Wider Is Better
Written: Feb 27 '02
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Pros: Picture Quality, Features, Price
Cons: Remote Control
The Bottom Line: Once you watch HDTV on this set, you will know it was worth it.
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| andyvegas's Full Review: Panasonic PT-47WX49 47 in. TV |
Having now owned this TV for about four months, I can tell you that I am quite satisfied. I spent a long time doing research and evaluating other models before purchasing this set, and finally decided that for my needs, it was the best value for the money.
What I Like About It
The Size: I was upgrading from a 32” direct view set, so the first thing I noticed was the size. Size does matter, and it wound up looking much bigger in my family room than it did in the store. I sit about 10 feet away, so it was not too big or too small, it was just right.
The Picture Quality: Out of the box, the picture quality was pretty good. After going through the user-level convergence, calibrating with Avia, and doing some tweaks (fixing red push and disabling SVM), the picture was much better. On analog/digital cable the PQ is fair, but slightly worse than on my tube set. This is probably just a matter of the large size showing more flaws. DVD picture quality is great. It really makes my home theater feel more like a theater. As good as DVD is, HDTV blows it away. I receive HDTV signals over my cable, and continually astounded on how good it looks. The image is lifelike and has an almost 3-D quality to it.
Odds & Ends: There is no protective screen included which means no reflections thus making the TV more watchable in less than ideal lighting conditions. The stretch modes (for filling a 16x9 screen with a 4x3 picture) aren’t too bad either and I don’t even notice them anymore. The menus are easy to navigate and there are some thoughtful touches. The PIP is also nice, especially when to signals are displayed side-by-side, but I don’t use it that much.
What Could Be Improved
The Remote: While functional, it looks more like the remote that should come with a $200 TV rather than a $2000 one.
No Protective Screen: Even though I mentioned this as something I liked, there is a downside. Without this added protection, the screen is very vulnerable. This is especially important if you are clumsy or have young children.
Summing up, a widescreen TV might be for you if you watch a lot of DVD’s or want to enjoy the stunning experience of HDTV. There are many sets to chose from, but for the money, this Panasonic is definitely worth considering.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1725
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Epinions.com ID:
andyvegas
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Member: Andy Roth
Location: Adamstown, MD USA
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
In the picture, I'm the one on the right. Please check-out my reviews. Thanks.
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