Panasonic Viera TX-32LMD70 review

On high-definition video from our Toshiba HD-E1 HD DVD player we were pleased to see plenty of detail in the picture. Black levels were generally good, although some looked slightly blue. Our usual test disc, Happy Gilmore, saw natural motion and nice bright colours with plenty of detail. Serenity looked crisp -- while the grain from the original film was present, there was a pleasing amount of detail in the picture too.

Sound performance on the Panasonic was also very good indeed. This TV has speakers mounted at the front, and we found dialogue during our films to be very clear. This wasn't at the expense of bass though -- during the action sequences of Serenity there was more than enough oomph in the low frequencies to make us feel part of the action in outer space.

Switching the sound mode to speech and music left audio sounding hollow and reminded us of being in a large cave. The music mode, however, seemed to suit both music and speech, so we left the TV set to that preset.

Conclusion
The Panasonic Viera TX-32LMD70 is a sturdy and easy-to-use television. There are no fancy bells and whistles, but it takes no time at all to set up and the picture and sound quality are both good. Although on Freeview the picture wasn't the best we've seen, it's hard to otherwise fault this television. Other options are the Sony Bravia KDL-32V2000 and the Toshiba 32WLT68, both of which offer slightly better performance, albeit at a significantly higher price.

We'd recommend this television to people who want to get a flat screen, are interested in getting some sort of high-definition service either now or in the future but want a hassle-free experience.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Nick Hide