Panasonic TX-L47WT65: 3D Performance

This is arguably the best aspect of the L47WT65’s performance. Donning one of the four pairs of included passive 3D glasses subdues the backlight issues noted with 2D, leaving you free to admire the set’s gorgeous colour handling, motion reproduction and strong sense of depth and space – all delivered without the fatiguing flickering and (so long as you don’t watch from a viewing angle of more than 13 degrees) crosstalk ghosting noise common with active 3D.

There’s not quite as much raw resolution in the passive 3D images as you
get with the best active ones, and occasionally you can see a little
striping/jaggedness over bright contours and small bright objects. But
both of these universal passive 3D issues look less obvious on the
L47WT65 than they were on the larger L55WT65.

Panasonic TX-L47WT65: Sound Quality

With some rival brands really upping their audio game this year, the L47WT65’s sound feels a little flat. There’s good clarity in the treble register, and the mid-range is reasonably – if not brilliantly – open, giving voices room to sound authentic and free of distortion. The problem is that there isn’t much bass to accompany the trebles, which can leave busy audio mixes sounding a bit thin, unbalanced and, as a result, harsh.

Other things to consider

As a gaming screen the L47WT65 is a mixed bag. One the one hand its strengths with motion clarity, colours and sharpness make console and PC games look pretty gorgeous. However, the stark contrast used at times by many games catches the edge lighting out as described in the main picture quality section, and we measured input lag at more than 60ms, which is high enough to reduce your gaming performance.

One other point worth a quick mention is that the L47WT65 ships with two remotes: a standard one, and a touchpad one. Unfortunately, though, the touchpad one isn’t very successful, thanks to its touchpad area being too small, being circular rather than rectangular, and the way it doesn’t respond very evenly to your touch.

Should I buy a Panasonic TX-L47WT65?

Possibly. The set is for our money the prettiest 47-inch TV in the marketplace today, its pictures look outstanding for the much of the time, and its onscreen interface is efficient and uniquely easy to use.

However, its £1,600 price is pretty steep when you think you can get the Sony KDL-46W905A for £350 less, and the Samsung UE46F8000 for around the same money or even a bit less. And both of these TVs outgun the Panasonic in terms of both their handling of dark scenes and their online services.

As such, it’s not quite good enough to enter our pantheon of our 10 best TVs shortlist.

Verdict

There are signs in the L47WT65 that Panasonic is getting close to making a truly brilliant high-end LCD TV. But it’s not quite there yet, making alternatives from Sony and Samsung the better options right now.

Trusted Score