Toshiba 42HP95 42-Inch Widescreen HD-Ready Flat Panel Plasma TV

Though most plasma TV sets can claim to be widescreen , few are actually ready to display at HDTV resolutions. That's because most Plasma flat-panels come with NTSC analog TV tuners. The 42HP95 also includes an ATSC tuner which enables pick-up of free broadcast widescreen HD programs (an optional HDTV antenna is required). In addition, it is also Digital CableTV ready and has a CableCARD slot to accept a CableCARD that several cable service carriers offer as a substitute for cable converter boxes. This model also comes with an Omniviewer multiple memory card slot. It can "read" the photos and movies that you've stored on them using your digital-camera or camcorder. It's easy to view your photos on your TV. This model also has an HDMI digital input for obtaining maximum resolution capabilities from compatible DVD and other media players. There's also a PC Input that lets you connect a PC computer for display on your TV. This model also introduces Toshiba's SoundStrip speaker system which uses advanced thin speakers to deliver excellent sound without adding size and depth to the flat-panel. We often recommend purchasing an optional home-theater sound system for true 5.1 channel surround sound but the sound system on this model offers excellent stereo and virtual surround sound. HDMI Digital Input 15 Pin PC Input Illuminated Universal Remote Integrated HD with ATSC and QAM Digital Uning Digital Cable Ready with CableCard Slot On Screen TV Guide Channel Browser Omniviewer MultiCard Slot IEEE1394 Compatible DTVLink Digital Port for optional HD Recorder Unit Dimensions (WxHxD) - (without stand) 43.34 x 29.16 x 3.94 inches / (with stand) 43.3 x 30.7 x 15.4 Unit Weight - (without stand) 89.3 lbs / (with stand) 108.7 lbs

Enjoy stunning, brilliantly colorful imagery from the 42-inch Toshiba 42HP95 widescreen plasma television. It includes an integrated ATSC tuner, enabling you to receive off-air high definition broadcasts without the need for an external set-top box. It offers a 720p (progressive) true HD display with a 1024 x 768-pixel resolution and 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. It also features a digital cable tuner (QAM), which allows for the reception of digital cable signals that are not scrambled, and a CableCard slot for optional card, which can pick up HD (ATSC) broadcasts from your digital cable provider (digital cable subscription required). The integrated TV Guide on-screen guide provides an easy to read listing of the television programs available to view or record. It includes an 8-day program listing, the ability to perform keyword searches for locating favorite programs, and the G-Link IR Blaster for controlling cable boxes.

To ensure the highest possible picture quality, this plasma set features Toshiba's next generation PixelPure AT digital video processing technology. It includes Motion Adaptive De-Interlacing, Adaptive MPEG Processing, Adaptive Contrast Enhancement, and Adaptive Color Enhancement--all critical elements to deliver a consistently high quality picture. Other specs include a 1000 cd/m2 (candela per square meter) brightness rating and 3000:1 contrast ratio. (The higher the contrast ratio, the greater a TV's ability to display subtle color details and not get washed out by ambient room light.)

A 3D Y/C comb filter (4 MB, 10-bit with Vertical Contour Correction) further enhances resolution by removing blurred edges between colors and reducing dot crawl (tiny, moving dots of color along a sharp color separation in a vertical line, as in a depiction of a character's striped T-shirt). The CableClear feature utilizes the Digital 3D/YC Comb Filter to compare frames and determine the existence and extent of video noise. It then applies the needed amount of digital video noise reduction, and the appropriate sharpness adjustment to keep the picture clear. This feature now works on RF, composite and S-Video inputs, and can be selected by input. The HD Dynamic Contrast feature increases contrast and color saturation to create deep, rich images. The intelligent circuitry analyzes both the dark and bright areas of the picture, and separately optimizes the dynamic range in each area of the picture.

Convenience features include HD Window POP with split screen and nine multi-windows, color temperature control, closed captioning on mute, sleep timer, tri-lingual on-screen display, V-Chip parental controls, video input labelling, channel labeling, and Toshiba's GameTimer feature, which allows parents to set the television to shut off after a specified period of time and stay off until a lockout key code is entered.

The OmniViewer memory card slot accepts five different types of memory cards, including SD (Secure Digital), MM (Multi-Media), MS (Memory Stick), CF (Compact Flash), and SM (Smart Media). In addition, it includes a JPEG Viewer program that allows the TV to display pictures from most digital cameras, which can be rotated and viewed in an automatic presentation format.

The speakers provide a total of 20 watts of power (10 watts per channel). The SRS WOW virtual surround sound system provides amazing, enveloping sound through just the two built-in speakers. It also provides MTS stereo/SAP with dbx. The StableSound feature eliminates the annoyance of normal program volume being followed immediately by extremely loud commercial messages or drastic volume fluctuations while changing channels.

It offers the following connection options:

• Composite AV (RCA): 3 in (1 front), 1 out
• S-Video: 3 in (1 front)
• Component video: 2 in (480i/480p/720p)
• HDMI: 1 in
• PC VGA: 1 in
• RF: 2 in
• Firewire (IEEE1394): 2 in
• Analog audio (RCA, L/R): 1 out
• Digital optical audio: 1 out
• Headphone: 1

Tech Talk
SRS WOW -- This virtual surround sound processing technology consists of three separate sound expanding systems, which work together to extract "buried" highs and lows. The three systems are, SRS 3D, TruBass, and FOCUS. SRS 3D creates a three dimensional sound field from just two speakers, thus giving the listener the feeling of hearing a multi speaker surround sound system. TruBass produces a powerful, yet low, frequency sound by utilizing a process called psychoacoustics. From only two small speakers, TruBass will give the effect of an expensive sub bass woofer that will leave the listener amazed by the quality of the sound. FOCUS was added to direct the energy from the speakers of the television set in a vertical direction up towards the listenerÕs ears. The addition of FOCUS means that there is virtually no loss of sound from the speakerÕs position on the bottom panel near the floor, which achieves a clear, undistorted range of audio. CableCARD -- The CableCARD system enables the "Plug-and-Play DTV" functionality as agreed between cable operators and consumer electronics manufacturers. It allows the decoding of encrypted or scrambled content delivered from the cable system. CableCARD functionality includes conditional access and copy protection. A CableCARD-enabled television without a CableCARD inserted receives high-definition standard TV broadcasts. When a CableCARD is inserted, the television receives high-value high-definition, cable programming.

What's in the Box
Plasma TV, table stand, remote control (with batteries), IR blaster