The Panasonic TC-P42X1 is a 42-inch LCD HDTV available for a suggested retail price of $900, but bargain-hunters can find it for $750 or less, making it an inexpensive option for its size. There are compromises involved in that price, however, including a lower 720p resolution.

The TC-P42X1 has great port placement. There are a handful on the side and the rest are located just around the back of the set, well within easy reach. This is definitely good news, especially because the TV stand doesn't swivel. The TV has a standard set of inputs, which include 3 HDMIs and an optical audio out port. 

The Panasonic TC-P42X1's remote is similar to other VIERA remotes, but has a few improvements. The device has standard media playback controls on its bottom, which can be used via VIERALink to control other Panasonic devices. The buttons are intuitively labelled with a few exceptions, such as the input buttons (labelled "V1" to "V5" with no additional information) and the color buttons, which are used in the photo viewer. The menu system, on the other hand, contains no such areas of confusion, and remains very easy to use. 

Performance (Read the full lab performance results at Televisioninfo.com)
The Panasonic TC-P42X1 had some interesting test results. It was capable of a very low black level, but we noticed that it had trouble displaying details in dark areas. Most plasmas have trouble with brightness, but in the case of the TC-P42X1 this was worse than normal. The result is a poor contrast ratio overall.

Color reproduction was about average once we'd calibrated the TV – before calibration, we found all of the colors peaked at very high intensity levels, the trade-off being a much better contrast level. The main problem with the TV's color representation is it's choppy: as a TV tries to boost the intensity of a color, the actual visible increase was inconsistent. The TV also had a color gamut that was slightly off, which could lead to oversaturated greens and reds.

The TC-P42X1 had some issues with motion. We panned some pictures around the screen and they all suffered from blurring and noise. In terms of viewing effects, however, the TV did much better. Like most plasmas, the TC-P42X1 boasts an impressive viewing angle: 136 degrees. This should allow everyone on the couch to get a great view, as well as those who pulled up chairs to either end. The only viewing issues we saw was with reflectance. The TV will not only mirror a light source back at you, but the light will create vertical and horizontal bands across the screen.

Conclusion
The Panasonic TC-P42X1 is an entry-level HDTV, which means no one should be expecting the best picture quality from it. The TV suffered from the issues that typically plague lower-end sets. The TV's deep black level is counteracted by poor detail in dark areas. Without the details, the TC-P42X1 isn't that much different from a TV with a very poor black level. The issues with color representation and motion are also annoying to those that have an eye for such things. The reflectance issue can definitely be detrimental to your viewing experience, but it can be planned around. The TV does gain some points back with its photo viewer, however, which is a nice feature on an entry-level set. That said you can probably find a television with fewer compromises at this price point, although probably not one this size.