Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this from a big box retailer, but have always found the Amazon community to offer great non-pro reviews of mid-level products often skipped by online review sites. Panasonic has picked up the mantle of plasma king since the demise of Pioneer and I hoped the TC-l42E50 would have close to the same impact on LED/LCD market. I have tried LED displays from other major brand names with a 3rd the performance quality of the Panasonic. Let's get this out of the way right now if you are expecting plasma level PQ (picture quality) namely black level performance out of this TV then pack it up and ship it back, because it is not happening. Panasonic has taken the Samsung/Sony approach to this television and offer a screen that pops with intensity, one of the sacrifices being black level performance. You gain a plethora of features that with the right adjustments can make this display outshine it's competitor's. Panasonic has taken great measures to ensure great motion performance with the addition of the 360 backlight scanning feature. This feature breaks the screen into 3 section in which a smart dimming function on the LED's switch them on/off very quickly (120hz frequency) to improve pixel response time and alleviate motion artifacts such as judder, trailing and ghosting/streaking. The math breaks down like this 3 sections x 120hz = 360hz (simulated) for the 360 backlight scanning. They offer an additional motion smoothing technology when set to weak offers no artifacting or Soap Opera Effect (SOE) often seen with this technology, but if gaming on this TV recommend turning off or set to weak due to potential controller lag. Speaking of gaming if you are a gamer than I cannot recommend this TV enough from racing games too first person shooters(FPS)this set can handle anything you can throw at it. I have tried everything from 120hz-480hz televisions and none can perform a third as well as the Panasonic at a about 50% less to the of the main competitors equivalent. Don't let all the fancy jargon confuse you it is all marketing speak. All TV's including plasmas are 60hz with scene interpolation of some kind that inserts frames in between existing frames to give the illusion of a higher refresh rate whether it is Panasonic's:600hz sub-field drive or Samsung's:Auto motion plus they are still a native 60hz. While shopping for a television let that be the last deciding factor, but let your eye's be your guide. Visit a big box store ask for a remote and immediately take it off the Vivid picture settings and set it for Cinema,movie or natural setting in the user menu to get a better idea how the set will function in the real world. This will turn all the post processing nonsense off in most case and let you see the true performance of the display, so you can make an educated decision. If you prefer the look though the Panasonic E50 can still deliver that performance, although adjustments aren't as robust as it's competitor's they are sufficient. Let's break it down. Picture: While not as deep as a plasma display still impressive for an LED/LCD. Black levels are good, but not great colors are natural and accurate making movies and games really pop. Could use a few more adjustment option like a THX or pro mode for better white balance control, but certainly not the worse I have seen. Sound: Like a few of the review have said nothing to write home about, but again not the worse I have heard. If you are in the market for home a theater and gaming set-up most likely a quality surround sound is already a consideration. Since I have a pair of wireless surround sound headphones TV audio quality is not a concern for me. Connectivity: While wi-fi ready this display is not wireless out of the box, an additional dongle is needed for internet connectivity. Build Quality: While this TV doesn't have the paper thin bezel made popular by LG & Samsung it would be right at home on a wall mount or traditional stand. It sports a 1 inch glossy black bezel with a quarter inch clear boarder around that for an all around attractive frame. Panasonic has manage to also avoid some of the pitfalls associated with Edge Lit LED technology namely light bleed and flashlighting. In a completely dark room the screen is solid black or really dark blue through the entirety of the screen with no areas of backlight bleed on any of the sides. There is also no pooling of light where the LED's are unable to reach certain areas of the screen. I have seen $4000.00+ LED TV's not be able to achieve this feat, so very impressive. I hope I was able to give an overall impression of the Panasonic TC-L42E50 television.