Background Information:
Manufacturer, Unit, and Technology

Manufacturer:
Panasonic has been setting standards since way back in the times of CRT. In 1990, it presented a set in Europe with the largest tube available so far. The 37" (94 cm) device went by the name of TX-37 A 2 D, and stood out because of its 100 Hz technology (and its colossal price - equivalent to about 4,700 GBP in modern terms). Panasonic did not, however, rest on its laurels after producing this legendary set. In fact, they have consistently backed plasma technology since its early days, but also manufacture liquid crystal panels in a factory shared with Hitachi and Toshiba.

The TH-46 PZ 80 E represents the eleventh generation of plasma screens from the manufacturer, and the second generation with full HD. For a long time, the individual pixels were not illuminated brightly enough to accommodate 1,920 x 1,080 pixels over the area of a 46", or even a 42" (106 cm), screen. The price of higher detail resolution is that the current full HD plasmas require - in practice - somewhat more power than many equally-sized LCD models. The class of 2009 is likely to bring the first improvements.

While the front panels of LCDs are made of plastic, plasma screens are glass. They are therefore not only heavier, but also vulnerable to potential breakages. Up till now, manufacturers have expressly advised transporting the screens upright. With this series, however, that has all changed. Panasonic has dubbed its new screens "Toughpanel". A fist to the screen does nothing, and the TH-46 PZ 80 E even calmly withstands the impact of a ball bearing - at least according to the manufacturer.

Newer HD camcorders can output more colors than are possible in HDTV broadcasts. The larger, so-called "xvYCC" color space is also marketed as "x.v.Color" by Sony, and can be reproduced on the TH-46 PZ 80 E.

Market Position:
This Panasonic TV is rather a tasty offer. Digital photographers, in particular, will like the integrated SD card reader, as the vast majority of cameras use this memory card format. The TV also supports the updated version of the cards, SDHC. While the extended color space currently only benefits the owners of a few camcorders, it does equip the set well for the future.

The mediocre built-in tuner is one nuisance - Panasonic explains that this is due to the lack of unity in access control and pay-TV subscriptions in Europe. For a mid-range device, two Scart sockets (on the European version) is a bit miserly, but tolerable. With this TV, the manufacturer appears to have concentrated purely on the picture and price/performance ratio, so you will not find any groundbreaking or unusual technical innovations here.

Unit:

Test Device and Model Line:
The test model was a standard production model, on loan from Panasonic Germany.

The PZ 80 E model comes in the screen diagonals 42" (106 cm), 46" (117 cm) and 50" (127 cm). According to Panasonic, the models are identical, apart from the size (and the resulting power consumption). All versions offer Full HD resolution.

The "E" version is for continental Europe; in the United Kingdom it is called "B". They differ only slightly in terms of the built-in tuner and on-screen menu. The US version (which ends with a "U") varies significantly from the European versions; the tuner and connectivity are adapted for the US market, and the set is optimized for NTSC.

The direct rivals are:

Hitachi L 47 VP 01, RRP at time of testing: approx. 1,700 GBP (incl. VAT).

JVC LT-46 DS 9 BU, RRP at time of testing: approx. 2,100 GBP (incl. VAT).

LG Electronics 47LG 6000, RRP at time of testing: approx. 2,200 GBP (incl. VAT).

Philips 47PFL7603D/10, RRP at time of testing: approx. 1,800 GBP (incl. VAT).

Samsung LE 46 A 557 P, RRP at time of testing: approx. 2,000 GBP (incl. VAT).

Sharp LC-46 X 20 E, RRP at time of testing: approx. 1,800 GBP (incl. VAT).

Sony KDL-46 W 4000, RRP at time of testing: approx. 1,800 GBP (incl. VAT).

Toshiba 46 ZF 355 D, RRP at time of testing: approx. 2,600 GBP (incl. VAT).

Model History:
The Panasonic TH-46 PZ 80 E has been available since May 2008. The 46" screen diagonal is new to this manufacturer, so there is no direct predecessor. The 42" and 50" versions are preceded by the models named PZ 70.

Technology:

HDMI-CEC:
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital, HDTV-capable connection for video and audio. It can also transmit control signals, and devices that accept or transmit these signals are identified with "HDMI-CEC". CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control. In practice, HDMI-CEC means that a Philips Blu-ray player will allow its basic functions to be controlled by a Sony TV; a Panasonic DVD player connected via HDMI can be controlled by a Samsung TV, and so on.

The system is standardized across manufacturers, but almost every company has come up with their own name for it. At Panasonic they call it "VIERA Link", at Samsung it is "AnyNet". Sony calls it "Bravia Sync", while Toshiba has "Regza Link".

To add to the confusion, Panasonic created an extended HDMI-CEC, called HDAVI, in 2006. HDAVI capable audio and video equipment from this manufacturer can, for example, transfer the on-screen menu of a connected DVD recorder to the television, meaning the device can be completely controlled via the TV's remote control, for example to program recordings.

Neither HDMI-CEC nor HDAVI, however, has commands that can change the channel on an external cable or satellite digital tuner via the TV remote control. This is a little embarrassing really, and something the large consumer electronics manufacturers really need to sort out.

Extended Color Space:
Technology always lags a few steps behind nature, to say the least. Neither screens nor photographic/printing processes can yet represent the full range of colors perceived by the human eye.

Modern displays can at least reproduce more colors than traditional tube TVs, but the increase in colors has to come from somewhere. Modern HDTV standards (ITU BT 709) limit the colors on the broadcaster's side, as do the traditional PAL (ITU BT 601) and NTSC formats, but HDTV does at least represent more colors than PAL or NTSC.

The newest generation of high resolution camcorders overtakes HDTV in terms of color - this is made possible by xvYCC. If the user activates this extended color space (in this Panasonic, for example), they will indeed see richer red and green - so far, so good. But, the image source's correct color space can only be communicated via the latest version of HDMI. Traditional video signals, via Scart from a video recorder, for example, lack the corresponding identifier.

This becomes a problem with some TVs when working with an extended color space. Although the video feed is also using it, the colors do not look right on the screen - the picture looks candy colored. The Panasonic is clever, and blocks the extended color space on all analog connections and signals. It can, however, be activated on the HDMI inputs, even if the signal does not contain the relevant information.