Not bad for for the price...
Written: Oct 06 '03 (Updated Sep 01 '04)
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Pros: Lots of connections
Cheap
Cons: Average picture quality
Poor customer service from gateway
The Bottom Line: If you need to save space and money, a good choice.
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| leftythechin's Full Review: Gateway PLSM42TV 42 in. EDTV-Ready Plasma TV |
OK, let me start by saying I bought this tv after reading a few good reviews and deciding that I wanted to spend under $3000. Also, my place is small and CRT would have just killed what little space I have. So I bought the Gatway and here is the deal:
1) The picture is fine from my digital cable box but only in 4:3. If you stretch to 16:9 you get major distortion. I have an HD converter coming this week so I'm hoping to see improvements in the HD channels (HBO, ESPN etc).
2) Let's talk about cost. First, do not let Gateway charge you $450 to put that thing on a wall. Hire a local Plasma installer to do it for you. I found a guy on the internet who gave me a two year guarantee through his company AND he only charged $200. Gateway did charge me $100 for delivery, which was reasonable I guess (although for that amount you'd think they would throw in free delivery). The wall mount is another $275. Tax was about $220 total. Really good (Monster) cables cost another $250. I upgraded my DVD player to prgressive scan...another $250. Finally, I need to buy the HDTV converter - $300. As you can see, this stuff starts to add up.
3) My compaints about the picture. Dark movies or dark scenes from movies suck. It's almost impossible to watch Minority Report on this TV. On the other hand, the bright scenes from Lord of The Rings are amazing. I have a really sweet DVD player and excellent connections, so it must be the TV. You should just be aware of this. Notice in the Gateway stores that they never play a DVD or input that is dark. Everything is bright. They are quite clever.
So there you go. Take this as you will...for me it was the right choice, it saved space, rocks most DVD's and hopefully will look better with my HDTV converter. I'll let you know when I get it. Oh, last item...when I contacted Gatway to help me "get the most" out of the TV, their Customer Service dept was full of morons that proved to be incredibly unhelpful. I dont like them very much.
***Updated on Sept 1.
Well, I now have my HD converter (Time warner builds one into one of their cable boxes - no need to buy it!) and I have come to really like this TV. Analog stations still suck (Time warner does not broadcast TNT, TBS or ESPN in High Def yet...they are really upsetting me) but I must say, I am impressed with the high def stations. Monday night football is just ridiculously good.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2900
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Epinions.com ID:
leftythechin
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Reviews written: 1
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