Samsung Plasma Television
Reviews
The HP-R52 Series of Samsung Plasma HDTVs
The HP-R52 series of Samsung plasma television sets
is among the present top-selling plasmas for
2005. This plasma TV review article takes a detailed look at this
line-up of Samsung plasma HDTVs to see what's on offer for your home
entertainment.
Samsung Plasma TVs
Samsung has been
manufacturing plasma display panels since 1999. Since then, Samsung has
become the top supplier of raw plasma display panels worldwide.
...there is more!
Samsung is also the number
one manufacturer of massive plasma display panels; the latest is the 80-inch
HP-R8072.
A prototype of this
impressive cinema-sized 80"
Samsung plasma HDTV was exhibited during the CES 2005.
The HP-R8072
offers the highest level of HDTV support. It has a high level of brightness (1500cd/m2),
a high contrast ratio (5000:1), 12-bit processing, and a native resolution of 1920 x 1080
pixels.
The Innovation Award honored the Samsung HP-R8072
plasma TV as the world's largest consumer television.
It is true that the HP-R8072
is not available yet even though it was supposed to be
released for the consumer market in Summer this year. At the same time, this
development goes to prove
Samsung potential and commitment in the field of plasma display
manufacturing.
Introducing the 2005 line-up of Samsung
Plasma Televisions
Selecting a product line from within the
present 2005 range of Samsung plasma televisions is not easy. There
are seven product lines to choose from and the latest generation of plasma
displays all come with great features and display performance.
A really interesting feature supported by all
models within the present range of Samsung plasmas is a PC input. Surely,
this would come in handy especially on HDTV sets.
Similarly, connectivity is consistent
throughout the full product line, and includes a pair of component-video
inputs, optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, and one HDMI input.
Some manufacturers tend to offer two HDMI inputs; this is not the case with Samsung
line-up of HD plasma televisions.
All Samsung plasma televisions are extremely
competitive and are in line with present industry leader - Panasonic - when
it comes to price. Picture quality of the latest Samsung plasmas is also
very good and will surely give Panasonic some tough competition. However,
Panasonic plasma televisions still have a competitive edge when it comes to
grey-scaling and black-level performance.
Samsung HP-R52 Series of HDTVs
The HP-R52 series is Samsung's top-selling
product line from within the full 2005 line-up of high definition
Samsung plasma television sets.
Other HD plasmas from this year line-up include the
entry-level Samsung HP-R4262 HDTV, and the step-up series
HP-R72.
The HP-R72 is in reality a step-up over the
HP-R52. The main difference - feature wise - between these two product
ranges is that the HP-R72 incorporates an extra A/V input located on the
side of unit; a 10-speaker setup is also used instead of the standard 4-speaker
system used in the HP-R52 series.
The HP-R52 series of Samsung plasma HDTVs
covers two models - the Samsung HP-R4252 42" HD Plasma TV and the Samsung HP-R5052 50" HD Plasma
Television .
These two Samsung plasma televisions come with identical feature set
except for a different native resolution; the 42-inch model supports a
native screen resolution of 1024 x 768 - as against the 1366 x 768 pixels
for the 50-inch set. This somewhat lower screen resolution for the 42" model
is typical for all 42-inch HD plasmas irrespective of brand - in fact, we do
not know of any 42-inch HD plasma TV that supports a screen native resolution
higher than 1024 x 768.
As already indicated, the Samsung HP-R52 is proving to be one
of the most popular product ranges within the 2005 line-up of Samsung plasma
televisions. There is a very simple reason for this - both models in this
series of Samsung plasma HDTV sets come at an affordable price tag. The 42" Samsung HP-R4252 is
presently selling online at less than $2,500, while its big brother, the
50" HP-R5052, is selling at
under $3,700.
At $2,500, the 42-inch HP-R4252 is among the
'cheapest' HD plasma televisions presently available from one of the top manufactures
in the industry. The real major competition that this model faces comes
either from within the same company's line-up - more
specifically the HP-R4262 42-inch HD Plasma TV , or from the
Panasonic
42" TH-42PX50U Plasma HDTV. (More info on this Panasonic
plasma TV is available in our detailed product review
here).
The Samsung HP-R4262 is a
step-down version of the HP-R4252 Samsung plasma television. It is presently
selling online at practically the same price as the Panasonic 42PX50U i.e.
at around $2,200. It shares almost the same feature set as the set-up model
i.e. same screen native resolution, built-in ATSC tuner for reception of
over-the-air HDTV content, same connectivity support, etc. The only
significant difference being that it does not include the CableCard slot
found on the HP-R4252. This may or may not be an issue depending on
your requirements.
The Samsung HP-R52 Series in Detail
Design: Samsung has employed a new
floating screen design that creates an image that looks as if the display is
suspended in mid-air. The new, premium 'bezel-less' design means there's no
frame around the TV for a big, beautiful picture without boundaries.
The overall design also incorporates
bottom-mounted speakers, while its silver/black color scheme
provides a perfect match for most of today's modern decors.
Display: This series of Samsung plasma
televisions are equipped with Samsung 5th generation wide screen plasma
display panels; these boast a brightness level of 1,300 cd/m2.
Samsung also quotes an almost unrealistic high
contrast ratio of 10,000:1. Surely, the display contrast performance is
exceptional - the ability to deliver subtle color detail without being
washed out by ambient room light is really impressive. At the same time, we
cannot but remark that the 10,000:1 contrast ratio quoted by Samsung
seems a bit unrealistic.
Samsung 5th generation plasmas have
a half-lifetime of 60,000hrs - that's over 20 years at 8hrs per day!
In addition, these Samsung plasma televisions
support a 175-degree horizontal viewing angle, while anti-glare technology
is excellent - thus providing a picture-perfect
entertainment experience from anywhere in the room.
Directly associated with the plasma display is
the use of advanced Anti-Burn Technologies - including the use of
Auto Pixel Shift that keeps the images moving imperceptibly.
Note:
The use of anti-burn technologies does not mean that you can abuse of your plasma display as if it is
not susceptible to burn-in; the usual precautions highlighted in our 'Protecting
Your Plasma TV unit' article still applies if you
want to ensure continued best performance over time.
3D Y/C digital comb filter is used to constantly analyze the three dimensions of
picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time, to reduce
dramatically edge image artifacts while improving transition detail.
Built-in Tuners: The HP-R52 series is
also equipped with a built-in HD/Digital tuner (ATSC) for over-the-air High
Definition broadcasts, and a 181-channel tuner (NTSC).
Picture-in-picture (PiP) with side-by-side
split screen enables convenient simultaneous viewing of TV programs and
video or PC sources. Other adjustable video features include color tone,
picture mode, aspect ratio, and sound mode.
DCR: This product line is also Digital
Cable Ready (DCR). This means that you can enjoy digital cable without an
additional set-top box or remote. Worth mentioning here however that the
current generation of CableCard slots do not support video-on-demand or
electronic program guide services.
DNIe: This is Samsung Digital Natural
Image engine (DNIe); it is Samsung's proprietary video enhancement system
that refines all analog NTSC and wideband video inputs for an overall
improvement in picture quality. DNIe improves contrast, white level, picture
detail and incorporates digital noise reduction to improve lower quality
video inputs.
Because everyone sees colors differently,
Samsung's DNIe My Color Control allows you to adjust the
individual colors of your set without distorting other colors. The range of
color adjustment includes Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and White. This
ensures true to life colors such as green grass, blue sky and realistic skin
tones. White Tone Enhancement also ensures the purest whites
possible.
Sound: These Samsung plasma televisions come with a 30-watt
stereo audio system (two 15-watt 2-way speakers). Though not enough for
serious home theater applications, yet the built-in audio system should
provide ample sound for general TV viewing.
SRS TruSurround XT™:
This is Samsung patent virtual surround sound
- which
solves the problem of playing 5.1 multi-channel audio content over the set's two
speaker set-up. It provides a compelling, virtual surround sound field
through the two-speaker internal playback system.
Connectivity: The Samsung HP-R52 series offers a good range of
connections for DVD, DTV, PC, and HDTV sources; full details are given
below:
|
Composite Video Input |
1 |
|
S-Video Input |
1 |
|
Component Video A/V Input |
2 (480i/480p/720p/1080i) |
|
PC (RGB) input |
1 (D-Sub 15 Pin) |
|
PC Audio input |
1 |
|
DVI Input |
1 |
|
HDMI Input |
1 |
|
CableCard Slot |
1 |
|
RF Input |
2 (1-NTSC, 1-ATSC) |
|
Audio Monitor Output |
1 |
|
Digital Audio Output |
1 (1-optical, 1-coaxial) |
Other features include
Fan-less cooling design for low noise operation,
VESA wall mount compatibility, and discrete IR codes for use with a
macro/programmable remote for creating your own functions.
Additionally, you can also control all your
Samsung A/V components through a single TV remote with Samsung's Anynet
system - a network control solution for operating a wide variety of Samsung
devices.
Product Dimensions and Weight
|
Model |
Width
(Inches) |
Height
(Inches) |
Depth*
(Inches) |
Weight
(Pounds) |
|
HP-R4252
42" Samsung Plasma Television |
41.7" |
29.1" |
3.7" |
93.5 |
|
HP-R5052
50" Samsung Plasma Television |
48.4" |
32.5" |
3.7" |
114 |
|
*
Without stand; depth of unit complete with stand is 13.4" |
Concluding Remarks:
The HP-R52 series of Samsung Plasma
Televisions - like all plasmas in the 'value' category from top
manufactures - are not cheap, but
still come with an affordable price tag.
Picture quality is also very good. It is clear
that Samsung has made many improvements here although
Panasonic still leads in this respect. The complete feature set, massive
array of inputs, and stylish design surely make the HP-R52 series a
tempting purchase for the price.
Prior to your decision, we suggest you take a look at what other customers
had to say about the HP-R52 series of Samsung Plasma Televisions.
All you have to do is to click
on the following links to access the respective Samsung plasma television
product page at amazon.com;
then follow through the 'Customers Reviews' section on the same webpage.
We are also listing the product link for the HP-R4262 entry level 42-inch
plasma HDTV referred to in this article; this represents a cheaper
alternative in case the CableCARD slot is not required.
The HP-R52
series:
The HP-R62
Entry-level HDTV option
Final Recommendation:
Setup DVDs:
If you would like to make the most out of your new
Samsung plasma television, we recommend that you invest in a good setup
DVD. A must have is the
AVIA (Audio Visual Interactive Aid) Home Theater Setup DVD
- an exceptional audio/video calibration and setup tool, suitable for both
the novice and the expert.
...or check our
Guide to Home Theater Set-Up DVDs for more
information of Set-Up Discs and possible alternatives that may be more
suitable for your needs.
More Samsung plasma television reviews will follow soon. Subscribe to our free monthly e-zine to
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Last updated
on: |
9th
November 2005 |
...back to
Plasma TV Reviews
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