It appears that the market for flat panel display is so tempting, even Dell think they should pave a way into the market.

The picture that you’re looking at here is Dell W4201C – a 42 inch plasma HDTV . It has all 480p , 480i , 1080i and 720p tv resolutions supported and comes handy with 2 detachable speakers and 2 HDMI input.

That sounds great until you switch it on and start using instead of boasting about it’s features. Firstly, it looks good on bright scenes but handles dark scenes poorly (with lots of visible noises). Secondly, it was reported that it’s HDMI input handles black incorrectly.

Apart from that, it was also reported that this unit has a serious colour contouring problem. So for colours that suppose to have contour, you’d have spotchy sections instead.

We are also worried that when your warranty is up and if the tv goes haywire, no one will be able to fix it for you. Rumors abound that this unit has hard to find replacement parts.

Overall, you’d be disappointed with the picture quality if you intend to use this unit for the centre of attention in your home entertainment unit. Dell may be a good company when it comes to pc and laptop but for a tv they are not not good enough.

If you’re looking for a 42 inch plasma tv, add a hundred bucks and go for Panasonic’s. (the price have gone down significantly since we last reviewed it)
Buy a tv from a tv company, not a pc company.

RETAIL AT: around $2000

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