Samsung HP-R4252
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: HP-R4252
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- Product brief
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Although slickly styled and competitively priced, the Samsung HP-R4252 plasma falls well short of its competitors' picture quality.
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CNET editors' review
Samsung HP-R4252
price range: $749.99
Although slickly styled and competitively priced, the Samsung HP-R4252 plasma falls well short of its competitors' picture quality.
The good: Four independent picture memories for each input; decent color decoding; PC input.
The bad: Improper gamma and floating black levels negatively impact darker scenes; poor color resolution; only one HDMI input.
The bottom line: Although slickly styled and competitively priced, the Samsung HP-R4252 plasma falls well short of its competitors' picture quality.
Product brief
Intro: The Samsung HP-R4252 is a 42-inch, plasma television.Compared to other plasma TVs on the market, it is very inexpensive at around $890.In general, a liquid plasma display can provide more realistic black-levels than an LCD display can.
Noteworthy Features: This TV has Picture-In-Picture, note: a single-tuner PIP TV requires an external signal source such as a VCR, DVD player, or a cable box with composite video outputs.With built-in HDTV compatibility, this unit can display images that are significantly sharper and more realistic than regular television, as long as the source is high definition.(It can easily render standard-resolution digital TV broadcasts and also depict the full resolution of widescreen DVD video.)The 3:2 pulldown feature of this unit reduces artifacts that can occur when motion pictures are transferred to a digital format such as DVD.
Weaker Features: Has only a rear connector location.
Suitability: Built for those who are looking for a stylish, compact TV.
Value: Given its very inexpensive price, this TV has great features for the money.
Suggestions: (1) Since this TV supports progressive scan video, you probably will want to have a progressive scan DVD player connected to it.This will produce a relatively more "flicker-free" picture, compared to what is produced with conventional DVD players and TVs.(2) For help in understanding the various types of TVs and their features, read David Katzmaier's TV buying guide at CNET Reviews.
Receiving HDTV broadcast: The three common methods to receive HDTV broadcasts are via satellite-TV set-top box, cable system set-top box, and over-the-air reception from a digital HDTV broadcast station.
True HDTV: True HDTV programming is now available in three resolutions: 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.
Tuner options: An HDTV-ready satellite or cable box will act as an outboard HDTV tuner for your digital television set that lacks a built-in HD tuner.
User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 33 reviews
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Mid-priced; Mid-size; Feature packed Plasma Television.
by gruvregulator on November 11, 2005
Pros: DVI/VGA/S-Video/2 composite inputs; 2 optical inputs; bright, clear, colorful screen; many features accessible via on-screen menus.
Cons: 720p resolution/1024x768; not true 1080i resolution.
Summary: I did alot of comparing between this plasma and the panasonic in the same class; and they are about the same price. The reason the Samsung won out was the ...
Summary: I did alot of comparing between this plasma and the panasonic in the same class; and they are about the same price. The reason the Samsung won out was the amount of features that it had. I was not only planning on using this as a TV; but also as a computer monitor. This has DVI and VGA connectors; and I bought the HDMI to DVI cable to hook into my cable box to get optimum picture quality (highly recommended); this screen also has 2 sets of component video inputs that you can hook HD inputs into it. it also has S-Video and 19 pin VGA inputs; as well as composite inputs (why someone would use the composite on a HD screen I have no idea). You can also name each of the inputs from the on-screen menu.
Burn-in protection comes in 3 flavors; White screen; a scrolling B&W gradient; and a "pixel shift" option that you can adjust several different parameters for.
The color is impressive to say the least; Samsung claims the screen has 12-Bit Processing (68.7 Billion Colors) and it shows; colors are brilliant and can be adjusted to set values or tweaked via the onscreen menus.
Samsung's DNIe? technology contributes to sharpening the picture; and the difference can be shown via a split screen demo that can be turned on/of via the onscreen menu.
Speaking of split screen; there's several different PIP configurations you can have this screen display; one of the coolest features is having your PC and TV in a split screen format.
There was a review about the startup sound the screen makes when the unit is powered on/off; it turned out this person returned the screen because of this noise. This can be disabled via the onscreen menu if it's too annoying.
The sound is very good too; with a good range of response and for 15 watts it's pretty loud even at 50%. The simulated surround sound is ok; although I think it gives the sound more "depth" rather than "surround" you.
I paid around 3500 from circuit city with the warranty (got the 3 year one; circuit city covers EVERYTHING) and the DVI cable (was about 100 bucks). So far I'm very satisfied with my investment; and I'm looking forward to the release of the PS3 next year to really take advantage of the capabilities of that system.
This is a great screen for the price; I would recommend it over the Panasonic due to it's extensive feature set.9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good TV for the price
by Frosty619 on November 21, 2005
Pros: Excellent features, Sharp looking just sitting there,
Cons: Blue ring light when TV is off, Not enough inputs,
Summary: First off I picked up this TV for $2599 at Best Buy (add 4yr warrenty, wall mount, free Toshiba Progressive scan DVD player & Tax= $3262 out the door). As ...
Summary: First off I picked up this TV for $2599 at Best Buy (add 4yr warrenty, wall mount, free Toshiba Progressive scan DVD player & Tax= $3262 out the door). As I said in "Pros" section, Excellent features as far a being able to adjust this set. You can Tune everything. Picture is so-so with basic (Cox) cable but looks grate with my XBox/Playstation 2/DVD hooked up to it. It even has a feature that lets you adjust each TV staion (analog only non HD signal) to fine tune some of the "fuzz" out of the picture.It made a big difference on some stations and just a little on others. When you have a good video source the picture is very smooth. In my opinon the stock speakers sound good and are plennty loud. I use my 3yr old Samsung 50" DLP a reference for features and picture quality.
Now I only have a few issues with this TV so Far (had it three days as of this review) and that is the #1-Blue light when the TV is off (it's in the bed room and it's bright at night), #2 and for some reasion my Playstation won't fill the screen in any mode (16:9, wide, zoom, ect..) I've tried multiple setting on the TV and My PS2 and can only get one setting to Work but it "pancakes" the picture and it just doesn't look right. I've also tried Regular Video cables, S-Video cables and even Component cables with no luck (but there was a noticeable differance in screen clarity. #3 This set is a little heavy at 85lbs. to 90lbs. My 50" DLP is only 65lbs.
#4 Last would have to be the number of Inputs, I'm a gadget guy and considering the type of products comming out I would like to see more HDMI/DVI inputs, more Component Inputs as well.
But I would have to say that overall I'm happy with this TVUpdated
Well after 5 days I took this TV back and purchased a Samsung 40" LCD. After watching a TV show with the logo in the corner for a couple of hours I could see it in the screeen on other stations (yes burn-in in a couple of hours). The set has features to fix this and it did but only temporarly. After a couple of hours on a video game I could see the "speedo" from the game on other stations. What a bummer, this TV looked really good too.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Outstanding Value
by the_pimp on August 19, 2005
Pros: High Contrast Ratio/Brightness, Extremely Clear Picture, Low Price For Next Generation Technology
Cons: Not enough component inputs, built in speakers cannot be removed
Summary: I picked this beauty up for $2850 at Circuit City after a price match, and was immediately surprised at how easy setup was. After 30 minutes everything was up and ...
Summary: I picked this beauty up for $2850 at Circuit City after a price match, and was immediately surprised at how easy setup was. After 30 minutes everything was up and running perfectly fine, with nothing less than a digital signal running through at all times. The colors are really fantastic, showing off the DNIe technology, which basically enhances every color, but never exaggerating anything beyond believable levels. Blacks are pitch black and whites are bright and heavenly. The speakers are a nice addition, but leave much to be desired. It's a shame that they're built onto the t.v. and thus prove to be a bother when mixed with a whole new 5.1 setup. Other than this however, it's a fantastic piece of equipment with a fantastic price and fantastic quality. Highly Recommended.
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Stay away from this TV!
by klkrlk on January 23, 2006
Pros: Good sound, OK HD picture
Cons: SD terrible, ghosting many HD channels, Samsung service
Summary: TV broke after only 2 mos of use; Samsung took 2+ mos to replace...terrible service. When this unit was working, standard definition (SD) channels were very grainy. In addition, ...
Summary: TV broke after only 2 mos of use; Samsung took 2+ mos to replace...terrible service. When this unit was working, standard definition (SD) channels were very grainy. In addition, HD channel had a "ghosting" affect where you could see the pixels next to the image (hard to explain). If you are still interested in purchasing this TV, check out the November Consumer Reports article where this TV ranked 20th of the 22 models reviewed.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Decent for the price
by Krox on January 5, 2006
Pros: Good price, lots of features
Cons: Cannot turn DNie off, clay face
Summary: I purchased this TV over Christmas. I was agonizing over this set and the Panasonic. I finally settled on the Samsung because it was about $800 cheaper and had more ...
Summary: I purchased this TV over Christmas. I was agonizing over this set and the Panasonic. I finally settled on the Samsung because it was about $800 cheaper and had more features and better warranty.
The TV was easy to set up and the picture looked okay at first. Although, after watching a few DVDs I started to noticing that the actors faces looked really bad (the bright parts of their faces looked supper saturated and pixelated). I believe this is what is called 'clay face' and is a result of the DNIe feature of the tv. This wouldn't be a problem if you could disable this feature but you can't.
This set does have some image retention as well. One of my family members accidently left a test pattern on the screen for a hour. This image could be seen afterwards. The good news is that Samsung has several features that can remove this. After about 3 hours of the white screen, the image retention was gone. But I recommend you try to avoid any static images for the first 100 hrs but this is true for all plasmas.
Overall, this TV is decent and some of the pictures look really great (e.g HD tv). However, the faces of the actors is really starting to bother me especially in scenes where there are headshots. In these scences, the images look pretty bad. I've tried to calibrate the set using DVE calibration DVD but cannot resolve this issue. I am seriously considering returning this TV and getting the Panasonic which is really a shame because I really want to like this TV. In the end I will have to decide if this problem is worth $800. Although, I would recommend that you check this tv out and decide for your self2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fantastic display.
by tdominey on December 3, 2005
Pros: Gorgeous hardware design, easy setup, awesome picture.
Cons: Clunky remote.
Summary: I did quite a bit of shopping for a flat-panel TV, including plasma, LCD, and DLP, and this Samsung was the winning choice. I chose plasma for one simple reason ...
Summary: I did quite a bit of shopping for a flat-panel TV, including plasma, LCD, and DLP, and this Samsung was the winning choice. I chose plasma for one simple reason -- black point. Blacks actually look black on plasma, while on every LCD I viewed they appeared dark gray, which may not sound like a big deal, but you'd cringe if you saw a movie with low lighting on LCD.
This Samsung has a beautiful design -- black glass (which is beautiful even when turned off), silver speakers on the front, and a nice thin (and removable) base.
Has plenty of hookups in the back. I plugged in a Comcast HD cable box (DVI male to HDMI male -- Monster sells a cable for this), a game console with component video out, a DVD player, and a VCR.
As expected, this TV is designed for HD. HD channels are simply jaw dropping in their clarity and sharpness. Regular broadcast channels...eh. They're grainy, noisy, and in general look pretty crappy. But that's to be expected with a pure digital television in 16:9 format.
The unit is light enough to be lifted by one (strong) person, but it's easiest with two people.
The sound is actually pretty good. There are multiple settings for surround-like sound, and an EQ for you to tweak however you like. I cranked it up and it sounded awesome.
In general I'm really pleased with this set. Worth every penny.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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POOR PICTURE OUT OF THE BOX,TECH CONFIRMED PROBLEM WITH TV
by hencamp on March 11, 2006
Pros: MID PRICED,BOTTOM SPEAKER
Cons: WHITEWASH PICTURE AND POOR ROWER SUPPLY
Summary: STAY AWAY,SUPPORT WAS OK BUT SET HAS ISSUES AND STORE OFFERRED NO SOLUTIONS.I AM SO UPSET WITH MY EXPERIENCE THAT I WOULD NEVER BUY SAMSUNG AGAIN.DEALER KNEW ...
Summary: STAY AWAY,SUPPORT WAS OK BUT SET HAS ISSUES AND STORE OFFERRED NO SOLUTIONS.I AM SO UPSET WITH MY EXPERIENCE THAT I WOULD NEVER BUY SAMSUNG AGAIN.DEALER KNEW OF PROBLEM AND I FOUND OUT THAT SAMSUNG WOULD HAVE REPLACED SET WITHIN 21 DAYS DUE TO PROBLEM WITH THE POWER SUPPLY AND BOARD,BUT DUE TO DEALER NOT KNOWING OPTIONS I WAS LEFT WITH A SET THAT IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND OUT $3300.SAMSUNG WOULD NOT BUDGE.DISCUSSIONS STILL ONGOING!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Beware of the Clay-Faces!
by bramz on March 5, 2006
Pros: Sleek looks. Awesome sound. Good for HD sports.
Cons: Horrible with faces.
Summary: I bought this TV on sale after I had grown tired of waiting for the Panasonic HD to arrive back in stock. I had it hooked up to Comcast HD ...
Summary: I bought this TV on sale after I had grown tired of waiting for the Panasonic HD to arrive back in stock. I had it hooked up to Comcast HD at both 720 and 1080 resolution. Programming that was shot in HD (not originally on film) like sports and nature shows, were great. BUT, movies, TV shows shot on film yet broadcast in HD (24, CSI, movies on HBO HD) were absolutely UNWATCHABLE. Highlights on faces only had 3 posterized shades - bright white highlights, pink or brown midtowns, and black shadows. I tried every setting imaginable to solve it, but nothing helped. I swapped it for a Panasonic ED Plasma (yes, ED) and I am absolutely thrilled. Before you buy, be sure to see a MOVIE on this screen. Sorry, Samsung. I wanted to keep your TV really bad.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Product
by jwagee on February 10, 2006
Pros: Great Pic, features and design
Cons: PIP only works with HD (which is ok) and sound could be better
Summary: This is a great product. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The only draw backs i have experienced have been the PIP only works with an HD box (which will soon ...
Summary: This is a great product. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The only draw backs i have experienced have been the PIP only works with an HD box (which will soon be resolved) and the sound on this set could be better. I have experienced the sound fading in and out from time to time, but support says that should go away with the upgrade tot he HD box. Overall, i highly recommend this product.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great TV with only one major flaw
by groovyman001 on November 29, 2005
Pros: Excellent picture
Cons: Blue light on power switch
Summary: I really like this TV and everything about it. However, when you switch the power off a blue light around the power switch comes on. At first I didn't ...
Summary: I really like this TV and everything about it. However, when you switch the power off a blue light around the power switch comes on. At first I didn't think much of this but it started to keep me up at night. I called Samsung to ask how to disable it and to my surprise you can't. I now have resorted to putting something in front of it. If I were to hang this in my bedroom I am sure it will drive me crazy at night. I still can't believe that they would design the TV this way.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: HP-R4252
General
- Product Type 42 in Plasma TV
- Digital Television Certification HDTV
- Video Interface HDMI, Component, S-Video, Composite
- PC Interface DVI, VGA (HD-15)
- Width 41.7 in
- Depth 3.7 in
- Height 29.1 in
- Weight 93.5 lbs
Display
- Diagonal Size 42 in - Widescreen
- Technology Plasma (PDP)
- Resolution 1024 x 768
- Display Format 720p
- Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
- Color Depth Up to 68.7 billion colors
- Image Contrast Ratio 10000:1
- Brightness (cd/m2) 1300 cd/m2
- Widescreen Modes Conventional 4:3, Zoom, Panorama, 16:9
- Viewing Angle 175 degrees
- Viewing Angle (Vertical) 175 degrees
- Display Menu Language Spanish, English, French
- Backlight Life 60,000 hour(s)
- Comb Filter 3D-Y/C digital
- V-Chip Control Yes
- Color Temperature Control Yes (Warm1/Warm2/Normal/Cool1/Cool2)
- Picture Adjustment Standard/Dynamic/Movie/Custom
- Additional Features DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine), Contrast enhancer, Channel labeling, Fanless cooling system
TV Tuner
- Analog TV Tuner NTSC
- Multi-channel Preview Split screen, Picture-in-picture (PIP)
- Reception System ATSC, NTSC
- Stereo Reception System MTS
Digital TV Tuner
- Digital TV Tuner ATSC
Video Features
- HDTV Ready Yes
- Input Video Formats 480p (via Component sockets), 480i (via Component sockets), 720p (via Component sockets), 1080i (via Component sockets)
- Parental Channel Lock Yes
- Closed Caption Capability Yes
Remote Control
- Remote Control Universal remote control - Infrared
- Supported Devices VCR or DVD, Cable box
Audio System
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Surround Mode Yes
- Sound Effects SRS TruSurround, SRS TruSurround XT, TruBass, SRS WOW
- Audio Controls Balance, Equalizer
- Speakers Included 4 speakers
- Speaker(s) 4 x Right/left channel speaker
Connections
- Connector Type 2 x Component video input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear, 1 x Audio line-in ( Mini-phone 3.5 mm ) - Rear, 1 x VGA input ( 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ) - Rear, 2 x RF input ( F connector ) - Rear, 1 x Audio output ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear, 3 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear, 1 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear, 1 x Digital audio output (optical) - Rear, 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear, 1 x Digital audio output (coaxial) - Rear, 1 x Composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear
- Slot Provided 1 x CableCARD
Compliances
- Compliant Standards Plug and Play, FCC Class B certified
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Plasma TV stand
Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
- Power AC 120 V
- Power Consumption Operational 370 Watt
- Battery None
Dimensions & Weight (Shipping)
- Width (Shipping) 45.7 in
- Depth (Shipping) 17.9 in
- Height (Shipping) 36.1 in
- Weight (Shipping) 133.4 lbs
Manufacturer info
- Samsung
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Samsung products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.samsungusa.com/
- Address:
105 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 - Phone: 1-800-726-7864
- Fax: 1-973-601-6001
