Driving the resurgence of plasma HDTVs, Panasonic recently announced pricing and availability for its 2011 Viera plasma line-up. This announcement coincides with Display Search's recent analysis and conclusion that 2010 was a great year for plasma TV panels, with shipments growing on a Year/Year basis every quarter since Q4 '09. NPD also produced data showing a growth in Plasma sales.
Additional Resources
• Read more plasma HDTV news from HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Learn about Panasonic helping launch the first 3D student film festival.
• Find a Blu-ray player to get the most out of the new VIERAs.
In a February 3, 2011 report - Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, Display Search reported:
Q4 '10 Plasma TV panel shipments grew 1% Q/Q (Quarter-Quarter) and 9% Y/Y
After falling from 15.1 million in 2008 to 14.8 million in 2009, Plasma TV panel shipments jumped to 19.1 million in 2010
Panasonic was a top panel supplier in 2010, with a 22% Y/Y (Year-Year) growth on a unit basis
The report further stated that, "Plasma TVs were well-suited for consumer's purchasing habits in 2010, providing the most affordable large flat panel TVs for many consumers. In addition the strong industry push for 3D TV helped, as some reviewers and consumers concluded that Plasma TV had superior 3D performance compared to LCD TV, at least in terms of flicker."
Panasonic's 2011 Plasma line-up features TVs in the following screen sizes- 42-inch class, 46-inch class, 50-inch class, 55-inch class, 60-inch class, and 65-inch class. Following on the critical success of last years Full HD 3D Plasmas (named best in show at the 2010 CES Convention), Panasonic introduced three full HD 3D model lines for 2011- the VT30, GT30 and ST30. In addition, Panasonic offers the S30 and V30 series in traditional 2D 1080p technology, for a total of 19 Plasma screens available in 2011.
Learn more about the pricing and availability of the new plasmas on Page 2.
Pricing & Availability
Full HD (1080p) 3D Plasma:
TC-P65VT30 (65-inch class-64.7" measured diagonally)-$4299.95-Available May, 2011
TC-P55VT30 (55-inch class-55.1" measured diagonally)-$2799.95-Available April, 2011
TC-P65GT30 (65-inch class-64.7" measured diagonally)-$3699.95-Available May, 2011
TC-P60GT30 (60-inch class-60.1" measured diagonally)-$2799.95-Available May, 2011
TC-P55GT30 (55-inch class-55.1" measured diagonally)-$2199.95-Available March, 2011
TC-P50GT30 (50-inch class-49.9" measured diagonally)-$1899.95-Available March, 2011
TC-P65ST30 (65-inch class-64.7" measured diagonally)-$3299.95-Available May, 2011
TC-P60ST30 (60-inch class-60.1" measured diagonally)-$2399.95-Available May, 2011
TC-P55ST30 (55-inch class-55.1" measured diagonally)-$1799.95-Available February, 2011
TC-P50ST30 (50-inch class-49.9" measured diagonally)-$1499.95-Available February, 2011
TC-P46ST30 (46-inch class 46" measured diagonally)-$1299.95-Available February, 2011
TC-P42ST30 (42-inch class 41.6" measured diagonally)-$1099.95-Available February, 2011
1080p FHD Plasma:
TC-P60S30 (1080p-60-inch class-60.1" measured diagonally)-$1899.95-Available May, 2011
TC-P50S30 (1080p-50-inch class-49.9" measured diagonally)-$1099.95-Available February, 2011
TC-P46S30 (1080p-46-inch class-46" measured diagonally)-$949.95-Available February, 2011
TC-P42S30 (1080p-42-inch class-41.6" measured diagonally)-$799.95-Available February, 2011
720P HD Plasma:
TC-P50X3 (720p-50-inch class-49.9" measured diagonally)-$799.95- Available February, 2011
TC-P46X3 (720p-46-inch class-46" measured diagonally)-$699.95-Available March, 2011
TC-P42X3 (720p-42-inch class-41.6" measured diagonally)-$599.95-Available February, 2011
Additional Resources
• Read more plasma HDTV news from HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Learn about Panasonic helping launch the first 3D student film festival.
• Find a Blu-ray player to get the most out of the new VIERAs.