Panasonic TX37LZD800 Review

37in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

A beautiful looking, sounding and performing LCD from Panasonic.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1920 x 1080

Rating:

94%

Reviewed: 23 May 2008

Design

Common design themes now identify the latest raft of LCD and Plasma screens from Panasonic as belonging to the same 'family'. One of these design themes is a curved element at the base of the screen which appears in various guises across the whole range of flat panel TV's.

The lower edge of the TX37LZD800 houses an elegant silver trim which runs the full length of the screen, tapering away at its edges. This trim is very slightly indented at its top and then extends outwards slightly beyond the screen at the bottom giving the feature an elliptical pod like structure.

Subtle design touches such as the super slim speakers which sit flush at either side of the screen give the TX37LZD800 that top of the range look. The overall effect is a clean, elegant, supremely classy appearance with real flare.

Features

Not only do the TX-37LZD800's looks distinguish it from other members of the Panasonic LCD family, there are also some important, if not spectacular, additions under the hood. With a total of 4 HDMI (v1.3) inputs, Panasonic's flagship TX-37LZD800 has one more than the step down LZD85 series.

Screen: 37in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 10,000:1

Other Features: V-real 3 picture processing, Motion Picture Pro 2.

Sockets: 4 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, SD card slot.

HDMI v1.3 can utilize the Deep Colour (x.v.YCC) format. Deep Colour produces almost twice the range of available colours, but you will need a source that produces this level of detail (A few HD camcorders offer the feature and possibly in the future, Blu-ray discs played through a Deep Colour enabled player such as Panasonic's DMP-BD30)

The TX-37LZD800's elegant slim side speakers are supported by Panasonic's 'Advanced Smart Sound' system. These speakers are more sophisticated 'two-way' rather than just 'one-way' units and feature separate 'tweeter' as well as 'woofer' components for greater acoustic balance and power.

The TX-37LZD800 is the only current LCD from Panasonic to feature 'Clear Panel design' which has been created to deliver sharper, more vibrant images while retaining this enhanced performance across all viewing angles. Finally, there is also picture-in-picture (pip) functionality.

Panasonic have re-engineered their core image processing technology, 'V-real', which has evolved on the TX37LZD800 into V-real 3 and V-real PRO 3.

There are two major constituents to the V-real 3 equation, V-real PRO 3 Processor and V-real PRO 3 Driver. The 'processor' element works on the raw video signal to optimize the incoming stream, while the 'Driver' element works with the refined signal and optimizes panel performance to this signal.

Increasing the frame rate from 50 frames per second (fps) to 100fps, Motion Picture Pro 2 has been designed to create a more fluid picture while maintaining picture stabilty and resolution.

The TX-37LZD800 sports a Full HD native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels which allows this panel to resolve every detail of 1080i and 1080p sources, rather than scaling these pictures to fit.

With dynamic backlight circuitry, the TX37LZD800 automatically detects the brightness levels of the incoming video signal and adjusts the backlight accordingly. Contrast ratio is a claimed 10,000:1.

A simple feature we really like is the photo viewer. Insert your camera's SD card into the TX37LZD800's SD slot and the screen will go into slide show mode. Your photos are then easily navigable through the TV's remote.

The TX-37LZD800 also features 'Viera Link', Panasonics take on a technology which employs high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connections to automatically control similarly enabled devices using a single remote. Pop the SD memory card from your digital camera into the TX37LZD80's card slot and a slideshow presentation begins, which you can control from the TV's remote.

Performance

We have always believed that Panasonic's 100Hz processing technology has been more effective than most and their Motion Picture Pro 2 system maintains and enhances that tradition.

If it hadn't been for our recent review of the Sony KDL-32W4000 (no 100Hz) we would have said without reservation that the TX37LZD800 was the most capable LCD we have witnessed when it comes to motion handling abilities. As it is, Picture Pro 2 is the most mature implementation of 100Hz processing we have seen. It is not perfect, with a small amount of smearing and slight loss of detail on fast pans, but very few LCD TV's can rival the fluidity of motion and retention of detail displayed by this panel.

As a producer of Plasma as well as LCD screens, Panasonic gives us a useful insight into the state of these competing technologies. With similar picture processing wizardry being applied to their panels we get a very subjective look into black level performance of Plasma and LCD. The black level performance of the TX-37LZD800 is excellent, with a complete absence of greyish tones and the ability to create subtle graduations across darker scenes which until not so long ago was the sole preserve of plasma. Place this panel alongside Panasonic's budget PX80 plasmas however and you notice a difference.

Along with Samsung, Panasonic have closed the gap between LCD and Plasma performance, but there is still a gap - just. Even Panasonic's entry level PX80 plasmas offer the kind of deep rich blacks and subtle graduations across darker scenes that the TX-37LZD800 can't quite match.

Of course, the excellent black level performance provides the perfect canvass for colour. Colours on the TX-37LZD800 remain consistently rich and accurate in all situations, even with tricky facial tones.

We don't believe that the 37in screen can make as much use of the extra pixels afforded by a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution as even a 40-42in screen, but what is not in doubt is the excellent High Definition (HD) performance of the TX37LZD800. This is one the sharpest most detailed picture we have seen on a 37in screen which ironically left us craving for a 40in LCD from Panasonic.

From a day to day perspective, most of us are interested in the standard definition (SD) capabilities of our flat screens. In this respect, the TX-37LZD800 really delivers. The SD picture is remarkable when you consider that it is translating a signal (from the poorer quality Freeview) designed for your 576 lines CRT. There is an element of noise and flicker on fast action pans, but you need to be looking for inconsistencies to really notice them.

The TX-37LZD800 is one of the few LCD's to really deliver on the promise of an accomplished acoustic performance. Panasonic illustrates that there is just no substitute for more power when it comes to the sonic abilities of a TV.

Conclusion

The TX-37LZD800 does not offer a significant advantage in terms of picture performance over the LZD85, but if you value an improved acoustic performance and having a beautifully designed piece of kit in your living room, this could be the screen for you.