Picture, component video inputs, size

I'm really happy with this tv. It's priced much lower than the Wega line and I think the picture quality is still excellent. The picture is very clear and I like the cabinet because it's just as big as it needs to be. I do get some pretty nasty glare during certain times of the day, but I can control that. I have a s-vhs and dvd with component video hoked up and I'm still amazed with the colors, contrast, clarity... It's probably one of the best values out there.

Value

Minor glare

This is my first TV bigger than 27 inches. Got it at Ultimate Electronics during a sale. I contemplated between this model, a Toshiba 32" high end model and a 32" Sony Wega. The Toshiba had great features, but it was too expensive, and the picture quality was not as good as I expected. The Sony Wega, besides it's high price, had only so-so features. I don't know what the Wega fuss is all about, the picture, after proper adjustments, still looks the same if not of lesser quality than my regular 27 inch Sony Trinitron. Both the Toshiba and Sony did not have a 3D Digital filter ( for clarity, I want everybody to know that the digital filters on all TV's will only work in coax and composite connections; S Video and component will overrdie this feature). You can even switch the 3D filter off. The AI picture will increase the contrast for watching during the daytime.
After I adjusted the picture using Video Essentials (factory settings have the tv too bright) it is almost like watching HDTV. I am about 12 feet away from my set, which makes the TV size just perfect for the viewing distance (I probably would not have been as delighted if I got the 36").
The multitude of connections gave me a lot of flexibility, like my kids can watch from the satellite receiver without having to turn all the other components. The component input performs top notch.
Due to the lighting in my family room, there are times that the TV will have glare, but it does not really decrease the viewing experience.
The remote can control even my DVD player and Onkyo receiver and has a macro button.
The 10 watt per channel Dome sound system is good enough for regular TV watching (news, game shows, etc), most people will turn on their sound systems anyway if they are going to watch a movie in cable , tape, or DVD.
I think this TV has been replaced by the Tau, which has a pure flat screen, but most of the features are the same.
The TV even came with a spare door for the front AV inputs, nice touch.
I think HDTV is still a few years away from being the standard, so I don;t like to pay a premium for a technology that is still on its way up.
If you want high quality viewing for a decent price, I highly recommend this model.

Similar Products Used:

Sony Trinitron

Colors, picture

See below

This is my first 20+ in. TV, which had to mean excitement but rather turned into problems. The price was excellent, but I had to wait 3 months for the first set to be delievered (ALWAYS ask your internet retailer if the item who are buying is in stock - you'll avoid the frustration of paying the money and suddenly being told to wait indefinitely for the product).

The first set arrived with a malfunction - it would turn itself off right after turning it on. The second set served me well until it got a problem of its own - 6 months after the purchase it lost the picture completely, and had to be serviced. The sound is poor. I like the quality of the picture, no doubt about it, although it's not easy to set up the desired one properly (perhaps I need a better set-up dvd).

Could someone tell me please how to use PIP with the Direct TV which shows on channel 3 (i.e., does PIP allow watching two different sat channels simultaneously)?

Similar Products Used:

None

Clarity with PS2 (S-Video), DVD (Component), and Digital Cable (S-Video); and sound!

Programming the remote with a newer version cable box, and thusly a weakness in cust. service to not find me an answer.

Folks, I've been waiting a long time to write this review. Also, I'd like to begin with thanking everyone for their contributions, as they have all been well written and informative, and contributed greatly to my selecting this set over the WEGA line (FV series). To begin, the number of inputs was a true blessing, as no other TV at this general price point offered the equivilant. Second, I just love the PIP. Given the additional resolution and 3D Digital Comb Filter, it looks great. March Madness, here I come. My Playstation 2, with an S-Video connection, looks the way it was supposed to. Awesome. Before I picked up the S-Video a few days ago, I was running standard Composite and getting an interlaced, crappy picture. No longer. DVD's rock on this thing, and my DVD player is average (haven't tried the PS2's yet). Only problem is programming the remote to include my Pioneer Digital Cable box. Can anyone help? Please? This is just killing me, b/c I can't get higher channels with the Pana. remote, and I can't get the lower channels to have volume with the cable remote. Other than that, I have no problems whatsoever, and I love this TV. The only reason I didn't get it online (Outpost.com, ecost.com, and x-streme shopper.com have good prices), is just because I wanted to make sure I received the correct remote (pictures looked different online), and I wanted it now without having to pay a ton to get it shipped quick. Outpost.com has the quickest shipping, though, just FYI. To close, I love my wife more than this TV, and most of my family too, but that's about it. This TV rocks. Go get one.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 27-inch, ~4 old.

Great Picture, size, easy adjustments

It's not HDTV.....

Soon after I bought my Sony XBR I thought this would be my last until those new "HDTV"'s I had read about came out. Well, a wife, 2 kids, several pets, etc., later I will have to wait for the magic of the market to bring the price down before I make that purchase. My budget was $1000 (w/o a budget I would have bought either a 32" or 36" Sony XBR). I narrowed my choices to this Pana or the Sony KV32FS12. In fact I still look at the 2 sets side by side on ocassion and have no buyers remorse at all. Although not flat, I think this SuperFlat screen has a clearer picture than the Sony Flat Screens (IMO, I see a concave picture at the top of the Sony). I never have enough time to listen to my stereo or watch a movie as I'd like.....but when we do, the grin factor is high while watching a DVD on this Panasonic TV! It's that good. I recently "tweaked" the set with the AVIA DVD and did some color and brightness adjustments. Although I can't make geometry adjustments myself, the DVD tells me the settings are pretty much on point. I would highly recommend this set to anyone looking and at least include it while looking at other tubes out there.

Similar Products Used:

13 Year old Sony 25" XBR

Picture

Build quality.

Dear

Reader

My report is not a positive one. My new Panasonic 32SF37 was purchased new, and had major problems out of the gate, which have been listed below.

Wide Screen Tilt
Tube Hum
Remote Failure

It must be made clear that the picture quality of this product is the best in one-thousand price class. I feel that this offering represents a true value, but Panasonic has done a poor job in the area of built quality.

Hence, my purchase of a Sony KV-32FS12. The picture quality is fine, and the build quality is excellent.

Sorry, but my experience is a real one, which should be shared with all in this space.

Similar Products Used:

Sony KV-32FS12 and 27" Pansonic Flat Screen

Sharp picture, size, value

None that I've found

The picture of this unit is so good I don't want to watch any of our other sets. Both sharpness and color are first rate. Like any relatively large screen TV, the incoming signal has to be good. My cable company responded to a complaint about signal quality by installing a signal ampliflier--what a difference. The price is much better than a Wega, and the unit isn't nearly as large. I don't see any need for HDTV at this screen size, and this TV handles SDTV. The dual tuner PIP is excellent. I'm delighted with my choice.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 27 inch TV

Same as below

Same as below

This is just a followup to my previous post. Several people have asked for the instructions for "anamorphic" mode. You can get into the service menu with the instructions at:

http://www.calanan.com/panasonic/

You can then reduce the vertical size as desired. Use a tape measure or a setup DVD to get the right aspect ratio and write that number down, as well as the original number for 4:3 aspect.

Note that this has several drawbacks, the main one is that the process clears *all* settings on the TV, including channel presets and time. You also may get some noise in the overscan area, and leaving the TV in this mode permanently will cause it to burn in unevenly.

Be careful with the setup menu in general, it's not user friendly and there is no "reset", so be careful and don't blame me :-)

-Ryan

Similar Products Used:

Same as below

Looks like a $5000.00 digital tv

NONE

What a great TV. I got mine at The Good Guys and i compared this Panasonic with a sony 32wega TV. The sales guy told me he would sell me the sony wega floor model for $875.00. But for $50.00 extra the Panasonic 32 super flat was a clear winner. The pic. on this TV is absolutely beautiful.My wife thought i got digital cable the pic. is so clear.
I just got the Avia home theatre guide to tweak and fine tune this beauty!
Very very nice TV...

Great Picture, multiple antenna inputs, 5 video sources

Factory video settings BAD. Had to have the first one replaced.

I originally bought the little brother to this: 32G34 but had some problems with discoloration. I decided to return it and upgrade. Arm twisted Tweeter into giving it to me for $875 when I saw it online for $799.

This is a great set but requires some tweaking. The first set I took home had some geometry problems which the repair guy was able to quickly fix. When he adjusted the picture he set the Picture WAY TOO HIGH--almost as high as factory. I had to readjust it after he left. There was also this annoying vertical line down the LHS of the picture tube that was especially noticeable on dark letterbox DVD's like the Matrix. After trying some tweaks to verify that it was the set and not my power or other equipment I had them replace it. The new one is great. No geometry problems and the line is gone.

NOTE: you HAVE to lower the "picture" setting on this set or you will permanently damage the picture tube. The factory setting is WAY to high.

This set is crystal clear and goes great with my new HT components. I plan on holding on to this set until digital TV becomes mainstream and the price of sets drop significantly.

For the record I am running the following:

Sony DVD 550D
Yamaha RX-V596
Panasonic 32SF37
B&W 602 s2 (front)
B&W LCR6 s2 (center)
Kenwood 1090 (rear, soon to be replaced by B&W 601 s2)
with Monster interconnects and Taralabs omni cables.

I'd give this set 5 stars but Panasonic sets are much higher $$ than other brands. I've yet to be convince that they are worth almost 100% more in some cases. Only time will tell.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic 32G34