Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80B

Hello tech-fans, you find me here today next to a Panasonic TH-42PX80. What I'm about to say though applies not only to this TV, but also its little brother the TH-37PX80. So let's have a little look over this TV and see what it has to offer. Firstly, we should probably point out that this range could be considered Panasonic's budget offering. But the word budget mainly conjures up images of a cheap knock offs with horrible picture quality and a name like boohaaaahrrrriisonnaaa, and these screens are nothing of the sort. What these screens are is good value, entry-level models. And the only thing that really betrays them as an entry-level is the slightly uninspiring design. We're not saying these TVs are ugly, it's just they don't have the same funky styling you'd find on one of the more expensive models. What these TVs do brilliantly is present a sharp, colourful and fantastically stable image, and if we're honest, that's the most important thing about any TV. We've tested this TV with HD DVD, Blu-ray, PS3 games and even Standard Definition TV and it's done a brilliant job with everything we've thrown at it. In terms of sound, don't expect a lot of low-end power, but speech is clear enough and for watching The Apprentice you won't struggle to hear what's going on. For movies you should probably consider some sort of external speaker system though, because flat panel sound is never going to cut the movie mustard. We have to commend Panasonic on its menu systems and remote control. Sometimes flat screen TVs can be slow to respond to remote control commands and more often than not TV menu systems are a living nightmare. Not so with the Panny, it's elegant in every way and the menu options are simple to understand and responsive. Round the back, you get a host of inputs including three HDMI inputs, component and VGA in as well as a selection of standard definition inputs. The TV also has an SD card slot, which means if you have a camera that shoots on that format you can just take the card and enjoy a photo slide show on your TV. We think these Panasonic TVs are sturdy, likeable screens and despite not having FullHD panels the picture quality is astounding and we think they will suit pretty much everyone.