Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Overall:
I've had this set for a few months now. Despite the little criticisms I have, I think this set is an excellent value and the picture is breathtaking with a 1080p source or even 1080i over-the-air.
Picture:
It's a great display and I have no complaint at all with the picture. It has presets for adjusting the picture and that is a nice feature; I use 'cinema' most of the time.
Chassis:
The chassis is a very elegant piano black and looks nice when it is off. This is actually kind of important when you get a TV this large!
Sound:
The speakers are not great, but they are adequate. They are in the back so you (at least I) need to turn them up more than you would for front facing ones.
Inputs / Outputs:
This is where the 'not legacy friendly' gripe I have shows up, and costs Panasonic a star. The only audio _output_ is a digital optical output. If you have a stereo with a corresponding digital optical input, you're all set. However, I'm willing to bet many if not most homes don't have such an input. This means that you must use the so-so speakers when you use the antenna or an HDMI source that doesn't have an analog audio output (including perhaps some digital cable boxes). It isn't too big a deal for me since movie watching is usually via a DVD player and I run its (analog) audio output through my stereo and it sounds great. However, it would have been EASY for Panasonic to have a legacy analog audio output. On the input side, there is no S-video input. I get why they didn't put this in; S-video is on its way out. However, I have a legacy video camera with S-video output and it would've been nice to use it.
I've used the SD card input and it is slick. They have a way to let you quickly start a slide show of all the pictures in the camera and even navigate around on the SD card directory. It was nicely done and when you see pictures from an SLR camera brought out to a 42" display the 'WOW' factor is pretty high.
I've also used the DB15 connector for the laptop and it worked fine. Be aware, if you want to use your laptop to stream video to this set, you will need a long VGA cable AND a long audio cable. I found a combo cable on Amazon (both the video and the male-male audio cable on one 15' cable) that worked great.
Remote:
The remote is okay, but the buttons are quite close together so it is actually easy to press the wrong button when you do certain tasks. The one I hit most often is VIERA TOOLS when I meant to hit INPUT. I don't have anything that supports the VIERA standard (other than the tv) so I never want the VIERA TOOLS, but I do want to change the input fairly often. The two buttons are right on top of one another and the VIERA TOOLS button is like 3x the size of the INPUT button.
One thing I liked about the remote was a special "sub menu" button that lets you quickly get to things like the signal strength meter. I get my HDTV signals off an antenna so I use the meter a good bit and it is nice not to have it buried under sub-menus. Another cute feature on the remote is the favorite button. You can program several favorite channels and get to them via this short cut.
There are R G B Y buttons on the remote but get this: THEY DON'T TWEAK THE PICTURE. They are used for special functions. Uh, how about using F1 F2 F3 F4 for labels and color code those? Otherwise everyone in the world will think these buttons are for picture adjustment.
I really liked the INFO button; it shows you whether you're looking at 720p or 1080i or whatever and if the show is a digital source the name of the show, etc. The FORMAT button lets you force 4:3 and has a few different 16:9 flavors that are nice to have.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-L42U22 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Offering advanced LCD technology for the highest possible picture quality, Panasonic's 42-inch VIERA TC-L42U22 LCD HDTV features an improved panel with In Plane Switching (IPS) for an ultra-wide viewing angle and higher moving picture resolution that results in clear, bright images. This U22 series model provides 1080p resolution, 24P Playback function for superb imagery from 24-frame movies on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, and a 20,000:1 contrast ratio.
This and other models in the U22 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements.
Key Features Panasonic's VIERA U22 series LCD HDTV.
With the VIERA Image Viewer, you can view a slideshow of JPEG photos stored on your camera's SD memory card.
Key Specifications
What's in the Box Panasonic U22 series LCD HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?
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Click here for more information about Panasonic TC-L42U22 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
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