Panasonic CT-34WX54 34'' TheaterWide HDTV-Ready Flat Screen TV

Panasonic CT-34WX54 34'' TheaterWide HDTV-Ready Flat Screen TV

Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
Enjoy all that high-definition television has to offer with Panasonic's CT-34WX54 34-inch TheaterWide HD-ready TV. The CT-27HL14 comes packed with features, including a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, to create the ultimate home entertainment experience. The 3-line digital comb filter separates color from black-and-white accurately in a television signal. As a result, it improves overall color sensitivity and image clarity. In order to enjoy high-definition TV you must connect the TV to a DTV set-top box and a DTV signal must be present in your area.

Parental control give parents ultimate control over what their children are watching. You can lock out up to 4 channels, or choose to lock all channels with other selectable options. A 4-digit code needs to be entered to deactivate the lock. Parents can also prevent the use of video games or other video sources from being displayed. Other handy features include picture-in-picture (PIP) with a split-screen display, a sleep timer, multilingual menus, closed captioning, and the TV comes with Panasonic's Director lighted home theater remote with joystick.

Enjoy virtual surround sound without the elaborate home theater system. With only two speakers it can simulate cinema-like sound when playing any Dolby Digital DVD or Video DC. BBE high-definition sound also improves dialog intelligibility, and music is converted to a more natural sound, providing for crystal clear audio.

Connect to digital sources like DVD players and satellite systems using component and S-video inputs for the best possible picture. Other available connections include one front and three rear A/V inputs, A/V program out, stereo audio out (fixed and variable), plus a headphone jack.

Product Description

Panasonic's vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of its business customers and millions of consumers around the world who use its products every day. The company shares their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances.PRODUCT FEATURES: HDTV Ready Television;DTV display capability (1080i / 540p);16: 9 aspect ratio;Hi-Resolution pureflat picture tube;P3 (precision picture processing);Motion-adaptive 3D-Y/C digital comb filter;Geomagnetic and tilt correction;Direct access video inputs;30-Watt sound system;BBE high-definition sound;HDMI / HDCP interface;ENERGY STAR compliant.

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoy all that high-definition television has to offer with Panasonic's CT-34WX54 34-inch TheaterWide HD-ready TV. The CT-27HL14 comes packed with features, including a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, to create the ultimate home entertainment experience. The 3-line digital comb filter separates color from black-and-white accurately in a television signal. As a result, it improves overall color sensitivity and image clarity. In order to enjoy high-definition TV you must connect the TV to a DTV set-top box and a DTV signal must be present in your area.

What's in the Box
CT-34WX54 34-inch television, remote control, 2 AA batteries, user's manual, and warranty information.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2007-03-23

It's been 2 years now. And looking back I can safely say that this HI-DEF TV is a great buy. The HD channels that DirecTV offers are gorgeous. I'm so glad I bought this TV because now I can watch my favorite movies in its theatrical form - Widescreen. Thank you Panasonic.

I bought this TV for my GF........2006-04-22

To those of you in the market for a HDTV set, look no further. I bought this baby for my girlfriend during the thanksgiving sales for[...] and both myself and her couldnt have been happier with the overall quality and value. Man I only wish I would have gotten it for myself first!
Picture quality is beyond anything on projection TV's (yes even better than HDTV projector tvs) and quite surprisingly, the surround sound emanating from the set's 2 front speakers [...]!. Im not kidding.
Plus with 1 HDMI connection, 1 DVI input (wanna plug in your PC?) and 2 component ones, theres absolutely no way you can go wrong with this set. Now if that isnt enough, this TV boast some pretty neat features that most of the time can only be found in "higher-end" (a.k.a REALLY FREAKIN EXPENSIVE) television sets; such a geomagnetic tilt correction. Now how's that in a TV that only costs 1000 bucks!?.
So if you dont necessarily have to have the HUGEST, BIGGEST screen outside of a movie theater and your main concern is picture quality, "Bose-like" surround sound, and great bang for your hard-earned bucks, stop wasting your time and just buy this baby now!.
With the proper "over-the-air" receiver or HD cable signal it will give you a far better picture than other similar sets priced well over 500 dollars more, and you won't have to sit right in front of it at all the times just to be able to get the best picture quality; as you annoyingly have to do with projection TVs.
The only con that I could ever find with this TV was that it's really freakin heavy, so it was quite a work out to get it up the stairs to the second floor of my girlfriend's house. But that is always to be expected with tube TV sets. So don't look any further and just buy this baby A.S.A.P. You're eyes and ears will thank you for it.

Tubes are still the best...........2005-12-09

Unless you're prepared to go above the $5000 price tag for a TV, tubes still rule. In the computer monitor world, I still have yet to see anything better than my 22in Sony Trinitron monitor from 2001(!). Tubes still provide the sharpest picture and the truest color. For the same price as we paid early this year ($1200 +the inevitable service contract) my parents bought a 42in projection model. The colors on our Panasonic are much brighter, the blacks much deeper and darker (on their Samsung projector the blacks, esp with HD/DVD look more gray than black).

The clarity for DVD and HD is orders of magnitude better than both my 27in Sanyo (the set this one replaced when we bought a place with a bigger living room than our apt.) SD and my parents' projector. For SD channels, the Sanyo doesn't look better but does lack the "gray bars."

The Sanyo, of course, is a 4X3, and this set a 16X9; fortunately more and more DVDs are being made to take full advantage of the latter's ratio and more and more programs are being broadcast in it (meaning that "letter box" using "anamorphic ratios"--another way of "stretching" video--will hopefully soon be a thing of the past). However, for the time being, its either gray bars or using the cable boxes' "stretch" function.

If you're fortunate enough to have a cable box which doesn't take over all the functions of the TV regarding picture size, the Panasonic deals with this is better way than the Scientific Atlanta cable box. There's a setting called "Just" (justify?) that does what the CPLV function of Cyberlink's PowerDVD program does: it "adjusts"--i.e. stretches--the picture at the edges while leaving the middle 2/3rds untouched. This is a much superior method for 4X3 programs. (Unfortunately the cable box just stretches everything, making Gwynneth Paltrow looks like she might weight more than 100lbs!)

The Panasonics five modes, 16x9, ZOOM, Full, JUST and 4X3, are quite handy. When watching, say, "Friends" on DVD--all of which were filmed in 4X3 ratio--the ratio on the Panasonic can be switched to the 4X3 setting, thus allowing them to be viewed as they were intended.

And that's another thing that was not readily obvious on SD but can be glaringly obviously on HD: quality of the source makes all the difference. You can really tell when a show or film was shot on the cheap. The early years of "Friends" were clearly shot for a low budget. The later years (7 thru 10) look much better.

Finally, SD channels look worse on this TV because they are of lower quality. It has NOTHING to do with the TV. I find it odd that none of the half dozen reviewers I read seemed to have understood this.

If one goes from a 5x telescope to a 10x telescope the garish billboard several miles down the road isn't going to better looking! It's going to look even worse.

The one drawback for all HDTVs has nothing to do with the sets. Unfortunately, there is still little true HD content available. Those satellite providers who say "ALL our channels are HD!" are trying to exploit the misunderstanding of those who do not realize that most HD content (50 to 75% on avg) is really SD content that has either been up-rezzed or, to borrow a term from the music world, "remastered" from the source (i.e. a new transfer has been made from the original film or tape). Only Discovery HD, to my knowledge, carries 100% truly HD programming.

The set also has nearly every type of connector one might need. I haven't tried the HDMI mostly because they cost about $150! But also because my beloved Sony 5-discchanger nor does my cable box have the output ports. The optical input port has made a gigantic difference in the sound quality as compared with the RCA connectors I had been using (i.e. the two cables, one white, one red, for right and left channels respectively).

Those expressing enthusiam for HDMI should know that built into its specifications are measures allowing "content providers" to destroy your legal rights to make personal copies of shows. In other words, the HDMI interface makes so-called "Digital Rights Management"--in reality Rights Destruction Technology--that much easier to implement. (The ultimate goal, obviously, is to charge us, say $15 or $20 a pop to record "ER" or "Deadwood" in the idiotic war against "pirates," a war in which the only tactics considered are those which penalize those of who are law-abiding; but, of course, it has nothing to do with stopping piracy in the first place.)

Bottomline: it's a great set with bold brilliant color. Since I already had a surround sound system, I've never used the on-board speaker (and probably never will, after hearing true surround, how can you ever go back??).

It's clearly worth the money. As one reviewer notes, those obsessed with size (no pun intended) shouldn't fall for the salespitch. Obviously, the dimensions of one's room have to factor in, but if you have a cozy living room (euphemism for smaller!) or, better yet, the money for a really nice TV for the MBR, this set cannot be beat.

We looked at four different retailers for a 36in but found only ONE 36in and it was a Sony SDTV. Apparently, as manufacturers are phasing-out CRT (tubes), the bigger tubes are disappearing first. I would have preferred a 36 or 40in tube, we were out of luck. The 34in has proved excellent for our room size and lay-out. A 42in or bigger set would dominate the room and put us uncomfortably close to set.

My grade an A- (only because of the aforementioned size issue).

I will concur with the one reviewer who remarked on the set's weight. It is prodigiously heavy. Fortunately, we had it delivered. When my wife and I have had to move it, it is a bear. Be very careful, especially since these days, nearly all the weight is in toward the screen, making the set extremely uneven and awkward.

Best HD Monitor for your money.......2005-03-25

This is the absolute best HD Monitor you can find for the money. I was trying to decide between a Sony and this TV, and I could not justify spending almost $500 more for only a slightly better picture on the Sony. Also, you cannot beat the picture on a CRT. For those of you that think bigger is better and you could buy a 55" rear-projection for the same money - you're dead wrong. The picture on rear projectors is horrible compared to CRT, and if you're going to invest more than a grand in a HDTV, don't you want the best picture possible?

Great for HD and DVD but not TV.......2005-03-14

I don't know who writes these reviews but I have had this TV for a year and I do not agree with most of the reviews. Although I love the TV for watching DVD movies and for the HD, it is a pain to watch regular cable TV with it. I enjoy watching TV on my 15 year old 20" Sharp TV far better. Since I like to watch alot of TV I am not very happy with it. I wish I had taken it back and tried the Sony widescreen instead, although I have no way knowing if it would have been any better.

Electronics:

Electronics

electronics

Recommended Consumer Electronics:

Nextel i95 Neoprene Case Silver

OLYMPUS Stylus 140 Deluxe Fully Automatic 35mm Camera Kit

Nylon & Neoprene Body Glove Compact Digital Camera Case, Black

Olympus Trip XB40 QD Date 35mm Camera

Evo D510 Multibay Adapter Desktop Options

EFORCITY - INSTEN - Audiovox 9950... Air Mesh Case , Dark Blue

Viewsonic 19'' Optiquest Q95 Monitor ( Q95-3 )

XtremeMac SportWrap iPod ArmBand (Black)

IBM eServer 326 8848 - Rack - 2-way - 1 x Opteron 252 / 2.6 GHz - RAM 1 GB - SCSI - hot-swap - HD: none - CD - Gigabit Ethernet - Monitor : none - 1U

Othello (PC)

6ft SONICWAVE BI-DIRECTIONAL S-VIDEO TO RCA INTERCONNECT