Panasonic Viera TC-42PX14
Plasma TV Buying Guide Comments
This should be a great budget model plasma for 2009. Entry date should by February of 2009 and this plasma will include 720p resolution which we believe is great if it saves you some cash. The reason for this is that 95% of the programming you will watch will only be broadcast in 1080i or 720p, so why spend the extra on a 1080p screen. This has been our mantra for some time, but of course manufacturers need ways to sell you "upgrades" to allow them to make more money. The only time you might benefit from 1080p would be video gaming. One alarming difference with this model is the stated 15,000:1 native contrast ratio which is quite a bit less than the higher end brethren. Panasonic has always maintained great black levels with their TVs so we'll see how this pans out. There are not a lot of extras with this plasma but you do get the Viera Link technology (useful link with compatible camcorders and digital cameras) and 600Hz sub-field drive (whatever that means).
-JB
