Panasonic TX-P46VT20B review

Boasting bamboo speakers and a subwoofer, the TX-P46VT20B has clearly had more attention lavished on its audio than most slim TVs. And this pays off in some areas, as you can hear subtle details in a mix that are lost to most rivals; enjoy treble effects that don't sound harsh; and become embroiled in a mid-range of impressive dynamism and openness.

The only let-down is the subwoofer, which doesn't really provide as much of a bass undercurrent as expected.

Value

Although the TX-P46VT20B is hardly cheap for a 46in TV, it does happen to have definitely the best 3D pictures and arguably the best 2D pictures the 46in market currently has to offer. Plus, you get a couple of 3D glasses worth £100 each and a Wi-Fi dongle thrown in for free, as it were.

Ease of use

While there's nothing truly bad about the TX-P46VT20B's operating system, it certainly feels in need of a pretty major overhaul ahead of Panasonic's next TV generation.

The onscreen menus, for instance, are almost painfully bland, only showing the occasional hint of the sort of graphical flair increasingly used by other brands. For the most part, exploring the TX-P46VT20B is a slightly tortuous drudge through lots of text. Some aspects of the menu organisation feel unnecessarily confusing too, with the decision to shove the Intelligent Frame Creation options, Resolution booster and overscan on/off tools into a vague 'Other Settings' menu section rather than the main picture menus being particularly unhelpful.

The remote is also in need of a revamp. It's comfortable to hold and responsive, but aspects of its rather dated layout are starting to crumble under the assault from all the new features Panasonic TVs now carry.