Customer Reviews

Panasonic CT-30WX52 30" 16:9 HDTV-Ready Pure Flat Screen TV

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This TV is simply eye-popping. I wanted an HD set and was convinced early on to go for the widescreen format. Price was a consideration so I initially bought a Samsung 30 inch widescreen (mistake!). Upon getting it home I was really disapointed in the picture (very distorted at the edges) and came back for a different brand. You get what you pay for I guess. Side by side comparisons led me to conclude that while the Sony was a bit sharper, the Panasonic had an overall more vivid picture. I don't have a very large space, so the fact that Panasonic makes a 30 inch (in addition to a 34 inch) but Sony only makes a 34 inch sealed the deal. This set is plenty big for a mid-sized room.

I love the set! Watching Discovery HD channel is utterly mesmerizing--friends can't believe it and watch slack-jawed (I still do too). DVDs (don't settle for less than progressive scan capability with this set) are equally awesome (current favorite to show off the set is "A Bug's Life"--surreal). You will not be dissappointed in this set, but you will forever notice how poor traditional (nonHD) signals are.

The set looks good when turned off too--silver and sleek. Remote is pretty good and the on-screen menu is very intuitive.

I have had this TV for almost a year now and it continues to work flawlessly. Even though I dont yet get HD signals the set significantly improves the cable signal and blows me away with DVD's. At the current prices you can't afford to buy a regular 4:3 TV. I have a fairly small Media room so the 30" set is just perfect for us...about 10 feet -me to set. I usually set my picture to "Just" or "zoom" and never have a problem with regular TV pictures. It also has many high capacity connectors...I have a cable box, a direct cable connection (so I can use the sets controls), TIVO, DVD, VCR & I route sound thru my Stereo.And all this works from the one remote supplied with the set. I have no negative comments about my set.... I love it.

My wife and I purchased this TV new in Oct. 2002 from a reputable eletronics store, and it was plagued with problems - Possibly because it was a very early production model. It was replaced under warranty in Dec. 04 due to these problems:

Problem #1.

After approximately 2 months, the set started making an incredibly loud, high-pitched screeching noise. It was repaired under warranty and returned to us after 4 weeks.

Problem #2.

The picture tube failed. The colour red started to bleed and the bottom right-hand corner of the screen became very fuzzy. It was especially noticeable when trying to read any text on the screen such as film credits. We lived with this problem for about 6 months. It was never fixed because the next problem occurred and changed everything....

Problem #3.

The final problem we experienced was with the glass. The inside of the glass became distorted with rainbows making it impossible to see proper colours. It was similar to when gasoline is spilled in a puddle of water. This problem could only be solved by replacing the entire picture tube, under warranty, which Panasonic refused to do. Instead, they honoured their warranty by replacing our entire TV with the 2004 model.

I would steer clear of this particular older model. The poor quality of the components is likely due to the fact that it was a very early production 16:9 TV and the bugs were not worked out before it was mass produced. Quality has drastically improved with newer models.

I have had this product for 6 months and it has broken 3 times with the same problem. There is something wrong with the power supply, as out of the blue it simply refuses to power up. To make matters worse, Panasonic does not do their own service (in the NY area, at least) and the 2 different shops I have tried both failed to fix it. Each kept it a few weeks and returned it, only to have the problem re-occur. I also had trouble with picture quality, which one shop denied existed but the other improved. Panasonic hasn't helped me at all, despite contacting their consumer affairs division. When it works, it's a nice TV, but thus far it's been out of service for over 6 weeks in 6 months.

This actually is a nice looking TV (while bulky) the picture quality and sound are great and it IS 1080i compatible (no way to get 1080p although I doubt the difference is that great). However this set is not HDMI compatible. It is not even DVI compatible so you can't get a DVI - HDMI converter. You are stuck with component cables which are not as good as HDMI (again, I am not sure how noticeable the difference is). So to summarize, this TV is good, but not the best.

Super for DVDs and HD signal. Not as good on non-hd tv signals.

I recommend digital cable with HD for best picture.

Sound is very good for a TV. Sometimes you don't want to fire up the home theater system just to watch TV. This does a great job with audio, even music and movies, but still no comparison to a home theater system.

It's fairly deep, so measure your cabinet or shelf before you buy it. Also very heavy because it is a CRT (tube).

Remote is easy to use. Have not tried to program it for other components yet.

This is an excellant TV that provides 16:9 widescreen High definition programming. Overall it has the best picture quality and stylish looks for the money when compared to sony. DVDs in anamorphic widescreen format look great when connected to the component inputs.