Design
With a sleek silver design boasting smooth lines and chrome edges, the P42HHA40WS will make itself at home in even the most trend-setting living room. In our opinion, these aesthetics are far more desirable than the distracting glossy chassis recently adopted by manufacturers such as Panasonic and Pioneer.
The 42" panel has dimensions of 1039 (W) x 640 (H) x 87 (D) mm and weighs a hefty 31.5kg, which is heavier than average but still capable of wall-mounting. In fact, Fujitsu produces optional tabletop, wall mount and ceiling mount units designed specifically for this panel, making it highly versatile.
Connectivity options are tucked neatly away behind the screen, but the fact that these are positioned vertically makes for some tricky cable swapping, despite being more convenient (if not essential) when the panel is wall mounted.
The television is sold as a stand-alone unit without a tuner, speakers or a stand, but of course Fujitsu provides these as optional extras. The model we tested came bundled with an AUSID HD-D1 digital tuner (RRP AU$1099), the P-SP4201 speaker set (RRP AU$499) and a P-TT4202-AUS stand (RRP AU$399). The tabletop stand is well-designed with numerous height adjustments, while the tuner slides into a tray that attaches to the back of the TV in order to minimise space requirements. The speakers screw in cleanly to the bezel (one on each side) and are ideal for the space conscious, but we'd definitely recommend a more elaborate surround setup if you'd like to fully appreciate this expensive display.
Features
New to Fujitsu's plasma line is a HDMI connector. Although devices that support HDMI are yet to fully penetrate the Australian market, it's definitely the most desirable connection method in terms of quality, capable of carrying uncompressed HDTV and 8-channel audio signals without digital-to-analogue conversion.
Other connectivity options include two sets of component connectors, as well as single S-Video, composite, DVI and D-Sub ports. Couple this with a resolution of 1024x1024 and support for 480i, 576i, 480p, 576p, 720p and 1080i signals, and you've got all the trappings of a top grade 42" plasma.
Further, the digital tuner allows for ample aspect ratio adjustment - 4:3 (16:9 crop), 16:9 (4:3 pillerbox), and 4:3 (16:9 letterbox) - ensuring that you're able to make use of every inch of screen space regardless of whether the video signal is 4:3 or 16:9.
We mentioned earlier that the P42HHA40WS features an upgraded digital video processor. Fujitsu has dubbed this AVM-II and touts three main improvements - noise reduction on compressed or expanded video content; the ability to distinguish between text and graphics on the fly to optimise image quality; and dynamic screen brightness depending on ambient lighting.
Performance
Contrary to Fujitsu's claims, expanded video content isn't noise free. While the panel does a respectable job of up-sampling low-end video signals, these images still appear grainy when viewed from a shorter distance and we also noticed the occasional artefact.
Conversely, while plasma displays are traditionally poor at producing deep blacks, the Fujitsu video processor has few issues in this regard. We were able to discern slight differences in darker shades even in low-light conditions, in part due to the impressive contrast ratio which Fujitsu rates at 1000:1.
Similarly, colours are vivid and full with a high level of saturation, but thankfully this doesn't result in the image looking cartoonish. The above observations hold true whether the source is a 480p DVD player, an Xbox with the HDAV upgrade, or a 1080i HDTV signal.
On its own the Fujitsu P42HHA40WS is a superb plasma that scarcely disappoints, but its price is difficult to justify given the stiff competition from the likes of Panasonic, Pioneer and NEC, to name a few.
Like this article? Click below to send it to your mobile for free!
aussiewazzie
15/11/2007, 07:52 AM
rating
2/10
Found the images very grainy with jitter on movement. Some blocking on the edges. Disappointed after all the hype
Report offensive comment
08/02/2006, 11:19 PM
for the rich and wealthy
Fujitsu has always been good making plasmas, i have the older model (only has AVM-1) and is working fine, nothing close to a burn in or anything with black bars at the top and bottom. But it is true, the 1024x1024 resolution does make the image look grainy, and there is little difference between a SD and HD picture.
It's pricey, yes, and it will go down in price when another model comes out. Consider the cost to justify a "Fujitsu plasma". Because, unlike the competition, Fujitsu plasma's are ALL good.
If I had a choice again, it would be to wait for a fully capable 1080i plasma. Current resolutions just don't cut it. This one would do fine for the time being though.
Report offensive comment