Entered CNET Catalog: 08/28/2003
SKU: plsmtvb
Manufacturer: Gateway Inc.
Manufacturer description
Get a movie-theater experience in the comfort of your own home. Plasma TVs offer the big picture in an ultra-thin design light enough to hang on your wall with a built-in analog tuner. PRODUCT FEATURES: A cinematic wide screen; Picture freeze/zoom ensures you don't miss any details; 160 degree viewing angle/every seat is good; Brilliant, crystal-clear picture.Product summary
The good: Good video processing with 3:2 pull-down; independent memory for each input; excellent feature set and connectivity suite.
The bad: Poor black-level performance.
The bottom line: While it has some performance issues, this Gateway's low price tag makes it a great value.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 01/28/2003
Gateway, the computer manufacturer, has entered the home-theater market with the introduction of the GTW-P42M102 42-inch plasma panel. While the set has some performance issues, especially with darker images, its factory-direct price of $2,999 is a bombshell. At the moment, you will not find a 42-inch plasma TV that costs less than this Gateway. The GTW-P42M102 is less than half the list price of Panasonic's PT-42PD3-P and about $600 less than the best Internet price that we could find on that same panel. This is unquestionably the best value in the 42-inch plasma category. The handsome GTW-P42M102, like all plasma panels, has the form factor of a wall painting. Measuring only 3.75 inches thick, it can hang on the wall or sit atop an included pair of legs. The unit's face is mostly glass, set in a silver case with a thin black border surrounding the screen.
Gateway's included remote is large and a little awkward in the hand but well designed and easy to use. It has a slide-down panel concealing many of the lesser-used buttons, and none of the keys are backlit. This set has a native resolution of 852x480 pixels, which is perfect for wide-screen DVD but not enough to capture the full resolution of HDTV (incoming HDTV is down-converted to fit the pixels). The panel includes a few performance-enhancing features, and the 3:2 pull-down circuit in its video processor is the most important one. It eliminates motion artifacts with film-based material such as DVD movies.
Another standout feature is the set's individual input memories, so the changes you make to contrast, brightness, and so on remain associated with each input separately. The menu has four selectable color temperatures: Low, 6500D, Mid, and High, which range from a warm reddish cast to a cool, blue overall color palette. A 3D comb filter improves the look of composite-video sources such as VHS and cable TV.
The GTW-P42M102 has many useful convenience features that most plasmas lack. Dual-tuner picture-in-picture (PiP) is handy for keeping tabs on two programs at once, and picture-on-picture (PoP) will actually allow you to watch two programs side by side. The onboard audio system has a 5-watt-per-channel internal amplifier driving built-in stereo speakers. One of the few plasma panels with a TV tuner, the P42M102 can connect directly to a cable feed or an antenna.
The connectivity suite on the Gateway is quite comprehensive. Dual broadband component-video inputs, for connection to progressive-scan DVD players and HDTV set-top boxes (STBs), top the list. There's also a 15-pin VGA-style RGB input that can be used with either a computer or an HDTV STB. The set includes a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connection, but it is for computer use only and will not work with next-generation STBs that use Hollywood-sanctioned copy-protection.
One S-Video and one composite-video input, each with their own stereo audio inputs, are on tap for more conventional sources. The GTW-P42M102 also has an RF input to connect to an antenna and a subwoofer output for enhancing the unit's onboard sound system.
Finally, one welcome characteristic of the GTW-P42M102 is its lack of fan noise. Plasmas generally run quite hot and need to be cooled, and many other panels have internal fans that can be disturbing during quiet passages in movies. As we expected, performance using the factory presets was pretty poor. Initially, the picture looked relatively washed out and lacked detail. A full professional calibration proved to be quite simple and improved the panel's performance immensely.
As with all plasma panels, black-level performance--the ability to reproduce deep, inky black, as well as dark details slightly brighter than black--is the GTW-P42M102's biggest flaw. Blacks on this panel appeared more as dark gray, and details were muddy in dark scenes on both DVD and HDTV sources.
On the positive side, the set's color decoder is relatively accurate, which means you can get deeply saturated color, especially from component-video sources such as DVD and HDTV. We looked at the opening sequence of Star Trek: Insurrection to test for 3:2 pull-down, and the Gateway passed with aplomb. It reproduced the bridge railing, canoes, and rooftops pristinely, without jagged lines or unnatural movement.
Bright scenes on both DVD and HDTV sources looked quite good. Chapter 4 of Monsters, Inc. revealed excellent color saturation and skin-tone rendition, as well as ample detail. HDTV material from our Dish Network HD feed looked very nice during bright scenes, but dark passages were still quite problematic. For a nighttime scene from Romancing the Stone on HBOHD, the picture was washed out even after calibrating the black level correctly for 1080i HDTV.
The bottom line is that the GTW-P42M102 has poorer black-level performance than most of the other plasma panels we have tested to date, so demanding home-theater buffs should probably look for a different panel. Lighter scenes looked much better, however, making the P42M102 an excellent choice for watching TV in well-lit rooms and for presentation purposes.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 User Rating: 
10/10
For its Time, a Fine Plasma
Pros: I Have had the Gateway for five years. Never a problem, no repairs. Currently i am
looking for a HDTV tuner so i can run it till it blows up.
Cons: Down side now, no hdcp for the DVI Jack.
User Rating: 
8/10
mine has been flawless
Pros: Great pic, No issues
Cons: no good in bright light
User Rating: 8/10
It's day is done but I can't complain
Pros: Was priced at 3k while others were 6k
Cons: Compared to todays HDTV it has weak colors & detail
User Rating: 8/10
Great for Sports
Pros: Bright, saturated colors look great
Cons: Dark scenes, and night watching is not so good
User Rating: 
2/10
Stopped working after 18 months, customer support is terrible, Started working again within 5 days
Pros: good picture when it works
Cons: stopped working after 18 months, gateway is the only one who will service it.
User Rating: 2/10
16 month failure
Pros: decent picture quality when there
Cons: black band on screen
User Rating: 
1/10
Gateway is the worst performance & service
Pros: It's an impressive picture frame.
Cons: 3500.00 picture frame
User Rating: 8/10
Not bad for price
Pros: Plenty of inputs HD channels look great
Cons: poor black performance
User Rating: 
3/10
Picture good but TV failed 3 times in 2 1/2 yrs
Pros: Good close-to hdtv quality
Cons: Poor quality control - units don't stand up over time; company is not responsive
Please be very wary before committing to a Gateway plasma. I had the unit replaced twice in the first 6 months (after hours on the phone with Gateway not trusting my assessment that the units were indeed broken). Now almost 2 1/2 yrs out from the purchase, and out of warranty, the TV failed again (standby light on, screen doesn't power up) and the company has been completely unresponsive.
The picture and performance were otherwise quite nice, but $3,000, 3 failed tv's in under 3 years means this company has a major quality control issue. No doubt that this unit is on the lower end of the price spectrum, but that doesn't release Gateway from ensuring that its product doesn't have reasonable longevity. Good luck on what is otherwise a very enjoyable purchase.
User Rating: 1/10
Gateway Plasma Dead on 14th Month
Pros: Inexpensive.
Cons: Peice of Crap.
User Rating: 2/10
waste of money
Pros: cheap to buy
Cons: expensive to own
Never again will I buy a Gateway product.
User Rating: 
4/10
13 months and it's junk
Pros: good price
Cons: until it fails and cannot be fixed (according to Gateway). However, they will sell me a new unit for a few hundred dollar off
User Rating: 1/10
Low Resolution, Not for home use
Pros: Cheap plasma for the money.
Cons: I own one, purchase it because of it price. After connecting it to my system, the picture is horible. Cable or Sattelite menu has line (Low Resolution). Color of the TV also off alot. The contrast was tune all the way up from Gateway, it makes picture loo
User Rating: 
5/10
TV FRIES right after warantee
Pros: Looks good
Cons: My Gateway plasma tv just FRIED on the 13th month from purchase date. Gateway informs me that it will cost $1,000 for a tech to come and hopefully fix it. Or I can pay $79 per hour to have a nice chat with them and still have a piece of **** sitting in
User Rating: 
6/10
Great image depending on source, excellent price
Pros: When displaying HD or DVD this TV is excellent. Very filmlike (thanks to 3:2 pulldown), deep rich colors and low artifacts. Price is great, but for a few hundred dollars more you can get the 46" model.
Cons: However, connect it to a non-HD or DVD source (satellite or cable) and your heart will sink. Picture is grainy, lots of contouring and dark scenes are almost impossible to watch.
User Rating: 10/10
Best Value EDTV
Pros: The picture quality is great. I'll get a HD tuner later, for $400-500. I'm using digital cable and no complaints.
Cons: Hang it on your wall yourself. Having Gateway do it is overpriced.
