Tests and measurements aren't everything, as we well know. When we began placing images onto the Panasonic TC-37LZ800 - something happened. We really liked what we saw. Whether it was the IPS-Alpha panel or the clear Plexiglas screen, the image was simply stunning and vivid. We also rather preferred using the Motion Focus technology, especially since it involved strobing the backlight and not introducing poorly rendered interpolated frames at 120Hz (something we don't think is quite mature enough yet for prime time). Rather than describe it in excruciating detail I'll pop up some photos of what we watched.

HDTV: Food Network
I don't know what show this was... I don't really even care. The point was that the pastel colors popped and the on-screen images were crisp and gorgeous.

HDTV: HGTV
I had a similar experience with HGTV in high definition. Colors popped, edge detail was crisp but not artificial. In the scene I snapped below the image alternated between close-up shots of the flowers and the selection process which showed the detailed stone wall in addition to leaf and ground cover that was ripe with small, intricate patterns.

HDTV: DiscoveryHD - Mythbusters
I don't really know anyone who doesn’t enjoy this show, male or female. There's just something to be said for blowing away (literally, sometimes) myths that are circulating around our culture for years. We recorded a show about rolling your own canon out of a tree and decided this was a great place to capture some detailed shots.

SD: PBS / Public TV
Standard definition looked awesome on this set as well, with digital standard definition pictures coming in looking clean and crisp and clean. Our photography may not have captured it since it was in motion at the time, but the TC-37LZ800 did a great job of rendering fast motion imagery without difficulty.

Conclusion

Here's the skinny on the Panasonic TC-37LZ800 - it's a great display. It's not the cheapest LCD (by far), in fact you'll be able to find 42-inch models for the same price from other brands. What you won't find, however is a display that is this detailed and capable of putting out a vivid color representation to every seat in the house. That's where the Panasonic excels. Feed this television a high definition source and you've got one of the better pictures on the market. Calibrate it via the service menu and you can tweak it to even greater levels of performance. While the retail is $1399, we've seen this display for around $1100 (shipped) at online retailers.

Panasonic TC-37LZ800
$1399

Panasonic Corporation of North America
One Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
http://www.panasonic.com/

About Panasonic
Best known by its former brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Panasonic is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$81.44 billion for the year ended March 31, 2005. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York (NYSE:MC), Euronext Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.co.jp/global/index.html.