A feature-packed 42" plasma HDTV that delivers top class pictures

Pansonic's TX-L37V10B is a feature-rich, full HD panel with limited internet capability

The first range of Freesat-receiving (including HD) TVs to appear is Panasonic’s PZ81 plasma range, which comes in three sizes – 42in, 46in (about £1,600) and 50in (about £1,800) and, for those whose Freeview/aerial coverage isn’t entirely non-existent, also boasts DTT and analogue tuners.

Plasma technology is far from the dead duck some would like you to think it is. Samsung’s 50in plasma is a cracker, especially in raw value terms. And this 42in Panasonic effort is even better.

Common wisdom has it that for a TV to grab the public eye these days it needs to be Full HD and stunningly designed. But Panasonic’s TX-32LXD85 is neither of these things. So, what’s this TV’s pulling power?

Enthusiasts of TV techno-bling troubled by the sheer choice of 50-,52- , 60- and 65in screens now have a new configuration to ponder: 58in. More than some, less than others. Actually, the size transpires to be a great fit for plasma-king Panasonic.

The TX-32LZD85, a mid-range model from Panasonic’s new LCD collection, packs a fearsome on-paper punch. For starters, it’s got Full HD resolution, potentially adding an extra lovely level of purity to your 1080i/p HD gaming visuals.

The general public seem to be pocketing 32in LCD TVs like they’re going out of fashion. The thing is, they are. It’s 37in models that are the new, er, black. Piano black!

Aesthetically the Panasonic TH-37PX80 is a bit boring, truth be told, lacking the glossy glamour and slenderness of many of its rivals. But things look up with the discovery among its connections of three non v1.3 HDMI sockets, all capable of handling 1080p/24fps inputs, but not Deep Color compatible

Panasonic has been the LCD manufacturer to beat in group tests for some time and this 26in upholds that enviable tradition in fine style.

Having recently returned from the ‘world’s largest’ consumer electronics show, where I observed a selection of self-styled ‘world’s largest’ flatscreen TVs, I have an embarrassing secret to reveal. When I first laid my eyes on this 65in plasma there was a brief moment when I thought, ‘what a tiddly telly’.

Like Bond, Panasonic’s TX-32LXD70 is jacketed in a sleek, black tuxedo and boasts an arsenal of sophisticated features that would make Q jump for joy. It’s proof positive that despite the company’s love for plasma, it knows how to create an outstanding 32in LCD TV as well.

In the LCD TV Premier League, Panasonic is undoubtedly the champion. Loved by the public and critics alike, its flatpanel TVs consistently finish at the top of the table when it comes to picture quality and feature lists.

Hang on a minute! We’d swear blind that Panasonic is a prime exponent of the ‘LCD technology is of little use on screens larger than 32in’ school of thought.

A heck of a lot goes into a plasma TV picture. The gas that gets charged to give each cell its illumination, the electrodes that provide that charge, the phosphor array that gives the resulting light colour, the surrounding walls that stop the gas escaping…

This screen is comfortably the cheapest 42in plasma we’ve ever seen from Panasonic. Which is great, of course, provided we don’t find that too many corners have had to be cut to reach the sub-£1k price.

Whatever spin Panasonic might try to put on it, the TX-37LZD70 is a bit of a poisoned chalice. For, as a 37in TV using LCD technology, it flies in the face of all the arguments Panasonic has ever put to us about how LCD is no good for screens in excess of 32in.

The TX-32LXD700 is another illustrious addition to Panasonic's fine portfolio. Practically every feature of a Panasonic TV is meticulously thought through, and the power consumption of this model is no exception: the TX-32LXD700 uses 140W in operation

Now that the challenge of fitting full HD pixel counts into plasma screens has been met, 1,920 x 1,080-pixel TVs are coming thick and fast.

The technical difficulties of squeezing 1920 x 1080 plasma cells into a screen smaller than 65in have meant that before now we've only seen one Full HD 50in plasma TV: Pioneer's PDP-5000EX waltzing in at a cool £6,000

The all-black TH-50PX70 is distinguished from previous Panasonic TVs by the image processing power it packs under the name Viera V-Real2.

Panasonic 32in TVs are like buses: wait for one and a couple come along at once. There's an entry level Panasonic - the TX-32LMD70 - that kicks its £700 price tag into the dirt, but the HD-ready TX-32LXD700, Panasonic's new flagship LCD TV, is even more cause for rejoicing

The mantelpiece round at Panasonic HQ must be at breaking point, considering the number of accolades that have gone its way. So, with the arrival of the neat-looking TX-32LMD70, is the manufacturer going to walk away with yet another gong?

Panasonic is one of the few remaining plasma champions; more fool the competition if sets like this are anything to go by. Decked out in elegant gloss black, this full HD digital television is a hymn to all that is good about gas

Sometimes we wonder if we should change the name of What HDTV to What Panasonic such has been the quality of the brand's HD-ready TVs during the past few years.