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Cheap Plasma TV Options for your Home Entertainment

Budget-Class Plasma TV Reviews

Cheap Plasma TVs are turning out to be more of a real alternative as prices of plasma HDTV sets are plummeting to a level that is making the plasma dream closer to the average household budget.

In this plasma TV reviews article, we discuss a few affordable plasma options presently available on the market in the $1,000 - $1,500 price range.

Phillips 50PFP5332D 50" 720p Plasma HDTV

Cheap Plasma Televisions

The $1000 Plasma HDTV: A present-day reality

It is a fact that one can no longer skip over the ever expanding array of cheap plasma TV sets as if these are not worth considering for the serious home theater user.

The reason is that in the mist of all the fierce competition between new entrants and major manufactures, we have started to see some really cheap HDTV plasma sets from a few leaders in the industry.

But this fierce competition is not just between different plasma TV makers. Even more so, it is between plasma and LCD manufactures.

In this process, the 2006 has seen LCD HDTVs surpassing plasma TVs in overall sales.

We are now expecting a comeback in plasma TV sales as plasma display makers are proposing even bigger discounts to slow down sales of the LCD flat-panel TV.

Thanks to this battle between the different display technologies, it is already possible to get a name brand 42-inch plasma HDTV set for around $1,000, while 50-inch 720p plasma TV sets are available at close to $1,500!

Though prices of both plasma and LCD HDTV sets are expected to continue to fall even further especially during the coming holiday season, yet steep discounts are mainly being expected on high-definition Plasma TVs.

In particular, it appears that plasma TV makers will be very aggressive to deliver cheap plasma TV sets especially at the 50-inch screen category to maintain their supremacy at the higher-end of the flat-panel TV market.

Healthy discounts are also expected on 1080p HDTV sets - since it is the more expensive sets that carry the higher margins.

Plasma TV Reviews: Cheap Plasma HDTV Options

It is an undeniable fact that the list of budget plasma TVs is getting longer as more new entrants join the game. Interesting is that available cheap plasma TV options are not just in the 42-inch domain but covers bigger screen sizes as well.

Of course, a cheap plasma TV - no matter how cheap it is - is still expensive. Even the best budget plasmas cost anything close to $1,000. Therefore, one has to be very careful when opting for a cheap plasma TV, especially if it comes from an unknown brand. It is better to go for a bare-bones model from a major manufacture like Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, LG, etc. Major brands would be trading off features not picture quality, for the lower price tag.

To help you in the selection of a possible cheap plasma TV option for your home entertainment, we are presenting here some of the best 'budget' plasma HDTV sets presently available from major brands in the industry.

Panasonic

Panasonic is considered by many as the world leader in plasma display technology. Figures for the second quarter of this year show that Panasonic is the top plasma TV maker in terms of plasma television sales with an overwhelming 33.5% market share worldwide. This worldwide standing is the result of a policy that aims at delivering the very best at any price bracket.

A valid cheap plasma TV option from this world leader in its 2007 line-up is the entry-level 42-inch Panasonic TH-42PX75U 720p Plasma HDTV.

An affordable option from Panasonic: TH-42PX75U 42" 720p Plasma HDTV

This Panasonic plasma HDTV is proving to be a best seller within the budget category, partly as a result of an affordable price tag. At present, it is selling at amazon for around $1,080, some $300 off the suggested list price.

But there is more than just an attractive price tag behind the TH-42PX75U success. This relatively cheap plasma TV is capable of excellent picture quality with deep blacks and clean accurate colors. This is also the reason why it is consistently emerging with favorite ratings on a number of Plasma TV review sites.

At this price level, one cannot expect a feature rich set. Main features of the TH-42PX75U Panasonic plasma TV include a native screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, two HDMI inputs, an SD card slot, and bottom mounted speakers. This set also comes with a rated dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1.

The only complain we have about this budget plasma HDTV is the lack of an antiglare screen coating. However, if you will be using this plasma HDTV in a room that has good light control, than this cheap plasma TV could prove a great inexpensive option for a home entertainment set-up.

If glare is a problem, then your next best bet in the Panasonic line-up is the 42-inch TH-42PX77U 720p Plasma HDTV. It has an almost identical feature set except that it comes with side-mounted speakers and an anti-glare coating. This costs an extra $100 over the basic PX75U model.

Panasonic also makes 50-inch versions under either series - the Panasonic TH-50PX75U and the Panasonic TH-50PX77U.  Both plasmas are selling on-line at around $1,600 - $400 below the original price tag. Except for a higher screen resolution (1366 x 768 pixels), these 50-inch versions share the same specs as the 42-inch models.

Samsung

Samsung HPT-4254 42" Plasma HDTV

Another interesting 42-inch cheap plasma TV option worth mentioning in this plasma TV reviews article is the Samsung HPT4254 42" Plasma HDTV.

The HPT4254 is Samsung's entry-level 720p plasma HDTV. It is selling at just under $1,000; that's $500 below the suggested retail price.

Interesting to note that Samsung is the world's largest flat-panel display manufacturer when taking plasma and LCD panels combined. It is also the world's second largest plasma display maker - after Panasonic - reaching 19.1% market share in worldwide plasma TV sales for the second quarter of 2007.

Samsung is also offering a second 42-inch plasma in its 2007 line-up; this is the Samsung HPT4264 42-inch Plasma HDTV. It is a step-up model over the basic HPT4254. As expected, it comes with a slightly higher price tag at $1,200.

However, the differences between these two models is mainly cosmetic in nature and apart from a USB2.0 port for playing JPEG and MP3s files, both sets share the same specs sheet. Common features include the same high level digital image processing, 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and three HDMI ports. If you don't need the USB connection, the entry-level Samsung HPT-4254 is worth considering.

Within the same 2007 HPT-54 line-up, one also finds the Samsung HPT5054 50-inch Plasma HDTV. Extremely affordable, this represents Samsung entry-level 50-inch 720p plasma HDTV.

Again, it shares the same specs sheet as its smaller brother in the series except for a higher screen resolution of 1365 x 768 pixels (instead of the 1024 x 768 pixels found on the smaller 42-inch models). At present, this 50-inch Samsung plasma TV is selling online at close to $1,500 - more than $500 below the suggested list price.

Hitachi

Hitachi P42T501 Plasma HDTV

Hitachi also offers an interesting range of 'value category' plasmas. The Hitachi P42T501 Plasma HDTV and Hitachi P42H401 form the latest new pair of what Hitachi defines as 'HD1080' 42-inch plasma TVs.

Both Hitachi plasma HDTVs come with an interesting feature set, three HDMI inputs, and a unique 1024 x 1080 pixel screen resolution.

The latter delivers 41 per cent more vertical screen resolution than the majority of plasma TVs in this screen size. The 1080 vertical pixel resolution should make rescaling of 1080i content easier.

The Hitachi P42T501 and the Hitachi 42H401 plasma HDTV sets are presently selling at amazon for approximately $1,100 and $1,200 respectively. These reduced prices represent savings of between $500 and $400 below the suggested retail prices.

Equally interesting in the Hitachi range is the 50-inch version in the H401 series. The Hitachi P50H401 50-inch HD1080 Plasma HDTV is presently selling on-line at $1,500, almost $600 below the suggested retail price. It shares the same feature set as the smaller brother except for a somewhat higher 1280 x 1080 pixel resolution. This screen resolution represents some 30 per cent more pixels than typical 50-inch 720p plasma HDTVs.  

What about a refurbished Plasma TV? A possible alternative when looking for a cheap plasma TV is to consider buying refurbished electronics. Refurbished does not mean you are getting something less in terms of product performance. Rather, buying a refurbished plasma TV offers you the possibility of getting what practically is a new product, at a substantial discount.

It is not possible in this Plasma TV Reviews article to propose specific refurbished products since when it comes to refurbished electronics, inventory changes fast. However...

To discover more on the option of buying refurbished electronics, check our Guide to Buying Refurbished Electronics. It mainly discusses LCD TV sets, but the issues raised equally apply to refurbished plasma TVs.

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