|
To say that the first truly home-oriented plasma TV from
Sony, the KZ-42TS1E, is eagerly awaited would be like saying Paul Burrell was
quite happy when the Queen stepped in to get his case thrown out. But where
there's hype there's often disappointment in the finished article. Let's hope
that's not the case here.
Description
Aesthetically, the 42TS1E surpasses all expectations. It's
simply stunning. A gorgeous high-gloss white veneer wraps over a delightfully
sculpted objet d'art frame that makes the boring old rectangles of most plasma
screens look dull as dishwater.
Sony also does a pretty, optional floorstand accessory for
the 42TS1E if you don't want to wall/deskmount it. And there's no extra AV box
to accommodate since Sony has built all the inputs into the TV itself.
Connections
A fulsome set of standard AV jacks, including three Scarts
(two RGB), is joined by a row of component video inputs for use with
progressive scan DVD players or a PC. There's also a subwoofer line-out if you
want to relieve the speakers of their bass duties.
Operation
Sony's intention with the 42TS1E appears to have been to
make it completely familiar to anyone who's used a normal TV before. And so we
find the typical Sony onscreen menus imported almost identically from the
company's CRT TV sets. Which would be great if they weren't so long-winded.
Killer features
The 42TS1E's main features are actually its TV-likeness and
design. Apart from these there isn't much to report beyond gamma correction, a
soundstage widener, and temperature/fan meters. This latter finding is actually
not good news, since the noisy fan it points to is hardly what we'd expect to
find in a plasma screen today.
Picture
Interestingly, Sony does not develop its own plasma panels,
and so has sourced this one from Fujitsu. Fujitsu actually makes good plasma
panels, but the one in the 42TS1E perhaps isn't absolutely the latest
generation. Contrast levels are only average, leaving a slightly grey look to
what should be deep blacks. There are traces of solarisation and grey dot
crawl, too, with grain creeping in on analogue tuner footage.
But let's not be too negative. Strong counterbalances
enough to push the TV into the enjoyably good category come from vivid,
beautifully smooth and well-contained colours, and a scintillating fine detail
response.
Sound
Even though the Sony's speakers are, unusually for a plasma,
built into the solid unit of the TV chassis, they still manage to deliver
decent stereo. There's a tremendous amount of treble detail in the mix,
underpinned effectively by a smooth, rich if not especially deep
bass line and dynamic, clear midrange.
Conclusion
In some ways, Sony's 42TS1E shows many other plasma brands
how things should be done. It's certainly magnificently home friendly. But at
the same time the picture could do with being a touch better, especially given
the slightly scary £5,700 price tag. And that fan should have been kicked
into touch like it has by most of Sony's rivals. |
08705 111999
