Panasonic TC-L32C22 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am not an expert on LCD televisions, just someone in need of a new TV. It will ultimately be used in the bedroom, but for now it is in the family room. Although it is not a huge room, it opens to the kitchen and the ceiling is vaulted. For months I studied reviews of different models on the internet hoping to at least discover which manufacturers had the most service problems to avoid that aggravation, along with which brand had the best rated picture quality. I also visited showrooms to see what looked best to my eye.
After my research I narrowed my search to a 720p TV because although 1080p of course creates a higher quality picture, it isn't as critical on a 32 inch TV or smaller. Since new televisions usually appear in March, my plan was to buy a discontinued model and take advantage of clearance pricing. Unfortunately I waited too long and the two choices I'd focused on were both no longer available. This TV met my needs, the price was right and Panasonic was one of the two brands I'd settled on.
Light weight and easy to handle, out of the box all that was necessary was putting the stand together with a few screws and then attaching it with a few more to the television. I already had a composite video/audio cable which is good because Panasonic doesn't include one. The cable consists of three male plugs on each end -- one red, one white and one yellow. The red and white are for right and left audio and the yellow is video. There are ports on the back of the cable box and the TV with the same colors so it was easy to connect - video out on the cable box and video in on the TV. An extra step I took, in order to get my local stations' HD programs, was to hook up a basic inside antenna by screwing the antenna cable into the same named jack on the back of the TV. That gave me two advantages - I can see the HD content in full HD without increasing the cost of my basic cable plan - and if the cable goes out I can still watch TV.
I put the batteries(included) into the remote control and turned the TV on. The first screen asked for language preference (English, Spanish or French), next the option to select viewing mode - home use or store demonstration. Then the adjust picture screen came up and I left it at the default "vivid" (choices are vivid, standard, cinema, game or custom.) The darkness of your room will dictate what looks best, and the defaults are easy to change by clicking on the remote -- menu, tools, re-set to defaults. Then it goes to auto channel set-up, but if you are using a cable box you select "not used." If using an antenna, select "antenna" and then select "start" to scan the channels. Next is an option to label each of the inputs for - antenna, DVD player, cable box, etc. Then a screen appears to adjust the clock for the year, month, day hour and minute. The completion message is then displayed and you're done.
The TV can be hooked-up to a PC so it can be used as a monitor. I missed an episode of 24 during the Olympics. The network website permits viewing of the current season's episodes so I simply connected the HDMI cable from my laptop PC into the television's HDMI port on the back. That allowed me to watch the missed episode on TV rather than my small laptop screen.
The speakers are one-way 10 watt speakers and are typical of built-in television speakers. Note that there is no analog audio output or headphone jack. There is an optical digital audio output jack. I did not hook-up a receiver and separate speakers to improve the audio, at least not yet, but if superior sound is a concern, you will probably want to explore the possibilities.
The picture is absolutely fabulous and amazingly enough even when viewed at a severe angle, there is no quality degradation. My only complaint is that the volume doesn't change significantly as you increase it. The TV has an adequate maximum volume setting, but if the setting is at 30 and you want it a little louder you might have to go to 60 before you notice an increase in sound. The increments seem too small.
The TV has a shiny "piano" black case which some people feel is a maintenance problem, but fingerprints and dust wipe up beautifully with a microfiber cloth, and I like the appearance.
The set comes with a twelve month warranty, but I bought an extended warranty for an extra two years from square trade since this is a new model and as such has no history. I have been using the set for two weeks and so far it is completely trouble free, and I am very pleased with the purchase, but I will update the review if I experience any problems.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-L32C22 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

Offering excellent picture performance, Panasonic's 32-inch VIERA TC-L32C22 LCD HDTV provides 720p high-definition imagery and an improved panel with In Plane Switching (IPS) for an ultra-wide viewing angle and higher moving picture resolution for clear, bright images. This C22 series model also features 24P Playback function for superb imagery from 24-frame movies on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, and an 18,000:1 contrast ratio.
This and other models in the C22 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements.

Key Features Panasonic's VIERA C22 series LCD HDTV.



With the VIERA Image Viewer, you can view a slideshow of JPEG photos stored on your camera's SD memory card.

Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic C22 series LCD HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

Get 20% OFF

Click here for more information about Panasonic TC-L32C22 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

Read More...

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT25 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Disclaimer: First I'd like to say that I do not have the equipment to view this set's 3-D picture yet. I bought it as a hedge against 3-D. I'm not sure if 3-D is going to take off, but if it does I know I'm ready for it. I thought I would get that out of the way so while you will know I cannot review that feature of the TV, I still have a lot to tell. Now on with the show...
The Panasonic comes shipped in a conveniently designed box where you simply punch out four inserts and lift the box top off of the base. Sort of like when you get a cake from the bakery in a plastic container. Inside's the TV, the stand, the remote (and batteries), the power cord, and the owner's manual. Attaching the swiveling base is very simple and involves screwing a metal fork onto the base then slipping the TV onto the fork and screwing it down. The whole process takes 5 minutes and I was able to do it without any assistance. Also, I'd like to mention that Amazon shipped the TV through a company called HomeDirectUSA. They were very professional and opened the box for me to make sure the TV was undamaged.
Looks wise the Panasonic isn't much. It's framed in a piano black trim and is about 3 inches deep. The base is also done in piano black with a chrome band around the edge. At the bottom of the TV's frame is a bronze colored streak. Overall it's a classy look, but also nothing special. On the lower edge of the TV are the 3-D glasses' transmitters and the remote sensor. On the left side of the TV are various buttons (channel, volume, menu, input, and power) along with a few inputs (HDMI, composite video, and an SD card slot) and two USB ports (for hooking up the wireless dongle amongst other things). On the back of the set (on the set's left side viewed from the front) are two HDMI, two components, one composite, one RF/coaxial, and a PC input. There is also an optical audio out. The TV's build quality is very good, the materials are nice, and it feels sturdy overall. Lastly, the included remote is long and narrow, but well laid out with large buttons that light up.
Using TV is straightforward and easy. It guides you through the set-up, scans for channels, sets up the network, and sets the clock. The menu system is logically laid out and easy to use. The picture controls are many and allow you to fine tune precisely, although the pro-setting are only available in Custom picture mode. Besides Custom mode there is Vivid, Standard, THX, and Game modes. Each mode can be tweaked individually and set up differently for each input. Some of the features included with the Panasonic are 5 individual timers to turn the TV on and off and a sleep timer. There is also VieraLink that, if the TV is connected to the Internet, allows you to view YouTube or Netflix among other services (I have not used this feature since I stream that content through my Blu-ray player). You can insert an SD card or a USB jump drive into the set and view photos, videos, or listen to MP3 files as well. This feature worked well when I inserted an SD card from my Canon camera and the photos looked very nice on the screen. Another nice feature is being able to set channels as your favorites so you can jump to them more quickly, or have the channel only scan favorites when you go up and down channels. Features to reduce burn-in include a pixel orbiter (which very slightly shifts the picture to prevent burn-in) and a scrolling bar pattern that wipes a white bar over a black screen for 15 minutes. While burn-in is much less of an issues with plasma sets then it used to be, if you like to watch non-high definition TV with the bars on the side, or play video games and pause them for a long time, plasma may not be the best bet for you. Finally, there are light sensors on the front of the TV to allow the set to adjust its brightness based on ambient light conditions.
Picture quality on the Panasonic is where this TV shows it mettle. I have the set hooked up in the following manner. My LG Blu-ray player and Nintendo Wii are hooked up to my Onkyo receiver, which is in turn hooked into the Panasonic via HDMI. The Blu-ray is hooked into the receiver using HDMI and the Wii using composite video. For cable, I use the RF/coaxial input. I am not a videophile and tweaked the picture menu myself where I settled on the Vivid setting with some adjustments to make it considerably less vivid (usually I hate vivid mode but I like it on this set). I find the picture looks best when I leave the automatic adjustment for ambient light on. I also have the TV set-up to show 95% of the image where the edges are cropped off so I don't view any image breakdown at the picture's edge. Watching any high definition content, be it Blu-ray, cable TV, or streaming Netflix, the picture looks its best with great detail and clarity (this is especially true when watching Blu-ray discs). Watching standard definition content doesn't look bad either, obviously it doesn't look great stretched out to 50", but the details hold up well and it's more than acceptable. Regardless of the source, the colors are accurate, the dynamic range is great with deep and detailed shadows, and there is no motion blur even when playing video games or watching animated content. My previous television was a 32" 720p LCD and compared to the LCD the plasma Panasonic looks more "fluid" and "film-like". The details don't jump out at you like they do on a high end LCD set (sometimes obnoxiously), but the picture is clear and sharp none the less. The screen has an anti-reflective coating that seems to work well. I have the set in a room with two big windows on the west side and I adjust the blinds when necessary to keep the sun's reflections off the screen. In the end, a plasma is no worse in this regard than a traditional tube television. Overall, I am very pleased with the picture and am a plasma convert.
The TV's built-in speakers are fine for casual viewing, but if you want a true big-screen experience you're going to want to hook this set up to at least a 2.1 system, if not a full blown 7.2 system. Mine is hooked up to a 5.1 system.
Speaking of sounds, I don't notice any humming from the set. Occasionally, if I have muted the sound and a bright white scene comes on I hear a slight hum, but it's barely noticeable and goes away as soon as the scene changes. Also, the set does not give off much heat as far as I can tell.
There are only a few negatives I have about the set and they are as follows: 1) The piano black trim on the set shows reflections much worse than the screen itself. 2) The set only has 3 HDMI inputs, most have 4. 3) The remote sensor is very low on the set and I have my center speaker in front of the TV so I have to angle the remote upward in order for the signal to reach the TV.
All in all... a great plasma set, with tons of inputs, features, and adjustability, but an especially great picture quality.
P.S.: Sorry for the long review. There is a lot to cover. If you'd like to know anything else leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer.
11/24/2010 Update: Hitting the sub-menu button on the remote allows you to quickly change the behavior of the channel up/down button. For instance you can have it scan only your favorites, or just the digital channels. This is a nice touch, and a nice shortcut.
02/26/2011 Update: The television is still going strong and has maintained its excellent picture quality. I left a menu from my DVD player paused on the screen for about a half hour by accident, and after about a minute the retained image was gone. No issues with burn-in, humming, or anything. Great set.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT25 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV, Black


3D Technology Checklist
This product is 3D-related. To help you get a great 3D experience, use our checklist below to ensure that you have everything you need. If you have any questions or want to learn more about 3D, we invite you to visit 3D 101--our center for everything 3D. To get started with 3D, please ensure that you have:
If you want to get more information about 3D, shop our 3D products, watch videos, or interact with other customers, visit 3D 101, our customer center about everything 3D.

Get 48% OFF

Click here for more information about Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT25 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV, Black

Read More...

Panasonic TC-P58S2 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this TV for a little over a week and am proud to say that I have no buyer remorse at all. I've calibrated this TV to the best of my ability and the picture is stunning compared to the 50" Samsung it replaced. The Samsung was only a year old, I just wanted a bigger TV and this one fit the bill perfectly.
The blacks are better and colors more accurate to me. I have the ability to watch the same source on two different displays at once thanks to my Onkyo 1007 having dual outs. The Panasonic just flat out beat the Samsung.
This is the best bang for buck for this size.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-P58S2 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 58-inch VIERA TC-P58S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.


Key Features

Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

Click here for more information about Panasonic TC-P58S2 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Read More...

Philips 32PF5320 32-Inch Widescreen LCD HD-Ready TV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, the Amazon description is wrong - this model does not have a Cable Card slot. Bought mine at Sam's Club. Out of the box, and set up in about 15 minutes - stand screws to the TV with 4 screws, very stable, clean look. Plugged in DVD via component video - MI2 looks great, great picture. Problem is when playing movie with sudden light bursts (lasers in Star Wars IV, T2). Screen goes black and does not recover for 1-3 seconds. Called Philips, they had me try hooking it through composite video, and it works fine. So their question was "is it the DVD player output or the TV input?" Well, since the DVD player worked fine through a CRT TV with component video before this, and I am using the same cables... I suspect it is probably the TV. I tried going through the CVI 2 also, using their supplied cable through the PC/CVI 2 connector, but the same problem. Since the input works fine for the rest of the movie, I am beginning to suspect that it is not a connector issue, but a processor issue in the TV. I even tried the Star Wars movie on a cheap portable DVD player, and it played fine, so it is not the disc. Philips told me they have no service center near Denver, so they could not send anyone to check it out in house, told me to try another DVD player or return it.
Other thing I noticed is that when receiving regular OTA channels (no HDTV tuner in TV), it takes a few seconds after changing channels for the TV to adjust colors, usually to darken them. I could live with that, since I suspect that hooking up HDTV tuner through the HDMI would cure that issue.
Color is rich, sound is very good from the side speakers. Nice looking unit. I like that the connectors are underneath, so cables don't stick out from behind the TV, but come up from below and are protected. Remote is small, easy to use and well laid out.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Philips 32PF5320 32-Inch Widescreen LCD HD-Ready TV

Save space and enjoy a wonderfully vivid picture with the stylish, 32-inch Philips 32PF5320 widescreen LCD TV, a great choice for small- to medium-sized living rooms. It has a built-in 181-channel NTSC tuner for standard television broadcasts and is capable of displaying crisp high definition video with an optional HD receiver. This set can also double as a PC monitor, and with its Picture-in-Graphics small window in the main picture, you can simultaneously view your PC's desktop as you watch television programming. This set includes a tabletop stand, but it's also wall-mountable with optional kit (VESA compatible--200mm x 100mm).
The 32PF5320 has a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution, 176-degree viewing angle, very fast 18 ms (millisecond) response time (great for sports), a 500 cd/m2 (candela per square meter) brightness rating, and an 600:1 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.) Other features include Philips Digital Crystal Clear video processing chip (for optimal color, contrast, and sharpness levels), an anti-reflection coated screen, auto volume leveler, adjustable color temperature and sharpness, sleep timer, and V-Chip parental controls.
The 3D comb filter separates brightness and color signals better in 3D domain to eliminate cross-color, cross-luminance and dot-crawl distortion. It performs field-by-field comparisons of the television image to accurately separate the color from the black-and-white information and remove both horizontally and vertically hanging dots, as well as dot crawl, resulting in a razor sharp image. This set also performs 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal, too--a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. To adapt 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video, frames in the original movie must be duplicated; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this duplication by removing the redundant information to display a frame-accurate picture.
The Active Control function uniquely and intelligently optimizes picture quality by measuring and analyzing the incoming signal to automatically adjust picture quality settings. Active Control with Light Sensor uses a sensor to adjust the picture brightness depending on the room light conditions.
This TV has two built-in stereo speakers that produce 15 watts per channel (for 30 watts of total power), and can produce Dolby Digital virtual surround sound, emulating a 5.1-channel sound field from just two speakers. It also offers the following connections:
Composite AV (RCA) In: 2 (1 side)
S-Video In: 2 (1 side)
Component Video In (Y PB PR): 1
HDMI In: 2
RF In: 1
PC Audio In: 1
PC VGA In: 1
Headphone: 1

Tech Talk HDMI -- HDMI makes an uncompressed digital RGB connection from the source to the screen. By eliminating conversion to an analog signal, it delivers an unblemished image. The non-degraded signal reduces flicker and leads to a clearer picture. HDMI intelligently communicates the highest output resolution with the source device. The HDMI input is fully backward compatible with DVI sources but includes digital audio. HDMI uses HDCP copy protection.
What's in the BoxLCD TV, remote control (with batteries), tabletop stand, power cord, printed operating instructions

Click here for more information about Philips 32PF5320 32-Inch Widescreen LCD HD-Ready TV

Read More...

Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've owned this for 3 days now, and wanted to wait until I fully tested it to write a review. After seeing how it performs with videogames, blu-ray movies and basic cable, I feel I know the television enough to offer my thoughts.
Picture quality: Incredible. Blacks are as deep as the bezel surrounding the TV. Colors are bold - everything you'd expect from a top of the line plasma. I own a 62" DLP, a 26" LCD, a 50" panasonic 720p plasma and this plasma, and the plasmas are the only sets that really "pop." This model is head and shoulders above even the 50" 3-year-old model I own.
Video game play: There's a game mode, which bumps up the brightness and sharpness. It's great for PS3 games. I've played Demon's Souls and Wolfenstein on it so far, and both look amazing. The system touts "1080 lines of moving picture resolution" to help with motion blur. Honestly, I never felt plasmas had an issue with motion blur to begin with, so I'm not sure how much of a difference this feature is making, but from what I understand in doing research it helps to have it.
Cable: HD looks good - even the reds aren't blown out. Basic cable is standard definition - a thing on it's way out anyway, lol.
Aesthetics/connections: The TV is very sharp looking, and the anti-glare feature on the S model (as opposed to the U model) actually makes a difference. I rolled my eyes when I read the feature, but I'm watching it in the daytime in a well-lit room and the glare is really minimal. The only minor dissapointment is no VGA connection, but I'll figure out a way around that. Was going to use VGA to hook up my 360 (since I'm using computer speakers for audio at the moment), but will go the component route now. By the way, a TON of controls and an HDMI input are on the side of the tv, making it very easy to get to.
Burn-in/image retention/ghosting: Haven't experienced any signs of even ghosting yet. Had my game on pause for a few minutes a couple times to test it.
Audio: Haven't tested the TV's speakers, just using an external set of logitech speakers with subwoofer at the moment.
Overall: For the price, I highly recommend the set. Like I said, I own 4 televisions of 3 different technologies and this one shows off the best picture. I have a collection of almost 800 blu-rays, and stay up to date on all the high-def news, etc... I do extensive research before purchasing a product, and actually went into this thinking I was going to give in and get an LED. I don't want to get into an LED vs. Plasma thing here, but the LED's are simply LCD with different lighting, and it brings all the inherent LCD problems with it. They make catch your eye in the store, but once you get home and get into your environment, it's a different story. That said, this plasma in game mode gets the picture as close to LED as I've seen but with much better blacks.
Update 5/2/10: Just thought I'd add to this that I've had a videogame on pause for more than an hour a few times, and while I wouldn't make a habit out of it, there hasn't even been a hint of ghosting and certainly no issue with burn-in. Even so, the TV seems to have an auto shut-off function after 5 minutes or so of complete inactivity. There will be a message prompting you that it will shut off in 3 minutes and it counts down from there.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 42-inch VIERA TC-P42S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.


Key Features

Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

Click here for more information about Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Read More...