Panasonic CT34WX52 34" 16:9 HD-Ready Pure Flat Screen TV
A Wonderful Window into HDTV
Pros: Cinema Scan with 3:2 pull-down; 34-inch, 16:9 Tau PureFlat picture tube; 1080i HDTV-compatible; progressive-scan doubler to 480p; 3D-YC comb filter; two-tuner picture-in-picture.<br />Cons: Inaccurate factory setup; color decoder overemphasizes reds.<br />Summary: I like this HDTV. What more can I say. It comes in a big (and I do mean a BIG) box. After taking about a half hour to remove the CRT from its confines, I placed it in my armoire. So, why did I purchase this TV over a Sony? Well, the primary reason was its size. The Pany fit nicely in my armoire, whereas the Sony was roughly two inches too big. This is because Sony has decided (for whatever reason) to put its speakers on the sides rather than on the top or the bottom of the unit. Well, they lost my sale. Also (and this is not a reason), the Pany was seveal hundred dollars less than the Sony. Now, back to the CT-34WX52...After placing the unit in the cabinet and hooking it up to a Zenith HDV420 OTA tuner, I saw my first HD pictures. WOW! Even my wife who really could care less about the clarity of television pictures was awed. The set up was simple and easy. The results were nothing short of spectacular. Much has been written about the need to calibrate this unit. I agree, the television needs to be calibrated, yet you can still get a wonderful and seemingly accurate view by simply adjusting the colors and tints in set up. I do have a few minor gripes. First, the sleeper setting is only for 90 minutes. I think it should be longer. Secondly, the remote control is unable to learn other IR codes. This is unfortunate, because the Pany remote is ergonomically pleasant and otherwise very functional. Thirdly, the outstanding issue of a lack of a DVI input is a concern. Notwithstanding, I am confident that somebody will figure out how to make a buck in the future by creating a converter that will allow the use of HD-DVDs yet at the same time protecting those all important copyrights. So, this issue is not going to cause me any lost sleep. Lastly, well...in my opinion, that's it. There aren't any other downsides. I really like this TV.It's a winner.g to cause me any lost sleep. Lastly, well...in my opinion, that's it. There aren't any other downsides. I really like this TV.It's a winner.