Panasonic's Viera TX-P50VT20B is one of our favourite TVs and bagged our Editors' Choice Award back in May. Since the Viera TX-P42V20B is based on much the same technology, we were expecting big things from this 1080p plasma set. There is an important difference between the two tellies, however. This model lacks the VT20's 3D support, but this is acknowledged in its lower price tag of £1,200.
Understated over-deliverer
At a time when almost every TV that turns up on our doorstep has a glossy black finish, it's refreshing to see Panasonic move away from the norm with the V20. Instead of black, it's got a metallic-grey finish that looks quite fetching. As with many of Panasonic's current sets, the rest of the design could best be described as understated, and at worst, downright boring. Panasonic definitely seems to be falling behind the likes of Samsung and LG when it comes to styling. Nevertheless, what it lacks in style it makes up for in build quality. The set does feel remarkably solid.
It's no slacker when it comes to connectivity, either. There are four HDMI ports as well as a set of component inputs, so you won't be stuck for sockets when hooking up your high-definition kit. Naturally, there's a VGA port for connecting a PC or laptop as well as two Scart sockets.
For digital-media playback, Panasonic has equipped the set with two USB ports, an SD card slot and an Ethernet socket. If you hook a USB drive up to one of the USB ports, you can use it to record broadcasts from the on-board tuners. Like other Panasonic sets that boast this feature, however, it's very fussy about which drives it supports and wouldn't work with the models we tried. On a plus note, Panasonic includes a Wi-Fi dongle with the TV, rather than forcing you to buy one as an optional extra.
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