Panasonic PT-61HX40 61 in. TV

I would like to start off by stating that this set is my first big screen TV and digital TV. This should give you some frame of reference when evaluating this review. With that said, I will jump into my impressions of this set.

One of the most important things for a TV to have is ample inputs and outputs for connecting various components together. Being an electronics freak I like my purchases to be very flexible and versatile. This set proves to be both by supporting two (2) component inputs, four (4) video inputs including both S-Video and composite, two (2) antenna inputs, one (1) coax split out, and one (1) analog stereo output. One of the video inputs is conveniently placed on the front of the set for easy connection. I have found this to be more then enough connections for all my components so this satisfies my first concern. One thing that I have found to be somewhat annoying is the way you choose the input. I have heard of other sets that can automatically detect which inputs have a device connected to them and when you scroll through the inputs it only lists the ones with a connected device as an option. On the PT-61HX40, you have to scroll through all of them to find the one input you are looking for, not a big deal if you don?t change inputs often.

I have found the picture quality to be very good. Not having any experience with a HDTV I was not sure what to expect. If you have a progressive scan DVD player you can experience life-like video through the component inputs. This is where I have really found the TV to shine. Being a huge fan of DVD, the set almost pays its self off just in the quality of the picture given from a progressive player. For normal TV watching you may need to be a bit careful. If you have a weak signal being sent to the set, namely from cable, you will defiantly get an undesired effect as it will not look good at all. On a smaller TV, any interference you get looks small since the screen is small, but when the same interference is seen on a 61? screen it is vastly magnified and draws much more attention. So much in fact that it can be a major distraction. So, you want to make sure that what ever signal you send to the set is strong other wise you may be kicking yourself later.

Though I have the TV connected through my sound system now, I did do a little bit of experimenting with internal speakers that came with it before I turned them off. The set comes with a Spatializer that makes a surround sound effect with only two speakers. I must admit, it did sound a bit better then I anticipated, but I will stick with the 5.1 channel set up. For those of you who don?t have a center channel yet for your 5.1 system there are inputs and a configuration for you to turn the TV?s speakers into your center channel. I did not mess with this feature, but I did find it an interesting concept which adds just a little more flexibility to the TV for those who don?t have all the necessary equipment yet for full 5.1 sound.

The menu system on this set is my favorite out of all the TV?s I have had, and I would venture to guess out of all the TV?s I have really messed around with. The whole system is basically this large wheel that you rotate to get to the sub menu that you want and you can configure everything from there. This menu type I have found to be very easy to use and functional. I was able to adjust any setting I wanted without looking at the manual, and I really didn?t have to experiment much as I got the desired effect on the first try. All in all it is a very efficient system and would like to see more like it in the future. One thing that probably helped this out quite a bit was the number of features found on the TV. I haven?t looked much at the new sets coming out, but without a doubt they offer more features then this TV.

I have put this set?s durability to the test and feel I have a good background to evaluate this aspect. The main test came the day that I got the set home. It was going upstairs and as it turns out, is too big to fit upstairs right side up. After about 45 minutes of ramming and jamming I came upon the realization that it would not fit. Eventually I hired professionals who turned the set on its side and use some equipment to successfully deliver the TV to its new home. In the process though, the TV got banged around quite a bit, and though the casing is roughed up in places it is still very solid and internally it is just as good as before. A word to the wise for those who will be moving this set up a flight of stairs, get a lot of people (it is heavy!) and measure first! Two mistakes I made that I hope other do not have to endure.

I have found this TV to be a very good set in all the major areas such as durability, picture, etc. I know that widescreen TV?s seem to be grabbing a good hold in the industry now, but if you want a traditional big screen digital TV this is a good choice. In my understanding the only thing it lacks from newer models are some added features such as the input selection mentioned above. If that is not a big deal to you I would strongly consider this set.