Best of breed (General Panasonic TV Opinions)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	General Panasonic TV Opinions
Date:	20/08/02 (961 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reliable, Good quality, Good prices

Disadvantages: None as yet

Where electronics/electrics are concerned (you tell me where to draw the line between the two, I'm not sure the distinction matters a great deal anyway), most people (well me anyway) generally find a brand they get on with and stick to it for life. Obviously, this is largely due to the price tag generally being appreciable, and once you've found a tool to trust why bother changing? There have been too many cases of fingers getting burned by opting for the novelty to generally make this a good move, unless there is great value for money in the offing or you've had a darned good recommendation of someone you can trust.

Well, that's the way I look at it, and if it's right for me, then why shouldn't it also apply to the vastness of humanity?

Anyway, the dave27 school of brand selection goes like this (don't worry, it's not too long). Stereos - Sony, televisions - Panasonic (see, told you it wasn't very long. Well, you come up with another one - okay, smarty pants, I'll give you microwaves, but you?re just being cocky). Mmmmm, now where was I?

Oh yeah...


For the dave27 clan, televisions mean Panasonic. Ever since the day when me and Mrs D decided to settle down and populate our happy little burrow with dave27-ettes, we?ve sworn by Panasonic as far as TV sets go. It stemmed more from luck than judgement, I have to say.

As a wild child and bass player in a local group, I'd built up quite a stock of guitars, amps and the like, and when it came to marital bliss, Mrs D reasoned that my days as a rock star were numbered so why hang on to the trappings? Obviously, they had to go...

Anyway, we answered this newspaper ad from this guy who wanted a bass and an amp.. unfortunately, he couldn't afford my asking price, but what we did settle on in the end was a straight trade - he got the gear and we got his lovely Panasonic TV. It was a 16 inch set, all in silver. Don
't ask what model, I ain't got a clue now.

Anyway, we were delighted with our bargain and it was a great set, lovely picture and relatively easy to use. The big feature, however, was the longevity which went with it. That good old set lasted perfectly for about ten years. In fact, the only time things went slightly awry was when I accidentally knocked the set off its stand and onto the floor, which fair screwed up the tube. It still worked, but the colour was all up the shoot, and we got a nasty red tinge in all the corners, what a bummer!

However, when we decided to replace the said set, there was no question whatsoever in our minds - it had to be Panasonic for us, and we rushed out and got a Panasonic, a TX-21MK1/M (yeah, I know 21 inch is pretty small fry in these days of big is BOOTIFUL, but it's quite good enough for us, easy to use, with a pin sharp picture, an absolute dream.

We've always been delighted with our Panasonic gear and my congrats go out to the lovely people at Panasonic (UK) Ltd, Willoughby Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 8FP.for their wonderful wares.

I suppose the secret of Panasonic's success is their robust build, their no frills approach and pricing right for the market. I know we were very pleased with the prices we paid and would stick to Panasonic if and when we get another set. In fact, we were pricing up wide screen TV's only the other week, when we had a bit of dosh available (although Mrs D's demands for a new Honda put a big hole in that dream, still we'll be back, so hang on, Mr Panasonic)

Just to fill you in on all the details, I paid a visit to the Panasonic UK website - http://www.panasonic.co.uk/home/ - these guys have an immense range of TV sets to offer in all manner of models - the standard TV range includes the following models -

TXG10 23cm V AC/DC Standard Portable Television £299.99
TX14B4T 34cm V 4:3 Mono Conventional Format T
elevision with FASTEXT £119.99
TX28CK1 66cm V 4:3 Nicam Conventional Format Television
TC14B4R 34cm V 4:3 Mono Conventional Format Television £109.99
TX25CK1 59cm V 4:3 Nicam Conventional Format Television
TX21JT1 51cm V 4:3 Mono Conventional Format Television £229.99
TX21CK1 51cm V 4:3 Nicam Conventional Format Television £249.99

God, this is getting boring, but I just had to show you to give you a full idea of what Panasonic have to offer ... a stack. They've got widescreens, plasma screens, the lot, trust me. I suggest you hop on over there if you want any more details.

You also get the following very nice blurb on the company itself - apologies for cut'n'paste, but you know how lazy us couch potatoes are ...

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd is without a doubt one of the world's largest and most successful electronics companies.
It has grown from just 3 to 290 000 employees, and accounts for $51.7 billion net sales worldwide. It not only constantly breaking technological barriers, it is also a company that puts the needs of its customers and employees first.
In the UK, Matsushita is more recognisable under the brands of Panasonic and Technics, world-wide they work as National, Ramsa, Quasar and MAS (Matsushita Avionics), manufacturing more than 15 000 different products.
The story of Matsushita Electric began in Osaka, Japan in 1918, when Konosuke Matsushita invented a two-socket light bulb. He started producing and selling the light bulb from his own house, with just 3 employees.
The invention of a new type of bicycle lamp came in 1923, followed by the development of the first radio just 8 years later. In 1935 they launched their first television, an area of production that has since proved immensely successful. 1935 also marked a turning point in the size, production and sheer growth of Matsushita Electric.
This particular year saw the company manufacturing 600 diffe
rent kinds of product with sales extending to overseas markets for the first time. Their employee base rose to 3500.
By 1942, Matsushita became the first radio manufacturer in Japan. As the swinging sixties approached, the total number of employees had risen to 28000. The company reported profits of 1.5 billion yen.
As Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd grew, Konosuke Matsushita never lost sight of his founding principles - putting the needs of his customers and employees first. He developed his original business Philosophy in 1929, a mission statement that still holds true today -
"Recognizing our responsibilities as industrialists, we will devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well-being of people through our business activities, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world."

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