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By: Richard Del Cazzo
Web site: http://www.hdtv-hdtv.com
The Senemax PDP-42 widescreen plasma monitor may not be
a match for more expensive plasmas, but it can hold its own
where performance is concerned.
THE plasma TV remains very much an object of desire to most
people who have heard of it or seen it. In spite of its comparatively
high price, its appeal remains undiminished. Recognising this
need to bring about even cheaper plasma TVs are some manufacturers
who are offering no-frills but adequately-equipped, high-performance
plasmas designed to tug at your wallets.
One such manufacturer is Senemax whose products are imported
by Mediaplex Sdn Bhd. Apart from cheap plasmas, Senemax also
makes a range of affordable high-quality screens for front-projection
systems. The Senemax PDP-42 is a 42-inch widescreen plasma
monitor i.e. there is no built-in TV tuner.
There is, however, a complete range of inputs which will
allow connection to an external TV tuner, satellite receiver
(Astro) and DVD player via its composite, S-video and high-band
component input. The latter can receive both interlaced and
progressive scan signals from a DVD player. Also included
is a DVI input for a direct digital connection to a source
that is capable of outputting a digital video signal such
as a DVI/HDMI equipped DVD player or when the time comes,
an STB (Set Top Box) used for receiving digital TV signals.
Although the Senemax PDP-42 may be mounted on the wall, if
so required, the review sample came with an oval-shaped stand
for placement on a rack or sideboard. Two matching speakers
with options to attach to the side of the Senemax or mounted
on their own stands were also provided.
At a rated resolution of 852x480p, the Senemax is an extended-definition
plasma monitor. While it will work with just about any programme
source you can think of, it is most at home with DVDs where
it will display the full glory of DVD resolution. Surprisingly,
the Senemax is also equipped with the well-received Faroudja-designed
DCDi built-in video scaler. We would expect some form of video
scaling with any plasma TV but to receive a Faroudja is really
icing on the cake, considering the sub-RM18,000 price bracket
of this plasma monitor. Senemax also rates the PDP-42 as capable
of a commendable contrast ratio of 1200:1 and a bright output
of 1000cd/m².
Other commonly-used features include a six-selection picture
mode, one of which is user adjustable. There are also four
picture-stretching options for anamorphic widescreen DVDs
(16:9), Letterbox-type widescreen DVDs (Zoom) and 4:3 full
screen for viewing 1:33 aspect ratio videos in its native
aspect ratio but with bars at the side of the 16:9 screen.
To stretch 1:33 material over the entire screen one can use
either Zoom or Panorama. We prefer the latter for its minimal
geometric distortion.
Fed with a progressive scan signal from Pioneer as well as
Denon DVD player via both their component video output as
well as their respective HDMI and DVI output, the Senemax,
after some tweaking, presented an effortlessly bright and
punchy picture via its analogue component video input. There
was a slightly soft yet not unpleasant look which some people
would describe as cinematic or filmlike.
Background noise, which is usually present in budget plasmas,
is surprisingly low and whatever noise we encountered originated
largely from the sources itself. The better the DVD, the quieter
the background. Switching over to its DVI input, picture sharpness
improved, revealing along with it a higher amount of detail
and depth with greater colour fidelity. Solarisation and contouring
common among affordable plasmas were also at a very low level
and it is a credit to the Senemax design that it is so.
The speakers provided gave yeoman service which is more than
adequate for listening to news commentary and the like. The
hardcore AV enthusiast will no doubt opt for a proper external
surroundsound system.
There is little argument that there are plasma TV's out there
which will match and even outperform the Senemax in practically
every aspect of the performance parameters mentioned but not
by a wide margin and they will not be nearly as cheap in price
as Senemax's low cost cheap plasma TV's. However, if you are
bitten by the plasma craze and are scraping the bottom of
the ringgit barrel, the Senemax PDP-42 at RM17,999 will prove
to be a more than pleasant surprise.
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