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  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • On-set Controls

  • In the Box

  • Connectivity

  • Performance

  • Contrast

  • Color & Greyscale Curves

  • Color Temperature

  • Color Gamut

  • Picture Dynamics

  • Resolution & Formats

  • Viewing Angle

  • Motion Performance

  • Screen Uniformity

  • Audio Quality

  • Power Consumption

  • Calibration

  • Video Modes

  • Software & Internet

  • Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Ratings & Specs

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • On-set Controls
  • In the Box
  • Connectivity
  • Performance
  • Contrast
  • Color & Greyscale Curves
  • Color Temperature
  • Color Gamut
  • Picture Dynamics
  • Resolution & Formats
  • Viewing Angle
  • Motion Performance
  • Screen Uniformity
  • Audio Quality
  • Power Consumption
  • Calibration
  • Video Modes
  • Software & Internet
  • Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

Design

The U5 follows Panasonic's traditional entry-level design. It features standard controls and port placement--tucked away behind the TV to add a bit of elegance to how it looks from the front. The bezel is of average thickness, and the stand (which doesn't allow the TV to swivel) is just as plain as the display panel.

Front

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Back

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Sides

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On-set Controls

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In the Box

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In the box, you'll find the display panel, stand components, remote control, two AA batteries, and warranty card.

Connectivity

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Almost all of the U5's connectivity options are located in a recessed area on the the back, left-hand side of the TV, with the remaining inputs (a USB and an HDMI input) on the left side beneath the U5's controls.

The U5's back ports are a simple lot, clearly labeled and evenly spaced.

Back here, you'll find typically "static" port options, such as a VGA and audio input for connecting a PC and using the U5 as a monitor. There are two more HDMI inputs, a shared component/composite input, and a coaxial jack for antenna or cable connection.

It's a simple spread for certain, but it's what we expect from entry-level TVs.

Performance

The U5 really let us down. Even for an LCD, its contrast ratio proved solidly below average. Worse, its color accuracy is more or less non-existent. While it proved to have decent audio, most of the other performance areas we test were either below average or just barely making average. For a TV this basic, things are not looking good.

Contrast

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Next to the three entry-level LCDs we pulled for comparison, the U5 was absolutely crushed. We expect good contrast from Panasonic, who typically make high-quality plasma TVs. Their entry-level LCD didn't fare well, however, as its contrast ratio was unable to achieve even a 1000:1 ratio. This is a very poor result, though it doesn't mean the TV is unwatchable. More on how we test contrast.

Color & Greyscale Curves

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These messy curves spell bad things for the U5--and you don't need to be a scientist to see the errors on-screen during regular content, either. One of our co-workers made a point to notice that the U5 "looked bad" during its power consumption test, and the tests have objectively proved that observation. The U5 displays blocky, skewed colors with little definition between neighboring hues and shades. More on how we test color performance.

Color Temperature

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The U5's color temperature is atrocious. The majority of its greys are marred by an overly warm tint, and the rest are overly cool, resulting in a gamma spectrum that is full of colors, when it should have no color. More on how we test color temperature.

Color Gamut

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The U5's color gamut has also run aground. Each area is oversaturated, despite us having lowered the TV's color level during calibration. We can only imagine how it would have tested prior to calibration. In any case, the U5's curves, gamut, and color temperature combine into a mess that will distort the natural look of almost any content. More on how we test color temperature.

Picture Dynamics

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Like most modern LCD HDTVs, the U5 tested with respectable picture dynamics. We test picture dynamics objectively (like most things), using our light spectrometer to read light output to the nearest hundredth of a candela. Picture dynamics describe how well an LCD TV maintains its light output with varying levels of white/black on the screen. The U5's peak brightness of approximately 100 cd/m2 was maintained from the smallest to the largest amount of white on screen. Similarly, its meager black level of 0.11 cd/m2 was consistent across all black levels. A solid result. More on how we test picture dynamics.

Resolution & Formats

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The Panasonic TC-L42U5 is a native 1080p HDTV. It supports all NTSC resolutions and formats, and does so with a smile.

Viewing Angle

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Next to the three entry-level TVs we pulled to compare it to, the U5 has a pretty slim viewing angle. It only offers a total of 39°, or 19° from center to either side. You could skimp by with two, possibly three people, but any more would likely experience a loss in contrast performance much beyond 20° to either side, which isn't a lot of leeway to work with.

Motion Performance

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We weren't hugely impressed with the U5's motion performance. However, it handled some things worse than it should have, and other things--the more difficult motion routines--better than we expected. It tends to blur during a lot of motion content, but is good about keeping the more distracting maladies--color trailing, shape distortion, and interlacing--to a minimum. The U5 has acceptable motion performance for its price, but just so.

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Screen Uniformity

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With the backlight set to 100, the U5 displays an objectively uniform white screen, with no shadows or blemishes--it fosters the appearance of fresh-fallen snow. This uniformity of brightness works against it, however, when it displays a black screen. The backlight bleeds through along the lower-left corner and all the way up the left side. The center is pitch black, but struggles to remain so towards the perimeter of the screen. An average result, in our experience.

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Audio Quality

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The Panasonic TC-L42U5 makes use of two 8-watt speakers for a total sound output of 16 watts. This results in sound that's decently balanced and can reach acceptable volumes. Unlike many entry-level HDTVs, the U5 actually has pretty good audio for its price and size. We think 4-5 people could comfortably listen to this TV together while still maintaining a conversation. Most impressively, the U5's surround sound mode makes a noteworthy attempt at true surround production.

Power Consumption

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The bottom chart says a lot. Compared to cheaper models from LG, Toshiba, and Samsung, Panasonic's entry-level LCD is using an awful lot of power. If you were to watch it 4-6 hours a day, every day for a year (please don't do that), it would add almost $30 to your electricity bill. Even with its modest peak brightness of a little over 100 cd/m2, it's draining a high wattage.

Calibration

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Calibrating the U5 proved to be a tricky and difficult task. Its default pre-sets in Cinema mode were awful, resulting in greys that were so overly warm in temperature they appeared almost red. We were forced to adjust the color temperature--which we almost always set to "warm"--to normal, as well as drastically dropping contrast to give more definition to the shadow tones. You can see our final calibration of the U5, alongside Panasonic's pre-sets, in the table below.

All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

(http://www.displaymate.com/)

Video Modes

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The U5 has four Video Modes: Vivid, Standard, Cinema, and User.

Software & Internet

Conclusion

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The U5 is, hands down, a very bad value.

We've seen some amazing budget TVs this year. Panasonic's U50 and XT50 series comes to mind. Both are under $1000, and both are 50 inches.

By that logic, the 42-inch Panasonic U5 should be performing much better than it is with an MSRP of $599. It's a little cheaper than the two plasma series TVs listed above, but it also has absolutely terrible color detail, a flimsy contrast ratio, and a single redeeming factor--slightly above average audio.

We're not sure what happened to the low-end U5 series, but it's not the budget deal it appears to be. Avoid this Panasonic farce and grab one of their pristine plasma models instead.

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Ratings & Specs

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Meet the tester

Lee Neikirk

Lee Neikirk

Former Editor, Home Theater

@Koanshark

Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.

See all of Lee Neikirk's reviews

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