Panasonic PT-61LCX65 61-Inch Widescreen HD-Ready LCD Projection TV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Strengths: Life like HD Picture and good sd picutre, sleek design, easy to use remote, sd card reader
Weaknesses: No built-in TV guide, could use a second HDMI and co-ax inputs
Summary: I have been looking to purchase a big screen HDTV for the past year. After some initial research last year, decided to waited another year to let the LCD technology mature and HDMI technology become common on TVs.
This past 4 months, I looked at Sony 3LCD TVs and Toshiba DLP TVs very closely. Sony has good picture but did not have picture-in-picture in this years models and styling looked decades old. Toshiba's 1080P TV was very good with a ton of inputs and comparable pricing but somehow I did not feel comfortable with the Toshiba brand. My research indicated that almost all major brands have good picutre quality so the deciding factor came down to other features like inputs, pip and brandname. The picture quality in Best Buy and circuit city did not look close to what I get at home with a progressive scan DVD. For some reason, the stores want to sell Sonys more than anything else so they hookup Sony with best input and cables and leave Panasonic with ordinary cables making it look inferior.
I have been a Sony or Panasonic brand customer so I decided to buy a Panasonic. For some reason, Panasonic does not have many LCD projection models and this was the only newer one in the 55+inch range. I was very impressed with the features ( sleek design, pip, inputs, sd card reader ) and price. I am an avid internet shopper but for reason did not feel comfortable making such a huge purchase online but the price difference between bricks and mortar shops to internet shops like Amazon compelled me to take a chance. The TV was delivered in perfect condition and they even set it up in the room of my choice. The TV design looked much better at home ( up close ) than in stores. It weighs a lot less than my old 27inch tube TV. HD Picture:
I hooked a $20 HD antenna to the TV and boy, was I impressed with the picutre quality? Local HD channels looked lifelike. I just could not believe my eyes. This is using a co-axial cable and NOT HDMI. I am glad I did not fork over a fortunate for a Plasma TV because the HD picture quality is just as good as that of a plasma TV.
DVD Picture:
Make sure you get a Progressive Scan DVD player to enjoy good quality movies. The quality won't be as good as HD but it is very good. I used component video cables to connect my DVD player. I could see significant difference in picture quality between a regular DVD player with composite cables and a progressive scan DVD player with component cables.
SD Picture:
SD picture ( Dish network ) quality is more than satisfactory. It is not as good as my old tube TV but that is expected and I am very happy with the quality. There is even a significant difference in picture when connected using S-Video or composite cables. I just wish there was an additional co-axial cable input so that I can hook both the antenna and the dish receiver using co-ax cables.
For now, I have not decided whether to upgrade to HD receiver from dish or wait because I heard that the output from dish network HD receiver is something like 480p and there are not a lot of HD channels available outside of local channels. I am sitting about 10-15 feet from the TV. I do not notice a lot of grainy pixels from less than 10 feet also although it is not wise to sit that close. HD picture look great from any distance. The remote is very easy to use. The SD card reader is handy although I noticed that it is better to view your picture on a laptop than on a TV. It is just painfully slow on a TV when compared to a computer. The SD card reader can be useful when you don't have a computer(laptop) handy. I have not used the PC input yet. I don't intend to use a 61 inch screen as a my PC input anyways. The TV does not look big in my family room as I suspected. The TV is much smaller than a 60inch Sony model and looks 100times better. It is a great upgrade for me and the details I could notice on this TV are stunning. As I said before, I love the HD picture on this TV. I watched a Pistons game the other day in HD and it was better than being in the stadium :) The detail on the big screen was just awesome. I watched the SuperBowl on ABC in HD with digital audio connected to my Bose surround system and it was simply a superb experience. HD picture is just as good as on a Plasma TV.
Overall, this is a great TV. I am glad I purchased this over Sony.

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Discover big-screen elegance. Discover Panasonic's PT-61LCX65 high-definition liquid-crystal projection TV, a perfectly flat, 61-inch set that puts the glory of high-definition television right before your eyes. More than 5 full feet across, measured diagonally, the PT-61LCX65 offers a native resolution of 1,280 x 720 and a built-in ATSC (DTV) tuner so you'll be set to receive free HD broadcasts right out of the box. More pixels translate into less stair-stepping artifacts, so curved and diagonal image edges look smooth and natural.The set offers a total of 12 separate inputs, including 3 component-video inputs, an HDMI digital video input for a direct-digital connection with a DTV set-top box, and a front-panel PC input capable of VGA, SVGA, or compressed XGA resolution. A handy flash-memory slot is perfect for viewing digital slide shows of your favorite photos right off your digital camera (accepts 8 MB to 1 GB SD Cards).A built-in CableCARD slot lets you receive standard-definition and high-definition digital broadcasts via a small card--no bulky set-top cable box required. (Contact your cable company to find out if they offer this service.)The PT-61LCX65 is considerably less bulky than most rear-projection televisions and consumes less energy. Further, LCD displays don't suffer from misconvergence or flicker, like their CRT counterparts. The Panasonic multimedia display incorporates thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, also known as active matrix, to improve color reproduction, eliminate ghosting, and boost response speed.The set's 100-watt HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamp is easily replaceable, extending the life of the set well beyond the life of a single lamp. The TV's 2-way stereo speakers are powered by 15 watts per channel, and BBE ViVA HD3D Sound makes sure every program sounds its fullest and liveliest.Many TVs force you to cycle through every video input in sequence when you want to change inputs. This can result in pushing the "video" button 5 or 6 times before you reach your desired source. The PT-61LCX65 lets you select video inputs directly so you can jump right to the input you need.HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link the set with any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver). HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multi-channel digital audio--all using a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports up to 8-channel digital audio, with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.What's in the Box TV, remote control, remote batteries, and a user's manual.

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