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Though we're pleased that Panasonic has turned its undoubted engineering know-how to LED tech, the TX-L32D28BP's embracing of Edge LED is technically something of a cop-out. 'Local dimming' (as found on higher-spec Full LED TVs) is therefore impossible – and it shows in the TX-L32D28BP's troublesome contrast.
Although hardly a terminal issue, the detail within dark areas of images takes on a 'black hole' look – though we did notice some light seepage from a portion of the bottom of the screen. Contrast isn't up there with (much cheaper) plasmas from the same brand's stable, and it leaves us asking why Panasonic doesn't make 32-inch plasmas (LG managed it with some success a couple of years ago).
Deep contrast
But this LED still manages a relatively wide contrast spectrum that sees both muted and bright footage dealt with well, with the former boasting splendidly scorching colours.
Choose True Cinema – a new picture preset for Panasonic that puts its LED lights on low – and films on Blu-ray sparkle, though its more basic Cinema setting is better with blacks. With little picture processing going on behind, a clean and highly detailed image emerges that's got stacks of depth.
What the TX-L32D28BP can struggle with is motion (particularly on camera pans), but be careful if using the 'cure', its Intelligent Frame Creation Pro feature. Included to literally smooth-over LCD tech's traditional problem with blur when showing video, IFC Pro inserts guessed-at frames of video into the action to create a moving image that's supremely fluid.
The drawback, unfortunately – and Panasonic TVs are in no way unique in this – is that a lot of fizzying artefacts appear around moving objects, such as character's heads. It can be quite distracting, so if you fancy giving IFC Pro a go, do leave it on its 'mid' setting for the least messy results.
Pictures from DVD are supposedly given a helping hand by Resolution Enhancer, which is again available in two strengths. Standard-def TV channels from Freeview and Freesat, meanwhile, do struggle to convince and are blighted by a great deal of digital noise and overt softness, despite the Resolution Enhancer working overtime.
