Typical price: £2,450
What is it: 42-inch plasma screen with two HDMI sockets -- but no tuner
What we think: A decent performer, but it's not particularly home-friendly
What you need to know
Reviewed on: 21 April 2006
Tags: NEC, NEC PlasmaSync 42XR4, screens, resolution, brightness
We like:
Digital connectivity; sharpness and flexibility of picture with standard and high definition
We don't like:
Black levels aren't the best; colours a touch muted; no tuner or Scarts built in
You might also need:
Sky HD Receiver, Xbox 360, DVD player
CNET UK judgement:
This is easily NEC's best plasma screen to date, improving on picture quality in all departments over its predecessors. Its lack of domesticity on the connection front and the high standards of some of its competition both count against it, however
Full review:
If you catch us referring to NEC's PlasmaSync 42XR4 as a 'TV' anywhere in this review, feel free to give us a rap on the knuckles -- the 42XR4 carries neither Scart sockets nor, more tellingly, any sort of built-in tuner -- analogue or digital. This lack of a tuner makes it a screen only rather than a TV, and so it's arguably of much greater use to someone looking for a dedicated movie/sporting event screen in a second room, rather than someone wanting a straight swap for an existing main TV. Continue Reading...
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