Samsung PS42B450B1M (42-inch plasma)

By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
Sep 25, 2009

Among Samsung's 2009 plasma TV entries, the PS42B450B1M falls within the second lowest tier. However, this did not prevent the Korean chaebol from delivering value-added features to increase the panel's overall appeal. These include luxurious touch controls, a motion-oriented 100Hz Motion Plus engine and Integrated Digital TV (IDTV) found in its higher-end siblings. Let's have a quick overview of this panel's remaining key capabilities to establish whether it's really worth the S$1,599 (US$1,138.40) tag.

Upside:
For a plasma TV of its humble stature, the PS42B450B1M's 100Hz Motion Plus processing is a bonus for sports and action flick junkies. The system utilizes frame interpolation technology to create and insert unique picture frames designed to eliminate motion judder and image blurring. To complement its visual prowess, Samsung has further upgraded this 42-incher with the latest SRS TruSurround HD and Dolby Digital Plus compatibility. The former offers enhanced virtual surround effects and bass performance, while the latter decodes the multichannel soundtracks.

For garnishing, Samsung has included IDTV as well as 3D video rendering support. IDTV does away the need for an additional settop box and enables users to watch digital broadcasts in up to 1080i resolution with Dolby Digital surround sound. Another advantage of this function is an electronic program guide which displays handy TV show schedules onscreen. A 3D Sync Out port on the PS42B450B1M allows a corresponding emitter and glasses to interface with the set. There're even a few 3D effects and formats in the software menu to ensure compatibility.

Downside:
The only key omission for this Korean concoction is built-in multimedia playback (such as Panasonic's Viera Image Viewer and LG's USB 2.0 media solution) which has become increasingly standard among many recent models. There's also no reference to 24p signal handling for the PS42B450B1M's trio of HDMI inputs in the Samsung user manual. This may not go down well with some video purists who would prefer to playback their Blu-ray movies in the native 24 frames-per-second film speed.

Outlook:
At S$1,599 (US$1,138.40), the Samsung PS42B450B1M is possibly one of the most affordable 42-inch plasma TVs with IDTV in the market. And we believe it will appeal to those who would rather go for the IDTV feature to get free HD broadcast reception, than to have onboard multimedia playback capabilities.

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