Panasonic CT-27HL14 27" TAU Series HDTV-Ready TV

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 19.5 x 27 x 22.4 inches ; 100.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 111 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00026WRFI
• Item model number: CT-27HL14
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,771 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoy all that high-definition television has to offer with Panasonic's CT-27HL14 27-inch TAU series HD-ready TV. The CT-27HL14 comes packed with features to create the ultimate home entertainment experience. The 3-line digital comb filter separates color from black-and-white accurately in a television signal. As a result, it improves overall color sensitivity and image clarity. In order to enjoy high-definition TV you must connect the TV to a DTV set-top box and a DTV signal must be present in your area.

Parental control give parents ultimate control over what their children are watching. You can lock out up to 4 channels, or choose to lock all channels with other selectable options. A 4-digit code needs to be entered to deactivate the lock. Parents can also prevent the use of video games or other video sources from being displayed. Other handy features include a sleep timer, multilingual menus, closed captioning, bass and treble balance, and the TV comes with a universal remote control.

Enjoy virtual surround sound without the elaborate home theater system. With only two speakers it can simulate cinema-like sound when playing any Dolby Digital DVD or Video DC. BBE high-definition sound also improves dialog intelligibility, and music is converted to a more natural sound, providing for crystal clear audio. There are two side speakers, which provide 7.5 watts each.

Connect to digital sources like DVD players and satellite systems using component and S-video inputs for the best possible picture. Other available connections include one front and three rear A/V inputs, A/V program out, and stereo audio out (fixed and variable).

What's in the Box
CT-27HL14 27-inch television, universal remote control, 2 AA batteries, user's manual, and warranty information.

Product Description

The CT-27HL14 is Panasonic's first High Definition 27-inch set. It features a 1080i/480p HDTV display, progressive CinemaScan (3:2 pulldown), 3-line comb filter and digital velocity scan modulation. It has one HD component video input, four A/V inputs (one in front), and one S-Video input. It also features the VIVA/BBE 3D High Definition Sound System with 2 speakers delivering 7.5 watts stereo sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great television, September 16, 2004

By 

a reviewer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic CT-27HL14 27" TAU Series HDTV-Ready TV (Electronics)

this is a great television, and it is a big improvement over an analog set. There are a few aspects of the tv that make it a #2 choice, though compared to the sony. Consumer reports (2003 issue) states that not all hdtv's are the same in terms of the hd picture quality. this is definitely true. they rank (10 point scale)

sony 10
panasonic 9
samsung 5 (boy is Samsung bad. the king of fuzzy images)

the panasoic image is very close to the sony image, but not quite as good. images run prog. scan through a dvd player (not 720 high def., it is 480 lines (enhanced def.)when playing dvds prog. scan) the image is very very good, but there is slight blurring (probably only noticable by those of us that are very detail oriented, but it is there. a good way to test is to turn on the subtitles and you can see how well the letters look). I compared the panasonic and sony at the stores, with some difficulty becasue the images on screen keep changing, and rarely show a steady detailed image for long, but the sony picture (as of August 2004) were better than the panasonic. I would have gotten the sony, but they didn't make a 27" hdtv in early 2004 when I got this set.
Another advantage of the Sony is there are 2 component inuputs, this set only has 1, so you can't run a DVD recorder signal and DVD player into the set at once. also sonly has 4 picture settings, panasoic only has 3, and two of them are really dark. the Vivid setting is the only one that looks good.
The buzzing coming from the set is from the transformer (claims a repair person), that sound isn't from the speakers. a bit annoying, but there's nothing that can be done as far as I know to fix that.
one note on the s-video. the s video images are really dark on this set. I use the s video to get the closed captioning off some dvd disks that don't carry over on prog. scan, but it's unlikely many people will be using s video much unless you have a specific reason like i do. It's too bad they seemed to have messed up the s video on these hd sets (I tested a few). that may have to do with the hd technology inside. an anolog set may give a better image that these hd sets with s video.
this is still a great tv compared to others and the picture is great, I would imagine these tvs will last a long time so one should make the best decision. ( I chose the 4 by 3 shape because that's the format I watch the most of).

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PIECE OF CRAP, November 4, 2004

By 

rbhatta "rbhatta" (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Panasonic CT-27HL14 27" TAU Series HDTV-Ready TV (Electronics)

I have this TV for past serveral months and have *Love* *Hate* relationship with it.

The *Love* Points

1. Can't Beat the price for this HDTV
2. Can't Beat the size, It is small enough to fit into those tight entertainment centers, Honestly buying a bigger TV means you will have to replace your existing old Entertainment center which will cost you another $200 not to mention the pain of replacing the old Entertainment center.
3. Great HDTV reception via Component Video Input. (Note: Needs additional OTA HDTV tuner)
4. Very Good Picture quality for the price.

The *Hate* Points

1. Constant buzzing sound from the speakers even when the volume is low
2. Poor convergence at the edges looks that Speakers inside the TV produce magnetic interference that the manufacturer failed to notice.
3. Picture is too Dark in Standard Defination Mode (SD)
4. Unable make the 4:3 Aspect ratio lock permanently when used in HDTV mode it always defaults to 16:9 after power off.
5. The Menu for adjusting TV settings is TOO bright and *NOT* transparent.
6. Only *ONE* component Video Input!!!!!!!!!!! Come on panasonic, What were you thinking?.. This is a HDTV for Goodness sake!
7. HDTV ready only, No HDTV tuner included!!

If you can learn to live with the *Hate* points, then this is a decent TV.

I am keeping this TV as in HDTV mode the picture quality is excellent! in 1080i mode. It upconverts all signals to 1080 mode (Frequency doubling). It also as 3:2 pull down conversion for Flims, Velocity Modulation and Video Noise reduction makes the pictures very clean and sharp.

If you can ignore the poor convergence or lucky with your set you can surely keep this one for years to come.

EDIT: (PIECE OF CRAP)

Just after 2 years of use, My TV just Died! - No Picture, Sound OK.

I believe the Picture Tube is DEAD!

Part Number A68QCP891X CRT 27" 294.07 + Taxes and Shipping from Panasonic parts.

DO NOT BUY THIS TV.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars R.I.P after 2.5 years, August 2, 2004

By 

® (West Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic CT-27HL14 27" TAU Series HDTV-Ready TV (Electronics)

Update:
After 2.5 years it stop working like what other reviewers stated. This was pretty much a rental, but I got a couple of more years then most. It cost me $60 to recycle this boulder. All is good now, that I just got a Sharp LCD HDTV to replaced it. I will give this a 1 star since the picture quality is my standard till today. Disregard what I wrote below.


I had this set for three months and it has been a very wise pick for me. Panasonic offers the best bang for your buck. For a couple of hundreds more a Sony or Samsung's set provides better image quality with the same spec of this model. Not to say that the image quality of this set is quite remarkable.

What it like:
HDTV is way, the only form of over the air broadcasting within a couple of years, so upgrade now. For the first time I got to use the progressive scan feature on my DVD player. The quality of the image is greatly smoother, but for some movies it looks a lot less detail, since the sharpening/noise/edge has been removed. Maybe that just the DVD player problems. I have a HDTV tuner, a Zenith model since this set is only HDTV ready, that pick up "over air reception" and the image quality is unparallel. But only a few stations now actually play any HDTV signal at all. I can pick up about 5-7 stations in Seattle, but usually only one has true HDTV broadcasting. I don't have cable or digital cable so I can not speck for that.
The remote is one of the easiest and most convenience to operate. With the major functions located within a big circular disc. The Menu is easy to navigate and to change features. There are three color/image settings. I have a setting save for DVD, normal local reception and one for HDTV reception, since each come in usually brighter or darker then other.

The average:
1 Component input is not very much nor is 1 s-video input, but why 3+1 Composite video for a HDTV set? The price of HDTV is falling but should fall more within the next couple of years. HDTV and wide-screen DVD image is 16:9 so you lose about 2 inches each on the top and bottom for this 4:3 unit. So this 27" is equivalent to a 24-25" wide-screen HDTV. BBE and AI sound are features on this set that you don't really notices at all. There is an annoying humming sound that can be heard when the volume is on 2-3 notches or less or depending on the distance you are from the set even with the mute on. My old analog TV with analog antenna gets better reception then this digital TV with an analog antenna.

Overall I am very please to have this set. The image quality is an upgrade over my older analog unit. I almost returned it for a 26" wide-screen Samsung, but didn't. This set 27" footprint and weight is less then other 27" set.