Panasonic TH-42PX50U plasma promises potent pictures
Panasonic TH-42PX50U plasma flat-panel
The product: Panasonic has been our favorite plasma manufacturer in terms of picture quality, and its new line of next-generation panels will offer even more improvements. The TH-42PX50U, successor to the TH-42PX25U/P, is the least-expensive HD-capable model in the line and includes picture-quality enhancements such as better color fidelity (the company claims 8.6 billion colors) and the best contrast ratio in the industry. Panasonic also says it has improved the panels' life span to 60,000 hours. Other sizes in the line include 37- and 50-inchers, and step-up models come with a built-in electronic program guide.

• 42-inch plasma HDTV
• 1,024x768 resolution
• Built-in HDTV tuner
• CableCard slot

The prospects: Available in April, the TH-42PX50U looks to continue the popularity of its predecessors, and given the image quality issues we found in the earlier model, it could benefit from the souped-up picture.

By David Katzmaier, senior editor, CNET Reviews