Date: December 7th, 2005
Article by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Samsung Canada
<--SHOP FOR A PLASMA TV HERE
PRODUCT WALKTHROUGH & PICTORIAL
Let's take you on a short virtual tour around your potential new plasma TV.
First we will start with the power button which is surrounded by a blue illuminated ring which illuminates when the TV is turned off so you can easily find it in a dark living room or den. But that is not all, this is Samsung's new Blue Eye sensor technology which automatically senses and dims and brightens the TV to make the room's current lighting conditions. This will save energy in a dark environment seeing when the room is dark, the sensor can dial back the brightness for energy conservation without losing viewing quality.
Powering the unit on and off will have you hearing some rather interesting sounds which will immediately remind you of Super Mario Bros. for the old Nintendo. Every time I powered the turned the TV off the sound reminded me of the Super Mario theme. I guess it is one of those "you have to hear it to understand it" type of scenario.
On either side of the power button are the included speakers which to be completely honest are not that bad at all and do put out an impressive amount of bass for their small size. Each of the two speakers per side is supplied 12 watts through the onboard audio amplifier. Sure the sound is not even close to your home theater setup, but it isn't bad either. Surround capabilities are only simulated.
The 16:9 aspect screen is completely flat and has no protruding bezel. As you can see above, it looks great. With Samsung's plasma technology upgrades in this years models, the difference between this and a LCD TV is getting slimmer with every new generation. The front is technically just one piece of flat glass which makes really easy cleaning.
Other than the remote, you have the channel, menu and volume controls on the right side of the TV just in case you run out of battery power or the dog has just ate your remote. Although simple, most functions can be accessed through this interface.
While still focusing on the side of this particular TV, you will notice the main characteristic that makes all plasma televisions so popular. Even though this is a full 42 inches of viewing area, the overall depth is just below four inches. This particular monitor is thinner than the LCD TV I reviewed previously and will allow for a wall installation.
