AOC A42HD84

You’ve probably not heard of AOC before. But, AOC A42HD84 cuts an good-looking figure with its glossy black bezel and silver accents. Added to that the price tag of $1700 makes its tempting to buy.

Though the AOC A42HD84 is priced like an EDTV (Enhanced Def TV), it is easy to use with a native resolution of 1027x768, similar to that in any 42-inch plasmas. It does have the ability to handle high-def, DVD, standard TV and computer sources. The AOC A42HD84 does not have too many features and the few that are there are not praiseworthy. A built-in ATSC tuner is the only major feature this HDTV has to offer since it is more of a requirement for all HDTVs under 50-inches.

On the other hand, the presence of independent input memories is a pleasant surprise. However, the AOC A42HD84 does not offer the two common features seen in most budget priced HDTVs such as preset picture modes or selectable color-temperature. There are four modes for aspect ratio control – one standard-def and three high-def, but you may not be able to choose gray bars in 4:3 modes, you can just use black. The blacks are reasonably rich, deep, and clean.

The connectivity is limited and the AOC A42HD84 has just a single DVI input with HDCP copy protection, but what is really surprising is the use of DVI technology rather than HDMI, which is being used increasingly since the past one-year or more. Two video inputs make for the video connections along with the VGA-style PC input. Also, a single S-Video and one composite-video input are the only standard-def A/V inputs on the rear panel.

In all, the AOC A42HD84 is a no frills 42-inch, high-resolution plasma. It costs less than most of the 32-inch LCDs in the market. At the end of it all, the AOC A42HD84 seems a better fit in the conference room than the living room.