The Perfect Vision
Panasonic PT-61LCZ70 Additional Notes and Technical Ratings
Under the Hood | Adjustment Notes | Test Discs | Technical Ratings
Under the Hood
Aside from LiFi, one of the most touted features of this and many other Panasonic TVs is the SD memory-card slot. The company’s digital cameras use SD cards, so it makes sense to include an SD slot on the TVs so you can easily share photos with family and friends. Also available are SD cards preloaded with high-def images of fine art and photography from a company called GalleryPlayer, turning the TV into a high-tech art gallery.
HDMI version 1.3 is starting to appear on many TVs and other A/V components. The PT-61LCZ70 implements this version of HDMI with CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), which Panasonic calls EZ Sync HDAVI (High-Definition Audio Video Interface). CEC allows multiple HDMI-connected devices to be controlled from a single remote and automatically select the appropriate input, mode, and so on for the intended activity.
Unlike many TVs with 1920x1080 resolution, this one cannot accept a 1080p/24 signal, though it can accept 1080p/60. Most TVs that can accept 1080p/24 display it at 60Hz anyway, so this isn't really a big deal. However, if your disc player can send 1080p/60, try sending 1080i as well to see which type of signal works better; the 1080p/60 output from many players is inferior to a TV's ability to deinterlace 1080i.
Adjustment Notes
The picture controls are tied to picture modes, not inputs; the only exception is the Custom picture mode, which can be adjusted independently for each input. There was no evidence of overscan scaling, but more than 30 pixels were cropped from each edge of the image, indicating optical overscanning, which is common in RPTVs.
When setting a picture control, the rest of the menu disappears, but the control slider remains in the same location as when the entire menu is visible. Also, the menu returns after only one second of inactivity, which prevents careful consideration of the setting.
The Warm color-tamp setting was the closest to accurate, but it was still quite blue; on the plus side, it was relatively linear. Different lamp-brightness settings affected the color temp significantly; the dimmer the lamp, the bluer the color temp. Of course, the dimmer the lamp, the lower the black level as well. I decided to set the lamp brightness at its midpoint as a compromise between grayscale and black level, though even at the lowest lamp setting, the black level was not great (0.079fL). Contrast ratio was very low at all lamp settings, always less than 350:1; higher lamp settings achieved slightly better contrast, but not enough to warrant higher black levels.
The uniformity was poor, with very uneven screen illumination from top to bottom, and severe hot-spotting caused the brightest area of illumination to move with the viewer, especially vertically; for best results, viewers should sit with their eyes aligned with the screen’s midpoint. ANSI contrast measurements bore this out; they were all over the map.
Test Discs
Starting with the HQV Benchmark HD DVD, the video resolution loss test was solid as a rock, and jaggies were non-existent. However, there was quite a bit of flickering in all horizontal bursts and the high-frequency vertical burst of the film resolution loss test. The Block NR control softened the picture, while the other noise reduction controls didn’t seem to do much at all.
Turning to Microsoft engineer Stacey Spears’ test HD DVD, the set’s processor never really picked up 3:2 pulldown at 1080i—there was always a hint of moiré in the bleachers—and there was slight shimmering in the sailboat’s gently curving yellow trim, though it wasn’t as bad as some I’ve seen. Moving diagonals were clean, and there was no moiré in the screen-door shot.
On the HQV Benchmark DVD, detail was generally good, though there was slight banding in the high-frequency horizontal burst. Jaggies were moderate. The Video NR control reduced noise slightly without softening the picture, but Block NR and Mosquito NR didn’t seem to do much. Locking onto 3:2 pulldown sometimes took more than a full second, though it was much quicker at other times; I was unable to figure out why there was such a variation. The horizontal video text crawl overlaid on film was occasionally broken up—even stranger, the letters were horizontally stretched out at the ends of the screen and compressed toward the center.
The pan across the long staircase that starts Chapter 8 of the Mission: Impossible III HD DVD had mild to moderate moiré distortion, but it was less than many sets I’ve seen. And the shadow detail in the catacombs was better than I’ve seen in quite a while.
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