The Viera TC-L26X1, an LCD television from Panasonic offering some unique features like an iPod dock thst can both charge and allow music or video playback through the television. It delivers fairly accurate color and sells for a pretty low price compared to similar models. It does fail to meet some of the newer high standards that some viewers may have come to expect for black levels or viewing angles, but over all it’s a solid tv for a good price and if you’ve got an iPod or iPhone it’s definitely worth checking out.

iPod connectivity is the main selling feature on this television and although Panasonic’s iPod video isn’t quite as good as the competition, it’s price is significantly better. For the money, Panasonic is the best game in town and being able to dock your iPod to play videos over a larger screen is a pretty huge deal. Being able to do it on a budget is even better. Using the features are fairly straightforward and there really aren’t any strong or weak points except for Panasonic’s iPod video conversion quality could use some slight improving.

The dock itself is not integrated like the iPod dock on the JVC model in this market. It is an external dock that works with multiple iPod models, unlike the JVC which requires adapters for specific models to be used. Only Panasonic’s included docking station can be used, other iPod docking stations you may already owned will likely not be compatible with the television (but the included one works well enough).

Once a device is connected to the dock it immediately begins charging even if the television is off. If the screen is on you will see a menu display which allows you to access the iPod’s contents. Panasonic included all the usual options including shuffle and repeat. Aside from the lack of an iPod button on the remote (you can access the iPod remotely but going into the Viera menu first) the entire setup is very straightforward and intuitive. You can literally plug and play with your iPod in this television. While browsing videos you can even have a video playing in the top right corner and continue to browse while it’s playing, which is a really nice feature. All in all, the way the menus were set up for the iPod functionality seems intuitive and thoughtful.

The TV’s cosmetic style is fairly reserved and not at all exciting. It comes with a matching stand but unfortunately the stand does not offer a swivel feature. On the side panel there are connections for one A/V input, an SD card slot and one HDMI connector. The screen’s matte finish give it excellent performance in high ambient light situations, which is a significant boon to the model. Many, even very high end LCD televisions have glossy screens that reflect ambient light from the room or light streaming in windows to create screen glare that can be distracting to viewers. The Panasonic Viera TC-L26X1 doesn’t have this issue at all, which weighs strongly in its favor.

While the television itself isn’t terribly exciting, everything from the color accuracy to the design of the remote control is above average with the exception of few things like black levels. The iPod functionality doesn’t have the best quality of video playback available on iPod ready televisions, but it’s still very good and for the price it’s probably the best hands down. Without an iPod there are other televisions in this price range worth pursuing but for iPod owners, especially those working on a tight budget, this set from Panasonic is absolutely something to consider buying.