Review It was a smart move by Panasonic to time its recent ad campaign to coincide with the French Open and Wimbledon tennis season. Indeed, tennis is certainly the sort of sport that highlights benefits of the company’s 600Hz ‘intelligent frame creation’ technology used in its Viera NeoPDP televisions.
Panasonic’s Viera TX-P42G10 plasma HD TV
The technology was first introduced last year as a way to improve the smoothness of moving images in fast-motion sports programmes. Panasonic has now extended the use of this feature to its latest crop of plasma screens, including this 42in Full HD model, which is currently the cheapest and smallest model in its G10 range. Panasonic quotes a price of £1199 for the P42G10, but you can pick it up for about £850 on-line – stacking up well against comparable LCD models.
We should point out, though, that Panasonic’s model-numbering scheme is deeply confusing – especially when you realize that there’s a G10 series of LCD screens as well. However, it’s only the plasma models that boast the 600Hz option, so it’s important to check the specifications of the various G10 models to ensure you get the right one. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The first manufacturer to launch TV sets with integrated Freesat, Panasonic moves things on again with its 2009 Viera range. On paper, the TX-L37V10 is appears to be everything you’ll need for living room viewing – a satellite and terrestrial TV with a network media player, and access to Internet services such as YouTube. For many, it looks like the ultimate all-in-one solution.
The TX-L37V10 is just above the middle of the Viera range. There’s a smaller 32in LCD, and plasmas in 42, 50, 58 and 65 inch screens. Like the slightly cheaper G15 models, it includes VieraCast online services and DLNA streaming, but claims a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 rather than 50,000:1. Although the suggested price seems high, the street price has it pegged at less than £1000.
It’s a reasonably slim set, with most of the socketry on the back panel. The left side has an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the right has the main power switch, TV, and AV selectors, plus function, up and down buttons which, together, let you manage the basic settings. Read the rest of this entry »
LG might not be the first name that comes to mind when selecting an HD TV set – the massive marketing campaigns of Sony, Toshiba and Samsung have seen to that. However, its new 42LF7700 set provides impressive image quality and admirable ease of use at a competitive price. And, to top it all off, LG has even managed to squeeze in a Freesat HD tuner as well.
LG’s 42LF7700 HD TV with Freesat tuner
There are several models in the LF7700 range, with prices starting at around £600 for a 32” screen, and going up to £1100 for the 47” model. However, we tested the mid-range 42” version, which has a typical online price of just under £900.
The set’s design is simple enough. We were rather hoping for a 42” version of LG’s flowery Lotus mobile phone, but the company obviously decided that might be a bit distracting and, instead, opted for a plain 2in band of glossy black bevel around the screen. The words ‘Full HD’ are stencilled into the top-right corner, announcing the fact that the screen has full 1080p resolution, but the key feature, of course, is the built-in Freesat HD tuner located on the back panel. Read the rest of this entry »
