Customer Reviews

Panasonic VIERA TC-L42U30 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I wanted to purchase an tv that didn't break the bank, but met my criteria of
40-42", multiple HDMI input, PC input, 1080p, 120hz and this fit the bill. I stayed away from plasma because to me the LCD picture quality is much crisper and I stayed away from LED because for the same sized LCD I can get a bigger screen.

Note: The room that this tv resides in is 11' by 15' and it sits 8' away from the couch. The size is just right for the room.

Initial Setup

Setup was very easy and I was up and running within minutes of taking the tv out of the box. I had to install the included stand and then set a couple of options and the date once the unit was powered on. The stand base is made out of plastic but is connected to the tv with a metal bracket. That said, when we first set the tv on the console it wobbled and I was concerned at first, but after a few days, I already forgot that it initially wobbled, so this was a non-issue. The unit itself is beautiful with a black plastic frame with a glossy finish. It should be noted that the tv monitor itself sits very low with the stand, once installed, there is a 1.5" clearance from whatever the tv is sitting on and the bottom of the monitor itself, there is no way to adjust the height.

Remote Control

The remote control is standard, nothing fancy. I like the over-sized volume and channel buttons, very easy to find without looking at the remote.

Sound

Please keep in mind my room size above. The sound from the speakers are very good. Volume ranges from 0 to 100. When I want to immerse myself in a movie, I set the volume at 45, otherwise I set the volume between 25 and 30. Just don't expect surround sound from them and you won't be disappointed.

Presets

There are 5 presets in the Picture Menu: Standard, Cinema, Game, Custom and Vivid. I wasn't a fan with the Standard, Game and Cinema presets. After playing around with the settings, I settled on a Custom preset I liked.

Picture Quality

I have my PS3 connected via HDMI and watching 1080p movies on this tv is stunning. I watched Pixar's UP on blu-ray and the quality is surreal, it's so life-like that it almost looks 3D, I noticed myself paying attention to little details in the movie that I never saw before. Even watching non-1080p video is great, 120hz just makes everything smooth. I also have my Roku connected via HDMI and streaming HD content is great, the only downside with HD is that when you watch non-HD content, it's quite noticeable, but very much watchable on this tv.

Games

There is a Game preset and the tv states that this is optimized for gaming, however, I found that I preferred playing games on my Custom preset. I played FF XIII and Uncharted 2 and the quality is great. My guess is that the "optimized for gaming" is mainly for games FPS games, where every millisecond counts... but that's just my guess.

Turning Off 120hz

A frequent complaint I've been reading regarding 120hz units is that it looks like a soap opera. I can confirm this initial impression, but you do get accustomed to it and I actually like it now. There is an Advanced picture option Motion Picture Pro 4 that can be set to Off, Weak or Strong. I like it, so I leave it on Strong.

Viera Tools

The remote control has a dedicated Viera Tools button and when pressed, it shows you 5 options: Viera Link, Slideshow, Viera Image Viewer, Game Mode and Eco. Here's my thoughts on those options...

1. Viera Link: since I didn't own any compatible products, I don't have any feedback on this tool. I guess to me it's useless.

2. Slideshow: the unit has an SD card slot, so you can load pictuers and run a slideshow. You can set the soundtrack of the slideshow to one of 5 music tracks built-in to the tv. Other slideshow options you can set are transition effect (11 types, including collage), photo effect (sepia and gray scale) and display interval. Display interval is the speed of the slideshow, it can be set to Fast, Normal, Slow, Very slow and Short. Setting this option to Short would transition the 9 MP photos I have on my SD card every 8 to 9 seconds, which seems like good performance for a tv.

3. Viera Image Viewer: this previews the photos in the SD card, which is pretty fast. You can sort by month, folder or date and then run the slide show based on the sort. Neat.

4. Game Mode: You can either choose Game or Standard. Selecting Game just sets the preset to Game. Unless it does something more then I'm not aware of it, then it seems useless.

5. Eco: You can set options for "No signal for 10 minutes" and "No activity for 3 hours". Basically, you can set whether it stays on or turns off for those options.

Of the 5 tools above, it is the Slideshow that I found most useful and would likely use frequently. It was just so easy to load pictures on the SD card, press the SD Card button on the remote and run the slideshow with the soundtrack. It can also detect landscape versus portrait, so the pictures are shown with the correct orientation. My wife and I watched our wedding photos through this tool, we easily got lost in great memories... :-)

PC Input

This is not Plug and Play (PnP). When I attached the VGA cable from my netbook, the screen size defaulted to 1024x768. After searching through the menu options, I was able to find the PC adjustments section that allowed me to change the resolution to one of the following: 1024x768, 1280x768 and 1366x768. I tried it on 1366x768, but I was getting some noise at the bottom of the screen, setting it on 1280x768 input resolution worked fine, though I had to adjust the horizontal and vertical position to see the entire screen.

Timer

This was a nice unexpected feature. I can set 5 different times when the TV either turns on or off. I will use this feature when I am out of town and want to make it seem like someone is home.

Unused Features

I already mentioned that I do not use the Viera Link tool, as I do not have compatible devices. Other features I will not use are the Closed caption and Password setting. The password feature would be useful for parents. If set, access to channels/shows can be disabled based on content. So if a particular channel has a program that is TV-14 that has Sexual or Violence content, it can be blocked. Access to input selection can be password protected as well. Pretty neat.

Overall

I am very happy with this purchase. The picture quality is great, especially 1080p content. The sound from the built-in speakers is very good. The slideshow tool that allows the tv to show pictures loaded in the built-in SD card slot was a welcome feature and performance was surprisingly good.

Note: For those concerned with heat, it gives off fairly little heat for the size of the unit. When LCD's first came out, I purchased a 26" unit and that sucker was able to heat up my entire bedroom.

Had it for about a week now. Excellent TV.....exceeded my expectations! The HD feeds from the networks are blowin' my mind! Beautiful color and black levels. I'm a newbie there so keep that in mind but it looks great and can really mesmerize me. Before this, I bought a 1080p vizio 22" LED for my bedroom.....thought that was great and that the larger screen would not hold up in comparison....but it's so much better!!! And great fast service by Amazon!

Pros: Beautiful colors
Deep Blacks
Motion Pro works well
Even light across screen
Energy saver!!!
Just the right size for up to 10ft. Viewing
Great viewing angle
And of course, Blu Ray looks beautiful

Cons: Optical audio out only.

Other thoughts:

Motion Pro 4 : I think it works well. You can set it to strong, weak or off. On the strong setting, yes, some moments in film look like video....it's not that it's not pleasing, it's more like it's distracting at first because I keep noticing it. I turned it to strong for the Amazing Race the other nite and it worked well with all the action and camera cuts. For general viewing, I've settled in on the weak setting which is perfect for me.

Power Consumption: I've found by using a watt meter that the backlight is the main variable in using more or less power. Power consumption can easily be tuned down to as little as 50 or 60 watts....and a setting that uses the advertised 80 watts looks relatively good.....however, my favorite setting with the deepest blacks has the backlight pumped up and uses about 135 watts. I can compromise at 80 or 100 watt setting and pump it up when watching a movie or fav show.

A.I. picture: Enriches black areas without affecting brightness of overall picture.....I think it works well and I leave it on.....does not seem to affect power consumption

C.A.T.S. adjusts for ambient light....doesn't do much during the day but at night, it significantly reduces brightness and I don't like it so I leave it off.....does save some energy.

ECO mode: In Viera tools....standard looks better....saving is less bright but saves energy.

There's other settings to play with.

My custom settings for average viewing that uses about 100 watts:

Back Light 50
Contrast 85
Brightness 65
Color 40
Tint 0
Sharpness 50

A.I. On
C.A.T.S. Off
Motion Pro 4 set to weak
ENJOY!

Having both sold and owned a multitude of electronic devices that included Sony, Panasonic and others too numerous to mention and I freely admit to being a Sony lover until this purchase. This set replaces a Sony rear projecting Sony flat screen that required a blub replacement, the cost of which was over 30 percent of what the new set cost me. After comparing the picture quality and features offered by various brands including LG, Sharp and Sony among them, I found Panasonic equaled or exceeded what the competition offered and till now I have no reason to regret my dissension to buy it.

That being said, I am very pleased with Amazon as a seller. Having been a retailer who considered service of prime importance, I hate Box Stores approach to merchandizing that relies on the Hard Sell by their employees and considers the obligation ceases once the item moves out the doorway and becomes the buyers responsibility should a problem surface. Not only did Amazon have my purchase delivered free to my living room in perfect condition, but also guaranteed a replacement should it be defective without the hassles one can expect when dealing with WalMart, Best Buy and others like them.

Would I recommend both the product and the seller? Yes!

My dad is legally blind but he loves to watch sports and Gunsmoke on TV. It had gotten to the point where he couldn't see well enough to make out the screen of his standard definition TV. So we decided to get him a HD TV and began shopping. The whole family got involved, going to different stores to check out good deals. It took several days of looking around but without any doubt, this TV was the best picture for the price.
It was very easy to set-up - the only problem being the new remote that came with the new HD cable box. He's 84 and can barely see, so leaning a new remote was challenging. But he says he can see everything very well.
One of the things we noticed was that the TV has much better viewing from angles. I had read this at Panasonic's website and it is true. We have a HD and it loses picture quality when we view it from the side; we have to turn it to face us if we are both sitting to the side. This is not an issue with my Dad's TV - you can see very well when sitting to the side.
We are all very happy since he can now resume falling asleep in front of the TV while the game is on.

I wanted a well made 42" LCD television with the best picture I could get for the money, based on research and owner reviews.

I referenced numerous consumer sites. I had expected Sony and Samsung to come out on top, and although my personal experience with Samsung (screen halos, popping speakers, poor viewing angles, finnicky connections) has been less than ideal, many other Samsung owners seem happy. Nevertheless, where the research led, I would follow. I found Panasonic LCD TV's have the lowest incidence of serious problems. Most owners/reviewers raved about the immacculate image quality as well. So, the nod went to Panasonic.

I ordered this TV Next Day from Amazon on a Thursday evening and it was delivered the following afternoon just in time for the first preseason NFL game for my team.

This TV appears to be made from quality components with good construction. Set-up was quick and easy, install a few small screws and your ready to fire it up. On screen menus are simple with a logical layout and most settings can be changed quickly.

Picture quality is fantastic overall, much better than the 42" Samsung it replaced. The screen is very evenly backlit with deep blacks, bright whites. Color saturation is excellent without being oversaturated. 720p is stunning and 1080i is truly breathtaking. I haven't tried BlueRay yet, but can only imagine a non-compressed 1080p signal.

The 178 degree viewable range equates to a great viewing experience anywhere in our living room, with virtually no wash-out until the most exreme angles. The 120 Hz Motion Picture Pro 4 works well on sports and other fast moving images, with almost no perceptible blur. I do tend to leave it off or on the "weak" setting for most other programming. This is because it tends to make some things, like movies, look a little unnatural and kind of like a home video or soap opera effect. Some may like it, so it's more of a personal preference. SD images are much better than most of the competition I've seen as well. Overall, this set has a stellar picture and is unlikely to disappoint even the most discriminating buyer. The best picture I have ever seen on any TV.

Sound is much better than most of the competition with plenty of volume. The sound is clear and balanced, not muffled or hollow. The surround sound is a nice enhancement. If using the internal speakers alone, it should be ok for most applications, just don't expect awe inspiring sound. Mine is hooked up to a Pioneer home theater system via optical cable with good results.

This is a sleek looking set, albeit thicker than some of it's competition. I don't mind considering the phenomenal picture quality and above average sound. So, if absolute slimness is a priority, you might want to keep looking or go to edge lit tv's instead.

Connectivity options are a bit limited, but should be ok if most of your components are newer. No RCA, S-Video, or USB ports are built in. There are 3 hdmi ports, 1 component hook-up, an SD card slot, 1 optical audio jack, 1 antenna/coax input, and 1 VGA port. I currently have an HP laptop connected to the VGA input and is fuctioning perfectly. I actually don't mind the somewhat limited inputs, as it will likely encourage me to upgrade to some of the newer technology.

We originally looked at 'net capable televisions but opted instead to stick with our existing ROKU XD through hdmi, and I'm happy with the decision. This set-up has been problem free, gives us far more options than most sets with built-in capability and it saves some cash to boot.

The remote is responsive, works well.

Using the SD card photo viewer is easy with no fuss. I do wish it had the ability to play videos and music though. I simply hook my smartphone up through hdmi for this. Works for me.

The only negative aspect of this experience has been the shipping/delivery. The cardboard box had noticeable crushing on the top and bottom, it wasn't severe, but you could tell it was there. The delivery driver had dropped it off and set it on our patio. When we picked it up to carry it into our living room, the remote/documentation packet fell out through the bottom of the box onto the concrete. The entire bottom seam on the box had been slit. I'm just glad the entire TV didn't fall through. When we opened the box, the protective blocks of foam packaging were split and in multiple pieces from being crushed.

Thankfully, everything was there and the TV works as it should, so far. The way this item was handled, as an obvious high value package, is unreal. I was not happy about this. I am basing this review rating solely on the product and not the delivery, however, as it's not fair to the manufacturer.

This product has exceeded my expectations and I have had zero problems. Everything just works as it should. If anything changes, I will update.

I am rating this TV based on its comparison to other similar sized LCD models that I attempted to live with recently. Otherwise, I would have given this TV 3 stars.

I bought five different models over the past month and concluded that this Panasonic is the best overall.
The first time I bought this TV; the screen was slightly loose within the frame and rattled while I cleaned it.

I returned that TV and bought the LG42LV5400. The LG had many nice features for less than $100 more. I thought I could live with its faults, however its backlight bleeding issues, (it is LED) fluctuating brightness, and extremely slow web browser were too annoying, therefore it is going back to Amazon today.

I also tried a Samsung 46" LED that had a great and clear picture, though it too suffered from backlight bleeding that I could not live with.

I tried the Sony KDL40EX500, but it had a dead pixel out of the box and screen uniformity issues.

The only aforementioned TV I bought from Amazon was the LG. The others I bought from local retailers.

I reverted to buying another Panasonic TC-L42U30 because it has the best overall picture and screen uniformity (backlight and brightness).

I must mention that Screen backlight uniformity is an extremely important factor in my viewing preferences. For others who do not mind backlight bleeding, (aka "blooming") the other TVs that are equipped with newer technology might be a better choice. Personally, I don't understand how people can live with the kind of backlight bleeding issues that other TVs exhibited. If watching a program in a dark room, the backlight bleeding of the other TVs "washes out" the blacks in the corners and sides of the picture, thus significantly reducing the contrast ratio.

The following is my review of the Panasonic TC-L42U30. The TV is easy to set up, and the non-swiveling stand is sturdy enough. The understated design is plasticky and the TV is thicker than most non-led LCDs. It has only 3 HDMI inputs, a component, a VGA input and one optical output. I am not a tech junkie so it has plenty of inputs for my needs. This TV also has a slightly loose screen (it's hardly noticeable when cleaning the screen) within the frame, though I do not anticipate any problems with it. I assume that most of these models will have similar screen stability.

I believe this Panasonic has the best screen uniformity of any TV you will find or consider. I do not detect any backlight bleed issues and the black bars that are above and below the picture when watching Blu-Rays stay nice and dark. The picture quality is very good and a little better than that of the LG. The blacks are black with no bluish tint like that of the Sony. All these Panasonics have IPS panels, so you do not need to worry about "panel lottery" as you do with the other brands. The IPS panel allows for good viewing angles and the picture only begins to "wash out" at more extreme angles. I have this TV placed slightly higher than it would sit on most entertainment centers and I noticed that the picture improves some when viewing the TV straight on.

I am not sure of this TV's actual contrast ratio but the placard at the SEARS where I bought it claimed the contrast ratio is only 20,000:1. That claim is either inaccurate or the other manufacturers are making false claims about their high contrast ratios. The Panasonic's contrast is better than that of the Sony I tried that claimed to have a contrast ratio of 150,000:1. As for those TVs that claim contrast ratios in the millions, most are LED backlit and suffer from backlight bleeding which reduces the affected area's contrast ratio, probably to about 1000:1.

The picture options are few compared to other TVs, therefore, if you are an expert videophile who likes to custom calibrate the picture; this TV is definitely not for you. The TV does not even allow for manually adjusting the grayscale. It only allows for basic adjustments such as contrast, brightness, color, tint, color temp, and a few advanced controls such as contrast enhancement and the ProMotion 4. It has the usual preset picture options such as Game, Vivid, Standard, Cinema, etc. With minor tweaking of the "standard" picture option, I was able to settle on a picture that is good for most viewing. I do not rate sound quality of TVs because all newer TVs have relatively poor quality speakers. Invest in a soundbar or component audio system.

This TV is touting older technology, and more "advanced" TVs are available for the same price, However if overall picture quality is the most important factor in your decision, you might want to give this Panasonic a try. I hope this review helps. Good Luck!

UPDATE: I've had this TV for a couple weeks now and have found some issues that I feel inclined to share.

First: the remote has what's called "viera link" that allows you to control units of other brands(DVD Player, etc) with the Panasonic remote. Unfortunately, it does not work well. For instance, if you attempt to adjust picture settings with the Panasonic remote while watching Netflix through a Sony Blu Ray player, you hit the Menu button and it pulls up the Panasonic TV menu but simultaneously stops Netflix and returns the Blu ray player to the "Home" screen, therefore you must adjust the picture before watching through the Blu Ray or you must turn off "Viera link" and use separate remotes. This is annoying considering all the other brands that have similar universal remote technology do not have this issue.

Second: I have noticed some slightly dark (darker than rest of the screen) bars and spots toward the middle of the picture that is sometimes noticeable especially during a white background or sky scene. I noticed that the bars/spots become more noticeable at extreme angles. It almost looks similar to the burn in on my older LCD set, but much less obvious. I have uncanny eyesight and others might not notice it. The bars also look uniform, in that they have the same length and distance from the screen edges, therefore, I am concluding that they are a manufacturer defect and an issue likely not unique to my TV.

I have concluded that they no longer make TV's with a perfect picture. TVs have regressed for the fact that they can no longer render uniform screen/picture quality. Regardless of the brand you choose or the money you spend, you must prepare to live with some imperfection. Unfortuately, for those like me who have OCD, they cannot make thin Hi Def CRT televsions. I Should sell my TV and go to the gym instead.

I'm not really into 3D (yet) so I was basically looking for a TV that has 1080p and 120hz. I used to own a Panasonic TC-P42X1 and was very impressed by it. It didn't bother me that it is a plasma and only has 720p. Picture quality was awesome and absolutely had no complaints.

TC-L4U30 did just that but better.

There's very little configuration to get this unit going out of the box. Picture is crisp and the colors are full and rich. The sound was surprisingly good, far better than my previous unit. I thought the surround sound option was on but I looked in the settings and it isn't. I'm loving my purchase so far. I was looking at the other 42" LG but decided to take this instead.

I think I made the right choice.

I probably don't demand as much from my TV as some people. I use it for watching TV shows (a lot of sports) in HD, and for my PS3. I haven't yet tested it to see how it looks with the Blu-Ray player on my PS3, but games certainly look great. As for hi-def sports, it looks a heck of a lot better than my LG 42" that I bought last year (for a lot more money than I spent on this). The default picture settings are a bit muted, but you can easily customize the picture to have the amount of color richness and warmth that suits your preferences.

For the money, I can't imagine getting a better TV. In fact, after doing a fair amount of research, I couldn't find a TV that was close to as good as this one for anywhere near this price.

Last television I purchased was in 1997. This is my first flat screen, high definition television. Until a few weeks ago I was not that versed in discussing state of the art televisions (I still am not).

This television is everything it advertises. I have not used the online features but it does link up to my Panasonic blu-ray sound system. I had to spend three minutes setting it up but I imagine that would be the case with any tv.

I bought a Cheetah mount and mounted the television easily (after three days its still on the wall). I bought Amazon brand HDMI cord. I find the picture quality excellent. I imagine the picture can be manipulated to please 97% of the population.

The unit is a bit thicker than some of the units out there but once its on the wall, it doesn't bother me. The power cord could be a bit longer. My brother was glad it had an hdmi and card slot on the left side.

When I read reviews, I look for the "gotch-ya" that is not mentioned in the description. Things like only works with European outlets or requires monthly subscription. I did not encounter any surprises with this television.

I spent many months figuring out what TV would suit my interests best, incluing things like price, size, multimedia/input options, picture quality, and reliability. A few weeks ago I settled on Panasonic for the latter three, with size and price being congruous because most TVs are relatively the same price at the same size by any manufacturer.

I received my shipment via Next-Day air after ordering it on a Wednesday night- the TV (and HDMI cable I ordered) were both processed and shipped that night and arrived at my door 11am that Friday. The packaging was very sturdy and the TV / cable neither had any defects, scratches, or signs of mishandling. Thank you UPS and Amazon warehouses.

The setup for this TV was simple and smooth- Comes with a flat, sleek base that you attach a bracket to and then slide the TV onto via grooves in the mid-bottom of the device. Screws are then placed through the TV-into the bracket to secure it. I have no worries about the possibility of it being accidentally being bumped and knocking over.
The setup of the HDMI input labeling and screen settings was very simple and fast and the TV did not go around the bush trying to teach you everything there was to know about the interface and menu selections -- it knows there is a manual (very clearly written and illustrated) and it does not assume you are remedial. That was a plus in my book.

I hooked up my Xbox 360 via HDMI cable purchased from Amazon (the one they sell had a lot of complaints about the cable being too stiff but I have experienced no such thing just for you information) and then turned on my console-- The precision and clarity of the picture of the menu alone was very admirable and I was able to appreciate the Xbox logo for the first time. To test the picture I decided to play a couple of games: Mind you, I will not tell you what settings I use because everyone likes their picture to look different, but the ones I used I thoroughly loved.
While playing Fallout 3, the textures and colors were very precise and true despite the game lacking in graphical detail in general. (most of Fallout 3's graphics seem washed-out or faded, relying heavily on pale tones to produce a post-apocalyptic feeling. For those that are not familiar with the game.)
While playing Call of Duty, after I got a feel for the wider and larger screen, I was able to pick out people and details in the distance that I could only make out with my best guess before... Example: On Launch when you spawn as a Defender in Search & Destroy, I ran to the left side by Bomb B and peered out over the barricades in the middle of the tracks looking at the large container in the enemy spawn-- I could see very clearly the head of the player that peered out from around the crate and earned myself a quick and easy kill. This was not the case in previous TV experiences, so I was thrilled.
I turned on Netflix and watched some Lord of the Rings streaming with HD quality and was pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the picture. The Motion Pro 4 technology is decent and does add to the fast-paced scenes and makes the video experience much more enjoyable. Colors were true and the details of faces were easily discernible at my 6-7 ft viewing distance. I also watched a little bit of Futurama (Suwoop) and some Grey's Anatomy with my girlfriend and both were incredible.

The sound quality on the TV is astounding as well. The biggest problem I came across with Flat-panel HDTVs of any brand was the sound quality sounding muffled or tiny, but this Panny produces some very clear, crisp sound ranges even at lower volumes. I am able to have the volume at/or around 28 and hear everything perfectly. I also live in an apartment that has single pane windows and noisy neighbors. 5 Star. Be sure to activate the Surround Sound feature because that does not come activated initially.

So far I am extremely pleased with this TV and am no longer stressing about whether or not I made the right decision. All there is to do now is to purchase a nice 3-4 year warranty (unlikely to get Panasonic's warranty) and go on enjoying my gaming/movie watching experience. :)

If you have any questions I will be happy to update my review if I am able to answer them. Especially in reference to games. The Xbox 360 is my only entertainment device currently so be aware that quality of picture is significantly less than that of a PS3 or Bluray -- I know this, and hope to get one or the other just for this TV!