Panasonic CT-27HL14 27" TAU Series HDTV-Ready TV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)this is a great television, and it is a big improvement over an analog set. There are a few aspects of the tv that make it a #2 choice, though compared to the sony. Consumer reports (2003 issue) states that not all hdtv's are the same in terms of the hd picture quality. this is definitely true. they rank (10 point scale)
sony 10
panasonic 9
samsung 5 (boy is Samsung bad. the king of fuzzy images)
the panasoic image is very close to the sony image, but not quite as good. images run prog. scan through a dvd player (not 720 high def., it is 480 lines (enhanced def.)when playing dvds prog. scan) the image is very very good, but there is slight blurring (probably only noticable by those of us that are very detail oriented, but it is there. a good way to test is to turn on the subtitles and you can see how well the letters look). I compared the panasonic and sony at the stores, with some difficulty becasue the images on screen keep changing, and rarely show a steady detailed image for long, but the sony picture (as of August 2004) were better than the panasonic. I would have gotten the sony, but they didn't make a 27" hdtv in early 2004 when I got this set.
Another advantage of the Sony is there are 2 component inuputs, this set only has 1, so you can't run a DVD recorder signal and DVD player into the set at once. also sonly has 4 picture settings, panasoic only has 3, and two of them are really dark. the Vivid setting is the only one that looks good.
The buzzing coming from the set is from the transformer (claims a repair person), that sound isn't from the speakers. a bit annoying, but there's nothing that can be done as far as I know to fix that.
one note on the s-video. the s video images are really dark on this set. I use the s video to get the closed captioning off some dvd disks that don't carry over on prog. scan, but it's unlikely many people will be using s video much unless you have a specific reason like i do. It's too bad they seemed to have messed up the s video on these hd sets (I tested a few). that may have to do with the hd technology inside. an anolog set may give a better image that these hd sets with s video.
this is still a great tv compared to others and the picture is great, I would imagine these tvs will last a long time so one should make the best decision. ( I chose the 4 by 3 shape because that's the format I watch the most of).

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Enjoy all that high-definition television has to offer with Panasonic's CT-27HL14 27-inch TAU series HD-ready TV. The CT-27HL14 comes packed with features to create the ultimate home entertainment experience. The 3-line digital comb filter separates color from black-and-white accurately in a television signal. As a result, it improves overall color sensitivity and image clarity. In order to enjoy high-definition TV you must connect the TV to a DTV set-top box and a DTV signal must be present in your area.
Parental control give parents ultimate control over what their children are watching. You can lock out up to 4 channels, or choose to lock all channels with other selectable options. A 4-digit code needs to be entered to deactivate the lock. Parents can also prevent the use of video games or other video sources from being displayed. Other handy features include a sleep timer, multilingual menus, closed captioning, bass and treble balance, and the TV comes with a universal remote control.
Enjoy virtual surround sound without the elaborate home theater system. With only two speakers it can simulate cinema-like sound when playing any Dolby Digital DVD or Video DC. BBE high-definition sound also improves dialog intelligibility, and music is converted to a more natural sound, providing for crystal clear audio. There are two side speakers, which provide 7.5 watts each.
Connect to digital sources like DVD players and satellite systems using component and S-video inputs for the best possible picture. Other available connections include one front and three rear A/V inputs, A/V program out, and stereo audio out (fixed and variable).
What's in the Box CT-27HL14 27-inch television, universal remote control, 2 AA batteries, user's manual, and warranty information.