Picture

Sound

This is a followup to my previous post. My CT36HX41 was replaced today. The new one''s picture was almost perfect. It still slanted a bit from right to left. This time though, I was able to use the geometric adjustment feature and tilt it back to perfection. And this time I didn''t get the brownish tint in the corners. I''d have to say this is a better picture then the Sony XBR 450 now. I''m kinda picky, and I don''t see any problems now. The only little thing with the new one is that it doesn''t show whether the tv is in Stereo or mono mode. When you go to the menu to adjust it you can''t select it. The funny thing is it seems like the sound is better then the previous set where I could make the adjustments. I''m going to keep this one because like I said the picture is amazing. For those considering this set and have some time, it might be better to wait for the next release of this set which should be in the next few months according to when this set was released last year. Maybe they''ll get some of the bugs worked out and improve the sound and quality control. I couldn''t pass up the great deal I got so that''s why I bought now. If you buy now, buy from a local store and pay for delivery so you can have them bring replacement sets to your house during the first 30 days until you get the perfect set

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR 450

Picture and Cheaper price than the Sony XBR450

Sound

I''ve had the CT36HX41 for a week now. The picture, even with cable, is vibrant and beautiful. I think my cable was pretty good. I could see how the picture gets a little pixilated and isn''t as good as my analog set. Although, the colors were so much better that I still think it was a better picture. I got DirectTV yesterday and the digital picture on the HD set is awesome. Sometimes I thought the picture looked like it was HD. Before this set, over a year ago, I went through 3 Sony XBR400''s in less than a month. Maybe I have a bad magnetic field problem at my house, but the ticker at the bottom of the news channels was very wavy on all 3 sets and some of the corners were out of focus. Also, the two lower corners of the set had a brownish tint to it. There was no way I could fix it with the TV''s settings. After returning the 3 sets, I went with a cheaper analog (Toshiba) 36 inch set with a cabinet. The Pani was the only HD set that could fit in my cabinet. I would say the picture on the Pani is as good or better than the Sony, even the XBR450. My friend has that one. I would say that the Sony''s sound is much better than the Pani. The sound is rather weak. My $800 36 inch Toshiba sounds as good as the Pani. I use a surround sound system so that doesn''t bother me that much. Although the picture is incredible, it does have the geometry problem others mention. The right side of the screen is about a 1/4 of an inch lower than the left side. You only notice it a bit on some of the channels that have the ticker. The Pani has a Geometry correction feature in its menu. When I use this, it straightens it out but then I get the brownish tint in the lower corners, just like the Sony but not as bad. Like I said, maybe I have a bad magnetic field problem. I''m getting this TV swapped out for a new one in a couple days and hopefully that will fix it. If not, I like this picture so much I could live with the current Geometry problem. From my experience with the Sony''s, my Pani and what I''ve read about the Sony XBR450''s on this site, it seems that all Flat screen tubes have geometry problems to varying degrees. I highly recommend this set based on the awesome picture alone. Even though the sound isn''t that good, the picture and lower price more than makes up for that. The sound could be a whol

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR400/450

Picture quality is outstanding on DVD, excellent on VHS, and still quite good even on conventional analog cable.F

It''s heavy. Plan accordingly.–

The picture quality when fed from a DVD player is breathtaking. My conventional NTSC analog cable feed looks good as well, even with such a large screen (I am fortunate to have a good hot cable feed providing +10 dBmV at the tap and a carrier to noise ratio of about 50 dB). Having read about the "geometry" problems that some CT-36HX41s have had, I used a crosshatch signal generator to check the raster alignment for true horizontal and vertical lines, and could not detect ANY visible departures from orthogonal. So either Panasonic has solved this problem, or I got a good one. This is a heavy set, so you definitely should buy a stand designed to support a large screen TV. I purchased the Bush Model VS47736 stand that Circuit City was offering for $199. It assembled without difficulty, matches the set color scheme, and provides three shelves for VCRs and DVD players. Circuit City charged $40 for delivery and it was worth it; unless you have a truck with a lift gate, a hand truck, and at least two big friends, I advise against trying to get this sucker home on your own. The owner''s manual was silent on the set''s power draw, so I connected a digital wattmeter and find that all it draws is between 155 and 180 watts (the power consummption varies somewhat depending on the average picture level of the displayed video); this amazed me, given the screen size. With the set off the power draw dropped to less than 1 watt. The set''s power factor is 0.66, so it does represent somewhat of a reactive load (i.e., up to about 270 volt-amps), but this would only be of concern if you planned to power this set using a gasoline generator or similar limited capacity power source, which doesn''t seem too likely. The audio quality of the built-in speakers sounded fine to me, and I have no plans to invest in a surround sound audio system. Finally, I invested in the Circuit City 5-year extended warrenty, something I don''t usually do, but because this set is so heavy it''s not practical to be transporting to a service center, so I wanted the peace of mind of an in-home service policy. All in all I give this TV a definite "thumbs up."?

Similar Products Used:

This is my first large screen TV. I wish that I had treated myself to such a set sooner.

Crisp progressive picture on DVDs. Intuitive remote menuing system. 6 inputs (2 component, 3 rear RCA, 1 front RCA). Intuitive remote.

Sound is tinny/hollow. Remote could use a few more features. CATV picture is poor. Black level (?).

Overall, I really like this TV and wouldn''t trade it. However... The picture looks splotchy and grainy on CATV from my viewing distance (about 8'', it''s a fairly small room), but on DVDs, it looks great. I was really surprised that the cable reception was so poor, but I have noticed a significant change in picture quality in this area now that Intermedia went under. I have also noticed that the black level on the screen seems off. I have recalibrated the brightness and contrast according to the Avia source DVD, and I still notice some horizontal hazing effect when the picture is especially dark. Turning the NR feature on seemed to help this a bit. I''m going to play with it and see what happens. The built-in sound is the weakest feature of this TV -- it sounds tinny and hollow, especially in stereo mode. 3D sound/spatializing should be turned off; to my ear, that marginally improves the audio. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to set up the TV so that it runs through your receiver, and then use the fixed audio out feature. Dolby Pro Logic sounds *phenomenal* on my system when configured this way. DVDs look *much* better in progressive mode. I had an old Toshiba component DVD which I replaced with a progressive scan, and the difference in the picture quality was instantly and markedly improved. Also, I love the SVGA front input for my mini-DV camcorder. The picture from it looks stellar. System: Harman/Kardon AVR65, B&W HTM2 center, B&W 601 fronts, Polk RT f/x surrounds. Toshiba SD-3750 DVD (480p).

Similar Products Used:

None (replaced a Sanyo analog 27" TV).

Great picture; Good inputs, easy to set-up.

Heavy; bad reputation

This has been a very long and difficult process. First, I had to decide between RP and direct view. I still watch a lot of regular TV (mostly things like Fox News and CNN), and rear projectors just plain suck on analog sources (even the Pioneer Elite series). I also have kids who love playstation and didn't want to fry my CRTs. So I decided on a direct view.

At first I thought I would get the Sony XBR 700. It's really unbelievable and is actually bigger in 16:9 format than the RCA 38"--but it was very hard to justify the extra $1000's over the just slightly smaller 36"s. And when displaying 16:9 material, the 36" is not that much smaller than the 38" RCA. For 4:3 material the 36" is much better; the stretch mode on the RCA is not great, and hey---it's an RCA.

So then I wavered between the Panny 36HX41 and the Sony XBR 450. The Panny has recieved a spotty reputation for geometry problems. My dealer was aware of this "issue" and feels that most complaints are blown way out of proportion.

He was more than willing to guarantee the product and replace it should we have had any problems. There may have been some issues on early production models, but any HX41 series will probably be fine.

Upon close direct side-by-side comparison with the Sony (at multiple locations on at least 7 occasions to the point my wife was thinking about filing for divorce), the Panny did slightly better with analog sources. (I honestly did waiver back and forth). The Panny is sharper and has fewer digital artifacts. Bottom line: the Sony just seemed grainier. On hi-res, they're are hard to tell apart. The Sony remote is better, but I am using my Yamaha remote for the entire system so it was really not an issue. The fact that the Panny is several inches narrower and fits cabinets better didn’t hurt. Frankly, they’re both very good. I just think the Panny edges out the Sony.

In the end, the Panny was clearer and several hundred less. I opted for local delivery in case there was a problem. There is none. Total price paid was $1890 including delivery, set-up and a 4 year warranty and service plan. I attribute all the continued complaints of gemoetry issues to over-reaction, mass hysteria or secret sony owners who like to bash competitive products (because they're less expensive and clearer...)

With the Panny 56 DVD player, movies are amazing. I have had no issue at all with geometry. This is a great TV. It is a beast at 200+ lbs., but movies are fabulous and regular TV looks very good.

My current system:

Panasonic 36 HX41 – new
Panasonic RP-56 Progressive DVD – new
Yamaha RX-2200 Receiver – new
Acoustic Research HC6 speaker system – new (really amazing)
Sony Satellite receiver – old
JCV 6+1 CD player – very old, used only if need zone 2 source and DVD is in use

My old faithful 27” has been relegated to the guestroom. With my new Yamaha receiver and Acoustic Research speakers, I am amazed and in awe. Never spending $9.50 on movie tickets again. I highly recommend this TV (even this set-up).

Similar Products Used:

1st HDTV

Flat screen, Anamorphic DVD looks awesome

Geometry problems, red push, mediocre sound, pixellation on cable, bad "natural color", user manual tells you close to nothing.

I compared this set to the Sony XBR, but chose this one because it fit into my cabinet without my having to remove the doors. However, I thought the Sony had a better picture. To sum it up, I have tried two of these sets and am exchanging it for the Sony.

With the first set, I immediately noticed a geometry problem when playing a DVD in anamorphic mode. The image had a tilt starting from the left side and going up towards the right. I put in the Avia calibration DVD and discovered that indeed, there was a problem. The upper left of the screen was pinched down, and the bottom right was pinched up. Using the service menu, I was unable to make an adjustment to make this suitable. I also had to do some adjustments in the service menu to reduce the red push. This helped but did not eliminate it. This model has few adjustments that are available in the service menu. Having paid $2K for this set, I could not abide by the geometry problem, so the salesman had them deliver another set.

The second set also had geometry problems. This time the upper left had a slight pinch (much better than the first), but the bottom right was much worse. In fact the whole bottom left side of the set is bad. Vertical lines are wavy. This set also has color convergence problems starting about 1/4 of the way up or down from center.

Having eliminated speakers from the vicinity and still seeing the problem, I was wondering if there was some funky magnetic field in my house (although I seriously doubted it). So I went to the store with my Avia disc and tried it out on their floor model. This set had a different geometry problem. The whole picture was bowed with the middle rising above the edges. From what I learned in the service menu, this cannot be adjusted from there. Also the floor model had color convergence problems. I took the disc over to the Sony. It was not perfect, but within my limits. I liked the Sony better anyway so I gave up the idea of keeping the doors on my AV cabinet and paid an extra $280 and they will be delivering the Sony in a few days.

Other comments on the Panasonic:

Aside from the geometry problems and after reducing the red push, the DVD picture quality was beautiful. Other than that I don't have much to recommend this set.

I found that some cable shows looked too pixellated. I noticed this in the store but assumed it was because of a bad signal. That can definitely be a factor, but I noticed in Circuit City where they also had this model, that images looked pixellated there too. The set right next to it looked great. Sure there is a chance that one had a good signal and one had a bad one, but it is a data point anyway. I never saw a Sony in the store that looked pixellated.

Also, something I noticed on the Panasonic but not the Sony. The Panasonic makes people's hair's motion lag the rest of the picture. You will notice this on a talk show like Leno. The person's head moves, but their hair doesn't keep up. It's like the hair is in slow motion. I don't know if this has to do with the fine level of detail or if the signal is not quite strong enough for the TV to pick up the subtleties, but it is something that really bugged me.

The natural color setting is defaulted to on. I found that this does not work well. This setting is supposed to make flesh tones look more "natural" (yeah if everybody has a sunburn), but I found it exacerbates the red push and also works too slowly. I also found that when a scene changes, the flesh tones would suddenly change after about .5 - 1 second.

I have read that the 41 is supposed to fix the red push problem of the 40, but if they had, the 40 must have been positively awful because this set still has too much red push. It read +15% on the Avia color decoder check after getting the hue and color set according to the procedures.

This set has few adjustments that are available to the user. You have to get into service mode to do more, but even then, there are few options. Since any set this size is likely to need adjustments, you would think they would put more options in the menus.

One good thing out of all this is the store. The salesman at soundtrack has did a no questions asked exchange the first time. He even made the delivery free for the second set. I never paid delivery the first time, because I brought it home with me. After getting a bad second set, he agreed to let me get the Sony instead (for the difference in price of course). If you are going to buy a large set and care about image quality, make sure you get it from a store with good customer service and a liberal return/exchange policy.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 36 XBR 450

Price, picture quality, size and weight.

None yet accept remote control a little strange and the manual is a little skimpy.

Just picked up the unit today and hooked it up a couple of hours ago. This unit was not shipped from Panasonic until first of June so the two previous reports are probably talking about the 40 not the 41. First look seems to indicate that the problem with the red push and the adjustment for each individual input has been resolved. As previously stated about digital hdtv's the picture is pretty bad on some channels from cable but looks fantastic on my dvd's (non-interlaced). I brought this unit over the Sony strictly based on a side-by-side evaluation. I saw very little difference in features or picture quality. The Sony seemed a little sharper but I liked the black and whites better on the Panasonic (personal taste)which also seemed to reproduce better skin tones, reds and greens. The Panasonic also was lighter and fit my cabinet better. I thought the price on the new Panasonic was probably about 400.00 lower than I could have gotten on the new Sony XBR 450 and this was the final deciding factor. The price I paid was an internet price match with only local sales tax added. My previous television was a 36" Hitachi. After a week or two of using this unit I will try to send an updated review.

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR,Hitachi

Excellent Picture with DVD w/Progessive Scan. Stylish. Nice silver color. Above average sound for a TV. Realtively easy menu to use.

Horrible grainy picture on Cable. Too heavy (235 lbs!!!). Average and uninformative user manual. Ugly and cheap looking remote control. Dull green. Cheap TV controls with a lid that gets stuck.

We bought the set at a local "Best Buy/Worst Service" store. It took two strong men to carry it to the living room (Advanced technology (!) with 150+ lbs more of hardware than a 27" TV for 9 more inches of viewing. Go figure!).

After playing with the controls for many hours the first day and few more days after that, we could not fix the problem with pixillation and dull green.

First, we had the cable company check the signal in our area, which happened to be very strong. Then, we called Panasonic, which referred us to a local service. They informed us that they would charge $99 for the service if they could not diagnose and fix the problem. As we believed we should not be penalized for the poor quality of a brand new and very expensive product, we decided to return it after 2 weeks and loose $75 in delivery charges (one more reason not to buy it over the net).

Panasonic should be ashamed of itself to market such a product in the high-tech 21st century. Haven't they ever tested this product outside their labs in real people's homes? My 10+ year-old Zenith 27" color TV has better picture and color quality on cable TV. Do they really think all we are going to do is to watch movies on DVD to enjoy the picture (it is almost a perfect, move-like picture with SONY DVPNS700P DVD player with progressive scan except for dull green)?

I should have believed reviews that I read on this site before I bought this TV.


I would strongly discourage NOT TO BUY IT unless all you will be watching is DVD movies or you know how to get a better picture on Cable TV.

Similar Products Used:

Zenith 27'

Great picture on movie channels. Looks FANTASTIC on DVDs.

Looks pretty bad on some cable channels. Menu system is ugly.

I actually purchased the Zenith D36D51 but found that it didn't play DVDs in progressive scan on a Panasonic DVD player and has these annoying purple blotches on the edge of the screen.

Before I discuss this TV let me first note that I've only has it for about a week and still have some things to learn about it.

As for the the Panasonic so far I've enjoyed it except for the fact that cable looks really bad. My 11 old RCA looks better on cable. These HDTV's really point out the stations that are not yet digital and they look pretty bad. But channels like HBO, Showtime, etc, look great. I've called the cable company about snow and they much pretty were useless. They said what I already knew and that was make sure all your cable connections were tight. So I guess I'll have to live with this issue until the stations catch up which may be a while for some.

As for the TV itself it has lots of connections which makes it possible to connect nearly everything. The user's guide is pretty light on the details and options of connecting everything. One feature it has that I was unaware of was that you can connect the TV center channel to the Home Theatre System. But when I tried this it caused a very noticeable noise and no sound. However, I could have made a mistake and will try this again.

The menu system used on this TV is pretty ugly. It's a rolling menu system that has pretty bad graphics. Other TVs such as the Zenith and Sony looked better.

I'm now waiting for the cable company to come and hook me up to a high def. cable box which is supposed to be in the next couple of weeks. That will tell me if the money I've invested in this will really pay off.

Similar Products Used:

Zenith D36D51

Picture quality, size, heat

Sound, remote

We recently purchased this television, and let me get a
few things out of the way . . .

The colors are spot on and there are no geometric
deformities. Okay! Now we can discuss the rest.

First of all, I love the number of inputs available. Two
rear component, 3 rear composite (two with S-Video), two
rear antenna (including a split out), and one composite
front (with S-Video). Second, as others have said, the
size is significantly smaller than the Sony XBRs so that
it fits a larger picture in our existing furniture.
Thirdly, everything that the others have been saying about
the beauty of DVD over component is true. In fact, it
killed the Sony tubes.

However, I must point out that the quality seems to vary
more so than with the Sony XBR's (which do vary).
Visiting the different stores revealed that Sony and
Panasonic would alternately look better. Unfortunately,
you must find a store that will be patient. ;-)

The PIP modes are great, but I did not check this feature
on other models. There is a four-way "scan" mode,
standard PIP, and an equal-size split screen. These modes
feature dual-tuners so you can tune two true pictures at a
time.

My main complaints are the sound (it has a "tin" noise
that I can't seem to tweak away) and the remote. When I
spend this much money on a television, I expect a remote
that can "learn". However, I must admit that while the
number of codes seemed extremely limited, I can operate
the features I use the most on my equipment.

As a tube, I rank it as a number one purchase. It was
priced at $500 less than the XBR450, and Panasonic
apparently saved on some the frills. Whether this price
drop is justified is up to you. I only give it a 4 for
value because you can get marginally worse, non-flat tubes
for much less.

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR450