Panasonic's TC-26LX50 combines a 26-inch wide-format LCD screen, four stereo speakers, and a swivel table stand into an attractive unit.

The silver monitor has a black border surrounding the flat TFT screen to set off the picture. Camouflaged to match the speaker design, a barely noticeable door below the screen conceals front audio/video and S-video inputs, a headphone jack, and control buttons.

The picture is sharp and clear on the wide-format screen, which can display content in 480p, 720p, or 1,080i. Resolution is 1,366X768, with progressive scanning intensifying the picture even with analog content. The contrast ratio extends up to 800:1, and brightness is rated at 500 cd/m2, with automatic adjustment of the brightness level based on the ambient light in the room.

The horizontal viewing angle is quite high at 170 degrees, ensuring that every seat is a good one. A motion-adaptive 3-D Y/C digital comb filter ensures clean edges with minimal dot crawl and hanging dots, and colors look lifelike throughout the color range.

The four internal speakers produce a total of 20 watts of audio output for a full, rich sound, and the TC-26LX50 can simulate a surround sound effect. This model offers an adjustable sleep timer, labeling of video inputs, parental V-chip controls, four picture presets, three audio presets, and four picture format modes.

In addition to the front inputs, the TC-26LX50 has a strong selection of rear connection options, including two S-video inputs, one HDMI input, two component video inputs, and an audio/video output. The remote control is a small universal model that has a previous channel return button and a disc controller to make on-screen menus easy to navigate.

A separate wall bracket is required to mount the slim TC-26LX50 on the wall. The Panasonic TC-26LX50 will look great on a wall--or a tabletop in a living room, den, or any other space in the house.

Warranty
90 days labor, 1 year parts