Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic PT-53WX42 53-Inch 16:9 HDTV-Ready Projection TV

QUICK SUMMARY: PT-53WX42
If you are looking for a quality widescreen at a reasonable price, this is definitely a model to consider.

As of Feb '03, in my opinion this Pansonic model is the biggest screen with the most quality features for the best price. NOTE: there is a similar model that ends in a "52" instead of a "42"... the biggest difference is that the "52" has the protective screen shield ... but don't let that stop you... many people try to take off screen shields to get rid of the annoying glare and to brighten their widescreen tv's. Also, you can always purchase & install a separate Micro-Perf brand screen shield (90% glare free) down the road.

DETAILED SUMMARY:

I finally decided on this model after several weeks of serious research, including at online and offline at major stores (CC, BB, WM), not-so-big-of-a-name stores, price comparison websites, user opinion websites, consumer reports, home theater forums, etc. I researched TOSHIBA, PANASONIC, RCA, ZENITH, HITACHI, PHILIPS, SAMSUNG, and SHARP... 45"-61" widescreens. Originally I was also comparing the "normal" 4:3 projection screens, but then decided to go wide so that I don't have to purchase another tv in a few years. I also went into the buying scene without an opinion of any particular brand, I already had a mish-mash of these manufacturers in my house so it didn't matter to me what name was on the product... I was looking for quality vs price.

The whole process was challenging, since each store seems to cater to certain brands (they don't admit it though). :) It also makes it hard to compare "features/quality vs. cost" when everybody is throwing different deals at you. The icing on the cake... you read the reviews of products... and you see that some people give certain models horrible reviews, yet others give top notch praise. What is a consumer to do? :) Oh wait... I forgot about the obscene prices certain stores charge for an extended warranty (Visa Gold-Platinum holders: remember that Visa instantly doubles the manufacturers warranty, and sells 3-5 year extended warranty's at a fantastic price, check their website). Also, this tv comes with a little mail-in thing to learn more about extending the manufacturers warranty.

MORE INFO:....
Definitely pick up high quality cables (this goes for any HDTV), and a progressive scan DVD player. And if you like to tweak things, get the AVIA home theater DVD to help you calibrate your tv so you get the best viewing quality out of your set. You'll never want to go to the movie theater again.

That said... this is a great HDTV for the money. I'm not allowed to list the price I paid here, but... to date, I'd say it's one of the top 3 values in the 50-57" range (comparing price vs. screen size vs. features). Until I pickup a 2nd satellite receiver I am unable to take advantage of the Picture-in-Picture and split-screen features... but, even without that perk I have no regrets about owning this widescreen projection tv.

CONS..........
1) From the moment eagleUSA delivery service unpacked this tv I've been impressed. The only thing I would change about it is to make a wider flat-top to put your electronic goodies on. This is a challenge with 95% of widescreens. There is roughly a 6" top flat lip, but only 1/2 of a dvd player can rest on it.... it's a balancing act. So, keep in mind that with any widescreen, you will probably need to have a little table nearby, or be creative and use velcro to secure your devices.

2) The remote is not backlit. However, this is the first universal remote that actually works all my mix-n-match brand goods. A nice suprise indeed, the coffee table looks much less cluttered. If you want a remote that lights up, go buy one. :)

All the best to you in your widescreen shopping experience!

I spent several weeks researching all the different brands and options before I ever walked into a store and started looking for a TV. I began determined to buy a Direct View TV with a budget of about [$$$] and wasn't even considering a RPTV!

After the first time I walked into a store and looked at TVs, I changed my mind about the quality and viability of a RPTV vs Direct View--the quality difference is miniscule. After considerable research on RPTVs, I went back into the stores looking for a Hitachi 51SWX20B, Sony KP-57HW40 or Pioneer SD-533HD5. I loved all 3 of these systems, they were beautiful! However, they were all in the [$$$]range, depending on the store. I really didn't want to make a purchase of this size on the web, because I wanted to be able to get local support. Everyone understands how difficult it is to get a local authorized dealer to support something they didn't sell or install!

I decided that I wanted to take a step down in price, so I did more research and began considering the Sony KP-46WT500, the Samsung HCL473W, the Panasonic PT-47WX42 and the Panasonic PT-53WX42. The Panasonic had all the same features as the more expensive Hitachi, Sony and Pioneer sets at a much more palatable price. I know that the picture quality and adjustment features are a little less than the higher end models--i.e. I give the Panasonic a very strong B Plus vs an A for the other high-end models mentioned above.

Even though the remote is not backlit, I love how simple it is to use. I can control my TV, Sony DVD, Hughes DirecTV satellite box, and my Panasonic VCR easily with this remote. I've gone from having to use 4 remotes to just 2--the Panasonic remote and the Sony remote for my sound system.

This Panasonic has all the features of the high-end TVs at a mid-range price: 3:2 Pulldown, Velocity Modulation, PIP, Resizable PIP, Split Screen, Multiple Aspect Views, 2 Component Video Inputs, 2 Antenna Source Inputs, 4 Video Inputs, Front mounted jacks for game system, camera, etc.

The picture quality is EXCELLENT for all HD or DVD source material. However, my wife and I debate about whether there is slight distortion in the image in certain aspect views. My opinion is that with poorer source signals (e.g. some but not all standard TV signals & recorded VHS) there is a little distortion when viewing in Justified aspect mode. This is one of the aspect views which allows regular 4:3 to be stretched to fill the 16:9 screen. I don't care for the Zoom view because it chops a little bit off the top and bottom of the image and is less crisp. I love the Justified view for watching football!! WOW!! It feels like I'm in the stands watching the game. This TV does NOT have an automatic convergence button/setting. It's all manual. However, it's not 64 or 72 point convergence, it's just 9 point convergence. Some people may say that's not enough, but I say that if the TV doesn't have convergence problems to begin with, you don't need a lot. The convergence settings are on 2 different screens accessed from the same submenu. All the menus are easy to navigate and understand.

The bottom line is that seeing this set in a store next to one of the Sony, Hitachi or Pioneer TVs makes it obvious that the Panasonic is a B Plus instead of an A, but sitting by itself in my home at the price that I paid makes it an A Plus to me. This TV delivers VERY good performance at an excellent price. I paid [$$$] for this at a local store with 12 mos no interest, so I believe I got almost everything I wanted at [$$$] less than the Hitachi, Sony, Pioneer. This is the final component for my home theater setup.I don't use any of the built-in audio features because I'm pumping all the sound through my Sony DTR 5.1 sound system. If you're looking for the most bang for the least bucks, consider this Panasonic.

One other footnote. I couldn't tell any difference in picture quality between the Hitachi SBX series and the XBX (their top of the line) series--just more bells and whistles and better electronics. This was true for the Sony HS vs XBR and Pioneer SD vs Elite as well, in my opinion. The high end series for most electronics have little, if any, higher quality but are targeted for people who look for the higher price tag.

I've had this set for over a month now and do not regret the purchase. It sells for significantly less than other sets with similar features but is comparable in picture quality. HD source material is outstanding. Even DirecTV source material looks OK - this was a concern before I bought the set. You simply cannot beat this set at the price. It was my understanding that perhaps the reason for a lower price was that this set was not calibrated as extensively as others before shipment (labor-intensive). It appears this has been improved with this years' models however. By the way, other reviewers have complained about the manual 9-point convergence - a full 64-point convergence is available via the service menu. Also, while the "JUST" stretch mode is generally thought of as average at best compared to other HDTV sets, I find it acceptable. Of course there is no "distortion" viewing 16X9 or other wisescreen material as long as your DVD player is set up correctly.

Excellent TV.

I researched a Lot before going for HDTV Widescreen Model. I browsed through a lot of Sites to comapre features/price/quality. I chose to 3 brands Samsung, Panasonic and Sony finally. ( Mitsubishi, Philips, Hitachi, Toshiba, RCA were the others that I compared )

I bought this HDTV Ready Projection TV finally after returning two Samsung HDTV WideScreen TVs. I had problems in both the Samsung TVs with the broken front panel and component Video Connections.
Coming to this Panasonic model it has a greta Sound and Video Quality compared to Samsung Models. Also I could connect it to my Home Theater System and DVD Changer in minutes looking at its great Manuals.
I had 27 Inch Panasonic for 4 years and it works great. I chose Panasonic again because of this reason and I am very happy with my decision. I got some good price from BestBuy due to the fact that I had problems with twi Samsung Models in 1 week.

Only issue is that it does not have the feature of automatic convergence that will adjust the 3 different picture Tubes after you move it or want to periodically make sure to get the best receptions. And so you will have to manually adjudt the convergence (Green,Red,Blue one at a time) unlike Samsung which had this feature. Well but then it definitely outwin Samsung and other in terms of the comb filter, Audio (BBE and Surround Sound).

Well for the investment of this kind ... you must be sure that you get the best out of lots of choices.

Panasonic PT-53WX42 53" is a great TV with very high quality pictures. Unlike a typical widescreen TV, the relatively narrower base on the TV fits many areas in a house, including in a corner close to a fireplace with a stepping-up hearth. The only drawback seems to be the slighly distorted images displayed in the 16:9 mode even from the 16:9 format digital satellite images. But pictures from DVD movies displayed in the zoom mode (no black bars at the top/bottom) are perfectly displayed.