Panasonic TX-L32V10 review

At this sort of money, so-so performance just isn't good enough Tested at £950.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

At this sort of money, so-so performance just isn't good enough

Pros

  • +

    Exhaustive spec

  • +

    Freesat tuner for HD

  • +

    looks good with SD

  • +

    pleasant colours

  • +

    decent insight

Cons

  • -

    Expensive

  • -

    black levels could be better

  • -

    lacks extra performance sparkle

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Panasonic is having a strange time with its TVs. Having previously been a consistently high performer, recent sets have tended to be good, rather than excellent. Sadly this set continues the trend.

We're a bit puzzled as to why the TX-L32V10 is so expensive. The main justification here for the £950 price-tag is the built-in Freesat tuner.

There's also access to Panasonic's Viera Cast technology for online content, but as Sony's £600 KDL-32V5500 includes the comparable Applicast feature, this Panasonic still seems pricey.

Specification-wise, there are Freesat, Freeview and analogue tuners, a 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, 100Hz intelligent frame creation, Viera Cast, Viera Link and a trusty SD card input.

In-built Freesat tuner is a worthy addition
The Freesat tuner looks great with HD and SD channels have a rich palette with smooth motion.

It pips the Freeview tuner for picture performance but edges could be sharper and images a bit cleaner compared to the best tuners.

Audio is fine, though again we've heard clearer, more detailed sounding sets elsewhere.

Watching Old Boy on Blu-ray, colours are full-bodied but it lacks a little solidity and realism, while black levels have a bluish tint.

This isn't a bad TV but it is an expensive one, and we don't see how the Panasonic does enough to justify the price – even if you do value that Freesat tuner.

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