Awesome video in a medium-sized package at a modest price
Written: Sep 23 '09 (Updated Nov 20 '09)
Product Rating:
Sound:
Ease of Use:
Picture Quality:
Durability:
Pros: Brilliant, sharp picture -- from anywhere in the room. Well-designed remote. Intuitive menus.
Cons: Audiophiles look elsewhere: So-so speakers and limited connectivity diminish the audio experience.
The Bottom Line: Easy on the eyes and on the wallet, this Panasonic provides flexible viewing in medium sized rooms. You probably won't find a better picture at this price.
inspectortb's Full Review: Panasonic Viera TC-L32C12 32 in. TV
Thank you, Mother Nature, for zapping my old TV in a freak electrical storm. It was a nice set – a 24” JVC flat tube model that I purchased only six years ago and I felt bad about disposing of it so soon. It’s just that with LCD flat panel prices plummeting I was getting itchy for a new, larger screen and I now had the perfect excuse to replace the one that got fried.
I've had my new 32" Panasonic TC-L32C12 for just over two months now, and although I wrote this review not long after I purchased it I've decided to provide a few additional details to the original.
A glittering array of choices
I’m big on store-brand items at the grocery store, but for major purchases such as appliances and electronics I prefer the security of a major brand name. Thus, I passed on Dynex, Vizio and the similar-sounding names that you find in the Big Box stores. I confined my search to Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and a few others. The Panasonic line interested me because (a) the “leading consumer magazine that never wants its name mentioned” had given a high rating to several Panasonic models and (b) I had the opportunity to see a Panasonic in a family member’s home environment.
In-store viewing makes it hard to judge pictures, given the unknown quality of the signal being fed to the sets on display as well as the less-than-ideal lighting found in most stores. Still, I found the Panasonic and Samsung models to have the best overall viewing angle – an important consideration in my living room. In the end, my familiarity with the Panasonic name served as the tie-breaker.
Numbers, etc.
A brief rundown of the this set's main features and specs:
Screen Size 32" Class (31.5" diagonal) 720p Resolution Contrast Ratio: 10,000:1 Dynamic Intelligent Scene Controller VIERA Image Viewer VIERA Link PC Input 2 HDMI Inputs Response Time 8 msec Viewing Angle 178° Dimensions (H x W x D) with Stand 21.7" x 31.5" x 8.6" Dimensions (H x W x D) without Stand 20.2" x 31.5" x 3.7" Weight (lbs.) w/Stand 28.9 lbs
Getting it set up and running
To be honest, I had a few doubts about this TV when I went to work setting it up. As with other flat screen designs, you must attach a pedestal if you plan to use it as a tabletop set. The TC-L32C12 includes four Phillips head screws for that purpose. The sturdy pedestal slides into its slot easily enough, and helpful arrows and notches make the front/back orientation clear. The problem began when I went to insert the screws into the deep recesses in the back of the set. Getting the screw to orient itself so its threads align with the opening in the cabinet seemed nearly impossible without the help of slender needle-nose pliers. A flashlight also helped simplify this awkward process.
Once assembled, the TC-L32C12 feels just ever-so-slightly wobbly, to me anyway. Maybe it’s just that this is my first flat panel set and I’m comparing it to the massive CRT sets of years past.
The video experience
One word will suffice: Dazzling. Well okay -- here’s another: Brilliant. It’s as close to viewing perfection as I would want. The viewing angle aspect has worked out as I had hoped. With the set located in a corner of my living room, I can sit anywhere with virtually no detectable color shift or loss of brightness. As far as I can tell, Panasonic's claimed viewing angle of 178 degrees is right on the money.
The Picture menu allows all the usual range of adjustments such as contrast, brightness, etc. but I haven't found it necessary to change anything from the default settings. The picture quality suited me just fine, right out of the box.
Though the TC-L32C12 is a 60 Hz model, I can’t detect any disadvantage in terms of fast action compared to the 120 Hz models I looked at. I’m not a sports fanatic, so my needs here aren’t very demanding. I did watch a NASCAR race and the motion looked pretty normal, even with the close shots from the sidelines.
With my outdoor directional antenna connected, the set's tuner pulls in all the local stations easily. Reception seems far better than I got with the converter box that I had used with the old set. In fact, except for one weak station I don't even have to reorient the antenna. The sub-menu button brings up a signal strength meter; I've found that stations that register at least at least 90% come in with no problem. Anything less than that can result in some pixellation or even a momentary loss of picture.
The audio experience
If I had to pick one thing as this model’s Achilles’ heel I’d pick sound quality. The TC-L32C12’s audio is as unimpressive as its picture is dazzling. In a word, it sounds tinny. Even with the bass control cranked up full and a moderate cut for the treble it sounds thin. Given the slim cabinets of flat screen TVs, you can’t expect floor-shaking bass. I guess the idea is that you’re supposed to have a surround sound system.
If one could easily patch the sound through to another sound system, that would be great. Unfortunately, the TC-L32C12 has no analog audio outputs – not even a headphone jack. The sole method of working around its internal speakers consists of an optical audio output. Unless you have a receiver or amp with an optical input – I don’t – you’ll have to resort to an outboard digital-to-analog converter.
In defense of this model's thin-sounding audio, I give it credit for having a volume leveler that does an adequate job of keeping a constant-sounding volume as you change from one station to the next. It also keeps raucous-sounding commercials in check. Additionally, the volume control itself has a nice, progressive taper -- unlike many sets in which "7" is too loud and "6" is too weak.
Controlling all those bells and whistles
The usual power, volume, channel and input buttons reside in a neat (and hard to see) row on the right side of the set. I can find nothing intuitive about them, but that’s a flaw found in nearly all the LCD sets I’ve looked at.
More impressive is the beautifully designed remote, whose large clearly-labeled buttons contrast markedly with the tiny ones found on the remotes of my previous TV and my current audio components. Panasonic omitted a backlight from this unit but that squawk seems minor considering the large white labels on most of this remote’s buttons.
The left side of the TC-L32C12 provides a handy set of composite video and audio inputs, plus the SD data card slot. Back panel connections allow for a very easy setup process, too.
The on-screen menus work logically. A Menu button brings up all the important ones (Picture/Audio/Timer/Lock/Closed Caption/etc.) while a small Sub-Menu button summons the less frequently used things such as Channel Surf Mode and Signal Meter. The Viera Tools button provides an easy way to access the Sleep Timer, ECO/Energy Saving features and the SD card Slideshow.
An uncommon feature found in the TC-L32C12 is the SD card reader. Though not a high priority on my list of features, I’ve found it really cool to be able to pop the card out of my digital camera and view a slideshow on the TV screen. Not at all unlike the old days of watching family photos with a slide projector (although some people might not consider that a plus).
Panasonic’s much-touted Viera Link feature doesn’t offer as much usefulness as the ad copy implies. Oriented toward the home theater crowd, it provides easy controllability for HDAVI-capable components – in other words, mainly Panasonic video equipment with that feature. Too bad that it doesn’t control other equipment such as my eight-year-old Panasonic VCR. I would have much preferred a simple universal remote control with this set. Unfortunately, the TC-L32C12’s remote has no learning capability. (Thankfully, and curiously, the old VCR’s remote can control the main features of this set).
Physical appearance & assembly quality
I could do without the glossy finish that surrounds the screen. Fortunately, its reflections are minimal. A matte black finish would have been more to my liking. The screen itself has a reasonably glare-free texture. To me that’s important because I hate watching TV in a darkened room and I’d rather not have lamps reflected in the picture I’m trying to watch.
The TC-L32C12 makes a positive first and lasting impression. Everything about it appears neatly finished and, save for the pedestal attachment, the set feels sturdy and well-built.
Do you “get the picture”? I like it.
So far, the TC-L32C12 has easily exceeded my expectations for video performance and overall convenience. Audiophiles should probably look elsewhere, unless you have a home theater-type of receiver with digital audio inputs. Those who are game-a-holics or sports fanatics might also want something more sophisticated. But, if you’re like me and you just want a decent-sized set with a gorgeous, easy-to-see picture from anywhere in the room this Panasonic looks like a sure bet.
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