Samsung PS-42Q91H Plasma TV

Love it or hate it, but plasmas are definitely not phasing out anytime soon. At least until they commercially release another technology that can give you plasma like black levels. Besides, what 42" LCD TV is available at a sub-one lakh price? Reasons like these and testing products like the Samsung PS-42Q91H Plasma TV make me seriously consider getting one of these babies for myself.

Samsung’s favorite piano finish is what makes up the front frame of the TV, as in all other flat panel models of theirs. Unlike the Bordeaux series, this one has a pretty simple and flat frame without the stylishly curved edges. Not that it looks bad in anyway, but it does look pretty plain. Luckily in flat panel TV it’s the screen quality that counts more than the frame around it. The stand is the regular manual tilt-n’-swivel variety.

As one can expect, a majority of the connectivity options are at the back of the TV, namely 2 HDMI inputs, two component, one composite one VGA and a RF input for antenna. There are also two options for outputting audio, using RCA jacks and Line out.

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There are a few more connectivity options on the left of the panel for the times when you quickly need to plug in a device. There’s a third HDMI input along with s-video, composite and a headphone jack.

All the basic controls of the TV are located on the right hand side, but obviously, you’d be better off using a remote.

Now I find a couple of things odd about the connectivity options here. I’d personally prefer an S-Video connectivity at the back instead of the side of a panel. Considering that it is (slightly) superior to the composite input, I’d ideally use it over the latter any day. Secondly most flat panel TVs these days have memory card inputs too.
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The PS-42Q91H has a pretty good viewing angle, but also has the problems that can be seen on most plasmas like the image reflection on the glass screen when viewed from an extreme angle or noisy picture when you see a video up close. I really can’t blame the TV for that though, as it’s more of a drawback in the technology.

That said, the image quality is nothing short of mind-blowing. Being used to LCD TVs can make one forget the kind of high brightness levels and extreme contrast ratios that you can get from a plasma. A TV like the Samsung PS-42Q91H was just the right reality check we needed.

Though TV runs at a native of 720p (supports 1080i), which is enough for all practical purposes. Of course 1080p resolution on a 42-inch panel would have been just dandy, but I guess it would have jacked up the price as well. Anyhow, 720p is pretty good on a 42-inch panel, and considering its a plasma display, the dreaded jaggies that you find in some high-definition games are greatly reduced.

Color output on the Samsung was absolutely brilliant, especially when watching an animated movie, where the colors tend to be a lot louder than a full motion video. The display could handle just about the craziest colors we could throw at it, while keeping sober colors as real as possible.

As I said before, that jaggies seemed greatly reduced on the Samsung plasma, but it wasn’t at the cost of missing out on the sharp and minute details. At no given point did I see a loss of video quality caused by blurring in high motion or any kind of artificial smoothening. Some high definition videos had quite a bit of film grain on it, but that was a problem with the mastering of the video more than the display panel. Considering that it’s a 42 inch display, you need to have a viewing distance of a least 7 feet, to enjoy the video in all its glory.

I was pretty impressed with the sound on the Samsung plasma. This was one of the rare occasions where I didn’t feel the necessity to connect the TV to an external sound system, because the sound output of the TV itself was more than satisfactory. Of course it lacks the deep bass that you would get from a CRT, but the speakers would still hold their own in movies and games alike.

Finally, at its price of Rs. 95,000 it’s an excellent option for anyone looking for a large display at a price that’s worth it. 1080p resolution would have definitely rocked the display, but I guess I can’t complain at this price. Highly recommended to movie buffs and gamers!