Panasonic PT-45LC12 45 in. HDTV-Ready LCD TV

After conducting a lot of research on tv's, I finally decided to purchase the Panasonic PT-45LC12.

I have a fairly narrow game room that I wanted to put a tv and surround sound system into. I was immediately attracted to this LCD TV as it is only 16" deep. Plasma tv's would also fit into the space; however, plasma components, such as DVD's, tuners, cable boxes, etc. are going to take up more than 16" worth of space somewhat negating the ultra-thin advantage of a plasma screen. Further, when a plasma goes bad the whole plasma has to been thrown away. Finally, plasma's costs several thousand dollars more than this TV and their picture quality degrades as they are used!

Several of the negative reviews I read about this TV were the loud cooling fan on the unit. Many LCD TV units, including this one, contain a cooling fan for the bulbs. I was concerned but plunged forward with my purchase after listening to the unit at a Best Buy (a loud store). Once I bought the TV I discovered that this is simply a non-issue with my unit. With the volume of the tv turned up to a normal level, I cannot hear the cooling fan at all. Even with the unit on with low volume I cannot hear the fan. Upon turning the unit off, I can hear the fan as it continues to run for about 30 seconds after the unit is turned off. My take on this issue is that unless you have extremely sensitive hearing that you will not find this issue to be a problem whatsoever.

I also read that fixed pixels could be a problem on LCD units. This problems manifests itself where a pixel becomes a fixed green or red or blue dot on the screen that never changes. I have not found that to be the case at all. Despite my best efforts to locate a bad pixel, I have been unable to do so.

The installation was done by professionals as I had a surround sound system installed in my ceiling and walls and they through in installation of the tv for free. The installation involved tuning the tv for maximum performance with a DVD performance disk. The installation did not take long nor did it seem to require professional help - although it was useful as I have a DVD, surround-sound tuner, multiple speakers and a digital cable box.

Some reviewers have commented upon the fact that LCD tv's do not differentiate dark screens well. In fact, I tested the capability of the tv using the digitally made Star Wars - Attack of the Clones DVD. There is a scene lit by candles between Princess Amidala and Anakin Skywalker that will severly test the dark screen abilities of any tv. The picture was clear on the Panasonic - it was comparable to my conventional Sony TV.

Other advantages include the ability to view the screen from the side without any noticable deterioration in quality. Most projection tvs suffer severe picture loss as you move away from dead center - not this one. The LCD picture is very clear from almost any angle.

Finally, the whole tv weighs less than 100 pounds and you can plug a laptop or personal computer into the front of the tv and play video games on a 45" tv!

This tv is discounted on internet sites at a price that ranges from $500 to $1,000 less than Best Buy or local retailers (especially if you consider not paying sales tax). Given the uncertainty, I purchased the tv from a local sound and systems dealer and still paid $500 less than the retail price (and yes, I did pay sales tax).

So far, we have been extremely happy with the tv set and glad that we did not pay the high price for plasma.

If the set did not have the speakers, it would really mimic the look of a plasma tv. Given that most people who purchase a tv for over $2,800 will have their own tv speakers it seems to me that this was an error in judgment by Panasonic. I do not use the tv speakers so I reserve my opinion as to whether they are passable.