Sylvania's 6842PE is a 42-inch gas-plasma display with 852 x 480 (EDTV) native pixel resolution and compatibility with progressive-scan and high-definition video signals up to full 1080i resolution. This display offers incredibly vivid, high-contrast images. Perfect for DVD movies and other programs formatted for widescreen 16:9 aspect-ratio screens, the monitor's HD component-video inputs accept 720p and 1080i HDTV signals from set-top boxes and DTV receivers, which are sold separately. This is a monitor only, so you'll need to use the NTSC or ATSC tuner in a DTV receiver or cable box or VCR for broadcast or cable television viewing.

With a plasma screen you get vivid colors like you've never seen before, extremely wide viewing angles, and easy placement due to a plasma monitor's slim profile--the 6842PE is a mere 4.6 inches deep, ideal for desk or wall mounting (Sylvania recommends Sanus Systems universal VMPLs, not included, for wall mounting). Brightness tends to be extremely uniform across plasma screens, which are also impervious to the picture distortion and negative color balances that afflict CRT monitors when placed near lighting or sound systems. You do, however, need to be wary of image burn-in (wherein long-held stationary images leave a permanent impression in the screen).

One of the main benefits of a plasma screen is its vivid and brilliant color display of over 16 million colors. Additionally, the 6842PE affords extremely wide viewing angles (160 degrees) to afford clear views of the screen from nearly any position.

The 6842PE's 3-line comb filter 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). Want to linger on a powerful image? Hit "still" to freeze any picture at any time.

Connections consist of 2 component-video inputs (1 standard-definition, 1 HD), 4 composite-video inputs (2 conveniently positioned on a side panel for easy access), and 2 S-video inputs (1 on the side, 1 on the rear). There's no real reason to run audio into this device if you're not going to listen through its speakers, but it does have a stereo analog audio output (pass-through) in case you find a need for it.