What is the general consensus on the smaller (26-37") Pany LCDs? 720 or 1080 makes no difference for me. The unit will be a bedroom set. Wish they still made a 37" plasma!!!

Thanks.
Mike

They are very good TVs. I have last years 32LX700 model and love it.

Thanks Sanlanman.

What is the general consensus on the smaller (26-37") Pany LCDs? 720 or 1080 makes no difference for me. The unit will be a bedroom set. Wish they still made a 37" plasma!!!The two current 37" Panasonic LCD TVs are 1080p - i don't believe they make a 720p model in this size. I spent a lot of time playing with these models in a few stores and i was able to get them to look very good. I'd definitely buy one if i was looking for a 37" set.

I agree with you Randy, they do produce a nice picture in the store. I am just alittle gun shy about LCDs in a darkened bedroom. What will they look like when the brightness is turned down? Add the fact that I have a plasma in the living room that will be compared to, and I am a bit leary.

Mike

I just picked up a Panasonic TC-32LX85 (720p) for bedroom use on Saturday ($499). I have a Pioneer plasma as my main set. I am partial to plasma, but thought I would give LCD a shot. Also, the only 32 plasma available is the Vizio/Insigina which I looked at in Walmart, but it appears to be (at least) very prone to IR per the big thread in the Plasma forum. Some love it, some hate it and have returned it. Based on the generally good reviews here and CNET, in addition to seeing the Panny in person, I bought it.

So far, I am impressed with the overall PQ and the set generally. I watched football and college hockey with a very critical eye and did ocassionally ,see some very slight pixellation. It was very quick and didn't detract from watching the games. My wife couldn't see it until I pointed it out. The color and black level are better than I expected. Std Def shows (Food, HGTV, etc...) look as good as my Pio plasma. Sound is fine for bedroom use. Haven't tried PS3 yet. No plans to use as a PC monitor, can't really comment on that. My connection is Cable HD DVR => HDMI => Panny.

Thanks for responding, Gandu. I will be checking into the Pany within the next couple of days. Hopefully the sales people will let me play with it some. One question for you....How is it in a darkened room? Also (OK two questions), is this a recent offering from Pany, or are there newer (better?) sets available that don't cost an arm and a leg?

With Christmas coming and gifts to get for others, I may have to wait until later to get one. In the meantime, I will be enjoying myself with testing sets at my local BB and Sears.:)

Mike

Mine is in a dark room and it looks very good. Colors and blacks are nice. Based on the dates professional reviews were written on this set, it looks like it was released around April 2008, so it's a fairly new model. Panasonic does have a 1080p version but, at this screen size and my intended use, 720p for less $ is perfect for me.

Several of the 32" LCD contenders reviewed here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-32-inch-hdtvs/

Thanks for responding, Gandu. I will be checking into the Pany within the next couple of days. Hopefully the sales people will let me play with it some. One question for you....How is it in a darkened room? Also (OK two questions), is this a recent offering from Pany, or are there newer (better?) sets available that don't cost an arm and a leg?

With Christmas coming and gifts to get for others, I may have to wait until later to get one. In the meantime, I will be enjoying myself with testing sets at my local BB and Sears.:)

Mike

I have had the TC-32LX700 for well over a year now (720p). It was/is a premium priced set (relatively speaking) because it is a premium performer. Mine had a matte screen and this year's comparable model, including the 37-inch version, went to a glossy coated plastic screen. This may cause glare/reflection issues depending on your environment.

The thing that sets this set apart is its off-axis viewing angle.

I just got a Toshiba 52XV545u for my living room and, while I like a great deal, its backlight increases as one moves off-axis, right or left, in the horizontal plane. I just ran a test by tuning to a channel without a signal and the screen is dark as I stand in front of it. As I move to the right about 5-10 degrees off-axis, I begin to see the screen brighten and it continues to do so as I increase my angular departure from center-axis. At 40-50 degrees it is quite bright. With an image on the screen the contrast ratio drops off noticeably as I step farther to the right in a semi-circular path toward the plane of the display. It annoys me and severely limits the optimal viewing position.

The Panny, on the other hand, is mounted overhead in the kitchen and in that same test I ran with it, with the set tuned to a channel with no signal, it produced a uniformly dark screen throughout the entire 90-degree arc from the center veiwing axis all the way around to the plane of the set. This is the Hitachi-Panasonic IPS Alpha Provectus technology -- and it does make a difference -- I just did not realize how much until I tried this experiment today.

If off-axis viewing is a consideration, you haven't got much choice. In this respect, it rivals a plasma, but has a brighter picture. Oh, and there are no major techical problems with this one either, such as TBE, clouding, mura, flashlighting ...

Did I just blow too much money? I ordered a Sharp Aquos LC32GP2U 1080P from Best buy. Arrives later this week so I can cancell. The list price is well over $1K.

I am thinking -- I must be stupid -- but it is tough to find good reviews on smaller televisions.

In shopping the store I found three customers out of four were looking at 37 inch or smaller televisions but the reviews are 90% JUMBOTRON size products!

If these sites were meant to help consumers help each other then some portion should be dedicated to "normal" size televisions -- at the end of the year a bunch of people are going to be buying replacement sets and most of us can't put a 73" set in "every" corner of the house.

If I was buyihg a 32" tv a Panasonic would be at the top of my list.