After some research on AVS forums I decided to buy the Panasonic TC-37LZ85 TV. Disclaimer: This review airs my impression of the basic panel and not the fancy TV processing stuff which supposedly is very important for HDTV viewing.
My criteria were:
* In between 32 and 40"
* IPS panel (for better colors, low lag and viewing angles)
* Primarily for PS3 + PC usage
* 800-1000 USD range
* Preferred non gloss
Pros:
* Native 1080p panel. NVIDIA Linux drivers detect this TV automagically. I am sure Windows drivers will behave similarly.
* Sharp text (however dot pitch is high so it looks sharp when you are 3ft away)
* Has Game mode + 1:1
* Very nice colors IMO. Photo editing on this one is a pleasure, just like my 4yr old S-IPS 20" monitor!
* Awesome viewing angles unlike other brands
* I cant see any lag
* One of the lowest priced 37" 1080p panels among the top brands
Cons
* No VGA input (hence cant connect my older laptop) - real bummer
* No RGB settings (in 2008!)
* Didnt have a 1080p version of the 32LZ85 with the matte anti glare coat.
Have some pics for the curious minds, all with Ubuntu, from my PC:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/...6081ce_b_d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/...aaaa6b_b_d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/...18d9b6_b_d.jpg
Description:
Everyone in BM stores asked me to buy either a SONY or a Samsung and I was surprised to see that neither had IPS panels. The only options were Panasonic, LG and some Philips models in the 32-40 range. All the above models were very hard to find. Store pics didnt help much as their settings are not what I would like them to be.
I took my chances with Amazon due to their white glove delivery (which was free for a Prime member ) and their great return policy, I narrowed down to TC-32LZ800 or TC-38LZ85 at the same price point. The LZ800 seemed to have 120Hz and a VGA but didnt have an Anti glare filter .... so I decided to forgo the VGA and ordered the LZ85.
The TV arrived flawlessly and I am very impressed by the white glove delivery. No dead pixels. Connected the PS3 and the pics were gorgeous. It took me a couple of days to find the adjustments I liked (again the forum helped me). I was happy with the PS3 output. My cheapo basic cable looked ok too
The last issue was to connect the TV to my Linux box. I have a low end NVIDIA 8xxx card and I didnt have to do ANY config. Started my computer and it autodetected the screen and got me a nice 1920x1080 screen. I did have to set the HD mode to 2 (which is 1:1), use the game mode HDMI input (HDMI3) and turn down the sharpness to near 0.
Edit: more pics -
GT 5 prologue:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/...f440f6_b_d.jpg
Blue Ray:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/...ed9c0e_b_d.jpg
upconverted by ps3:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/...985dac_b_d.jpg
My criteria were:
* In between 32 and 40"
* IPS panel (for better colors, low lag and viewing angles)
* Primarily for PS3 + PC usage
* 800-1000 USD range
* Preferred non gloss
Pros:
* Native 1080p panel. NVIDIA Linux drivers detect this TV automagically. I am sure Windows drivers will behave similarly.
* Sharp text (however dot pitch is high so it looks sharp when you are 3ft away)
* Has Game mode + 1:1
* Very nice colors IMO. Photo editing on this one is a pleasure, just like my 4yr old S-IPS 20" monitor!
* Awesome viewing angles unlike other brands
* I cant see any lag
* One of the lowest priced 37" 1080p panels among the top brands
Cons
* No VGA input (hence cant connect my older laptop) - real bummer
* No RGB settings (in 2008!)
* Didnt have a 1080p version of the 32LZ85 with the matte anti glare coat.
Have some pics for the curious minds, all with Ubuntu, from my PC:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/...6081ce_b_d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/...aaaa6b_b_d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/...18d9b6_b_d.jpg
Description:
Everyone in BM stores asked me to buy either a SONY or a Samsung and I was surprised to see that neither had IPS panels. The only options were Panasonic, LG and some Philips models in the 32-40 range. All the above models were very hard to find. Store pics didnt help much as their settings are not what I would like them to be.
I took my chances with Amazon due to their white glove delivery (which was free for a Prime member ) and their great return policy, I narrowed down to TC-32LZ800 or TC-38LZ85 at the same price point. The LZ800 seemed to have 120Hz and a VGA but didnt have an Anti glare filter .... so I decided to forgo the VGA and ordered the LZ85.
The TV arrived flawlessly and I am very impressed by the white glove delivery. No dead pixels. Connected the PS3 and the pics were gorgeous. It took me a couple of days to find the adjustments I liked (again the forum helped me). I was happy with the PS3 output. My cheapo basic cable looked ok too

The last issue was to connect the TV to my Linux box. I have a low end NVIDIA 8xxx card and I didnt have to do ANY config. Started my computer and it autodetected the screen and got me a nice 1920x1080 screen. I did have to set the HD mode to 2 (which is 1:1), use the game mode HDMI input (HDMI3) and turn down the sharpness to near 0.
Edit: more pics -
GT 5 prologue:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/...f440f6_b_d.jpg
Blue Ray:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/...ed9c0e_b_d.jpg
upconverted by ps3:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/...985dac_b_d.jpg