Price Paid:  $650.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
I bought this TV after lighting struck near my house, and killed the tube in my old reliable 19" Sony, which was not surge protected at the time. I went with Panasonic because I had heard good things about their sets, the price was untouchable (comparable Sony was $350 more), I was on a budget, and did not want to settle for a set smaller than a 32".

When I got home, I noticed the two top corners were severely discolored, and degaussing by turning the set off and back on, simply did not do the trick (there were no speakers or magnetic fields near the set). A Circuit City tech came out to degauss the set using a coil, but that didn't do the trick either. He suggested I exchange the set. I did, and the problem went away, until I moved. This set is VERY SENSITIVE, and discoloration happens easily, especially when the set is moved. I've had to move the set several times, and every time I turn it on after moving it, the discoloration reappears, but it fixes itself. I had my old Sony set for over 12 years, and the image was immaculate, NEVER had a problem.

Recently, I also noticed my screen (the image) is tilted. The left side of my screen is noticeably lower than the right. It's only noticeable when a ticker runs across the lower edge of the screen, and the bottom of the letters are cut off before reaching the end; OR, and this is very annoying, when you watch a movie in a 16:9 aspect ratio. This problem, however, is persistent, and does not fix itself.

The remote is a big plus, it's comfortable, and programmable, and will run most of your components. The set also has plenty of RCA input/output jacks and an S-video input, but lacks component video jacks. So you're a bit limited in this regard, especially when connecting a DVD player, although the image I get from the S-video is nothing to complain about.

If you're not too picky, this set will do, especially if you're on a budget. The quality of the image, when it's not discolored on the corners, is great. The sound is fine also, although I don't use the set's speakers anymore. My next set however, will likely be a Sony.

Strengths:
Picture quality, price, PIP, remote

Weaknesses:
Needs continuous degaussing, geometry, no digital outputs

Similar Products Used:
Sony