Panasonic TX-36PD30 36 inch TV

The background; a few years ago we bought a full price 32" flat screen television. Not only did the picture blow us away but the price at £1200 did aswell. Being a Panasonic fan it was an easy choice, a 36" was outside our budget by another £400 +_.

Up grades come and go and we bought an IDTV Panasonic Viera LCD. Good picture(as long as you have a good signal), light as a feather and modern. Big mistake trying to keep up with technology. It paled into insignificance when compared to the donkeys' years of development that has gone into CRT. It wasn't even in the same quality stakes.

When a new TV was needed for the bedroom the decision was easy. Relegate the Viera to the visitor's room, 32PD30 to our room and get the best money can buy for the living room. Lo & behold there were a series of 36PD30 for auction. Price set including collection with a mate and the wait began. We got through 8 auctions before we got one well below the target.

What's good about it? Picture is more than first class. 100 Hz is better than most Plasma I've had the pleasure of seeing. Panasonic down to supermarket specials. Price is irrelevant. The sound is awesome and couple it to external speakers makes it a cinema experience without all the boxes & disappointment. Plug anything Panasonic into the scarts it all works seamlessly. The era of remote controls that go with it are so... good. Which is more than you can say about the LCD thing. We actually use an old one because it is logical, easier to see (TOG in the house)and just all round better.
For the technical buffs and software fiddlers you can get at almost every thing you would ever have a nightmare about. A geek of our acquaintance
showed us untold hazards to fine tune. For normal people it looks after itself.
The looks are very smart and you couldn't put an era on it yet. It cleans up nice and easy and always looks smart for it.
DVD reproduction is progressive scan, VCR is the best I've seen, Sky input is excellent and you've got more spare scarts than you can shake a stick at. I've seen the component video input put to amazing computer use but it is on the back. Camera buffs get theirs on the front.

The down side. As every owner will attest it is heavy. Without it's stand it is difficult to manoeuvre and will sink through your carpet. Cable management is a nightmare and never looks neat. Buy a packet of cable ties and sticky fixers, then never add another item. This may seem odd for such a high value item but that is how the innards are fixed in place. Take the cover off the back without ripping the rear speakers from the case reveals nothing. Its just as though somebody has been in before you and pinched it. One tray holds everything in the bottom. Nicely made but kept in position by will power. The weight is all the CRT and without the back cover its a bit flimsy. Movement of the unit is not recommended without the massive plastic back holding everything together. The gubbins looks well laid out, clear and easy to fault find and fix. With careful vacuum cleaning of the external vents to promote air flow and the odd cover off and vacuum inside it will last forever. Even after the cockroaches have gone extinct.

The conclusion. Buy one while they are still about. There are many fools out there upgrading to a disappointing future. They do not know what they are doing. Technology has got to get a whole lot better before there will be any comparison to be made. IDTV or Freeview, get a box

Brilliant sound brilliant picture for a 5 year old CRT 100Hz. DVD's look almost HD quality, well worth the money paid (£170).