Now is the time to buy a Panasonic plasma

Lone Crusader

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Panasonic has confirmed that its excellent plasma-based televisions won't be available for sale after March 2014. If you were waiting to get a new TV, now's the best, and close to the last, time you can acquire one of our favorites.

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The end of an era is official. On March 31, 2014, Panasonic "will end sales of plasma TVs for consumer use and PDP-related products for commercial use," in the company's own words.
Panasonic plasmas have been CNET's favorite TVs for years, and I've already explained why I think their disappearance is bad news for the TV buyers.
Now the most common question I get from readers is, "Should I buy a Panasonic plasma now?" My answer in general is almost always "yes," and now that I know they're going to be extinct soon, it's "YES!"
Especially because they're now, as of mid-December, starting to sell out in earnest.

Panasonic will continue to honor the warranty on its plasma TVs, and will continue to support them as usual; the company itself isn't going anywhere. I consider a Panasonic plasma TV bought today as safe an investment as any other kind or brand of TV.
Worried about dimness, burn-in, short lifespans, extra heat or weight, buzzing, phosphor trails, or buying an "old," "dead" technology? You shouldn't be. Any disadvantages of plasma, real or imaginary, are outweighed in my book by its picture quality superiority over LCD.

Will Samsung continue making plasmas next year? What about LG? I don't know, but my guess is now that Panasonic has pulled out, those two already LCD-centric companies will also abandon the technology soon.
If you've decided to buy a Panasonic plasma, the list below, originally compiled to answer the question "Which Panasonic plasma should you buy?", should help. The list is arranged in ascending order of price.
Update, December 19, 2013: Prices and availability are current as of press time, and only include Best Buy.com and Amazon. When a model's price has changed since this article was last updated December 2, the current price is listed and the former struckthrough.
All sizes of the S60 and ST60 series are now sold out at Amazon, although some are still available from third-party sellers on that site. More sizes of the S60 and ST60 are still available at Best Buy.com, however, where prices are currently better than any of those third-party sellers. The exceptions are the 60-inch S60 and the 55-inch ST60, which aren't available from Best Buy directly anymore. For the 55-inch ST60, we've listed the best third-party Amazon merchant price with an asterisk.
If you're considering using a lesser-known merchant, be sure to follow best practices for not getting ripped off. With a situation as unique as Panasonic's plasma extinction, opportunistic merchants are bound to take advantage.
Meanwhile, price drops on the VT60 series make it an even more recommendable step-up to the increasingly scarce ST60. At 55 inches and 60 inches the price difference between the two is down to $100 and $350, respectively, while at 65 inches the VT60 is actually cheaper -- and therefore more recommendable. If you ask me, I'd take the VT60 at 55 and 65 inches, but the 60-inch price gap is still wide enough that I'd probably stick with the ST60.

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S60 series: 42-inch (sold out), 50-inch ($699), 55-inch (sold out), 60-inch (sold out), 65-inch ($1,499)
Best for: Tighter budgets, somewhat dimmer rooms, serious twitch video gamers.
The S60 represents the low end of Panasonic's 1080p plasma lineup, but its picture quality is simply phenomenal for the price. Its main downside is a screen finish that doesn't hold up well in bright rooms. It's not a full-fledged dumb TV, but the selection of just six apps -- Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and CinemaNow -- is refreshingly simple and easy to access via a little pop-up menu and built-in Wi-Fi. Among the TVs on this list it also has the lowest input lag, making it the best choice for twitch gamers.

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ST60 series: 50-inch ($999), 55-inch ($1,499*), 60-inch ($1,499), 65-inch ($2,599)
Best for: Mainstream budgets, picture quality enthusiasts who aren't serious twitch gamers.
Until the ST60 came along, we'd never given a five-star review to a TV at CNET. It's just that good. The picture quality will please even the most persnickety videophile, although those who can afford better might be even happier with a VT or ZT below. Gamers who demand instantaneous response should avoid this laggy set, but more-casual gamers are unlikely to notice the difference. We gave the ST60 and S60 the same 10 in value, but the ST's superior antireflective screen makes it much more versatile under all kinds of lighting. If you're not on an extra-tight budget, it's worth stepping up to the ST even if you don't care about its added features like Smart TV and 3D.

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VT60 series: 55-inch ($1,599) ($1,499), 60-inch ($1,799) ($1,849), 65-inch ($2,149) ($2,299)
Best for: Videophiles who don't demand the ZT60's picture.
This plasma earned a 10 in image quality and outperforms every other TV we've ever reviewed, with the exception of legendary Pioneer Kuro (the VT60 basically tied it) and of course Big Zed below. It beats the ST60 in every way including daytime viewing, although if your living room is particularly bright, the ZT60 is an even better choice. In the dark the two are equal in every important way, however -- and when you throw in its superior sound quality and features, the VT is the better value, too.

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ZT60 series: 60-inch ($2,499), 65-inch ($3,199)
Best for: Those who want the best non-OLED picture available today.
Did we mention value before? OK, well, compared with OLED or 4K TVs, the ZT60 isn't a bad value at all. It's still crazy-expensive, however, and only high-end shoppers with a burning desire to own the best image quality we've ever tested need apply. It beats the VT60 in only one area, bright rooms, but on the other hand isn't quite as good in those situations as the ultrabright Samsung PNF8500, or any of the brighter LED-based LCDs. The ZT60 trounces the F8500 and any LED LCD in the friendly confines of a dark room, however, giving it an overall edge that deserves the "reference" hype.
 
End of an era sadly. I figure other companies making plasma's will follow by shutting the door on there plasma production lines with Samsung probably being one of the last ones.
 
The picture quality on the ZT60 is wonderful, but it's just not big enough. That's not to say that the 65" is a small screen, but I'm looking for an 80" screen or larger for my room.


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I was really hoping that Panny would do a 75" plasma before kicking plasma to the curb.

OLED seems to have it's issues compared to LED and plasma, since Panny and Sony have recently announced that they have abandoned the tech for the near future.

All I can do now is pray that my 65" VT30 holds up for the next 3-4 years for another tech to catch up!
 
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I have a plasma 42 inch and I must say theyre the best 4 me...

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The picture quality on the ZT60 is wonderful, but it's just not big enough. That's not to say that the 65" is a small screen, but I'm looking for an 80" screen or larger for my room.


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What you need then is one of the top dog commercial plasmas - Panasonic HQ in Britain have one in the main entrance. If memory serves it's 110 inches diagonally and quite amazing :)
How the hell you'd get that in a room is another question altogether - I struggled to get the new 50VT65 in our place!
 
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