Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5 information from Consumer Reports

Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5

Price range:

$1,095.00 - $1,899.99

Summary: A 55-inch 3D-capable LCD HDTV with LED backlighting from Panasonic with 1080p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, 4 HDMI inputs, and 1 component-video input.

3 people have reviewed this model.

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Type: 55- to 59-inch TVs

About - Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5
The Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5 is a 55-inch LCD HDTV with a native resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p). This TV has a 3D mode that requires the use of special glasses to see three-dimensional images. It has edge-mounted LED backlighting. That allows the panel to be extremely thin and also uses less energy than conventional fluorescent backlighting. Rather than the basic 60Hz, it has a faster 120Hz frame rate, a feature designed to reduce motion blur. This model is Internet-enabled and can access online content, including streaming movie services. It has an Ethernet jack for connecting to your home network via a cable. This TV is also Wi-Fi-capable, so you can connect it to your home network wirelessly. Its DLNA certification enables you to view digital photos stored on a compatible computer, phone, or other mobile device also connected to your home network. There are 5 HD-capable inputs: 4 HDMI and 1 component-video, which can also be used as composite-video. To use the TV as a computer monitor, you can connect a newer PC via HDMI or use the VGA connection for an older PC that lacks an HDMI output. It also has 2 USB ports, which may allow you to plug in a thumb drive or memory card reader so you can play the stored photos, videos, and music on the TV. The Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5 measures 32 inches high by 50.5 inches wide by 11.2 inches deep, including its base. The panel itself is 2.1 inches thick including any protrusions, and the screen has a glossy finish. The bezel framing the screen is gloss black with clear border. The warranty on this TV covers parts/labor for 12/12 months, respectively. Related models in this series include the VIERA TC-L47ET5, VIERA TC-L42ET5.

About - Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5

The Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5 is a 55-inch LCD HDTV with a native resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p). This TV has a 3D mode that requires the use of special glasses to see three-dimensional images. It has edge-mounted LED backlighting. That allows the panel to be extremely thin and also uses less energy than conventional fluorescent backlighting. Rather than the basic 60Hz, it has a faster 120Hz frame rate, a feature designed to reduce motion blur.

This model is Internet-enabled and can access online content, including streaming movie services. It has an Ethernet jack for connecting to your home network via a cable. This TV is also Wi-Fi-capable, so you can connect it to your home network wirelessly. Its DLNA certification enables you to view digital photos stored on a compatible computer, phone, or other mobile device also connected to your home network.

There are 5 HD-capable inputs: 4 HDMI and 1 component-video, which can also be used as composite-video. To use the TV as a computer monitor, you can connect a newer PC via HDMI or use the VGA connection for an older PC that lacks an HDMI output. It also has 2 USB ports, which may allow you to plug in a thumb drive or memory card reader so you can play the stored photos, videos, and music on the TV.

The Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5 measures 32 inches high by 50.5 inches wide by 11.2 inches deep, including its base. The panel itself is 2.1 inches thick including any protrusions, and the screen has a glossy finish. The bezel framing the screen is gloss black with clear border.

The warranty on this TV covers parts/labor for 12/12 months, respectively. Related models in this series include the VIERA TC-L47ET5, VIERA TC-L42ET5.

About This Brand
Panasonic is a market leader in plasma TVs, offering a line of consumer sets ranging from value-oriented 42-inch sets to full-featured 3D internet-capable 65-inch sets. It has further expanded its LCD TV lines this year and now offers LCD TVs ranging up to 55 inches, including "active" and "passive" 3D TVs and internet-enabled "smart" TVs.
Read our Brand Reliability

About This Brand

Panasonic is a market leader in plasma TVs, offering a line of consumer sets ranging from value-oriented 42-inch sets to full-featured 3D internet-capable 65-inch sets. It has further expanded its LCD TV lines this year and now offers LCD TVs ranging up to 55 inches, including "active" and "passive" 3D TVs and internet-enabled "smart" TVs.

Read our Brand Reliability

Features & Specs - Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5
Native resolution Applies to "fixed-pixel" display types such as LCD, plasma, as well as DLP and LCoS for front projectors. It's expressed in horizontal by vertical pixels (for the picture elements making up a displayed image). Incoming signals of higher or lower resolution must be down- or up-converted as necessary to match the set's native resolution. Generally, the more pixels a display has, the better it can reproduce fine detail from a high quality source -- but other factors may also affect peformance. Native resolution	1920x1080
Frame rate (Hz) Numbers indicate "Enhanced frame rate (if 120Hz or greater), and standard frame rate (for non-120Hz TVs, or with enhanced frame rate turned off). Frame rate indicates how often a TV refreshes its picture in a second. 60 hertz (Hz) has been the normal image frame rate for televisions but LCD TVs have increased this number to reduce motion blur, a problem typically associated with that technology. Increasing the frame rate involves the insertion of additional video frames (interpolated or black frames) so they display double or quadruple the number of frames per second -- 120 or 240. Other companies use 120-hertz refresh rates in combination with a scanning (flashing) backlight to achieve a 240-hertz-like effect. (These sets are denoted in the ratings as "240" models, with quotation marks.) Reducing the time between frames can potentially minimize motion blur. Many companies are giving this technology proprietary names; Sony, for example, calls it Motionflow, and Samsung's is dubbed Automotion. Frame rate (Hz)	120,60
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi--802.11b/g/n, the same wireless network connection used by computers and printers--allows your TV to connect to the Internet or to a home network without the use of a wired Ethernet connection. This is convenient when your Internet connection isn't near your entertainment setup, which would otherwise require you to run a long cable from room to room. A growing number of TVs can use Wi-Fi to connect to other DLNA-compliant devices in the home, enabling you to access digital music, videos, and photos stored on a computer or networked storage device and play them on the TV. Some TVs have built-in Wi-Fi capability, while others come with a Wi-Fi dongle (external adapter) that you plug into the TV's USB port. In both cases, we denote Wi-Fi as a standard feature. Still other sets require you to purchase the Wi-Fi dongle separately; in that case we indicate that Wi-Fi is optional. Wi-Fi	Built-in
HDMI inputs The total number of these inputs on the TV. Front and side inputs are more easily accessed than those in the rear, and thus might be convenient for temporary use, but the cables are more visible. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a relatively new form of digital audio/video connection found on TVs, monitors, Blu-ray players, DVD players, receivers, cameras and digital TV tuners. HDMI has become the preferred connection method instead of component, etc., as it carries audio and video signals on the same cable. HDMI supports a range of standard- and high-definition video formats, although it can vary for each product. HDMI supports up to eight channels of uncompressed, 24-bit/192kHz audio. HDMI version 1.3, doubled the bandwidth of its predecessor (HDMI 1.2), and added support for 30-, 36- and 48-bit color depth and a new "xvYCC" color standard, as well as the new Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master lossless audio formats (See "Dolby True HD" and "DTS-HD Master Audio") used in Blu-ray discs. HDMI version 1.4 added full support for 3D television, an audio return path, and ethernet network connection. Some Blu-ray discs, in order to be viewed in high-definition, will require that the Blu-ray player and the HDTV/display be connected using an HDMI cable as a copy-protection measure. HDMI allows content providers to limit the quality of the component video outputs, and your ability to record the content. HDMI inputs	4
Component-video The total number of these inputs on the TV. Front and side inputs are more easily accessed than those in the rear, and thus might be convenient for temporary use, but the cables are more visible. Component-video is a high quality analog video connection that can be used to transmit standard definition (480i), progressive-scan (480p), and upconverted and high definition (720p, 1080i, and 1080p) video signals. Component-video connections use three separate jacks that separate the video signal into three parts: two for color and one for luminance (the black and white signal). These connections are found on most video components that provide 480p through 1080p video. Component-video	0
Overall height (in.) The height of the TV in inches, rounded up to the nearest 0.25-inch. Dimensions include the base and detachable speakers, important if you plan to place the TV on a stand or in an entertainment center. See "Panel size without base" if you plan to wall-mount only the display. Overall height (in.)	32
Overall width (in.) The width of the TV in inches, rounded up to the nearest 0.25-inch. Dimensions include the base and detachable speakers, important if you plan to place the TV on a stand or in an entertainment center. See "Panel size without base" if you plan to wall-mount only the display. Overall width (in.)	50.5
Overall depth (in.) The depth of the TV in inches, rounded up to the nearest 0.25-inch. Dimensions include the base and detachable speakers, important if you plan to place the TV on a stand or in an entertainment center. See "Panel size without base" if you plan to wall-mount only the display. Overall depth (in.)	11.2
More features and specs

Additional Information (The information below has been supplied by an external source.)

General Information
Manufacturer	Panasonic
Manufacturer Website Address	www.panasonic.com
Product Line	Viera
Product Series	ET5
Product Model	TC-L55ET5
Product Name	Viera TC-L55ET5 LED-LCD TV

User Reviews - Panasonic Viera TC-L55ET5

Consumer Reports User Reviews

Already own it? Write a review

By dkb

from Illinois

5.0

This product is excellent.

2/20/2013

Pros

3d Is Excellent

Easy To Install

Features Outstanding

Quality Above Excellent

Sound is excellent

Cons

Nothing wrong

Best Uses

3d Movies Incredible

Enhanced Standard Shows

Watching Hd Is Awesome

Wii Games Are Outstanding

Comment:

Watching TV, movies or playing the Wii couldn't be better. The quality and expectations are above excellent and would recommend it to family, friends and consumers.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

By Michael

from Duvall, WA

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Amazing HD TV picture

10/14/2012

Pros

Amazon Instant Video Hd

Fast Hdmi Sync

Great picture

Thin

Cons

Slight glare on screen

Sound quality

Best Uses

Use With Home Theater

Comment:

I hung this on high on the wall, above the stereo and out of reach of the pets. The picture quality is amazing. Much better than my prior HDTV. Viewing angle was a key point for us since we like to watch movies as a family. The very wide acceptable viewing angle is even better than I had expected.<br /><br />I use this with my Onkyo TX-NR809 home theater and Energy 5.1 speekers. This is required as the built in speekers are anemic at best. They are fine for watching TV news or old sitcoms but you wull want to connect the optical out to a good home theater system for some quality sound.<br /><br />The Amazong Instant Video service, which as an Amazon Prime customer provides a lot of free streaming video in HD, works wonderfully. Again, the optical link to the home theater is critical to making the sound reasonable.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

Other User Reviews

5.0

(based on 1 reviews)

By anonymous

User has of experience with this product

5.0

899.99

08/08/2012

Strength

CANT BEAT THE PRICE

Weakness

8-8-2012 3:52PM CHEAP PRICE AT FRYS ELECTRONICS. TODAY ONLY

Source: Price Grabber

See all 3 user reviews

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