Panasonic CT-26WX15 26 Inch HDtv
Excellent HD TV with a few caveats
A good solid performer. Got mine from CC for $400. Picture is good, crisp and clear on standard def broadcasts. \\"Zoom\\" setting seems to work best for those unless the signal is weak; \\"Zoom\\" cuts off the top and bottom to make the 4:3 picture fit the widescreen; there's also \\"Just\\" which stretches the edges; \\"4:3\\" which puts black bars on the sides; and \\"Full\\", which stretches the entire picture. Lots of inputs (1 HDMI, 2 component, 3 composite on the back and 1 nicely hidden composite on the front) and none of them are \\"shared\\" with each other and/or use the same audio jacks, which is very unusual in this price range, and a great feature. Sound is OK, about par for a medium-sized tube set. Remote is usable but some of the controls are funky or oddly placed. The HD picture is fantastic, and is where this set really shines. Every time I watch football in HD, I'm amazed--the picture is razor sharp, bright, and clear. Much better than any of the sub-$1500 LCD TVs I've seen. The biggest complaint I have so far is that the color in standard def isn't completely stable, and tends to wander into the reds or purples, depending on the set's mood or something. But as it's aging, this problem is slowly getting better. Oddly, it does not have this problem at all in HD, where the colors are dead on. At $400, I figure that if the set lasts two or three years, good enough, and I'll spend the big bucks and replace it with one of the newer tech sets, once they've a better value.