What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
07 OCT 2008
Panasonic TX-26LXD80
Large flatscreen TVs have been tumbling in price for ages, but it’s taken a while for the same trend to hit more compact sizes. It’s happening, though; this set is £200 cheaper than last year’s equivalent.
And as the price has gone down, the spec has gone up. This set boasts three HDMI inputs and support for 1080p/24fps content. And this baby, budget model still shares traits with the bigger screens in the
Panasonic family, including the excellent, clear menus and efficient auto-tuner.
When you first turn the set on you’re asked if it’s being installed in a shop or home. Select ‘home’ and the picture will be calibrated fairly sensibly, though time with the THX Optimizer will be well spent.
We opt straight for
Cars on Blu-ray. The challenging colour palette is handled with ease, the primary colours of the racers’ paint jobs solid and accurate.
The bold edges are sharply drawn, and when the action shifts to the scenery around Radiator Springs, it happily picks out individual rocks and shrubs. What’s more, motion is handled without judder or smear.
Lacks white punch and black depthIt’s not all plain-sailing though; compared with the best in class, the ’LXD80 lacks both punch in whites, and depth in blacks.
This carries through to the DVD and Freeview performance, and these standard-def sources also lack the last little bit of detail and edge definition. Still, the natural colour palette remains, and the upscaled image is stable.
The speakers have a touch of sibilance at the top-end, but are otherwise clear and fairly detailed, and not bad by current standards.
The ’LXD80 is a fine performer, and ideal for bedrooms, but we’re hopeful that Panasonic's new range of LCD Freesat TVs could be even more impressive.