Panasonic's 37-inch LCD turns out to be an average performer.
(Credit: CNET)We've always given relatively high marks to Panasonic's plasma TVs, but the company's least-expensive entrant in the 37-inch LCD arena this year, model TC-37LZ85, didn't quite measure up.
The main problem was this medium-screened LCD's less-accurate grayscale, which tinged the picture reddish even in its most-accurate color temperature preset. Compared with the 37-inch Vizio and Hitachi TVs we reviewed earlier, the TC-37LZ85 just didn't look as natural, especially in skin tones.
In other areas of performance, particularly black level and screen uniformity, the nonplasma performed quite well for an LCD. But compared with the company's least-expensive 42-inch plasma, model TH-42PX80U, the Panasonic LCD couldn't hold a candle in those areas. It's also worth mentioning that the company's 42-inch plasma actually costs a bit less than the 37-inch LCD. Granted one had 1080p resolution and the other doesn't, but at these screen sizes that doesn't matter for most viewers.
