The Plasma TV Blog

If you wish to have your Home Theater setup anchored by a television that is out at the cutting edge of today’s high definition technology, this 56” screen DLP would make a good choice. It uses Texas Instrument DLP Technology which has a small chip containing over one million microscopic mirrors all moving and tilting individually behind a high speed rotating color wheel. This method known as DLP or Digital Light Processing is capable of producing some of the highest contrast ratios in any television display. This unit has a contrast ratio of 14,000:1. This incredible range from white to black allows amazing picture reproduction in both dark and brilliantly lighted scenes. The resolution is 1920 x 1080 and the unit is capable of progressive scan up to 1080p. This makes it the perfect match for Blu-ray DVD players.

The PT-56DLX76 has a full array of input and output connections including both rear and front ports. The main connection is provided by two all purpose HDMI connecting ports that allow simple one cable connection. There is also a full array of connections that allow connection to your personal computer. The High Definition picture is complimented by High Definition sound. The BBE High Definition Sound system is a trademarked bit of audio technology, and the surround sound speakers put out 30 watts and 16 ohms of total power.

There is also a vast number of high technology extras built into this television. Some examples include picture in picture from two sources and Panasonic’s standard V-Chip programming lockout that utilizes a four digit user generated code to lock out objectionable programming. There is also a 181 NTSC tuner. The weight is a bit more than Plasma or LCD units of similar size and it is not anywhere as flat with a 17” depth. Of course, this is still a vast improvement over the depth that would be needed for the Cathode Ray tube of an old style 56” screen television. It is interesting to note also that Panasonic almost seems to brag about the low power consumption figures on its Plasma and LCD mode televisions and includes a wattage figure on the spec sheets, but on this unit it states that it has “Energy Star Compliance.” You might expect this high tech, high definition, and fairly high priced television to cost a bit more to operate and that is an important consideration because once you see the brilliant picture with images that appear more real than even real life, you aren’t going to ever want to turn it off.