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Panasonic set to unleash 85-inch 1080p plasma for $30,000

Set to hit in October, Panasonic bills its $30,000 TH-85PF12U as the industry's first 85-inch, full-HD 1080p plasma. As you might expect, it isn't a bargain.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
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David Carnoy
The TH-85PF12U is the size of four 42-inch displays put together. Panasonic

Large plasmas are coming down in price, but if you want to go big--and I mean really big--you still have to pay dearly. Set to hit next month, the $30,000 TH-85PF12U is billed by Panasonic as the industry's first 85-inch, full-HD, 1080p plasma. It's the size of four 42-inch plasmas stitched together.

Panasonic says that thanks to its newly developed Neo plasma display panel technology, "even with effective wide-screen dimensions of 74.4 inches by 41.8 inches, the TH-85PF12U is significantly thinner and lighter than past plasmas, with a main body depth of 3.9 inches and an overall weight of approximately 260 pounds."

Typically, extra-large plasmas just haven't cut it in terms of picture quality, but this model sounds--or rather, looks--more promising. Panasonic's NeoPDP technology has proven, at least in smaller Panasonic plasmas, to produce a great picture while using much less energy.

As for the $30,000 price tag, all we can say is that if you're not a multimillionaire with cash to burn, wait a few years. You'll probably be able to pick this baby up for 15 grand soon enough.

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