Dell W4201C Plasma Purchase

[CO-TLS]

First of all, i would like to introduce myself, as this is my first post.
I have been browsing the Plasma/LCD forum for some time, and have read a few posts from people who would like to see a review for the Dell W4201C Plasma. After lots of research, i made the decision to purchase the Dell W4201C high definition plasma television. I simply could not find a better deal for a television with similar specifications. I placed the order today, and according to the Dell order status system, i should have my TV sometime between January 1st and 3rd. I currently work in the IT dept for a company who utilizes Dell pc's and servers, and we have had very few problems with Dell products (i would be lying if i said this did not influence my purchase decision ). When we did experience problems, their technical support was outstanding; replacement parts would always arrive the next day!
Once i finally set up and adjust my new TV, i will post a review of this product and answer any questions you all may have. i look forward to becoming an active participant in this forum.
Thank you, and hello!

[pidge]

Mine is supposed to arrive this Thursday. I'll have mine ahead of yours by a few days

[CO-TLS]

cool! congrats on your new purchase. i just checked Dell's order status page...mine shipped out this morning and is has an ETA of Jan 4th. (i think it should arrive before then, as mine shipped w/ the 3-5 day shipping option).

[TCoop]

I just ordered the W4201C. Looking forward to seeing it!

[Tantrum]

Any news? I am about to pull the trigger on the same deal, but have been looking for some sort of review. It seems as if you are one of the few people to buy this thing...

[TCoop]

Mine is due 1/10. I think a couple people in this forum are set to get theirs sooner. I gave up on waiting for a review before making the purchase. I usually don't do that, but there were enough reasons for me to get this, I decided to get it.

[neerbeer]

Hi,
I'm on the fence right now. I finally finished my basement and am ready to buy. For the last year I was 95% sure that I would get the panny th-42px50u when the time came but now that Dell has this new unit out I am very impressed by it. I like the physical looks of it better with the speakers side mounted and removeable verses the pannys bottom mounted speakers. Some other areas I like better are the on screed menus, the number of connections that come standars, the sound quality through the included speakers and the price. I still like the pannys 8th generation build quality and known reputation in the plasma industry. I have read that Dell uses Samsumgs panels is that true? What were the reasons that pushed you to decide on the Dell? Are you worried that the 42" will experience the same issues that folks are having with the W5001C and the pasterization in the dark areas?

Any and all comments are welcome. I need to make up my mind by Wed to get the deal through Dell.
Thanks, Brian

[TCoop]

My reasons for buying the Dell:

- price I was able to get it for
- the specs (high contrast ratio, 60,000 lifespan (maybe), the inputs)
- the fact that this is a new design - I'm hopefully making a good assumption that it will be an improvement on the older 4200, which had mixed reviews - I think people did like the PQ of the 4200, in general
- the look/size of it - it will work perfectly where I will be putting it

I'm guessing any PQ issues (pasterization in the dark areas) might follow in the 4201C - I think a major portions of the components are the same in the 42" and the 50". In fact, it looks like they share the same user manual. The only difference is the contrast ratio, from what I can tell.

I saw the 50" at a Dell kiosk, and was impressed with the picture. I'm not a videophile, so could have missed something. But, based on what I saw with the 50", I think I will be very pleased with the 42".

Hope this helps...

[stty0]

Ordered mine today thru my Dell Coporate rep. I had asked him what would happen if one of these had to be serviced outside of warranty. He said he would check and let me know. It took him 3 days, but he personally returned my call and said that although Dell does not have service facilities for these, I would be able to take it to any reputable repair/service shop and they could order parts from Dell for it. The rep also said he personally had a W4200HD plasma in his home (he won it in a raffle from Dell) and was quite pleased with it and the wall mount that Dell sells.

30 days to return and you can extend warranty any time before your original warranty expires. I especially like the dual NTSC and NTSC/ATSC tuners, and dual HDMI ports on the unit.

[lewdog007]

I am going nuts trying to find a review on this Plasma, or for that matter any of the new / updated Dell models. Does anybody have any personal reviews, or third party reviews???

Thanks!

[TCoop]

I've been looking off and on for the past couple of weeks and have found nothing. I think this forum will be your best bet, as a few of us have ordered them and will be getting them very soon.

[Tantrum]

Mine is coming on the 11th, but I am no expert when it comes to Plasma TVs. This will be my first. I will have a few comparision pictures, but they rarely do justice anyway.

[stty0]

Originally Posted by lewdog007

I am going nuts trying to find a review on this Plasma, or for that matter any of the new / updated Dell models. Does anybody have any personal reviews, or third party reviews???

Thanks!

Thats probably because these tv's only started selling in early december from what i can tell. I am sure that those of us who have them here can start an "Official W4201C" thread to share our thoughts...

[brianlin87]

Originally Posted by CO-TLS

cool! congrats on your new purchase. i just checked Dell's order status page...mine shipped out this morning and is has an ETA of Jan 4th. (i think it should arrive before then, as mine shipped w/ the 3-5 day shipping option).

any review yet?

[neerbeer]

Costco com is selling the W4201C and W5001C plasmas on their site. They also include a 2 year warranty. This along with their great return policy I think has just pushed me off the fence.

Thanks, Brian

[stty0]

Originally Posted by sellis16

Is the two-year-warranty through Dell? If so, kinda sucks, in that you'd have to mail it back. If it's through Costco...does this really mean that if you had a problem after 22 months you could bring it back and get a refund (as no replacement model would be available at that time)? Seems like there must be a catch.

I dont see how the warranty could be through Costco instead of Dell. However, the order page does say the standard "You can return this at any one of our 400 Costco locations" .. but all pages always say that, so I am not sure. If anyone is considering buying from Costco, call them/Dell up and confirm this before purchasing. Costco.ca had the W4201 with a 3year warranty, but it ended up being $300 more than getting the Boxing week deal directly from Dell and bumping up the warranty to 3 years.

Note that avdeals sells extended warranties through VAC Service Corp., you can purchase upto an additional 4 year warranty (after your initial manufacturer warranty expires) for a total of 5 years for a little over $400 CDN, while Dell will charge you about $700 for the same.

[neerbeer]

Yes the two year warranty is through Dell. When I talked with someone at my local Costco today on the phone she said that they want you to deal with Dell if there is a problem in the first two years. This is using their on site service or box and ship back standard policy. The person at my Costco told me they don't believe that anyone should have to buy extended warranties and if something happened after two years or more simply return it with a copy of the recipt and they would gladly refund your money. I was amazed when I heard this too. They went on to say that they had to limit the return period on the computer products to 6 months because people were returning computers after two years and just upgrading. This is what i would call abousing the system. If you would have a problem I think they will stand behind it.
Brian

[TCoop]

and so far, it looks great. I've only really watched off-air HD broadcasts so far (I can see the top of the 2 broadcast towers that are about 20 miles from my house - I can pick up all of the major network's HD channels with a cheap pair of bunny ears). PBS had a show on last night on their HD channel - and the pq was amazing.

I haven't had much time with it yet, so I'll gather some more thoughts and post them soon. In the mean time, if anyone has specific questions, let me know.

[oysterhead]

Hello...I'm new to this forum....I accidentally posted in the Dell 50" thread, too, but realized that this thread might be more appropriate...

I've had the 42" Dell 4201c for about 4 days now.

Overall, I'm impressed with the PQ. HD is amazing, especially sports. I have seen some weirdness with really black screeen shots, but nothing major.

My main issue is ghosting. I'm seeing ghost images VERY easily. (I know there's a big thread about ghosting/burn-in, I've read all 34 pages, but I'm hoping to get feedback from other Dell owners). On light backgrounds I can see COMCAST frequently (from the menu guide). I watched tennis for about 1 hr the other night, and the scoreboard was ghosted for at least an hour (could see it from sitting on the couch). If I turn the TV off and on, when standing very close, I can see various images from our recent viewing. The images go away, but it has totally freaked out my fiance. She had a bad dream about burn-in!!

So I called Dell Support tonight, and they had me do a test. Unplug all cables including power, hold the power button for 30 seconds, wait 15 seconds, hold for 30 seconds, and plug back in and power up. Then go to the VGA input and let the RGB box dance around the screen. After each jump, I could see the ghost of the previous location. As soon as I said that, he authorized a replacement to be sent to my home = amazing customer service.

But here's the kicker: if I wait for the replacement, my return period will expire. If the ghosting will go away with the new set, I will be very pleased with this TV. But if it doesn't I'm gonna be upset, and regret not returning.

Has anyone else had ghosting issues with their Dell? If you go to VGA input and let the box dance around, do you see ghosts if you look up close? Please let me know your thoughts. (I'm considering going to a Panny, or perhaps even an LCD or DLP to remove the burn-in worries) thanks

[TCoop]

I just tried the VGA test you described (I have the W4201C), and have no problems with ghosting.

I'm not an expert on this - but, re: ghosting/burn in - from what I have seen on other sites, the first initial hours can be somewhat important with plasmas. It sounds like they are more prone to burn in and ghosting issues during this time. Some advice I've seen is to be careful what you watch in the first 100 hrs (i.e.: tennis scoreboard in the same location for extended periods). I'm sure each person you talk to will have something different to say about this issue, but these are a few bits of advice that I've decided to follow--not sure if they'll make a difference or not.

Re: the blacks - I haven't noticed issues yet watching off-air broadcasts.

[oysterhead]

Thanks for checking...just to make sure, you were standing close to the TV when you looked for the VGA ghosting, right?

How many hours have you used your W410C so far?

[TCoop]

Yep - I was about 2 feet away from the screen. I've probably had it on for a total of 10-12 hrs

[discorder]

Originally Posted by TCoop

I haven't had much time with it yet, so I'll gather some more thoughts and post them soon. In the mean time, if anyone has specific questions, let me know.

How are the noise levels? I think that was a problem with the older Dell 42".

Thanks a bunch for the review so far, I might just get this thing too.

B.

[TCoop]

No problems with the noise so far like the older 4200's.

[Tantrum]

Just got mine today, about 3 hours ago and it has been running for about 2. I ahev 2 HDMI cables, and 2 composite inputs hooked up.
HDMI is working without any problems and so are the components.
I have not had any ghosting problems.
There is no noise coming from the back, just some electronic noise that comes from any appliance. My HTPC is louder than the TV, and you have to put your ear against it to hear it.
HD does look good. DVDs with FFdshow(DVI to HDMI from my 6600GT) look even better. I am quite amazes actually.
I went from a 27 inch crt to this, and so the size difference is quite amazing.
I jsut got my scientific atlanta 8300Hd to work with the dell. So I have both the HDMIS working with no problem whatsoever.

I don't think that you should worry about the burn in, though the ghosting might be a problem.

Any other questions, make sure to let me know.

I was going to do some calibrating, but the pciture quality out of the box seems quite fine, then again I am no pro, and this is my first plasma.

[pidge]

I have had this plasma for a couple of weeks now. Here are my findings.

HDTV looks great. I am able to get great OTA HD reception. Colors look as they should.

SDTV tuner is average. My HTPC has a tv tuner built in and when I play that back on the plasma, the standard definition signal looks cleaner.

The plasma response time is fast when changing channels and the menu is simple to use. The plasma does produce electrical noise but unless you are standing right next to it, you can't really hear it.

The only issues I am enountering is when I playback anything using a DVI to HDMI cable, every 30 minutes or so, the screen will blank out for a half a second and then come back. I read other people on Dell's forums with similar issues and supposedly goes away when you use an HDMI straight cable. I will be receiving my new DVD player today which has native HDMI. I hate this because my HTPC has a Geforce 6600 and outputs really nice DVD picture, nicer than my LG DVD/HDTV tuner set top box. I wish graphic card manufacturers would come out with graphic cards which included HDMI output.

[Tantrum]

I am having some crackling noise from the speakers, anyone else?
Seems to happen more with my HTPC and when the volume is above 70. I am guessing this has more to do with my onboard sound rather than the plasma tv, but you never know.
Please let me know if any of you have had this glitch.

Actually just confirmed that this happens with a regular DVD player as well. As well as the HDMI Cable Box. Weird. Anyone else?

I think this has something to do with the cables instead of the TV. The question is how do I get rid of it? Do the ferrite cores have anything to do with this?

Called Dell. They were not able to find a solution and they are replacing it. The customer service person on the phone suggested that there might have been a bad audio chip. I will be contacted by friday, and then have it replaced. Let's see what happens...

I did notice parts of my wallpaper in the back somewhat burned in, but plasma conditioning took care of that.

[oysterhead]

Got some good news today.

Dell Customer Care (a "plasma specialist") told me that I would have the option to do a full return if I'm unhappy with the replacement set, even though I'll be more than 21 days past invoice. She said the 21 days would "reset" once I have my replacement. Of course, this is only the case if you get a replacement within the 21 day return period.

So, I don't have to make the return vs. replace choice now. I can check out the new set to see if the ghosting is still an issue. Dell's customer service has been amazing imo.

[TCoop]

The sound on mine has been just fine - I haven't noticed any crackling.

[pidge]

Sound has been fine for me also. My new DVD player arrived yesterday which has native HDMI and my blinking problem went away. Damn how I hate HDCP and HDMI. Worst invention ever made or released before it polished.