**Please note that I am reviewing the TC-L32X2. I feel obliged to mention this because in some cases, Amazon has migrated the reviews of a particular product to the newer version's page. I just want to avoid confusion--and snippy comments.**
After 18 years with a 25" RCA tube TV, I finally stepped up to HD. After three months of watching (and complaining about) the inconsistent picture quality of a previous HDTV purchase (Sylvania LC320SLX 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV), it's a real pleasure to watch a quality TV with correct color reproduction and black levels that aren't overwhelming.
Great picture out of the box, even from extreme angles; so far I've only upped the brightness. When I get some time, I'll use Video Essentials to set everything correctly. My wife claimed that the previous TV looked fine to her, but after just two days with this TV she commented, "The picture is really clear." She was watching "Sex and the City" on Showtime HD and remarked that she could now see all the details in one of Carrie's jackets, when before she thought it was all black. She also commented on the incredible detail in A Bug's Life on DVD. (Watching all my son's Pixar DVDs has become an absolute joy.)
For me the test was Breaking Bad on AMCHD, and although the show's palette tends toward dark and greenish, it's far better than the Sylvania I replaced. After having watched an episode of Cougar Town, however, I'm beginning to believe that broadcast TV is a crapshoot in terms of proper color balance. DVDs are far more consistent. Speaking of which, I want to revisit a lot of my favorite movies now that I can watch them on a bigger, wider, clearer screen than I've ever had before. (Update 6/26/10: I just hooked up a new JVC XVBP11 Blu-ray Player and the detail and clarity is just stunning. You can often find me standing slack-jawed in the middle of the living room. Every day I love my TV a little more.)
My wife absolutely loves the iPod dock and the ability to control the iPod with the TV remote; I'd love it if my album artwork showed up on the screen. Sound levels from the built-in speakers seem anemic, but since this TV will eventually go into the bedroom, I'll live with it. Oddly, output levels seem OK when using the cable box, but very low when using the Blu-ray player (each uses its own HDMI input). That brings me to my one major beef about the set: Although it has three HDMI inputs and various other component/composite inputs, it has no external RCA output (only optical and Viera Link, whatever that is), so I can't hook it up to either my non-optical receiver or my wireless headphone transmitter.
Overall, though, I'm very happy with this purchase, and will definitely consider a Panasonic Viera for our next (bigger, higher-resolution) HDTV. What blows my mind is that this TV cost about the same as my 25" RCA did back in 1992. For what it's worth, I took the RCA to Goodwill; as far as I know it's still alive and kicking.
Update 7/31/10: I discovered the hard way that there are no USB inputs. We have a Flip Video camera and I would really like to hook it to the TV so we can watch our videos, but there's no USB port (well, it wasn't important until now). I tried running it through the Blu-ray player, but that was a no-go. And I can't use my iPod because Flip videos won't play on it. Grr.
Update 1/1/11: Fifteen or so minutes after turning the TV on, the sound would distort, like a static-y echo. (See video.) Turning the TV off and on or changing the input fixed it, but it got to be so annoying that today I called Panasonic for service. They seemed to know exactly what I was talking about and said they'll be sending an SD card with a firmware update. As soon as I got off the phone, I downloaded the firmware update from their website and installed it per the instructions. Still happy with my TV; not very happy with Panasonic support: I never got the promised SD card.
Update 4/14/11: In early March I purchased a Panasonic VIERA TC-P42S30 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV and put this unit (and my Apple TV 2) in the bedroom (about a 10-foot viewing distance); this TV still gets more use than the plasma. Because I didn't have time to skip through all the chapters of Video Essentials, I used the test patterns from the Sony Blu-ray of Moon to adjust the brightness, color and tint. (I also set the sharpness to 0.) I didn't touch the back light or contrast settings (which were +5 and -5 from Standard, respectively). Everything looks fantastic.
| Brand Name | Panasonic |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 24.3 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 31.5 x 8.6 x 21.7 inches |
| Item model number | TC-L32X2 |
| Color Name | black |
| Item Weight | 24.3 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 32 Inches |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Wattage | 104 watts |
