LCD TV Reviews

Bottom Line

Panasonic’s TC-L42D30 has some good stuff going for it: sleek looks, excellent off-axis viewing capability, a satisfying menu of streaming options, and the ability to accommodate a video camera accessory for Skype usage. It also sells for around $950 or less — not shabby for an LED-backlit LCD model with network capability. Where the L42D30 comes up short is on parameters like color accuracy, contrast, and blackfield uniformity — things that videophiles care intensely about but the vast majority of other folks tend to shrug off. So if you, or someone you know, can count yourself among that other 99%, count the L42D30 as a pretty good deal.

Test Bench

Color temperature

(Cinema/Warm mode before, Custom/Warm mode after):

20-IRE: 6,354 K/6,722 K

30-IRE: 6,224 K/6,682 K

40-IRE: 6,193 K/6,620 K

50-IRE: 6,270 K/6,579 K

60-IRE: 6,220 K/6,491 K

70-IRE: 6,245 K/6,471 K

80-IRE: 6,250 K/6,392 K

90-IRE: 6,213 K/6,251 K

100-IRE: 6,158 K/6,225 K

Primary Color Point Accuracy vs. SMPTE HD Standard

* Spectracal’s CalMan Professional monitor calibration software (spectracal.com) was used during the calibration and measurement process. See PDF link for a complete report with detailed pre- and post-calibration results.