Panasonic TX-L42E3B

Panasonic Viera E3 (TX-L42E3B) review

The 42-inch, 1080p Viera TX-L42E3B is the entry-level model in Panasonic's line-up of LED TVs. It's very slim, but also quite light on extras, lacking the 200Hz processing and Internet-streaming features found in the company's E30 range. Still, the TV is relatively cheap for a 42-inch LED model. It's available online for around £500. LG, Samsung and Sony have done tonnes of work on their user interfaces to make them look slicker, and Panasonic is lagging behind. This set has very boring, static menus that make little use of graphical icons or colour. What you're left with is long lists of text options set against a blue background. They couldn't be much more visually unappealing. That said, the menus are pretty easy to navigate, and you're given a decent level of control over picture and audio settings. The menus look drab. Unfortunately, when it comes to the electronic programme guide, Panasonic is sticking firmly with the unpopular Guide Plus+ system. The main issue we have with this is that there are large blocks reserved for adverts on the left-hand side of the screen, which take up value screen space and leave less space for showing programme information. The EPG also looks quite ugly and cramped in comparison to that of Sony and Samsung's TVs. The boxes reserved for adverts on the EPG are annoying.