Hisense TA42P-HDRA 42" HDTV Plasma (Discuss)

[Hersh007]

I was part of the failed 3G buy and saw this pop up today, here are the specs, price is similar to 3G:

Hisense TA42P-HDRA 42-Inch 1024 x 768 3000:1 Contrast HD-Ready Plasma TV with DVI

Display Area: 42"
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 3000:1
Resolution: 1024 x 768

Audio Ports: 3
Speakers: 2

Inputs
15 pin D-Sub
Component In
Composite RCA
DVI-D
RS-232 Communication
S-Video

Input Terminals Video
RF connector
Y, Pb/Cb, Pr/Cr

Outputs
RCA
RCA Audio

Output Terminals
Headphone

Unit Dimensions (WxHxD): 45" x 32.25" x 14.75"

Here’s to Long Life!
HiSense 42-inch HDTV Plasma Display
It’s the latest generation in plasma technology! And the impact it has on you the first time you drink it in will be something you will remember forever. Just like the first time you heard the pure digital sound of a compact disc. It’s the HiSense 42-inch Long Life Plasma. Believe us, you will not forget it. Latest Generation plasma panel with 3000:1 contrast ratio. Sky-high 1000 cd/m2 brightness. 1024 x 768 native HD resolution. Widescreen 16:9 format. Combined with extraordinary digital picture enhancement technologies such as Motion Adaptive De-Interlace and Film Mode, allows this set creates vividly realistic images that command the viewer’s rapt attention. Advance feature set includes: PIP, Split Screen, Freeze Frame, Multi Brand Universal Remote Control and DVI Input w/ HDCP decoder for DIRECT DIGITAL FEED from HDTV sources. Lots of other brands DVI inputs are only for PCs! Razor thin 3.3-inch bezel. Features a true HDTV experience with a massive widescreen display. Comes in stylish, functional two-tone cabinet. Gorgeous black bezel edge enhances contrast and draws viewers in. One of the world’s leading entries into the new Long Life category of plasma displays. Includes Multi-Brand Universal Remote control, table stand and speakers. Simply unforgettable. The HiSense 42-inch Long Life Plasma Display.

Features

Widescreen 16:9 Format
Advanced circuitry to de-interlace old analog interlace signals to progressive digital
Scaling Circuitry that takes old 4:3 format and fills to 16:9 or widescreen
PIP Picture in picture feature
POP Picture on Picture for side by side viewing of 2 sources with adjustable aspect ratio
Digital Freeze Frame like taking a photo of any moment on TV
10 Watt per channel HSE (Hisense Sonic Enhancement circuit) Stereo Speaker system, with 20 watts of total power
Detachable Side mount Speakers
Table Top Stand included
Multi-brand, multi-function remote control pre-programmed to work with most cable, satellite, VCR and DVD player/recorders. Has a total of 3000 user codes.
User friendly Advanced 3-D, 256 color on screen menu system

Anyone have first hand knowledge of this brand or even better of the actual unit? Sure seems like a good deal but thats on paper =)

Thanks,

Scott

[Crazy Eyes]

Are you buying this online or in a store?



Per Hisense's info on my LCD's warranty page "No authorized dealers are allowed to sell the products plasma display monitors on the Internet, through an online retailer or any similar e-tailing website."


If it is online - you might call Hisense and verify if you will have a warranty if you purchase it online.

Their # 888-935-8880

[memikee]

I ordered one 13 Aug from Tiger. Still waiting 'cuz they totally screwed up their delivery system. Near impossible to find out anything about it and not very trusting of reviews at a reseller's website but...

Had a nice, enjoyable, long talk w/ the technicians at Hisense (called to complain about the screwed up website - can't download, e-mail didn't work). Gave specs on Panel (latest Samsung - also used in the Phillips [i think]). I have the TL3220 LCD and the features are solid so I think the plasma should have the same level of picture.

Latest from Tiger, will ship Friday

If I don't post back w/results, either I never got it or I'm enjoying it too much.

-mike

(PS TigerDirect is an (the only) authorized dealer

[Hersh007]

Great! I eagerly await a review =)

[Q&A]

I look forward to the review too!

It seems like a great deal at this price. I don't understand why we don't see more people here interested in this set.

Good luck!

[gotrees]

Originally Posted by memikee

I ordered one 13 Aug from Tiger. Still waiting 'cuz they totally screwed up their delivery system. Near impossible to find out anything about it and not very trusting of reviews at a reseller's website but...

Had a nice, enjoyable, long talk w/ the technicians at Hisense (called to complain about the screwed up website - can't download, e-mail didn't work). Gave specs on Panel (latest Samsung - also used in the Phillips [i think]). I have the TL3220 LCD and the features are solid so I think the plasma should have the same level of picture.

Latest from Tiger, will ship Friday

If I don't post back w/results, either I never got it or I'm enjoying it too much.

-mike

(PS TigerDirect is an (the only) authorized dealer

Any news on this? The price sure is right for this set and it may just be my first plasma set if it doesn't suck.

[memikee]

It shipped at 1am friday. is supposed to be delivered this friday.

[gotrees]

There's a tigerdirect store here in Chicago. If I can get my dish installed tomorrow or Friday, I'll just go down and pick one up -- supposedly they are in stock. In any case, I'll be curious to hear what you think. I'm sure I'll be blown away no matter what since this is my first plasma so I'd like to hear a more educated opinion.

[maximum360]

Cool. I might have to check this out.

[memikee]

They had a second price cut so that should help!

[memikee]

Well I got it a day early so got to try it out on the game. Overall impression: glad I got it, no real complaints (but after a few days I might start to notice the "little" things)

Box wasn't that heavy, probably could have come ups, not truck

Screen is a bit heavy, might want to get help setting it up. If you can get it out of the box by yourself, you should be OK (why don't they put handholds on these?).

Instructions - basically none. Hard to read and squat for pictures. The two little stands are for the speakers unless you want the speakers side-mounted to the set (or use a stereo). The two metal parts go into the base and are held w/ the self tapping screws. The base slides into the bottom of the tv and are held with machine screws. Seems pretty stable.

I'm using a DTV H10 HD receiver (now I can see its shortcomings). First tried the component cables. picture looked great on 1080i, 720p, and dvd player. Immediately lowered the brightness for the 100 hr break-in and the color got yucky, picked up a very red cast, especially on the non-HD channels. Messed w/color controls and got it in the ballpark then tried the HDMI DVI-D cable (for audio through the speakers, you need an adapter to a mico plug, like on your headset, fortunately had one). Color much better on all channels.

I'll wait to calibrate after the initial break-in when I'll bump up the brightness a tad.

The view angle is great. Can get way off to the side and the picture still looks solid.

Tried the picture w/ a Voom tuner for OTA and dicovered the H10 was causing the picture to look blurry on non-HD channels and oversaturation on the colors. The Voom box looked outstanding. in the menu there is an advanced option where noise reduction, low angle, Maoi, film... a bunch of stuff that's supposed to sharpen the picture. Turned them all on and they helped a lot.

Bottom-line. Before I get it calibrated, this is as good as any picture I've seen on any screen less than $3000. I anticipate it will be better after the break-in. The speakers sound fine, I haven't tried them at high volume yet. There are Ant, AV, SVideo, component, DVI-D, and svga inputs.

I like the looks, I like the picture. If after watching for a while, I start noticing things, I'll get back with ya.

cheers,
Mike

[mmans]

memikee - Sounds great. I have one on order also. It's in the "processing in wharehouse" stage. Hopefully It doesn't take a month to get here like yours did. I'll share my views once it here.

I do have a pdf copy of the manual if anybodys interested let me know and I can send it to you. The website link says "File not found." I'd post it here but I don't know how and since this is my first post I don't think I can.


Mike

[ultracat]

Hi all,

Mine shipped last week, should be here soon. I'll post a review once I get it setup and calibrated with DVE. Seems like a really sweet deal - this is the sort of price point I've been waiting for!

Anyone know what anti burn-in features this set has, if any?

[j118418]

Originally Posted by memikee

Well I got it a day early so got to try it out on the game. Overall impression: glad I got it, no real complaints (but after a few days I might start to notice the "little" things)

...

cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike, Would you mind letting me know the width of the TV (Hisense TA42P-HDRA 4) without the speakers attached? I can't find this info anywhere - neither Tigerdirect nor Hisense reps were helpful enough to give me a definite answer.

I need to know whether I can fit the TV into a built-in closet before buying it.

Thanks -

JZ.

[memikee]

sure, it 40 and 7/8 inches wide wo speakers

and everyone who watched this weekend (including wife) love this screen. after all the games, several dvd's, & shows w/ logos - no ghosting, burn-in and superb resolution and color.

[j118418]

Thanks!

[phantom203r]

I've been keeping an eye on this set for a while, I know tha it is basicly a samsung, but wasn't sure about the quality.Can anyone post some pics when they have it all set up?Thanks

[phantom203r]

I found this site http://www.tradezone.com/tradesites/beautalent101.html showing that it has a samsung longlife panel and detailed spec if it helps anyone out.

[j118418]

Just put in an order through Tigerdirect. It was very troublesome to get the credit through and I had to call my bank twice. One odd thing: when my credit was rejected when ordering via the web, I called the Tigerdirect number that popped up and the guy on the other ends was friendly in helping me resubmit the oder. He couldn't get through the credit through either. So I called my bank. The odd things here is that the my credit history showed that the Tiger guy tried to charge $50 more to my credit card (and didn't tell me anything on the phone. This cannot be the next shipping upgrade, which should be something like $65 more). In hinsight, it could have costed me $50 more if he got my credit through! I suspect it was his commission and if it was, it is a bit dishonest.

Anyway, after already investing time on the issue, I decide to put in the order anyway, now with my fingers crossed.

JZ

[memikee]

i've bought much from tiger over the years and they've always been great - until this summer when they tried a new delivery system. i had a credit card problem but it wasn't the bank. tiger has an internal max amount requiring you to talk to their "people" to say its ok.

but after complaining about the delays, they did give me $100 back on shipping and dropped the price twice so i ended up saving $400 from my original order, i don't think the salesperson was out to cheat you, i think they're just screwed up right now.

hope they get their act together before Christmas

[ultracat]

Hi all,

Got mine last night and set it up. I ordered DVE online at the same time, but it hasn't come yet so I didn't really calibrate it (just tweaked it to my eye and eased off the torch mode settings). I hooked it up with component to my SA8300HD set to passthru. My viewing distance is about 7.5 feet. I watched House and that new show Bones, both on HD FOX. In short, I am VERY happy with this purchase. The PQ is excellent. I don't have a digital camera to show you, but just to describe it it is crystal clear, great colour saturation - better than film-like. This is not a $2500 picture quaility; it is the same quality picture as those other plasmas that are going for 4 grand.

I did have a bit of a heart attack this morning though. I left it on overnight on PBSHD zoomed in so the station logo is not visible; I'm trying to speed up my 100hr breakin. My PVR or the TV must have an autoshut-off feature because the feed was not running - the tv was powered on and blank/black and my PVR was off. I noticed what I thought was burn-in of my PVR navigator bar and also the tv setting menu (probably from playing around with it so much the night before). I freaked - ruined already! So, I threw the PBS feed back onscreen in zoom and had my morning shower. When I came back down about 20 minutes later I checked the screen again - no burn in - zero. Yay! It was just normal image retention.

I noticed also what an earlier poster said about using the component in on the tv - there is definitely some kind of red push. I've ordered a DVI cable and I'll see if it looks better hooked up to my 8300HD.

Also, just ordered a Harmony 880. For those of you looking for a better remote then the crap one that comes with this tv, I've confirmed that the Harmony supports this TV.

I'll post a better review once I've got it calibrated and know what I'm doing with it. For now, I'd say grab it while tiger is still selling them so cheap. It's friggin' awesome for the price, nothing beats it that I've seen.

Questions for other owners out there:

- I noticed some of the settings are not accessible. For example, I can adjust brightness and contrast, but not hue/tint (it's an option in the menu, it just won't let me access it). Are you experiencing the same thing? Any idea how to unlock this? Other locked settings for me are v-chip, that satellite icon whatever that does, PIP, and CC settings.

- the manual says there is a built-in pixel orbiter / shifter. It doesn't say how to turn it on or off. Is it always on? All their other features turn on and off (scaler / deinterlacer / 3:2 pulldown /etc.) Do you think they maybe just threw that in the manual to satisfy people but the panel doesn't really have the feature?

[Q&A]

Ultracat,

Congratulations on your purchase. I am glad to see that you like your new set. Please keep us posted of your opinion as you have more experience watching this set. Has anyone compared it to the other "value" plasmas, such as visio and Maxent?
I just wish they would make it in black...

[phantom203r]

Originally Posted by ultracat

Hi all,

Got mine last night and set it up. I ordered DVE online at the same time, but it hasn't come yet so I didn't really calibrate it (just tweaked it to my eye and eased off the torch mode settings). I hooked it up with component to my SA8300HD set to passthru. My viewing distance is about 7.5 feet. I watched House and that new show Bones, both on HD FOX. In short, I am VERY happy with this purchase. The PQ is excellent. I don't have a digital camera to show you, but just to describe it it is crystal clear, great colour saturation - better than film-like. This is not a $2500 picture quaility; it is the same quality picture as those other plasmas that are going for 4 grand.

I did have a bit of a heart attack this morning though. I left it on overnight on PBSHD zoomed in so the station logo is not visible; I'm trying to speed up my 100hr breakin. My PVR or the TV must have an autoshut-off feature because the feed was not running - the tv was powered on and blank/black and my PVR was off. I noticed what I thought was burn-in of my PVR navigator bar and also the tv setting menu (probably from playing around with it so much the night before). I freaked - ruined already! So, I threw the PBS feed back onscreen in zoom and had my morning shower. When I came back down about 20 minutes later I checked the screen again - no burn in - zero. Yay! It was just normal image retention.

I noticed also what an earlier poster said about using the component in on the tv - there is definitely some kind of red push. I've ordered a DVI cable and I'll see if it looks better hooked up to my 8300HD.

Also, just ordered a Harmony 880. For those of you looking for a better remote then the crap one that comes with this tv, I've confirmed that the Harmony supports this TV.

I'll post a better review once I've got it calibrated and know what I'm doing with it. For now, I'd say grab it while tiger is still selling them so cheap. It's friggin' awesome for the price, nothing beats it that I've seen.

Questions for other owners out there:

- I noticed some of the settings are not accessible. For example, I can adjust brightness and contrast, but not hue/tint (it's an option in the menu, it just won't let me access it). Are you experiencing the same thing? Any idea how to unlock this? Other locked settings for me are v-chip, that satellite icon whatever that does, PIP, and CC settings.

- the manual says there is a built-in pixel orbiter / shifter. It doesn't say how to turn it on or off. Is it always on? All their other features turn on and off (scaler / deinterlacer / 3:2 pulldown /etc.) Do you think they maybe just threw that in the manual to satisfy people but the panel doesn't really have the feature?

Congrats, did you try hooking up the xbox yet if you did how did it look.

[mmans]

My TV arrives tomorrow via ABF Freight System. Whats the standard procedure for getting delivery a plasma? I know to inspect the box for damage. Should I unpack and hook it up before I sign for it? I dont want to be rude to the delivery guy and make him wait for an hour while I test it out. Any suggestions?

[memikee]

Trying the different remote functions, v-chip works w/ avi and s-video but not component or dvi. Likewise, the some of the color control options are available in some view modes but not others. I haven't called hisense for the factory code but i suspect the orbiter control is in there.

[ultracat]

Originally Posted by phantom203r

Congrats, did you try hooking up the xbox yet if you did how did it look.

I've still got the xbox hooked to my old SD CRT. I've got the plasma on a 24hr DVD loop until this weekend to break it in. I wouldn't dare hookup a game system to a plasma for the first 100hrs. I'll let you know once it's hooked up, but I'm not expecting much from it based on the differences in watching 480p vs. HD television (I see big differences). What I'm really waiting for is the HD xbox360 to come out.

[ultracat]

Originally Posted by memikee

Trying the different remote functions, v-chip works w/ avi and s-video but not component or dvi. Likewise, the some of the color control options are available in some view modes but not others. I haven't called hisense for the factory code but i suspect the orbiter control is in there.

Thanks Memikee, that's what I see too. As long as it's "normal" for this set, I'm ok with it. I just wanted to be sure I didn't have a wonky factory setup on my particular set.

Another question for owners out there - I tried last night to hook up my SA8300HD via HDMI-DVI cable. I'm getting a solid black or green bar on the extreme right of the picture on HD channels. Do you think this is the cable, the STB, or the TV's input/scaler? I'm hoping it's not the TV's handling of the input that's messing it up. I'm going to try replacing the cable and if that doesn't work replacing the STB (I rent it) - but if anyone has any experience that will allow me to skip all that I'd really appreciate it!

[memikee]

How big of a bar? I have no bars on any of the four sides. There is a feature to move the screen up/dn/lt/rt. Maybe you can shift it a few clicks over? I use a $10 e-bay hdmi-dvi cable. Just finishing up color calibrating and I have no complaints. Don't think I'll spend $$$$ on the good cables (but I have a very short run - 3' - so that might also affect the signal quality)

[ultracat]

Originally Posted by memikee

How big of a bar? I have no bars on any of the four sides. There is a feature to move the screen up/dn/lt/rt. Maybe you can shift it a few clicks over? I use a $10 e-bay hdmi-dvi cable. Just finishing up color calibrating and I have no complaints. Don't think I'll spend $$$$ on the good cables (but I have a very short run - 3' - so that might also affect the signal quality)

Thanks for trying to help. I found the setting you are talking about and this allowed me to move the green bar off the screen, but I can't seem to get it exactly centered (when the bar is gone on one side, it is there on the other side). Do you mind telling me your up/down/left/right settings on the DVI input?

Also, even when the color bar (green on the right / orange on the left if it shows) disappears there is still a small 1/16" black line on the right side of the screen. If I go up really close to it, I don't see any pixels there. This is true if I swich to all the different inputs (which otherwise look ok). I'm thinking that they may have mounted the panel 1/16th of an inch to the left off-centre in manufacturing. I don't know if it's worth taking back though, it's not all that noticable...I'll have to think about it a bit - it'll be a lot of effort to ship it back and get a replacement shipped. Have you inspected your's really close up? Let me know if you see any imperfections like this. I didn't notice it at first, but now that I have it seems to be catching my eye.

You know those black strips buffering the edge of the plastic frame and the start of the plasma panel? How wide are yours? Mine are 0.5". If mine were only a smidgen wider I wouldn't see this stuff.

[memikee]

ultracat,

i checked real close and do not have any bars, lines, or blank pixels in dvi or s-video modes. every pixel on the screen is working. i never noticed the 1/2" inner bezel before because it blends into the outer bezel but i do have it.