Pleasantly Surprised - great value for the price
Written: May 01 '01 (Updated May 01 '01)
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Pros: Everything...I love this TV
Cons: It's just a standard TV...a flat-screen would've been REALLY cool.
The Bottom Line: Very happy with my purchase.
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| SusanARI's Full Review: Panasonic CT-32G5 32 inch TV |
My other half recently decided we needed to upgrade from our 25" television to a 32" television. I didn't feel a need for it but we decided if one was to be found in the $400 range it was doable. And now I'm really glad we did. There's a BIG difference in picture size. I love it! - not just for the picture size but also because it makes it much easier to read the cable company's on-screen program guide.
He originally went into Circuit City intending to buy the GE 31GT740 31" for $399.99 but ended up walking out with the Panasonic CT32G5 32" for the same price after factoring in a $50 gift card Circuit City was giving away with the purchase of the Panasonic.
VIDEO
Panablack System Picture Tube This means the picture tube is darker than conventional tubes. According to Panasonic, it's supposed to help combat the picture-degrading effects of ambient light. They say it eliminates glare and I have seen a noticeable difference as far as that goes between my old Sanyo television set and this new one which has been placed in exactly the same spot. Panablack is also supposed to ensure a higher contrast and accurate color reproduction. In this area, I was pleased with my old television and am even happier with this one. The picture quality is outstanding.
Precision Notch Video Filter I have no idea what this means and didn't have any luck finding out. But maybe somebody reading this knows :)
500 Line Horizontal Resolution Again, I have no idea if this is good or bad. But I can honestly say I'm very happy with the quality of the image I'm getting from this TV.
AUDIO
Stereo Reception with dbx Noise Reduction is supposed to give you a clear, crisp sound with appropriate stereo separation. And I do agree that the sound quality is quite good on this television.
Artificial Intelligence Sound Control This is awesome! The television automatically maintains a constant volume between programs and commercials. I was thrilled to find out about this feature and it really does work! Very handy when I'm watching TV late at night and the other half is sleeping. Sometimes the sound level on the commercials was so much higher, he'd actually wake up. And even when nobody's sleeping, the way commercials are so often louder than the programs you are watching is something that has always annoyed me.
JACKS
A/V Input Jacks allow you to link outside sources directly to audio/video circuits in the TV, bypassing the tuner. Allows for optimum picture reproduction. Video input is composite. Ok, I'm not sure what all this means. All I know is I've hooked up a VCR to the TV and not only was setup easy, the quality of the VCR tape image on the television is very good. I'm happy.
PARENTAL BLOCKING
This is not something I have a use for, but I'm sure some of the parents here will be happy to know this television comes with a V Chip parental locking system which allows you to block movies in the United States according to the motion picture ratings of G, PG, PG13, R, NC17, and X. It also allows you to block programs according to the standard U.S. rating system for age appropriate programming. And for our friends in Canada, this is also doable according to the 2 different Canadian rating systems.
Game Guard can be used to prevent video games and VCR tapes from being played.
The 2 features above may be set to last for 12, 24, 48 hours, or ALWAYS. Just be careful in choosing a PIN number. Make sure it's one you'll remember because if you choose the ALWAYS option and you forget your code, the television will have to be serviced by a technician to "unlock" it. Otherwise, the TV just unlocks itself at the end of 12, 24, or 48 hours...depending on which you chose.
ONSCREEN MENU
An easy to navigate onscreen menu system allows you to set up many features (such as the parental locks mentioned above) as well as adjusting controls.
You can opt for the menu to be shown in English, Spanish, or French. I usually opt for Spanish just to annoy my other half who has been known to wander around mumbling about his TV being "ESTEREO" instead of STEREO.
I like being able to put the TV into CC mode which causes closed captioning to automatically come on when the mute button is pressed. This was one feature the GE television we'd originally intended on getting didn't possess. This is great for when the other half's on the phone and is trying to hear the person he's talking to but I still want to know what's going on with the television program I/we're watching.
There are also two different timers that you can program using the onscreen menu. The Sleep Timer allows you to program the TV to automatically turn off in 30, 60, or 90 minutes. This is great for those of us who often fall asleep on the couch. And the Program Timer will automatically turn the television on and off at a selected time on a selected channel. This can be done daily or on a one time only basis. I really can't see much use for this. But maybe if you're going away for a few days and would like to give the impression of somebody being home, this might be something to use. I'll probably use it a couple of times just to scare the other half when he's home alone and not expecting the TV to all of a sudden turn on by itself :)
The onscreen menu also allows you to adjust color, tint, brightness, contrast, and sharpness. Selecting the Picture Norm option will just automatically return everything to factory default settings. I can see where the Picture Norm option will come in handy for me because for some reason while all other channels come in beautifully, the FOX channel comes in in strange colors. I'm assuming this is not the television's fault as this is the only channel I have a problem with and find myself having to adjust the controls and then returning to factory settings.
EASICON REMOTE CONTROL
I love the remote control that came with this television. It's very simple. There's nothing complicated about it. And I found that right from the beginning, I had no problem pressing the right buttons on it even in the dark. The channel up and down buttons as well as the volume control buttons are located away from the numbered buttons as well as being a completely different shape. They've really made it user friendly. The power and mute buttons are easily found in the dark also.
AM I HAPPY WE BOUGHT IT?
YES! YES! YES!
I believe this television is a great value for the price. I'm very pleased with it overall. No disappointments as far as sound quality or picture quality. And it's also user friendly.
Can't really say a bad word about it except that it's kind of boring looking...basic black TV...no outstanding characteristics.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this product to anyone.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 449.99
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Epinions.com ID:
SusanARI
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Member: Susan
Location: Punta Gorda, FL
Reviews written: 101
Trusted by: 113 members
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