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Panasonic TC-L42D2 Review: 42” LED LCD HDTV

Up for Review: Panasonic TC-L42D2 LED LCD TV. Panasonic is better known for its Plasma line of HDTVs but this year it wants to diversify its market by introducing the LED HDTVs. It has still to experiment with 3D and Internet access technologies in the LED TVs but includes The Viera Link and Viera Image Viewer for more entertainment and control. The IPS panel is the most interesting part of the TV which accounts for the wide viewing angle and a well distributed brightness in the screen. When used with the LED backlights, it allows you to see images at extreme angles without any fading. The contrast is very good along with darker blacks. The focus is obviously on producing as good a picture quality as possible.

Instead of using the LED backlights throughout the back, Panasonic has made an array of it only at the top and bottom edges. It helps to focus the light on the center while leading to an even distribution of light. This gives uniform brightness throughout the screen and also leads to conservation of energy. Since the LEDs are not spread out at the back, it leads to a much thinner panel. This is quite unlike the Plasma TVs from Panasonic which are near about 3.5” thick. Since slim TVs are in, it makes sense to give emphasis here to compete with the great number of similar products in the market.

Panasonic TC-L42D2 Features and Specifications Review:

• 42″ Screen
• 1080p Resolution
• LED Edge Lighting
• 178° View Angle
• Universal Dock for iPod
• 24p Smooth film
• 120Hz motion picture Pro 4
• IPS panel
• Intelligent Scene Controller
• VIERA Image Viewer(TM)
• VIERA Link(TM)
• PC input
• Game Mode
• 4 HDMI inputs
• Fine Black Panel

The refresh rate plays a great role in determining the clarity with which you can watch the fast moving scenes. This model has 120 Hz motion picture Pro 4 which is capable of making a 60 Hz video signal input produce 120 frames/sec. This reduces the lagging behind in the frames giving crisp and continuous images without any blurring. Motion Focus technology also takes care of the flickering in the pictures. One thing which may really attract your attention in this TV is the inclusion of the Universal Dock for iPod. You can play the music in the iPod on the 42-inch LED HDTV. Together with that, you can enjoy the 24p films which give you the picture quality of the theaters.

The TV has a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees which allows you to be seated in any part of the room and still get a good view of the pictures without any disturbance. It is not necessary to sit right in front of the TV to have a great view. Panasonic provides an SD card slot to help you view the photos from the digital camera. The Image Viewer also helps in this direction. The Viera Link technology brings the control of all the high definition devices connected to the TV into one remote. In fact, this is a good model to have if you are focusing on having an improved technology but are not exactly worried about the high-profile features of this year.

HDTVUniverse.com gives Panasonic TC-L42D2 3/5 stars!