Panasonic taunts Pioneer with Viera frenzy

Panasonic’s first 46in plasma will make its bow alongside a 42in model in the PZ85 range, and both come with highly promising CVs. Not only do they offer full HD 1920×1080 resolution, both also have support for lovely 24p video.

Also on board is Intelligent Frame Creation which, apart from sounding like a scientific theory of snooker, apparently creates a smoother image by chucking extra frames into the mix.

That isn’t the end of the Viera party either – its PZ80 and PX80 lines have also been updated. The former, available in 42in, 46in and 50in guises, rocks up with a 1080p resolution and a 100Hz mode for removing judder, while the entry-level PX80s get over their 720p resolutions by sporting three HDMI ports. You’ll be able to quiz confused showroom staff on their various merits from later this month. 

Essentials

Panasonic PZ85, PZ80, PX80

Price: £TBA

On sale: Late March (PZ85, PX80), June (PZ80)

Contact: Panasonic

Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home