Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 31.5 x 20.2 inches ; 29.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 37 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.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001U3YK48
• Item model number: TC-L32S1
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,130 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Panasonic's new VIERA S1 Series LCDs HDTVs feature impressive improvements in picture quality, and are just right for gaming and enjoying your favorite hi-def TV shows.

Ideal for gaming and enjoying your favorite high-definition TV shows Click to enlarge

With VIERA Tools, just press a button and access photos or movies from the menu screen

In Game mode, quicker image response increases the enjoyment of video games

Remote included, with VIERA Link capability

Motion Focus Technology
Even fast-moving scenes are displayed sharply and clearly. With a 60Hz video signal input, 120Hz Motion Picture Pro 3 makes 120 frames/sec from 60 frames/sec. This increases the frame count to allow natural frame-to-frame transitions, for smooth motion images with high resolution. VIERA also uses motion focus technology that greatly enhances resolution.

Wide Viewing Angle
The wide 178 viewing angle ensures clear images even when viewed from an angle. The backlight's wide transmission aperture enhances the contrast between light and dark, and improves motion-image response.

VIERA Image Viewer
It's easy to view full-HD images with the SD card slot. Watch and show your photos right after you take them. Simply insert an SD card into VIERA to display photos on the large screen.

You can also choose from among 3 types of background music and 4 display effects. It's much more fun when you can view them on a large-screen HDTV with family and friends in 1920 x 1080-pixel high definition and a wide 16:9 aspect ratio.

Fine Black Panel
Panel reflections have been reduced to half those of conventional panels, to sharpen images and reduce glare. This also helps to unify the panel design with that of the VIERA lineup.

VIERA Link
VIERA Link allows interconnected operation of various AV devices using only the VIERA remote control, by simply connecting the devices to each other by an HDMI cable.

VIERA Tools
With the new VIERA Tools user interface, simply press a button on the remote control and icons such as the photos or movies from the menu screen appear. Now you can just select the one you want. This kind of easy operation means you have more fun and less hassle.

Game Mode
In Game mode, quicker image response increases the enjoyment of video games when a game console is connected to the TV. What's more VIERA produces the dark images in video games more clearly. This mode works anti-image retention (wobbling) too.

Connections

• SD Memory Card Slot (SDHC Compatible): 1 (JPEG playback)
• HDMI Input: 3 (1 side)
• Analog Audio Input (for HDMI): Yes
• Composite Video Input: 2 (1 side)
• S-Video Input: 1 (side)
• Audio Input (for Video): 2 (1 side)
• PC Input: 1
• Component Video Inputs (Y, PB, PR): 1
• Audio Input (for Component Video): 1
• Digital Audio Output: 1 (5.1 ch)
• Headphone Jack: 1

What's in the Box
Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Remote Control and Batteries, Cleaning Cloth, Pedestal, Operating Instructions, Quick Start Gude, Product Registration Card, Customer Care Plan Card

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get. Minimum size = Viewing distance/3 Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5

Product Description

32" LCD, 1080p, Contrast ratio 15,000:1,ISP Alpha Panel with 178 degree viewing angle, Motion Focus Technology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

124 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent TV, December 30, 2009

By 

M. Beverley "Bevmo" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)

Bottom line, this TV is currently ranked the 3rd best 32inch TV according to consumer reports, only behind the much more costly Samsungs, but ahead of the more costly Sonys. Tier one brand, great price, buy with confidence.

My TV situation: stood in the corner of formal living room, designed not to dominate room, used a few hours a day.
My TV viewing: general TV, casual films (no gaming or surround sound serious cinema).
My TV source: digital antenna/OTA/ATSC (no cable or sat) via Tivo HD, plus Netflix and Amazon video on demand.

I was shopping to replace my old 27inch CRT TV and a 32inch LCD is a perfect size for that. There is a bewildering choice out there. In a big box store I honestly could not tell the difference between the many manufacturers. Reading user reviews on line was ultimately a waste of time as someone always has a complaint or some unique need or set up.

I made my choice for this TV because of 1) the excellent professional reviews by consumer reports 2) brand quality reputation, 3) great amazon price, 4) clean case design 5) good number of inputs.

The picture by the way is excellent without modifications, bright, clear, viewing angle is not an issue.

Considerations: I technically probably didn't need a 1080p TV, 720p would have been fine as most TV signals are that, and I would not see the benefit at my viewing distance at 10+ ft, but this TV gives me flexibility to use with higher quality sources like HD downloads, gaming consoles or as a PC monitor in future. This 1080p model was also not much more expensive than a 720p model.

I wasn't sold on on the added cost for 120Hz for my needs: 120Hz does not seem to matter for TV signals, only 24fps movies, and if you're into serious cinema you're probably not looking at 32inch :-)

Sound on this TV, like most 32inch TVs, is from 2x10w speakers, and is absolutely fine for a living room and casual viewing, I have not had to go above 50/100 on the volume level.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overall the best 32 inch set for games and computer usage, January 29, 2010

By 

Miles Jacob (Laguna Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)

Pros
-good quality IPS panel, a superior LCD technology generally used in just a few premium computer monitors. Panasonic, NEC, and Apple are among the only manufacturers who guarantee IPS panels. Few other TV makers use them and even when they do, companies such as Samsung, Dell, LG have been known to swap them for inferior cheaper panels after initial positive reviews are published.
-less than a single frame of input lag with progressive sources, and a good quality de-interlacer which adds merely a single frame of lag, making this one of the best gaming TVs for ANY price.
-horizontal and vertical viewing angles are nearly as good as CRT and plasma, no color shifting
-saturated and accurate color (when calibrated), crisp and bright, no banding of gradients, no loss of detail in shadows or highlights, extremely rare for an affordable television
-S-Video, Component, Composite, and 3 HDMI inputs, both digital and analog audio outputs
-1920x1080 signal can be displayed 1:1 with no cutting off of the edges, such as from a PC with a DVI-HDMI cable
-a wide variety of VGA input timings are supported

Cons
-VGA input resolution limited to 1280x1024
-diagonal viewing turns blacks gray (just make sure the TV is placed at eye level to get the ideal wide viewing angles)
-the speakers are somewhat weaker than other similar TVs
-only Cinema mode (with brightness at 50 and Contrast at 100) has reasonably accurate color, the other modes make color changes that are not user accessible.
-fluorescent backlight gives slightly bluish "Normal" color temp, "Warm" looks best
-the black levels are good enough, but not remarkable
-colored text is slightly fuzzy even at 1:1 pixel resolution due to subpixel font rendering techniques of OSX and Windows (still readable and better than turning subpixel smoothing off, but this TV is not ideal for use as a full time web/productivity computer monitor, it is perfect for a media PC however)

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gaming TV, December 18, 2009

By 

J. West - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)

I started out on my venture to purchase a new gaming TV (mainly for my PS3). My old set was a 27" Samsung CRT that had some really bad coloring and geometry issues. I finally got fed up and decided to start looking around for a 1080p LCD that would fit into my existing entertainment cabinet. After reading a bunch of reviews online, I discovered this horrible affliction that all LCD TVs experience - Input Lag. Generally, if a TV has a good/great picture (Sony and Samsung), it has more input lag. If you want a TV with low input lag, the picture won't be as good. As mainly a gaming TV, I decided to try to find a TV set with great input lag numbers with a good picture. After hearing how well previous Panasonic models were for gaming, I decided to get this TV.

Well, I couldn't be more satisfied with my purchase! Not only is the input lag very low but the picture quality is quite good. The colors are very good, but the blacks aren't as good as a Samsung or Sony. Mind you, I haven't had much time to go diving into the color/service menus to fine tune the display. Also, I cannot rate how well it handles SD signals as everything I've used it for have been 1080i/p native. Yes, the sound volume from the TV is pretty bad, as most reviewers have mentioned. But this is a non-issue if you have a receiver to hook it up to.

PROs
Excellent input lag
Good picture quality
Great price (Thanks Amazon!)
Great input select menu (press input and then hit 1-8 to immediately go to the input you want)
Very attractive design with a non-gloss screen
Lots of input options including 3 HDMI

CONs
Weak speakers
Only 1 component input*

*I had my PS2 and TiVo HD hooked up through component on my old TV. On this TV I had to go buy another HDMI cable just to have them both hooked up at the same time.


Overall, I am extremely pleased with this TV. If you are reading this and are looking for a great 32" gaming TV, do not hesitate to buy this TV!