Panasonic, the market and technology leader in Plasma HDTVs, announced today that its much anticipated TH-42PZ700U, 1080p 42-inch Plasma HDTV -- the first 1080p 42-inch Plasma to come to market - will be available at retail beginning in early July with an SRP of $2499.95.

The arrival of the 1080p 42-inch Plasma rounds out Panasonic's 2007 line of critically acclaimed 700 Series 1080p HDTVs which includes 42, 50, 58 and 65-inch models as well as the 103-inch model -- the world's largest 1080p Plasma on the market today. Panasonic's 700 Series has received stellar reviews from some of the leading industry media for their deep blacks, high contrast ratio, excellent shadow detail, and clean images.

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I'm looking forward to the first reviews telling us how many inches we have to sit away from the set to see the difference between 1080P and 720P on a 42" set. (j/k) A buddy of mine just bought the 50" 1080P Panny plasma recently. It's gorgeous. I hope you guys will do a review on it as soon as it's available.

Viewing distance? Right about 3 to 3.5 times the image height should do it. This will vary from viewer to viewer, depending on their visual accuity.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
www.cinemaquestinc.com

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

At 3 - 3 .5 times image height that would mean that for a 73" set with a 42" image height that I should be sitting only 10.5 to 12.3 feet away from the screen....Is this right?

The math is a lot easier to do if you take 2x the diagonal (assuming 16:9 screen, of course).

So yes, 10-12 feet is optimal. For 1080p, you may be able to sit slightly closer.

And as Alan pointed out, it also depends on your visual acuity.

- Shane