37in LCD Picture Sound Features Usability Value A TV which performs as well as anything in this price bracket. Rating: 90%

Reviewed: 17 June 2009

  Outstanding picture performance

  100Hz fails to convince

Design

A common design theme produces a familiar look to Panasonic's large range of LCD TV's for 2009. What Panasonic have managed to do quite successfully is to introduce subtle design changes for each range which differentiates the higher end panels with an increasingly stylish look. The TX-L37V10 has the stylistic touches to indicate a slightly more expensive unit than the G10 series below it.

The TX-L37V10 can't compete with some of the waif like models out there at the moment, but decent build quality and attention to detail add to what is on the whole an attractive looking package.

Features

Viera Cast arrives as Panasonic's solution to internet access directly through your TV. The Viera Cast button on the TX-L37V10's remote takes you straight to Panasonic's online content portal where you can choose from a limited but growing amount of content.

You can access the likes of YouTube videos, the Picasa photo sharing web site or stock quote information, weather reports etc. The content on offer is certainly not comprehensive enough to lure hardened internet users away from their PC's at the moment, but Viera Cast is an interesting feature which gives the L37V10 an added dimension.

	Screen: 37in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound System: Nicam Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Contrast Ratio: 100,000:1 Other Features: V-real 4 picture processing, Freesat digital tuner, 100Hz processing (IFC), noise reduction function, V-audio surround sound. Sockets: 4 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component video, PC input, CAM slot, SD card slot, Ethernet port.

 

What should be of just as much interest to those considering this TV is the latest incarnation of Panasonic's V-real Picture Processing Engine, V-real 4. Tweaks to the screens main picture processing circuitry have been designed to clean the incoming Standard Definition source as well as improving High Definition presentation.

Panasonic's 100Hz Intelligent Frame Creation (IFC) technology doubles the number of frames shown every second from 50 frames/sec to 100 frames/sec. This increase in frame count has been designed to allow more natural frame-to-frame transitions. IFC can be set to 'High', 'Medium' or switched off altogether.

The V10 series also benefits from the inclusion of a built-in 'Freesat' tuner. The Freesat service currently offers over 80 subscription free channels which includes all the major terrestrial stations (BBC1, ITV etc) apart from 'Five'. You also get the BBC HD and ITV HD (exclusive to Freesat) channels. Unlike Sky or Virgin, there are no subscription charges, but it is worth remembering that access to the 'Freesat' service requires a satellite dish.

The TX-L37V10 boasts a dynamic contrast system in the shape of 'Eco' mode. Through Eco mode, the panel responds to the ambient light surrounding the screen, brightening or dimming the picture to optimize the screen for the current lighting conditions.

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) makes it easier to integrate your electrical entertainment appliances as part of a home network. Viewing your still JPEG holiday snaps stored on a PC through your TV is just one of the many benefits DLNA brings.

The TX-L37V10 benefits from a healthy four HDMIs, a D-Sub PC port, and an SD card slot through which the TV can play JPEG stills. Viera Image Viewer is a new function for easy viewing of digital still photos. The V10 also features an Ethernet port for broadband connection via your router or future online Freesat-related services.

Like most Panasonic TV's these days the TX-L37V10 hosts 'Viera Link', which uses the high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connections to automatically control similarly enabled devices using a single remote. Panasonic have now added support for their LUMIX range of digital cameras to Viera link.

V-audio surround is a virtual surround system which has been designed to replicate the effect of a complete multi- channel system (numerous speakers) from just two speakers.

Performance

We have now come to expect a fine Black Level performance from the likes of Panasonic, especially with their higher end LCD TV's. While the TX-L37V10 can reproduce darker areas to rival anything in this price bracket they are still a little way off the better plasma screens and high end LCD TV's. What you do get with the TX-L37V10 is a picture which is free from the greyness which afflicts lesser panels and is capable of producing some commendably deep blacks; what you don't get is that very fine detail in darker areas which the best plasmas and LED equipped LCD TV's can achieve.

Once again we find ourselves at odds with Panasonic's implementation of 100Hz technology. This may simply be a matter of taste as we don't really like the over processed look the technology demonstrates - some people like the results, considering the picture to be sharper and ultimately 'cleaner'. In our opinion, Panasonics IFC (Intelligent Frame Creation) produces a picture with noticeable picture artifacts on fast motion sequences. Set to 'Medium' the effects are more palatable but on the whole we prefer the picture with IFC turned off. This is a screen that you really need to see in the flesh, to judge the effects of this particular 100Hz implementation.

Converting the 576 or so lines of a Freeview picture onto a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution screen is never going to produce perfect results, but despite having to upscale a poorer quality signal, and testament to the effectiveness of V-real 4, the TX-L37V10 does a good job of producing a Standard Definition (SD) picture. The TX-L37V10 demonstrates on screen content which is largely free from any intrusive influences and is as clean and sharp as anything in this price bracket.

High Definition (HD) is where the TX-L37V10 really excels, with HD material on the Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution producing a stunning visual experience. Panasonic do HD as well as any other manufacturer and the TX-L37V10 maintains that tradition. Almost impossibly sharp, the picture presents every nuance of detail for a truly engrossing home cinema experience.

Helped by a good black level response and testament once again to the processing abilities of V-real 4, Colour on the L37V10 is gloriously vibrant without ever becoming over saturated or garish. Not quite as rich as the latest Sony Bravias perhaps, the L37V10 nevertheless has the subtlety to handle tricky areas such as facial tones with a realism that few LCD TV's can match.

As with virtually every other LCD TV we have come across, the acoustic performance of the TX-L37V10 fails to deliver a really convincing performance. The sound will never become a problem for day to day use but push it to the limit and its shortcomings are quickly revealed. Again, as with most TV's these days the lack of a really strong deep Bass sound is where the problem lies.

Conclusion

Panasonic seem to be pitching their latest LCD TV's perfectly. While there are better LCD and Plasma screens available, the TX-L37V10 is at least as good as LCD's from other manufacturers in this price bracket.

Panasonic TX-L37V10