Panasonic TC-L42U22 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Overall:
I've had this set for a few months now. Despite the little criticisms I have, I think this set is an excellent value and the picture is breathtaking with a 1080p source or even 1080i over-the-air.

Picture:
It's a great display and I have no complaint at all with the picture.It has presets for adjusting the picture and that is a nice feature; I use 'cinema' most of the time.

Chassis:
The chassis is a very elegant piano black and looks nice when it is off.This is actually kind of important when you get a TV this large!

Sound:
The speakers are not great, but they are adequate.They are in the back so you (at least I) need to turn them up more than you would for front facing ones.

Inputs / Outputs:
This is where the 'not legacy friendly' gripe I have shows up, and costs Panasonic a star.The only audio _output_ is a digital optical output.If you have a stereo with a corresponding digital optical input, you're all set.However, I'm willing to bet many if not most homes don't have such an input.This means that you must use the so-so speakers when you use the antenna or an HDMI source that doesn't have an analog audio output (including perhaps some digital cable boxes).It isn't too big a deal for me since movie watching is usually via a DVD player and I run its (analog) audio output through my stereo and it sounds great.However, it would have been EASY for Panasonic to have a legacy analog audio output.On the input side, there is no S-video input.I get why they didn't put this in; S-video is on its way out.However, I have a legacy video camera with S-video output and it would've been nice to use it.

I've used the SD card input and it is slick.They have a way to let you quickly start a slide show of all the pictures in the camera and even navigate around on the SD card directory.It was nicely done and when you see pictures from an SLR camera brought out to a 42" display the 'WOW' factor is pretty high.

I've also used the DB15 connector for the laptop and it worked fine.Be aware, if you want to use your laptop to stream video to this set, you will need a long VGA cable AND a long audio cable.I found a combo cable on Amazon (both the video and the male-male audio cable on one 15' cable) that worked great.

Remote:
The remote is okay, but the buttons are quite close together so it is actually easy to press the wrong button when you do certain tasks.The one I hit most often is VIERA TOOLS when I meant to hit INPUT.I don't have anything that supports the VIERA standard (other than the tv) so I never want the VIERA TOOLS, but I do want to change the input fairly often.The two buttons are right on top of one another and the VIERA TOOLS button is like 3x the size of the INPUT button.

One thing I liked about the remote was a special "sub menu" button that lets you quickly get to things like the signal strength meter.I get my HDTV signals off an antenna so I use the meter a good bit and it is nice not to have it buried under sub-menus.Another cute feature on the remote is the favorite button.You can program several favorite channels and get to them via this short cut.

There are R G B Y buttons on the remote but get this: THEY DON'T TWEAK THE PICTURE.They are used for special functions.Uh, how about using F1 F2 F3 F4 for labels and color code those?Otherwise everyone in the world will think these buttons are for picture adjustment.

I really liked the INFO button; it shows you whether you're looking at 720p or 1080i or whatever and if the show is a digital source the name of the show, etc.The FORMAT button lets you force 4:3 and has a few different 16:9 flavors that are nice to have.

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Product Description:
Offering advanced LCD technology for the highest possible picture quality, Panasonic's 42-inch VIERA TC-L42U22 LCD HDTV features an improved panel with In Plane Switching (IPS) for an ultra-wide viewing angle and higher moving picture resolution that results in clear, bright images. This U22 series model provides 1080p resolution, 24P Playback function for superb imagery from 24-frame movies on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, and a 20,000:1 contrast ratio.
This and other models in the U22 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements.

Key Features

In Plane Switching (IPS): The latest iteration of Panasonics IPS LCD panel features excellent light transmittance and a wide viewing angle. The wide 178-degree viewing angle--both horizontally and vertically--ensures clear images even when viewed from an angle. And the panel backlight's wide transmission aperture enhances the contrast between light and dark, improving motion-image response.



VIERA Image Viewer: View full-HD images with the integrated SD card slot, enabling you to view JPEG photos captured from your digital camera or camcorder on the big screen. Navigate your images via an easy-to-use thumbnail display.


VIERA Link: Allows the interlinked operation of various AV devices--from DVD and Blu-ray Disc players to home theater sound systems to digital cameras and camcorders--using only the VIERA remote control by simply connecting the devices to each other by an HDMI cable (see pop-up illustration).




Panasonic's VIERA U22 series LCD HDTV.







With the VIERA Image Viewer, you can view a slideshow of JPEG photos stored on your camera's SD memory card.

Key Specifications

Series: U22
Screen type: LCD (CCFL backlight)
Screen size: 42 inches
Filter: Fine Black Panel
Native resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Contrast ratio: 20,000:1
Viewing angle: 178 degrees
Receiving system: ATSC/QAM/NTSC
HDTV display capability: 1080p, 1080i, 720p
EDTV display capability: 480p
Speakers: 2 full range, 20W total power; surround sound capabilities
Image viewer: JPEG compatibility
Aspect control: 480i/p -- Full, Just, 4:3, Zoom; 720p -- Full, H-Fill, Just, 4:3, Zoom
Optional wall-mounting bracket: TY-WK3L2RW
Multi-lingual menu: English/Spanish/French
Energy Star qualified: Yes

Connections

HDMI: 3 (1 side)
Component (Y, PB, PR): 1 with audio input
Composite A/V: 2 (1 side); each with audio input
PC input (15-pin, D-Sub): 1
Digital audio output: 1

Dimensions

TV with stand: 40.2 x 26.8 x 12.2 inches (WxHxD); 45.2 pounds
TV without stand: 40.2 x 25.1 x 4.2 inches (WxHxD); 39.7 pounds
What size TV should you get?

What's in the Box

Panasonic U22 series LCD HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

Panasonic 2010 VIERA Plasma and LCD Comparison

Series: G25 Plasma S2 Plasma U2 Plasma C2 Plasma U22 LCD X2 LCD C22 LCD Models: TC-P54G25 54"
TC-P50G25 50"
TC-P46G25 46"
TC-P42G25 42" TC-P65S2 65"
TC-P58S2 58"
TC-P54S2 54"
TC-P50S2 50"
TC-P46S2 46"
TC-P42S2 42" TC-P50U2 50"
TC-P42U2 42" TC-P50C2 50"
TC-P46C2 46"
TC-P42C2 42" TC-L42U22 42"
TC-L37U22 37"
TC-L32U22 32" TC-L37X2 37"
TC-L32X2 32"
TC-L22X2 22" TC-L37C22 37"
TC-L32C22 32" VIERA Cast
-- -- -- -- -- -- VIERA Image Viewer
(AVCHD, MPEG2, JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG) VIERA Link
webcam capable NeoPDP Panel -- -- -- -- -- THX Display -- -- -- -- -- -- Contrast Ratio Infinite Black Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 Dynamic: 20,000:1 Dynamic: 20,000:1
22": 15,000:1 Dynamic: 18,000:1 Moving Picture Resolution 1080 lines 1080 lines 900 lines 720 lines -- -- -- Anti-Reflective Filter -- -- -- -- -- Display Capabilities 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 720p, 480p 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 720p, 480p 720p, 480p 600Hz Sub-field Drive -- -- -- 120Hz -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Game Mode -- -- -- Speakers 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total
22": 6W 2; 20W total Surround Sound HDMI input 3 (1 side) 3 (1 side) 3 (1 side) 2 3 (1 side) 3 (1 side)
22": 1 2 Component input (Y, PB, PR) 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 Composite input 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side)
22": 1 2 PC input 1 (side) -- -- -- 1 1 1 USB 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- Ethernet LAN input 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Digital Audio output 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 iPod Universal Dock -- -- -- -- -- -- Energy Star Series: G25 Plasma S2 Plasma U2 Plasma C2 Plasma U22 LCD X2 LCD C22 LCD

Learn More

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience.
If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.

Minimum size = Viewing distance/3
Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5

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