Panasonic TC-20LA2 20-Inch Flat Panel LCD TV
Very Nice but Very Pricey
The TV was made in Japan with an attractive design, quality appearance and a nice remote.  Without question it is a nice TV, but I am just not convinced it is a nice value.<br /><br />One of my fears about LCD was laid to rest: the TV appeared bright and clear in various light. Its image easily equals that of a traditional tube TV. However, it took more adjustment of the picture settings (i.e. contrast, brightness, etc.) than with a regular TV.<br /><br />Panasonic included many nice features, including closed-captioning appearing when the TV is muted, customized channel labeling, and a comprehensive selection of connectors on the back and side.<br /><br />The oval-shaped stand has a footprint that is bigger than some other types of stands, but the TV is remarkably light and compact. The speakers are placed at the bottom of the screen rather than the sides, which is a nice design if you are trying to take up as little shelf, table or counter space as possible.<br /><br />I plugged into a progressive-scan DVD player both this LCD TV (via component video cable) and a $150 Sylvania flat tube TV (via S-video cable) and watched them side by side. The blacks looked better on the Panasonic LCD and the picture was sharper. However, the sharpness sometimes seemed pixely and I questioned whether the improvement from standard definition (480i) to enhanced definition (480p) is worth an investment of many hundreds of dollars when widespread use of high definition and TV's with more features, such as wireless connections to computers or streaming sound and video directly from a DSL modem are just around the corner. (Search out information about Streamium from Philips for example.)<br /><br />After comparing the two TV's side by side, I concluded the Panasonic LCD picture was about 25% better than the low end Sylvania but cost more than 500% more. Therefore, I recommend it to people who are willing to pay a hefty premium for a nice standard TV because they must have a flat screen. If, however, you have the space, then I suggest sticking with a nice tube TV for a few more years (or at least months). I decided to return the LCD TV and remain in the 20th century a little while longer.<br /><br />This desirable TV, unfortunately, is not nice enough to justify a price this high.a flat screen. If, however, you have the space, then I suggest sticking with a nice tube TV for a few more years (or at least months). I decided to return the LCD TV and remain in the 20th century a little while longer. <br /> <br />This desirable TV, unfortunately, is not nice enough to justify a price this high.