Web Exclusive: What Satellite's FreeSat bargain of the week - TechRadar UK

Three months ago when Freesat launched, store shelves across the land were quickly emptied.

This was especially true of stocks of HD receivers - a situation no doubt fuelled by interest in coverage of Euro 2008 football on ITV HD and BBC HD.

Yes, England failed to qualify but those lucky enough to snag a receiver still had the joy of marvelling at the sharpness of an exciting tournament presented in subscription-free 1080i-o-vision while sharing a beer with their suitably impressed mates.

Since then, it's become a bit easier to find a Freesat box online and on the high street and Panasonic has rolled out its none-too-shabby rangeof Freesat and Freeview equipped plasma TVs.

Freesat price deals are being offered largely by the main high street dealers at the moment.

However, with more receivers to come from Alba, Humax and Metronic over the next nine months, and Freesat pledging to add many more channels and HD programming in the run up to Christmas to further stoke consumer demand, expect more bargains as the nights draw in.

So without further ado - WotSat's deal of the week is:

Panasonic TH-42PZ81B (from Laskys)

Panasonic remains on the more dependable brands around when it comes to good quality TVs and with its first Freeview equipped models you get what you pay for – Full HD plasma sets with Freesat HD, Freeview and analogue reception built in.

A brace of impressive picture processing technologies includes 100Hz processing and intelligent frame creation for generating a stable and smooth picture and 24p support for accurate reproduction of movies playing from a Blu Ray disc.

Three HDMI inputs and component connectors means that while you have HDTV built in you still have plenty of options for connecting up other HD kit such as a games console or upscaling DVD player and an SD card slot lets you playback photos and even AVC HD video files.

Laskys is currently offering the 42in model (enough screen for most people's living rooms) for £1,039.39 (including VAT), the cheapest deal around and a steal when you consider the quality of the TV and the fact that a standalone Freesat HD box costs £120.

More details of price cuts for Freesat kit including standard definition and hi-def Freesat receivers can be found on the What Satellite and Digital TV blog.