Customer Reviews

Panasonic PT40LC12 40" 16:9 Widescreen Projection LCD Display

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was searching for a HD-ready widescreen TV but was not ready to pay the [$$$] for a 42" plasma set. This came along in May ... with a price tag for less than [$$$]. It is HD-ready, 40", and has a matching stand available for it. The picture with non-HD TV is good, and you are able to either select either zoom, justify, or full to fill in the vertical and/or horizontals and fill-in the 16:9 screen with the 4:3 picture. With DVD, the picture is above average, and with an HD tuner hookup (over-the-air or DirecTV HDNET/HBOD) the picture is superb. I would rate the HD picture very close to plasma, and for the price, a better value at this time. As with all LCDs, the blacks are not pure black, but I don't watch a lot of space movies. HD sports is great due to the excellent color saturation it produces. LCDs also produce some motion artifact, and there is no exception here. I find it slightly annoying, but certainly not much worse than on plasma sets. A set definitely worth the money if you are interested in a widescreen, HD-ready set.

I've had this tv for over a month. (Also purchased the new Onkyo 950 home theater package to go with it.) While more than your average projection TV, this LCD rear-projection offers almost the same resolution as plasma. The delivery guys from Best-Buy brought it to my house and set it up had never seen one before. After we plugged it in and fired it up, both of them uttered, "wow" as the screen came alive. They had set up two plasma tvs for NASA in the past, and both of them througt this Panasonic was as good .... with a lot less hassle than a plasma.

Reactions from new viewers on DVDs is predictable: universal acclimation that it's a much. much better experience than in the theater. Stunning clarity: you will notice more visual details than in the theater.

It doesn't get any better than this, unless you're willing to fork over MUCH more money. Couldn't be happier.

I purchased this TV locally from BestBuy and absolutely love it. The picture clarity is just amazing. I can see the tiniest detail in movies that I never noticed in the theater due to the fantastic picture resolution. (I had planned to use the TV with my computer to edit pictures and make photo CDs, but I'm frightened at the prospect of seeing my face with that kind of detailed imaging.) I often watch programs on mute while I'm exercising. Even across the room I have no difficulty reading the closed captioning.

I also appreaciate how much less hassle the TV is than rear projection big screen TVs. No tuning at all, just turn it on.

I had some friends over for a movie night and one of them stated that it made his tv look like a radio in comparison. I would highly recommend this product.

I had previously owned an RCA F38310 HDTV which was nothing but trouble. I have had this set for almost 6 months now - bought it sight unseen from circuit city and have been thrilled with it. Works great with digital cable, DVD, PSX2 and terrestial HD signals(need an HD reciever) and High Def DirecTv - standard DirecTv was not so great (looked washed out) but I am dropping my subscription - I only used it for High def channels and I just got HD Cable which is fantastic (Discovery HD Theatre is awsome)!

the minor con -Speakers are not great but I'll bet if you are looking at this TV you already have or will get a quality surround sound system.

The bottom line with this set is the picture, this set is on par with entry level Plasma sets and well exceeds any standard rear projection tvs.

Absolutely no problems so far but if I have learned anything from my RCA HDTV purchase,always get a good warranty with in home service.

I love this set. I got a great deal that I couldn't pass up. This set is much lighter and smaller than the similar size CRT based displays. Great universal remote incorporates most functions of my cable box, DVD player and audio equipment. Only weighs 95 pounds - easy for 2 people to move without getting a hernia.

Great crisp picture in comparison to the CRT based models. Blacks are a bit weaker than CRTS when comparing side by side. This LCD set has a bulb that will cost $$$ to replace after 5,000 hours but that is still better than having to have a technician come in and align the 3 colors for the CRT type displays. The sound quality is good/marginal but if you are going to invest the $ in a HDTV set chances are you have a sound system with all the bells and whistles, subwoofers, surround speakers etc. I don't think anyone will argue that there are any TVs on the market that produce sounds to the extent of a good system. However the TV does make one sound a tiny bit louder than you might hope. The cooling fan for the projection display does make a noticeable background noise. Chances are you won't notice it if you aren't listening for it, but be warned it does make a small noise.
Check availability of HDTV in your neighborhood before purchasing it based upon getting HDTV signals. Chances are you don't need anything more than a HDTV monitor. (Which this is) Your cable provider will be able to tell you what they offer as well as provide you with a receiver/cable box for receiving the HDTV feeds anyways. Chances are there aren't many HDTV channels you can receive with an antenna anyways. Which the need for the cable boxes makes buying a set with a HDTV tuner really obsolete. I love this set and highly recommend it.

This set was a must-have for me when I purchased it in the middle of 2002. I've had the set a long time now and have a greater appreciation for it.

The first thing you'll notice is the 'spacey' design. Most of these items in the past have resulted in a cool looking product that calls a premium for looks. Let me say this set wows not only with its design but with its picture as well. Please note this is an LCD projection TV, not an LCD panel. It is 18 inches deep instead of 3, so you won't be able to hang this on the wall, but it is very space-conscious in design. I replaced a 1980 50" Sony projection TV with this and the space I gained allowed me to do my home theater setup properly.

I will get a couple of complaints out of the way. The contrast is not as good as a DLP or direct-view set. You can correct the washed-out look with some calibration DVDs (or get a pro to do it for an outstanding result!). I also had a green 'blob' on the screen. Some others complained about this but didn't do anything about it. Luckily, I have friends in the business and found it was a _fingerprint_ on one of the internal mirrors in the set. I made Panasonic come out and clean it. After that, the blob was gone and my set was ready to go.

As with any TV, the picture itself is going to be your main focus, so here goes. The picture is very good even with regular cable. It has a decent internal line doubler and the viewing mode of "Just" stretches the outside more than the center part making non-widescreen shows look fairly normal. LCD projection TVs don't have to worry about burn-in, so you could also watch this in 'normal' mode making shows viewed in this mode about the size of a 32" 4:3 TV. The "Just" mode is easily adapted to, and you'll be wanting to keep the screen full once you get accustomed to the slight stretch. However, you don't buy this set just to watch cable TV. Pop in a DVD to a progressive scan player and get ready for a treat. The real test is getting an HD picture on this set. I've used 720p and 1080i signals from OTA (over the air antenna) and Comcast cable. Both types of broadcasts are phenomenal. If you remember those nature shows from the past, watch an HD version. You'll actually sit there mesmerized by the picture. Get an HD movie in there such as The Fifth Element or Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and be ready for the 'falling' scenes. I was more impressed watching them on this set in HD than in the theater. The DVD in 480p was wonderful, but the HD broadcasts blew me away.

The sound is fairly good especially for the small size of the internal speakers. The BBE sound interpolation is fairly neat, but I rarely even have the sound on at all on the set. With this type of set, you almost need the 5.1/6.1/7.1 setup with an external receiver to get the full experience. I'm actually happy the speakers were smaller than most big-screens to save space.

The matching stand has the same design and looks like one piece when put together. I think it is a perfect compliment to the set. You will also need to clean a filter every 400 hours or so (the set will tell you when it's time). That takes all of 30 seconds to do and isn't a bother.

I would recommend this set to anyone short on space but wanting a phenomenal picture without paying many thousands more for an HD-capable Plasma or LCD Panel TV. This is a great example where style and substance are both outstanding.

I was considering purchasing this TV, but instead went with the 50" Sony LCD projection. The difference is striking - it's in the contrast.

Before buying this TV, make sure you see it in person, preferably next to other TVs (either regular CRTs or even the Sony LCD). It's very apparent that this TV does not have good contrast - everything looks faded compared to a regular television. The blacks aren't very black... they're just darkish grey.

If this is okay for you, after a while you probably won't even notice. When you see it next to other TVs, or if you start to notice it after owning it, it will probably drive you crazy though. Sony put a lot of work into getting better black tones out of their LCDs... Panasonic didn't, it seems. It's kind of unfortunate, because the Panasonic is at a very attractive price for the technology. If you're willing to spend a little more but still want a lightweight TV, you might want to also consider the DLP-based sets, which are coming down in price.

I purchased the PT-40LC12 in late 2002 since then have had to replace the lamp twice at a cost of $300 each and the lamp ballast at $1,000. Panasonic claims life expectancy of the lamps to be 5,000 hours, but my experience has been about half that.

With the latest problem, Panasonic technical support was not helpful at all -- after a 30 minute wait for a technical representative, I was told to go to an authorized repair center (50 miles away). The tech. at the repair center knew immediately the problem (and also had two other Panasonic LCD sets in for the same type of repair). Subsequent calls to Panasonic technical support resulted in long waits on hold (25, 26 and 47 minutes respectively).

I have no complaints about the quality of the picture, but I am concerned about the lack of tech. support and the fact that Panasonic appears to be ignoring a known problem with reliability.

The TV is cool looking and I've loved it except for the following complaints:
1. No sleep alarm. (A bummer becuase it's in the bedroom.)
2. The bulbs burn out in 2500 hours vs. the 10,000 adverstised.
3. My power supply blew out 3 $300 dollar bulbs in a week. It's now at Panasonic. They have to rebuild it because they are no longer available! (Now that's a real problem!)

Here's hoping BEST BUY stands behind their extended warranty and gets me a replacement TV!

This has almost all the benies of a plasma, but without the cost.
Hookup your pc. dvd.vcr or anything else you can think of .. great picture and a great value.... all around great tv for the one who has a lil extra to play with....looking for more info and cant find .... email us at .... [website]