Richard Sapp: Review: Panasonic TX-L42E30B

Panasonic might reign unchallenged as king of plasma, but the LED-powered TX-L42E30B proves that its commitment to LCD is no less fierce.

The 42-inch set sits near the top of Panasonic's 2011 range and is only out-specified by the smaller, 3D-toting TX-L37DT30B and TX-L32DT30B. The E30 range also features a pair of smaller screens, the TX-L37E30B and the TX-L32E30B.

It's a bit of a looker, too. While some recent Panasonic TVs appeared to have been designed by a collection of three-year olds armed with a bunch of black crayons, this one hits all the right notes.

Panasonic tx-l42e30b

Combining a sleek cabinet factor with a thin bezel around the screen and a neat, dark grey finish. It's not as eye-catching as Samsung's new D8000 series LEDs, but many will find its mature aesthetics a better match for their living room.

Panasonic tx-l42e30b

Aside from a lack of 3D support, the TX-L42E30B is a state-of-the-art screen. It continues Panasonic's theory that a modern TV should act as a home's entertainment hub, by providing playback of video, music and photo files from USB and SD card, and DLNA media streaming from a network-connected PC or Panasonic Diga recorder.

Accessible files are displayed by tapping the green Viera Tools button on the remote and sectioned into Photo, Video, Recorded TV and Music (for USB/SD card) and Media Server for any DLNA-attached devices. Usability is good ? we had no trouble viewing various music and video files located on a Western Digital NAS drive and a PC.

The TX-L42E30B is net-savvy, too. Viera Connect is the 2011 iteration of Panasonic's online portal ? previously known as Viera Cast - and comes with plenty of new features. Described as a 'cloud-based internet service', Viera Connect currently offers music and video on demand in the form of YouTube, Acetrax, Dailymotion, Ustream and SHOUTcast; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Picasa, Skype and other apps; interactive games such as Blackjack and Catch Up TV from BBC's iPlayer.

That may not sound very different to Viera Cast, but the platform is now open to third-party developers, so expect much more to be added in the near future. For instance, Panasonic has said that the capacity to expand hardware functions through linking health and fitness equipment or game controllers will be introduced later this year, so maybe it's time to dig out your tracksuit bottoms.

The Viera Connect interface is a treat, and more finely tuned than that of the TV itself. A dedicated Viera Cast button on the remote control (Panasonic obviously hasn't got round to updating its handsets yet) brings up the bright, colourful, hi-res homepage, with icons for Skype, iPlayer, Acetrax etc.

The iPlayer app is particularly worth investigating. It includes BBC HD playback, is easy to navigate and picture quality is on a par with material from the TV's own tuner.

Prospective buyers should be aware, though, that Viera Connect doesn't allow unrestricted web browsing (a la Philips' Net TV).

Another handy feature is recording to a USB storage device, which brings with it trickplay features like pausing and rewinding live TV. Recordings can't be played back on other devices, though, which makes one wonder why Panasonic doesn't just build a hard-disk drive into the TV when it's on the production line.

The TX-L42E30B sports a healthy array of connections. The back panel houses three HDMI jacks, a component input, RGB Scart, PC input, stereo analogue audio in/out and an optical audio output. There's also an Ethernet port and pair of USB sockets. Further connections sit on the side of the bezel for easy access, including a third USB, HDMI input and an SD card slot - the latter perfect for owners of Panasonic's digital cameras.

Features related more to the TX-L42E30B's AV performance include Panasonic's V-Real Live picture processing engine, Intelligent Frame Creation Pro motion smoothing, a Freeview HD tuner; an IPS Alpha LCD panel, edge LED lighting and, of course, a full HD 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.

Panasonic tx-l42e30b

Despite the TX-L42E30B's lack of in-depth picture adjustments, it delivers an assured picture performance with little to fault it, particularly with hi-def Blu-rays.

Tweakers may bemoan the absence of serious colour management tools and will have to make do with an on/off Vivid colour mode, but Panasonic compensates for this by providing colour accuracy out of the box. With the TV in cinema mode and the Warm preset selected, we measured a spot-on 6,500K colour temp, so your DVD and Blu-ray platters should look close to how the director intended, colour-wise.

A 16-step colour gradation test shows the TX-L42E30B excels in green, yellow and blue reproduction. It's only with the brightest red shades that subtle shifts are lost.

With Toy Story 3 on Blu-ray this solid colour performance equates to a superbly cinematic experience; the exotic palette employed by Pixar is delivered with aplomb, without ever veering into gaudy territory. Some LED-lit screens can give film material an artificial feel, but not the TX-L42E30B.

Working in tandem with that considered colour presentation is a healthy black level. Panasonic is too grown-up these days to bother itself with outrageous contrast level claims (it just quotes 'High') and what's on offer here is fine enough. Darker areas of the picture remain free from crushed blacks, so shadow detailing, frequently evident in Toy Story 3 when Woody and chums are abandoned in a toy box, is maintained.

The solid black level is helped by an edge-LED lighting system that doesn't cause any unsightly light-pooling. Well, as long as you are sitting on-axis. We found that portions of the screen can brighten considerably if viewed from an angle.

The TX-L42E30B is also commendably adept with motion. When fed a sequence of vertical, horizontal and diagonal camera pans, and scenes with fast-moving objects, the Panasonic didn't falter. Motion was smooth with detail levels kept up.

Switching on the Intelligent Frame Creation Pro engine (it has two levels) makes things even silkier (almost comically so), but can introduce artefacts with multi-layered material. The TX-L42E30B's natural motion handling is sufficiently impressive to render IFC Pro all but redundant.

As you'd expect from a full HD panel, detail levels are high. Close up footage of a dissected kiwi fruit (an odd, but effective reference scene) was so lifelike it made us hungry. Blu-ray movies that make the most of the format's high-pixel count look gorgeous. Back in the land of Woody and Buzz, the exquisite textures of everything from a wooden door frame to Mr Potato Head's moustache are jaw-dropping.

With no 3D playback to get stuck into, the only other picture quality to report on is that of the TV's built-in Freeview HD tuner. Naturally, switching to this from Blu-ray brings a step-down in quality.

Macro-blocking and mosquito noise take the shine off SD channels (although the latter can be countered by the TX-L42E30B's effective P-NR noise reduction) and even the HD channel lack the razor-sharp panache of Blu-rays. Not that the Panasonic's Freeview pictures are worse than the competition (they are more stable than many budget rivals), it's just that Freeview itself is beginning to look a bit shoddy.

Sound

In the last few years Panasonic flatscreens have consistently delivered above average audio and the TX-L42E30B upholds this tradition with a pair of 10W speakers that pack a surprisingly bassy punch and can reach a decent volume. Perhaps by not slimming the TV down to within a millimetre of its life Panasonic has given its drivers room to breathe.

As with the picture tweaks, though, there aren't many sonic options to play with. Of the two presets, Music and Speech, you're best off sticking with the former, as the latter robs the soundstage of low-frequency grunt.

Other than that you're limited to the V-Audio and V-Audio Surround modes, which don't really add much in the way of separation or depth. Thankfully, the optical digital output, and the presence of an HDMI input with support for the Audio Return Channel (ARC), means hooking up the TX-L42E30B to a dedicated surround system or soundbar is simple; a screen of this size and quality really deserves an appropriately refined audio partner.

Value

In value for money terms the Panasonic perhaps falls a little short. With an approximate launch price of �900 it feels expensive, especially when you consider that it lacks 3D support; some future-gazers who would consider it almost obsolete in this respect.

Quality never comes cheap, though and the performance and feature set of the TX-L42E30B almost justify its price. Find a retailer offering it at �800 and you can't have any complaints.

Ease of use

The TX-L42E30B puts many of its competitors to shame when it comes to usability, starting from the moment you unbox it. Although we're certain Panasonic would recommend that you got a buddy to help lift the TV from its cardboard coffin, you can easily do it yourself. Attaching it to the desktop stand is a doddle, too, involving no more than four screws and a minimal amount of faff.

Moving onto everyday use and this air of simplicity remains. The remote control, while not in danger of winning any RIBA awards, is well laid out and responsive.

This combines with Panasonic's lightning-fast GUI to make browsing its menus and sub-menus a Luddite-friendly process. It helps, of course, that the TX-L42E30B isn't overladen with user adjustments and tweaks, but what it does offer is easily findable.

Panasonic tx-l42e30b

The TX-L42E30B is proof that Panasonic's love of television doesn't begin and end with its top-end plasmas. Nor is it ignoring those who haven't yet succumbed to the lure of three-dimensional home entertainment. This is both a high-quality display and a nifty multimedia device that will look good in all but the gaudiest living rooms.

We liked

The Panasonic TX-L42E30B offers a quality, hi-def picture that retains the cinematic, naturalistic tone of the brand's plasma panels, plus an above-average audio performance, all wrapped up in a neatly designed and robust-feeling bezel.

Usability is first-rate, too. The set's additional features, including the Viera Connect portal, broaden its appeal, and USB recording means you may decide you can throw away your clunky PVR once and for all.

We disliked

The lack of 3D support means it's hard to recommend this set to anyone who wants to stay future-proofed, and not integrating an open web browser into Viera Connect is an unnecessary shackle. And why Panasonic insists on persevering with the advertisement-laden Guide+ EPG is a mystery.

Final verdict

The 40/42-inch flatscreen market may be one of the most competitive, but Panasonic's TX-L42E30B offers enough to stand out. Good-looking, well connected and a top performer, it's definitely worth auditioning.

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