The Plasma TV Blog

When you are reviewing a product line like the Samsung Plasma Televisions, you pick up on a bit of the logic used in the selection of model numbers. For this model that was fairly simple. The HP is for High Definition Plasma, and the S42 indicates a 42 inch screen size and denotes Samsung as the maker. It is the last number that causes a bit of concern. There are three 42 inch models made by Samsung, and this one has the smallest final two digits.

When this happens, it is necessary to see just what this model is leaving out in the way of features, and what is the difference in price. With this information you can decide if the price saving is worth what you might be giving up.

One thing that you are not giving up with the S4233 model is a very, very good Plasma type picture on your screen. This is usually the most important matter anyway, and the one that makes the biggest impression when you are standing in front of it at the retail store comparing it to other models. Samsung seems very proud of its trademarked FilterBright Plus feature, and what they call DNle Technology. They also brag of their 13 bit processing which they claim produces 549 billion color combinations. These picture enhancing features are present on the “33” model.

The cabinet is their Truewide design with the SR5 Surround Sound speaker system. The speakers are built into the cabinet, and this allows a depth of a mere 3.8 inches making this a very slim unit. The shipping weight is only 89 pounds. It is very attractive, light weight, and will fit into just about any viewing area. The FilterBright Plus and the very high contrast ratio of 10,000:1 will give a good picture in any ambient light. You should note that the Samsung Power Save feature that adjusts brightness to ambient light automatically is not included on this unit. That seems to be just about the only thing missing though as even the connection array is complete and does not differ from the other 42” models at all. The HDMI interface ports are there, as are the RGA and USB ports for connection to your personal computer. You are not giving up much with this model compared to the other 42 inch Plasmas of Samsung, and so taking a close look at price, and deciding how much you prefer the overall physical styling might be the best ways to go in evaluating the HP-S4233.