0312wv33 Panasonic TX-32PS12

10/13/03

5:10 PM

Page 105

ON TEST: PANASONIC TX-32PS12

32in Nicam TV 950

SPECIFICATION
FEATURES 100Hz 16:9 TV; flicker reduction; Nicam stereo with Ambient/speech/music modes; pic presets; noise reduction; tilt correction; autotuning; Q-Link; owner ID system; multiple aspect ratios; pic freeze; picture/text split screen; AI; colour balance; off timer; teletext sub-page access SOCKETS Rear: Three Scarts (two RGB); stereo audio outputs; RF jack Front: S-video input; composite video input; stereo audio input; headphone jack WEIGHT 55.5kg DIMENSIONS 564(h) x 902(w) x 553(d)mm CONTACT 08705 357357, www.panasonic.co.uk

Mixed bag

Panasonics TX-32PS12 is the archetypal TV mid-ranger, boasting 100Hz pictures, a respectable features count, and Nicam stereo sound. It looks pleasant, too. A glossy deep grey inner frame is set off well by the lighter silver outer frame that also scores style points by curving gently towards you at its extremities. The only aesthetic bumnote is the customary front AV jacks. These have been left under the screen, rather than being tucked away down the side somewhere. Rear panel connections are dominated by three Scarts two of which, happily, can take RGB. Unlike some of Panasonics other recent TVs, there arent any component video inputs but then, this isnt a progressive scan TV, so they wont be too sorely missed. During set-up we revelled in the usual fabulously designed Panasonic remote control. The TVs autotuning system did its job quickly and efficiently, with Q-Link on hand if you need to download tuner settings to a suitable VCR. The chief picture adjustments comprise noise reduction, flicker reduction, and an optimistically titled AI mode thats really just a fancy contrast booster. As for sound, there are Music and Speech presets, together with an Ambient mode for widening the soundstage. Reduction is off (since its introduction drastically ups the processing noise), switch off noise reduction, and finally, keep the contrast no higher than 50 per cent. Stray from this guide and the picture looks much softer and more processed. Not all problems can be circumvented with careful set-up, though. First of all, tuner pictures look significantly worse than RGB feeds. Theres more grain and colours seem less natural and more muted. The picture is also prone to kinking and bending, particularly during 4:3 viewing, when the edges arc in at the middle really quite alarmingly. Finally, not being able to use Flicker Reduction, because of the extra processing murk it introduces, can leave some bright scenes (check out the white-dominated Sky Sports News) flickering like mad over their top few inches. The TX-32PS12s sonics are fair. Good volumes are possible in fact the soundstage sounds richer the louder you make it. However, a lack of dynamic range means the speakers are overloaded in the mid-range, so that theres no great sense of bass or treble detail, and dialogue can sound muddy. For all its faults, though, the TX-32PS12s picture is so damn good when it is at its best that it just about won us over in the end. Provided youre not restricted to analogue tuner feeds for your TV needs, the 32PS12 definitely deserves an audition John Archer
TEST DATA Colour: very good no bleed, hard edges, rich saturations, though ghosting over edges and red bleed to top right Geometry: fair excellent with dark footage, but serious bending with bright fare, especially in 4:3 mode Frequency response: excellent clarity to 5.8MHz

ALSO CONSIDER.

PANASONIC TX-32PS5 Lower priced 50Hz set, but has Dolby Digital sound AND works better with standard tuner sources. Reviewed: August 03 PHILIPS 32PWdearer and short of inputs, but delivers sublime, Pixel Plus boosted pictures Reviewed: July 03

PERFORMANCE

Pressed into action, the TX-32PS12 proves a mixture of the sublime and the merely fair. On the plus side, the TV excels in the colour department, with RGB and S-video feeds. Sky digital broadcasts are richly saturated and vibrant, with plenty of depth and contrast. Edges are tightly controlled too. For instance, the white text against rich red and blue backgrounds on Sky News remains almost entirely unsullied by seepage. RGB pictures look very sharp and finely detailed, too not least because, in a major improvement over some previous Panasonic TVs, theres precious little mess caused by the 100Hz processing. Movement remains relatively smear free and for the most part, theres no evidence of colour noise over more muted colours. Make no mistake: at its best, the picture is simply superb. To make it look its best, though, you need to make sure that Flicker
Genius. Some day all remotes will be made this way!
WHATS GOOD Picture with RGB sources, design WHATS BAD Poor 4:3 geometry, tuner sources PICTURE. SOUND. FEATURES. EASE OF USE VALUE.77777.77777.77777.77777.77777
VERDICT Capable of delivering a fabulous picture, but suffers one or two flaws and inconsistencies
December 2003 s WHAT VIDEO AND WIDESCREEN TV 105

0310WHC12 Panny TX32P55 TV

8/20/03

4:30 PM

Page 69

32in Dolby Digital CRT TV

Panasonic

olby Digital 5.1 sound is now mainstream. We base our claim on one simple fact: the TX-32PS5 is a reasonably affordable 32in TV with 50Hz pictures, yet comes with a full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound system, including rear speakers. Previously, manufacturers have only put Dolby Digital on their high-end TVs, accompanied by 100Hz and picture processing enhancements. The 32PS5 says that Panasonic knows you don't have to be loaded to have a DVD player, and that there are plenty of people crying out for an affordable screen and sound solution to make their DVDs shine. Yet Panasonic shoots itself in the foot, by only equipping the 32PS5 with two Scarts and only one which can take superior RGB, making simultaneous RGB connection of, say, a DVD player and Sky Digital set-top box impossible, unless you invest in a fiddly Scart switching box. Doh. At least there are digital audio inputs for genuine 5.1 surround sound when connected to your DVD player.

TX-32PS5 820

The combination of Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and 50Hz pictures is an unusual TV mix. Can Panasonic make it work?

TEST SCENE

HARRY POTTER 2
The 32PS5 is peachy to set up. Even perfecting the Dolby Digital soundstage is a doddle. Once set up, the 32PS5 cuts an inoffensive, if dull, dash in your living room especially when placed it on its matching stand. When viewing our Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets test disc, we immediately recognised that the 32PS5 is more exciting than its looks suggest. Its 50Hz pictures are sensational. Colours are searingly bright, with scenes such as the Quidditch match looking radiant. The frenzied motion in this scene also reminds us how nice it is to live without the digital artefacts of some of Panasonic's 100Hz TVs.

MAGICAL IMAGES

Diagon Alley looks a treat thanks to the 32PS5's contrast, lack of digital processing artefacts, and fine detail

GOOD POINTS

When it comes to picture and sound, the 32PS5 rocks. And we're quite taken with the whole 50Hz/Dolby Digital combination

Black magic

There's oodles of detail too, proving that Panasonic has overcome the softening flaw of its early picture tubes. And dark scenes such as Harry's showdown with Voldemort show a great black level response, which helps make the image clean and involving. The Dolby Digital sonics are also very tasty. The soundstages are dynamic and harmonious, and the rear speakers blend unexpectedly well with the rest. The whispers that pursue Harry around Hogwarts will echo round your room thanks to proficient effects steering, and there's just enough bass to ensure voices are realistic and, in this case, scary! Panasonic has struck gold with this unusual blend of audio and visual features. Somebody should be made to cough up slugs for not providing more Scarts, but the TX-32PS5 is still one of the most rewarding instant FURTHER INFO home cinema solutions that we've seen. WHC
Call or visit www.panasonic.co.uk

BAD POINTS

We wonder if Hermione knows a spell for an extra RGB Scart socket?

OVERALL

One of the best integrated home cinema solutions we've seen

RATINGS

Style Ease of use Features Picture Sound Value Overall 5555555556
What Home Cinema October 2003