What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
19 MAY 2008
Panasonic TH-37PX80B
LCD TVs had a great 2008, as their domination of our Awards testified.
Only two plasma sets stood strong against the tide of LCDs, with one of them, this Panasonic, offering brilliant performance at a stupidly low price.
But with every passing month comes new challengers, so will the budget TH-37PX80 have enough in its tank
to hold on to its crown?
At first glance, this TV doesn’t strike you as an obvious Award-winner: while not unattractive, there’s no sign of any nods to individual style to grab your attention.
In addition, it’s not Full HD – the 1024 x 720 resolution is the ‘lowest’ here – although crucially it can scale a 1080p/24fps video signal, unlike the similarly short of pixels Sony.
Menus are a doddle to navigate
A Freeview tuner is present, while you also get a PC input, an SD card slot, and three HDMI inputs. Thanks to the clear, simple menus and similarly blessed remote, this 100Hz set is easy to get up and running.
The Panasonic gets off to a flyer with its Freeview performance. Whether watching BBC One or the less forgiving Dave, this set delivers clean images that are free of noise but full of detail, vitality and an impressive realism. Motion is handled super smoothly, too.
It’s more of the same on our
Tropic Thunder DVD, with the deep, vibrant hues being rendered faithfully alongside surprisingly crisp, bright whites.
And as you might expect from a plasma, the Panasonic produces true deep black levels that are unmatched by rivals here. As for sound quality, it’s commendable for its clarity, though it doesn’t have the weight of others here, such as the Sony.
Sending a 1080p Blu-ray picture to the screen only serves to further highlight the ability of this set in key areas over the competition – the vivid colours, broad contrast levels and natural skin tones all look superb.
Some screens can go a little sharper, while its Philips rival offers an even greater sense of
three-dimensionality, but for the money this plasma offers an unmatched all-round level of performance.