Panasonic VIERA TC-L42E30 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV

Clever Designs      Panasonic moves into their second season of LED-based HDTVs with the introduction of the VIERA E30 unveiled this month. Aesthetically, the E30 is derssed in stylish silver and black The E30 rectangular pedestal stand is also furnished in chome to complement the TV's Beautiful silver and black theme. However, swivelling function not part of its design plan. The VIERA's panel is visibly thicker due to a pronounced side the bar also provides quick access to an SD card slot, HDMI, USB, composite port and headphone jack. There are more goodies located behind the 42-inch screen as well, including two additional USB and three HDMI slots. Comparatively, the VIERA pack the widest selection of A/V offerings amongst the four candidates. IPS Alpha panel as with most mid-range LCD offerings from Panasonic. Intelligent Features      Two years ago, Panasonic entered the Internet TV scene with their VIERA Cast feature. Given the competition, we weren't surpried Panasonic has since updated their platform to the oper-source VIERA Connect. Essentially, the revamped VIERA Connect Palette consists of eight app windows on one page. Out of the box, we found titles such as YouTube, Facebook, Skype and Accuweather on its dashboard. Although it is visually appealing on the whole, the VIERA Connect interface offered a sluggish experience as we navigated from window to window.      With VIERA Connect, also comes a new VIERA Market site to download free and payable apps from. A quick check with the Market portal also revealed the selection of apps to be relatively meagre at the time of writing. For instance, video streaming selections are limited to portals such as uStream and WOWtv, where the latter requires a paid subscription. Hopefully, we'll see more apps begin to populate the VIERA Market for users to download and use. Panasonic has alos give its dull menu interface a minor facelift, plus a True Cinema picture preset for truthful display qualities out of the box. Codecs such as DivX and Xvid did not present any issues on the MPEG4 format. Unfortunately, MKV files stuttered rather significantly while MOV files failed to play. DisplayMate and HQV Benchmarks DisplayMate Color Ramp Test: Compression in the mid and darker areas was more obvious on the VIERA then LG's display. White levels had a fair tinge of grey in them. DisplayMate: Consistent greys are one of Panasonic's strongholds. Brighter steps appeared muted on the Color Scales test, while darker colors showed minor signs of compression. Subtle light bleeds were also evident along the upper and lower edges of the panel. HQV: Noise persisted even after the VIERA's noise filters were pumped to the max Similarly, 24p decoding wasn't quite up to par despite Panasonic's new Film Cadence Detection feature. On the bright side, the E30 interpolation skills were noticeably more confident when taking on moving interlaced images. Blu-ray Audtion Corpse Bride: We'll give the thumbs up to the E30 for its lively images and vivid textures. Picture augementation such as Panasonic's Resolution Enhancer also increased the image's sharpness, although naturalists might find the puffed up sharpness to be mildly overstated. Vantage Point: The E30 talents lie with its broad viewing angles and attention to detail. While its IPS-Alpha panel produces striking pictures, there were also instances of motion tearing, especially in scenes with moving subjects. To add, these visual errors were magnified with the Motion Picture Pro feature in particular. For its audio performance, we' d rank its pair of 10W speakers and V-Audio ProSurround algorithms second to LG. REMOTES AT A GLANCE      Panasonic's concave D-pad design is a charm, although the lower placement of the volumn and channel keys meant that they were less accessible with our thumbs. The VIERA Connect platform can be accessed using the dedicated key or VIERA Tools button. SPECIAL OFFER FEATURES 1080p Full HD Resolution Clear Panel Game Mode DLNA VIERA Link 4 HDMI 2 USB PC Input 24p Smooth Film

Source : hardware magazine.

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LG Infinia 42LV5500 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV with Smart TV

Clever Designs      Classified mid-rage moddel under LG's 2011 Line-up, the LV5500 might not appear remarkable at first sight. However, the Koreans' lastest attempt at subtle decorations on the LV-series such as shimmery effects and transparent edges on the bezel were not unnoticed. Apart from its classy looks, the LV5500 also portrays a slim figure, credit to edge-mounted LEDs like its 1080p rivals here to date, LG has Created many HDTV permutations with self-illuminating logos and touch controls. The LV5500 offers the same touchy-feely experience, but minus the illumination perk on its bezel. Port-wise, you get not one but two USB ports for multimedia needs. This HDTV also comes with extensive media format support, being friendly with newer codecs including DivX plus HD on the MKV container. This 42-inch er also swivels about 20 degrees both ways. Intelligent Features      Home Dashboard is where Lg's Smart TV features reside. As you can probably tell from the screenshot, installed apps as well as LG's Smart Share are similarly found here. App for social Portals such as Facebook, Youtube and Twitter have been factored in, along with news and streaming sites like CNBC and MLB TV. On the down side, the youtube interface is rather sparse since you only get to search or watch featured clips. Streaming over DLNA is supported (Smart Share), but do note that LG's Plex Media Server needs to be installed on any of the networked PCs in order to pull media propreties such as plot synopsis and film ratings from the web. More importantly, the LV5500 also flaunts a responsive web browser with handy Favorites and history tabs.      There is no lack of advanced picture presets, including two ISF Expert settings featuring LG's CMS (Color Management System) adjustments. Interestingly, all HDTVs compared this month come equipped with dual 10-watt speakers, but it was the LV5500 which rang true with its clean and robust audio fidelity. Similar to Panasonic, this Smart TV also endorses the DivX Plus HD codec on MPEG4, but goes one up with H.264 and MOV support. The TV plays subtitle formats such as SRT or SUB as well. It's also important to note that the LG Apps store was not yet available at the time of writing. DisplayMate and HQV Benchmarks DisplayMate Color Ramp Test: Color gradients were notably smoother compared to the rest of the edge-lit contenders. Viewing angle was wholesome up to 70 degrees. DisplayMate: The LV5500 has an aptitude for vivid colors and gradual gredients, marred only by minor banding on the darker end of the scale. Surprisingly, light distribution was modestly spread despite this model's choice of edge-mounted LEDs. HQV: Noise reduction wasn't exemplary, although the LV5500 is comfortable with processing moving interlaced content. Praiseworthy 24p decoding from a 1080i60 source is a plus as well. The only catch is LG's Real Cinema has to be enabled for truthful 24p playback. Blu-ray Audtion Corpse Bride: The LV5500 struck a comfortable balance between black levels and picture detail on this Tim Burton classic, as the animated visuals were crisp with ample depth to show. Blooming issues were also less apparent compared to its LV3720 cousin, which was marred by inconsistent backlighting concerns. LG's IPS screen might net push insanely sharp contrasts like those with glossy screens, out its matte screen definitely makes it friendlier to the eyes during the day. Vantage Point: The good news is that LG's TruMotion did not introduce any motion anomalies on Vantage Point, although the 100Hz rendition was a little too smooth for our liking. Color accuracy was fair, and what's notable is the TV's Dynamic Contrast feature which managed to bring the images to life without obvious backlight fluctuations. If audio quality matters to you, know that the LV5500 has one of best sonic delivery with its Infinite 3D Surround and Clear Voice II features combined . REMOTES AT A GLANCE      Offering the besi fit, LG's latest remote also features dedicated controls for its Smart TV functions, such as a Premium and Home button. The Quick Menu button is also handy for tweaking basic AV parameters on the fly, such as audio modes and aspect ratio. LG Infinia LV5500 Series 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV with Smart TV Models: 55LV5500 55-Inch Models: 47LV5500 47-Inch Models: 42LV5500 42-Inch FEATURES LG Smart TV1 LED Backlighting TruMotion 120Hz Wi-Fi Ready (Adapter Included) Magic Motion Remote (Included) Full HD 1080p Resolution DLNA Certified ENERGY STAR Qualified Picture Wizard II Intelligent Sensor Smart Energy Saving ISFccc Ready SPECIAL OFFER

Source : hardware magazine.

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