Panasonic TX-L37DT30B review

Excellent edge LED TV with BBC iPlayer plus built-in Freeview/Freesat HD tuners

Panasonic TX-L37DT30B
The 3D performance of this TV is admirable considering the smaller screen

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Freesat HD & Freeview HD

  • +

    Detailed 2D Blu-ray images

  • +

    Digital TV picture quality

  • +

    Precise 3D in a blackout

  • +

    Contrast ratio

Cons

  • -

    3D glasses not included

  • -

    Wi-Fi dongle costs extra

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In some ways this 37-inch LED-backlit TV is all about convenience. We know – and Panasonic surely does, too – that 3D is much more impressive on bigscreen plasmas that hover around 50-inches.

So why bother with a 37-inch LED version? It's the holy trio at work once again in the flat TV market; the smaller, cheaper and thinner ethos are this set's core values, and that's obvious from the company it keeps in the DT30 range.

The TX-L37DT30B is joined by the 32-inch TX-L32DT30, which is also 3D Ready, making it one of the smallest such sets available. But this remains a premium TV with some exciting extra features that include Skype and a BBC iPlayer app.

The DT30 Series of edge LED 3D screens join a plethora of 3D plasma TVs in Panasonic's Viera arsenal, such as the VT30 Series (65-inch TX-P65VT30B, 55-inch TX-P55VT30B, 50-inch TX-P50VT30B and 42-inch TX-P42VT30B), GT30 Series (50-inch TX-P50GT30B, 46-inch TX-P46GT30B and 42-inch TX-P42GT30B) and ST30 Series (50-inch TX-P50ST30B, 46-inch TX-P46ST30B and 42-inch TX-P42ST30B).

The TX-L37DT30B may constitute an effort at getting 3D screens into the mass market, but there aren't any glasses in the box. Three-dimensionality, it appears, is just an option, though with the likes of Viera Connect apps, DLNA networking, SD Card/USB file playback and slinky edge LED backlighting, this LCD TV has plenty to offer.

Can Panasonic replicate its great work with 3D plasmas with LED-backlit success? Actually, it can.

Jamie Carter

Jamie is a freelance tech, travel and space journalist based in the UK. He’s been writing regularly for Techradar since it was launched in 2008 and also writes regularly for Forbes, The Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Sky & Telescope and the Sky At Night magazine as well as other Future titles T3, Digital Camera World, All About Space and Space.com. He also edits two of his own websites, TravGear.com and WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com that reflect his obsession with travel gear and solar eclipse travel. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners (Springer, 2015),