normal appearance to it.
Desribe-Plasma-Installation:
The plasma screen is mounted on the wall with the two cables being concealed in the wall. It took less than one hour to mount the screen and conceal the two cables. I really like the black frame surrounding the screen on the Sony. The clear section makes it appear that it’s floating in space.
Desribe-Plasma-Functions:
I was a little disappointed in the Sony remote control since it will not control my Sony amplifier and having a backlit remote or even glow-in-the-dark buttons would have been better. The buttons are also a little small and I have some difficulty finding the right button in a dimly lit room. The remote was easy to program to control the VHS player and DVD. The set up functions for the TV were good. The menu was easy to get around and make any adjustments. The factory default levels of the display were good. I used a calibration disk to check the various levels of the display and only needed to make a minor adjustment on the black level. Switching between the various inputs is easy. It’s also good having the Media Receiver Unit being separated from the screen. It made adding components easier and there are not any additional cables to conceal.
Desribe-Buying-Experience:
The plasma TV package (including wall mount) was purchased through DTV City of Atlanta GA. I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous purchasing such an expensive piece of electronic equipment over the Internet and having it shipped freight. I had purchased a TV before from another company and the TV arrived broken as the freight company had dropped it. The Plasma TV arrived very well packed and the “tip indicator” let me know immediately that it had not been tipped over. Besides the e-mails letting me know the status of the order, I also received a phone call from the company after my initial order. Overall, I was very please in how my order was handled. It also arrived within one week (five working days), which I believed was exceptionally short time.
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- Sony PFM50C1 50 Plasma TV Review
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Robert Kantor
Location: New York City, NY
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: PFM50C1
Q: Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.
A: This screen is very well balanced. Very clear up close and it really opens up as you draw back. We had to back the colors off as they were very bright and we have the whitest white I have seen on a plasma. Viewing abgle even from the other room from the side is very clear.
Q: What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?
A: I first went with plasma as opposed to projection because I did not like having to isolate light from the room in order to view a piecture. The plasma of course saves space, but it simply defines what television should look like. It is a great thing to have a theatre in your home, for me I now have one in each room! I also have a LCD and it seems to have more clarity and brightness than the plasmas, but size is an issue still, and when high def hits the plasmas, it should be about the same. Lets not forget how a plasma impresses people when they come to your home!
Q: How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?
A: My plasmas are less than four inches thick. I went with silver frames as it tends to open up the picture as oppsed to a black frame which defines the screen. The Sonys are really nice looking..simple, functional... no nonsense. Also the protective screen cover is a great idea and intergrates well into the design.
Q: What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for?
A: Home Living Room
Q: Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?
A: DTVExpress - This is the place to buy! They know what you need and they deliver ! Very helpful and fairly priced- great service.
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- Sony PFM42B2U 42 Plasma TV Review - 2 Customer Reviews
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Brian Falvey
Location: Novato, California
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: PFM42B2U
Q: Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.
A: Very vivid. Black levels are much better on the B2.
Q: What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?
A: This Sony really looks beautiful in silver.
Q: How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?
A: Very sleek, streamlined. Incredibly high WOW! factor.
Q: What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for?
A: Home Living Room
Q: Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.
A: I installed the whole system myself. I used a table stand. 5.1 surround Onkyo receiver and speakers. Panasonic RP91 DVD.
Q: Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?
A: DTV City. I originally ordered the Panasonic PHD42 from Plasmahouse.com. They really gave me the run around. They said I had to wait a week for shipment because of the West Coast dockworkers strike. I felt that was a legitimate excuse, so I waited. After a week I called, and they said it was going to ship in 2 more days. 2 days later I called and they said it would take 4 more days to ship. They told me that they didn't carry any stock and that all of their displays were dropped shipped from other locations. I cancelled the order. Right afterwards I read a new review on plasmatvbuyersguide.com of the PFM42B2. This convinced me to go with the Sony. I called DTVCity and immediately asked if they could ship it that day. They said that they carried all stock in house and that it was no problem. That afternoon I had a tracking number. Shipping was a flawless process. Misti even went out of her way to find a silver table stand. The shipping was then expedited because I had a party that weekend, and everything arrived on time. Fantastic service! Awesome display!
Let's face it. Plasma TV's are high-end costly items. Not only were they the best price, but their service was immaculate. I can wholeheartedly recommend DTV City. What a completely different buying experience I had between Plasmahouse and DTV City. Night and day.
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Michael Doherty
Location: New York City, NY
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: PFM42B2
Q: Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.
A: The brightness on the set is excellent, especially with computer graphics and cartoons. However, the blacks are not saturated enough and when you watch a letterbox movie, the bars on the top and bottom of the screen almost appear to have a haze over them. Color reproduction is excellent, especially with a component hook up.
Q: What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?
A: It is extremely easy to use and has many nifty options such as the screensaver when watching 4:3 applications which prevents ghosting. I am however disappointed with the small selection of inputs offered. I had to purchase an expensive, specialized VGA-Component wire in order to get a 480/60i signal for DVD's. An adapter was also needed to use the composite video outputs.
Q: How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?
A: The design and looks of the tv are phenomenal. Sleek and sexy is the best way to describe it. It looks a lot more expensive than it really is.
Q: Plasma TV Inputs used? A: 1 Component using RCA - BNC Cables
Q: What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for?
A: Home Living Room
Q: Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.
A: The tv was installed on a table top stand. A vga-component cable was used to hook up the DVD player and a composite video cable was used to hook up the cable.
Q: Your Comments About your Buying Experience:
A: DTVCity helped me tremendously in choosing the right tv and in helping me with the proper cables to get the best connections. Extremely knowledgeable and experienced people were always there to help me on the phone. The website also had many useful links, features and advice which has helped me get one of the best Home Entertainment hook ups in town.
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- Sony PFM42V1 42" Plasma TV Review
-----CUSTOMER INFORMATION-----
Name: Jey Jeyakumar
Location: Australia
-----PLASMA TV INFORMATION-----
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: PFM42V1
PICTURE:
The Plasma is currently hooked up to a Yamaha AV Receiver with RGB/Component cables. The HDTV set top box is connected to the AV Receiver also with component cables and the picture quality is stunning. Watching SDTV is great, there is clearly a difference between watching regular programming on a plasma and a regular TV. I could not of asked for a better picture. As for HDTV, the image is stunning, only recently have Australian networks shown a interest in broadcasting more shows in HD and it clearly makes a difference. Guests are stunned by the picture quality while showing a HD program/demo.
The one downside is that DVD picture quality is not as good as i expected it to be, maybe i have gotten to used to Digital TV but the picture quality is reduced by a fair margin while watching DVD's. The DVD Player which is new is hooked up using component cables to the AV Receiver as well. To my eye the DVD's seem clearer watching them on a conventional television, this is not a huge problem for since i do not watch DVD's that often.
The PS2 is hooked up using S-Video cables directly to the plasma, i have had no problems with burn in and the picture quality is good. The main advantage is playing the games on the bigger plasma screen.
INSTALLATION:
The Plasma is on a Silver stand atop a glass bench in the rumpus room with the other AV equipment below it. The plasma is right above the stand so there is no visible gap between the stand and the plasma. It was quite easy to install, just assembling the stand and connecting it to the plasma and then the cables.
The panel is quite slim and very attractive in the silver finish. Although the speakers attached to the plasma do not fully suit it in my opinion.
PLASMA FUNCTIONS:
The remote control is functional although not stylish. The buttons are easy to see .The menu is easy to use although setting up the screen saver can be difficult at first. The input selection was probably the most disappointing feature, its is very weak although by using the AV Receiver i have managed to gain more inputs.
QUALITY RATING: 9
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