Movie buffs who wish to purchase a TV with better motion reproduction should check out the Panasonic ET60 series. Available in 42- and 50-inch models, these LED TVs are almost identical to the versions, but without the price premium. Besides featuring a faster 100Hz screen refresh rate, they also come with 3D support and upgraded smart TV capabilities. Here's what you can expect from the TH-L42ET60.

Design

The ET60 is almost identical with the DT60, except for its swivel stand. It sports a sleek 10mm-thin bezel made of stain-resistant brushed aluminum. Hanging below the fame is a clear pane with an embedded power LED and remote sensor. However, the ET60's plasticky stand is easily twice as thick as the metal version that comes with the DT60.

We had no difficulty accessing the side A/V inputs, but we would have preferred an earphone jack to be included. Pressing any of the controls behind the TV displays a set of labels onscreen. While this is a nice touch, it is still a bit tough to figure out exactly which key we were pressing.

The Panasonic 3D glasses sport a boxy frame and foldable arms. Molded from semi-translucent plastics, they've a higher-quality feel unlike their usual black and flimsy counterparts. Still, take note that these glasses are slightly heavier weighing at 17g each. Furthermore, fixed nose pads are the only form of support as well.

	Design and layout
Panel depth	35mm
Bezel width	10mm
Finishing	Glossy screen; silver brushed-metal bezel
TV controls	Right side: Push buttons and OSD
Auxiliary A/V inputs	Left side: SDXC card slot; 2 x USB; 3 x HDMI; optical audio out
Mounting option	Swivel stand; wall bracket

Another distinction from the DT60 is the ET60's no frills, but functionally and ergonomic remote. Gone are the backlit keys, which have been replaced by basic rubberized versions. Nevertheless, they're still well laid out and offer a nice tactile feedback. There're plenty of shortcut buttons for commonly used functions, too, including a new "eHelp" key to display an onscreen manual.

	Standard remote
Form factor	Longish; rounded bottom; 215mm-long
Finishing	Matte-black; plastic
Backlight	N.A.
Number of keys	49
Input-selection keys	TV, A/V

A good selection of video presets is available. Exploring the well-structured menu unveils more advanced settings, including a RGB color management system, which are tailored for advanced users. As for the less tech-savvy crowd, Panasonic has also provided a diagnostic function and a user guide.

	Software menu
User interface	Text-based; colored
Video modes	Dynamic; Normal; Cinema; True Cinema; Custom
Audio modes	Standard; Music; Ambience; User
Key advanced settings	RGB color management system; 10-point white balance; 10-point gamma
Notable extras	eHelp (user guide); TV self test

Features

The LED-edgelit ET60 and DT60 have many features in common. They're based on similar In-Plane Switch (IPS) panels, touting very wide viewing angles. While the ET60's 600Hz backlight-scanning system might appear less capable than the DT60's 1,600Hz equivalent, both versions are actually derived from a fast 100Hz refresh rate. Still, the ET60 lacks local dimming to enhance black-levels unlike the DT60.

In terms of TV sound, an onboard woofer is used to enable stronger bass output. Another major highlight is 5.1-channel DTS and Dolby Digital surround sound decoding.

	A/V and multimedia
Video	Passive 3D; IPS panel; LED-edgelit; 100Hz refresh rate
Audio	18W; V-Audio ProSurround; Dolby Digital; DTS; wooferr
Multimedia	MP3, AAC, WMA Pro, FLAC, WAV, JPEG, MPO, MPEG-1/2/4, H.264, VC-1, DivX HD, WMV-HD, FLV, MKV via SDXC slot, dual USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi
TV tuner	Analog; digital (DVB-T)
Miscellaneous	2D-to-3D conversion; DLNA

For this year, Panasonic has improved both the interface and interactivity for its Viera Connect smart TV system. Users can customize up to five "My Home Screens" with each screen capable of consolidating a total of 16 apps and widgets. Some interesting examples include a text memo and a resizable live TV window.

The electronic program guide and text on a Web site can be read out to you using a new voice-guidance function. On the whole, we like the overall look and feel, but still find the quantity and quality of apps lacking compared with LG and Samsung panels.

	Smart TV and Skype
Apps	Downloadable apps from Viera Connect Market
Web browser	Flash and HTML5 compatible
Control option(s)	Remote apps (Android and iOS)
Skype	Via optional USB camera

With an SDXC card slot and dual USB ports, the ET60 is pretty well equipped to play multimedia files. To reduce cable clutter, users can also access to the Web and their home networks via Wi-Fi in addition to wired Ethernet.

On the other hand, you might run out of A/V terminals since there're only three HDMI inputs and no dedicated PC jack. Moreover, because the composite- and component-video sockets cannot be used simultaneously, you can only connect one legacy device to the TV.

	Connectivity
HDMI input(s)	Three sockets; ARC
Component-video input(s)	One socket; 1080i-ready
PC input	N.A.
Audio output(s)	Digital optical
Miscellaneous	Ethernet; Wi-Fi

Performance

TV broadcasts

Just like the DT60, the ET60 produced surprisingly sharp and smooth analog broadcast pictures. There was no cropping after we disabled overscan in the TV's menu, though mild graininess and ghosting were visible for channels with poorer reception. Thankfully, the noise was significantly lower after tuning to the digital stations. What we also observed was an audible drop in volume after switching from analog programs.

DVDs

The DVD-upscaling performance of this Panasonic was generally competent, too. Sharpness was just as good as TV broadcasts coupled with an acceptable level of fine details. More importantly, the outline of onscreen objects was largely devoid of jaggies, while most fast-panning clips were handled convincingly. The only imperfection was a mediocre noise reduction system, which was struggling to effectively mask film grains.

Blu-ray Discs

It was a visual feast playing these 1080p movies, exemplified by crisp and film-like images which weren't overly sharpened unlike other LED TVs. Though the ET60 managed to smoothen out film judders as well as the DT60, slight motion blurring was detected for some of the clips we tested. Running HQV benchmarks reaffirmed that there wasn't any major fluctuation in noise-reduction performance.

3D

We were wowed by a mixture of good depth and crosstalk-free pictures. Watching 3D movies in our lit lab was also comfortable, thanks to the ET60's non-flickering 3D glasses. The lightly tinted lenses also allow more light to pass through, ensuring that colors stayed vibrant without looking washed out by ambient light. What's more, the overall sharpness and motion reproduction were mostly identical with 2D Blu-rays.

To avoid seeing jagged edges and alternating black lines, we would recommend a minimum 2m viewing distance for this 42-incher. Another major shortcoming for such panels is their narrower vertical viewing angle.

Color accuracy

We were able to calibrate the primary colors accurately for the ET60 to output a relatively warm overall tonality. Unfortunately, this was marred by slightly skewed cyan and magenta secondary hues, resulting in some skin tones appearing a bit unnatural. Without local dimming, black levels were marginally lighter than the DT60. Meanwhile, shadow details were just as bad as its higher-end counterpart.

Audio

As expected, the woofer added audible mid bass to provide a richer sound. Matching this was a decent stereo imagining. Interestingly, we did not find ourselves cranking up the volume to play movie soundtracks loud unlike the DT60, but felt that the clarity was somewhat lacking instead. Rather than a wider sound stage, the surround sound engine merely delivered livelier audio.

Miscellaneous

This IPS panel exhibited very wide viewing angles with an excellent backlight uniformity to boot. An average 38W power consumption also makes the ET60 one of the more eco-friendly panels we've reviewed so far. That said, its glossy screen is quite reflective especially when displaying darker scenes.

	Rating
TV broadcasts	Average
DVDs	Good
Blu-ray Discs	Good
3D	Good
Color accuracy	Average
Audio	Good

Conclusion

The Panasonic TH-L42ET60 is essentially a stripped-down version of the DT60 without some of the extras and advanced user interactivity. But retailing at just , it is not only affordable, but also performs comparably with its pricier counterpart. If you're not interested in the latest voice search and face detection capabilities, the ET60 is likely to be a better deal than the DT60.

For more, the LG 42LA66220 passive 3D TV adds the latest content-sharing technologies and a 2GB digital video recorder. Alternatively, check out the Samsung UA40F6400 and Sony Bravia KDL-42W804 from the active shutter 3D camp.

Equipment	Model(s)
Reference 3D Blu-ray player
Reference DVD player	Pioneer DV-S969AVi
Reference game consoles	/
A/V interconnects	Monster cables/Philips/Gefe
HDMI distribution	Gefen
Reference LED-lit TV

Calibration tool	SpectraCal Calman 4 with Chroma 5 colorimeter

تلویزیون پاناسونیک TH-L42ET60M 42inche

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تلویزیون پاناسونیک 55GX655M 55INCH