Here is my pick of what I think are 3 of the best 42 inch plasma TV sets that you can buy to help you in chosing the right set for you. If your looking for a different sized television, or for LCD instead, then there are links lower down on the page for other best TV hubs that I've written, including information on setting up a top quality home theater system as well. For the best sets overall you could also take a look at my main Best Plasma TV hub which covers all screen sizes. I hope you find this information useful, and please feel free to leave a comment in the box provided at the bottom of the page.

 This 42 inch flat panel HDTV set includes built-in analog/digital (NTSC/ATSC) tuner for you to receive free over-the-air HDTV,  and it is also cable TV ready, so you can get digital cable television without the clutter of an extra box (personally I really rate this feature as I have trouble find places to putthings to keep it all tidy). It boasts a 175 inch viewing angle, which means that if there are a few people watching in the room and not everyone can be right in front of the set, they can still see what is happening clearly even at a wide angle. These two features make it ideal, in my opinion, as a family TV set. Another nice feature is the so called 'floating picture' design, which means that this set has no outer casing - just a smooth, thin  border that is flush with the screen and looks the same as the screen does when it's blank. There is also a high contrast ration of 10000 which gives a crisp clear picture even on sunny days, and 30 watt surround sound speakers. For the full specs follow the link to the product information page on Amazon.

 This 1024 x 768p resolution high definition plasma TV from Philips is energy star rated, meaning that it is energy efficient - good for the environment and for your electriciy bills! It is also cable TV ready meaning tat you don't need an extra box to connect to digital cable television. It has Pixel Plus 3 HD for deep blacks and vivid colors and has USB connectivity for viewing pictures or for using to listen to your music.

This Veria G10 television from Panasonc is my top pick for both overall quality and for value for money. You get the maximum 1080p resolution high definition picture with anti-glare filter and a contrast ration of 40000:1 - the best of any of the three - for the best possible picture in any conditions. It also offers access to online content from a range of major sites like Amazon videos on demand, YouTube and others as well as the Viera image viewer for loking at your own digital content. It has excellent connectivity with SD card slot, PC input, 3 HDMI ports and the Viera Link feature to allow you to control all your compatible devices such as DVD and Blue Ray players from one remote. Another good feature is the game mode which optimizes your set for playing video games an reduces time lag between in game action and screen display to a minimum.