Panasonic TC-P42X1 Great Value

I waited a LONG time to buy my first flat screen TV, mainly because of price but also because I had a hard time sorting through all the brands and features. I'd wanted an LCD but the price, quality, Panasonic name, and features made this TV hard to pass up. (I bought it at Sears for $599, free delivery, and old TV removal.)

Power Use: It's Energy Star rated. Through my Killowatt meter the TC-P42X1 shows 0 watts when off (little or no standby consumption) and between 150-180 watts switched on.

Resolution & Plasma vs. LCD: Among the up-to-$1,000 TVs in the stores I couldn't tell 720 and 1080 apart. The next most inexpensive set I considered, a Toshiba 40" 1080p for $800, is equivalent in picture quality (but has lousy speakers). I will add that the days are gone when the plasmas on display outclassed the LCDs; there isn't much difference anymore.

Size: I sit 9 feet from the TV and it seems huge. Most broadcasts are still 4:3, which translates to a 33 inch diagonal picture on this set. I never really pictured this while shopping, and all the TVs on display in stores have 16:9 HD content running so it didn't really occur to me. Not a complaint, just an admission that with trying to learn all the ins and outs of TVs in 2009 some of the basic realities escaped me.

Weight: The TC-P42X1 is 57.4 lbs vs. around 40 for a similar LCD. I can heave it up on the wall bracket by myself, but at my age I'm nuts to do it. This also means that all the warnings about proper wall mounting of flat screens (the bracket solidly screwed into two wall studs) are even more important for this one.

Picture: My wife and I watched the Boston Pops July 4 broadcast over-the-air via WBZ-HD and the picture quality was breathtaking. Wow.

Sound quality: No complaints. I have a surround system but only use it for movies. The built in speakers are actually pretty good.

Use: Straightforward to set up and use, plenty of adjustments for personal taste in tint, contrast, etc. The manual could be more informative, typical these days, but I didn't need it much. THe TV has lots of connections and an SD card slot on the side for slide shows.

Remote: Cheap, utilitarian, easy to use.

After my circuitous journey through TV shopping I'd say that in terms of picture quality anything by Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, or Sony would be fine and these are brands that have a good repair history. Getting the best price turned out to be most important for me.