Customer Rating:
Summary: CRT HDTV's are the way to go for now.
Comment: I got this TV as a gift from my brother back in January of 2004 and it has a great picture on both standard and high definition programming. There is no pixelation on standard definition programming which unfortunately is a given on any LCD on the market today and the HD is crisp and clear with no noticeable artifacts. The sound is great too and it has a sufficient amount of inputs including component and HDMI. The front composite AV input is great for camcorder playback or for monitoring a DVD recorder. My only small gripe is that I am starting to see a little green on the right and left edges of the screen during HD programming with bright whites, which could have been avoided had I stretched my standard definition channels. Panansonic notes in the manual that viewing 4:3 in its native resolution for extended periods of time can cause burn in. My other small gripe is that it does not have QAM or an ATSC tuner, so a set top box is required unless you have a DVD player or recorder that has a tuner. Overall though, I am very happy with this TV and would recommend any CRT HDTV up until 2009 when all programming will be digital.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Giant Disappointment
Comment: Just put one of these out to the trash after only 15 months of ownership. Unit would no longer turn on, cost of shipping for repair not worth it. Rather expensive to be worthless after 15 months. I won't be buying Panasonic again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent HD TV with a few caveats
Comment: A good solid performer. Got mine from CC for $400. Picture is good, crisp and clear on standard def broadcasts. "Zoom" setting seems to work best for those unless the signal is weak; "Zoom" cuts off the top and bottom to make the 4:3 picture fit the widescreen; there's also "Just" which stretches the edges; "4:3" which puts black bars on the sides; and "Full", which stretches the entire picture. Lots of inputs (1 HDMI, 2 component, 3 composite on the back and 1 nicely hidden composite on the front) and none of them are "shared" with each other and/or use the same audio jacks, which is very unusual in this price range, and a great feature. Sound is OK, about par for a medium-sized tube set. Remote is usable but some of the controls are funky or oddly placed. The HD picture is fantastic, and is where this set really shines. Every time I watch football in HD, I'm amazed--the picture is razor sharp, bright, and clear. Much better than any of the sub-$1500 LCD TVs I've seen. The biggest complaint I have so far is that the color in standard def isn't completely stable, and tends to wander into the reds or purples, depending on the set's mood or something. But as it's aging, this problem is slowly getting better. Oddly, it does not have this problem at all in HD, where the colors are dead on. At $400, I figure that if the set lasts two or three years, good enough, and I'll spend the big bucks and replace it with one of the newer tech sets, once they've a better value.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good deal for $350
Comment: Been shopping for a widescreen TV for a few months and after giving up on a reasonably priced LCD I picked this one up for a good price of $350. Set has nice sound, tons of inputs, and has a better picture than any LCD you can buy. I do not have the HD box yet but picture looks pretty good without it (looked better in the store with HD box set up.) Widescreen programs and DVDs Look great but I dont know if I can get used to the "Strechy look" you are pretty much forced to deal with if you dont want burn in on regular 4:3 TV shows (manual gives a warning about this.) Guess this is a problem with any widescreen (at least the streatchy short and fat thing.)
Black levels are nice on this set but the color is a little funky to me but I will probably find some good settings eventually. Seem to have to be tweaked quite a bit. All in all, its a good tv if you can get it for $300-$400 or less. I would not pay the $599 retail price for it. I think it would be worth that price if the HD tuner was included.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great TV..
Comment: I picked it up for 399 from circuit city... great picture.. great color.. great TV for the money...
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