Panasonic TH-37PE30B Review

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Panasonic TH-37PE30B
4 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4 out of 5

From 1 rating and 7 reviews

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Large Chris's Review of Panasonic TH-37PE30B Plasma Television

22nd Feb 2005

Overall Rating

4 stars
  • Value for money
    5 stars
  • Image Quality
    3.5 stars
  • Features
    3.5 stars
  • Time Plasma Television Owned
    1 - 6 Months
  • Sound Quality
    4 stars
  • Ease of Use
    4 stars
Good Points

Quite nice looking original style
Very discreet speakers
Easy to assemble
Very wide viewing angle


Bad Points

Contrast ratio - not black enough
Fiddly menu system


General Comments

I did a lot of research before settling on this Panasonic set. I am pleased with it overall, but seeing the other reviews I think some balance is needed. The first thing I noticed on watching 'wider' films is that the contrast ratio is not good enough. It may or not be one of the best out there, but the nice looking piano black surround immediately contrasts with the greyer unfilled picture area, regardless of picture settings. Panasonic should have put a grey surround or even better floated it like the latest Sony plasmas.
Secondly, this TV is missing digital inputs so it is going to be out of date fairly quickly. I deliberately didn't choose a high def set as I understand the processing power of most plasmas isn't quite up to it yet, but again this means the tv will date pretty quickly. Component inputs (with decent cables) also look pretty grainy to me.
The stand is extremely heavy and robust with plenty of space to hide cables - big advantage compared to the sphagetti from other systems.
I don't think there are enough scart sockets - check this out for your purposes (eg 2 games machines or an MP4 player) - and also the included Panasonic DVD recorder is not particularly clever or easy to use in combination with the TV - all the menu systems are different.
Delivered boxes were absolutely enormous - take the day off to get rid of the cardboard (what does a 42 inch box look like?)
Best bit are the in built speakers - very small but excellent sound at all reasonable volumes.
I brought this from John Lewis - fantastic free 5 year on site warranty AND DVD recorder AND price matched - BUT you must research each shop as they don't all do the same offer - I could have paid £800 more in the Sloane Square branch!

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Members' Comments onLarge Chris's Review

  • Kingdom Come Rank: Staff Sergeant on 28th Jul 2005

    You thought the sound quality from the pencil bar sound panels excellent!!! I think they let the set down badly - the sound quality is very compromised indeed, that I have had to add speakers to get a standard quality of sound that these bars didn't even have. I am a sound engineer and know that Panasonic have now realised that these bars were a case of design over practicality and they are no longer being used.

  • Large Chris Rank: Lance Corporal on 29th Jul 2005

    As an accomplished musician my hearing is pretty good.
    Anyway I saw the 'updated' screen with horizontal speaker a few months ago and thought it looked awful - like something from the seventies - I notice Panasonic has already dropped it and now yet another new version has appeared.
    Until a company offers amplifier and wireless rear speakers w/o built in DVD player I'm sticking with this setup.