Do Top-Selling HDTVs Stand Up To Strict Scrutiny?

Panasonic is the biggest name in Plasma HDTV. Apart from delivering undisputed quality the company also scores by way of affordable priced sets.

Plasma Leadership

The largest size screen Panasonic offers in its Plasma line is 65 inches. With its thin design, this can be accommodated in a smaller room; also, the viewer doesn't need to maintain an optimal distance from the screen.

The TH-50PZ700U50-inch plasma TV is the jewel in the Panasonic's crown. Offering outstanding quality with deep blacks, great colors, contrast and shadow detail, this 1080p resolution set with an anti-reflective screen competes with large-screen LCDs in its pricing.

Competitive Strategy

Like Samsung, Panasonic plans to ride on innovation to keep competition at bay. This intent is clear in the light fidelity technology employed in Panasonic's LIFI rear projection HD LCD sets. This enables image brightness to be preserved for longer than in traditional LCDs. The company believes that because of this the bulb will never need to be replaced. Even in the LCD range, the TC-32LX700 is considered by some as a runner up to Sony, with its deep blacks, and excellent picture quality.

Panasonic is the only brand that offers 1080p resolution in the 42" category. Consumer Reports has found that Panasonic, along with Sony, is among the least repair-prone among LCD sets.
Now, For The Flipside...

LCD Blues

The Panasonic PT-45LC12 45" HDTV-Ready LCD Television has a loud cooling fan that interferes with your enjoyment even when you turn up the volume.

The 26" TC-26LX LCD TV, although an integrated HDTV, rather than a HDTV-ready TV, fails to pick up more than 2 or 3 unscrambled channels, and needs a converter box for you to be able to watch HD broadcasts - that would cost you $6 - 8 a month. This is attributable to the deficient QAM tuner in the set. The Panasonic TC-32LX70 32" LCD set has the same problem.

Plasma Leaders?

The TH-50PH9UK 50-Inch Plasma HDTV suffers from limited connectivity, apart from inaccuracy of the red and green primary colors. (This is a problem you face with the TH-58PX600U 58-Inch Plasma set, too, which in addition has a fluctuating black level.)

At the time of set-up you have to customize the TH-50PH9UK by buying and installing additional input cards. (It has no built-in ATSC tuner or cable card.)

The built in speakers on the TH50PX70 are adequate rather than outstanding.

The basic range of new plasmas from Panasonic lack full HD 1080p capability that upscale models are equipped with.

The 58" 1080p Plasma Flat Panel HDTV has a sound quality described by an owner as "pathetic". Apparently, this set is meant to be set up with a surround sound system so you don't have to use the internal speakers. It has many connections in the back and front but HDMI inputs are limited to just two. This is a clear oversight given that many households have HD camcorders and digital cameras equipped with an HDMI output. This set also has a glare problem, as the new anti-glare screen only reduces the glare by 50%.