HDTV Reviews

The Samsung HP-S4253 is Samsung’s latest 42-inch plasma with a stylish piano black finish.
PC world has reviewed the HP-S4253 and say it performed fairly well in our tests, with jurors awarding it particularly high scores on our DVD test. Colours and skin tones in scenes from our test movies, Seabiscuit and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King looked bright and accurate. The plasma also fared well with high-definition content, though some jurors found that the HP-S4253 did better in darker scenes than in brighter ones. Standard-definition pictures, on the other hand, looked pixelated and skin tones acquired a greenish hue.

The set offers plenty of connections, including two sets of component inputs, one S-Video input and a VGA input for connecting a PC to the TV. The plasma also includes two HDMI inputs, permitting you to hook up a DVD player and a cable set-top box via their best connections (provided that those peripherals have them, of course). Audio ports include optical audio-out and digital coaxial-out, as well as three sets of analog outputs.

The S4253 is a well-rounded 42-inch plasma that delivers fairly strong image quality and great sound, along with some versatility with its connections. But its lack of a few key features–a CableCard slot among them–keeps it from being a true caviar product.
PC World
Samsungs HP-S4253 page