Panasonic recently rolled out the new '09 line of plasmas. They feature improved black levels, contrast ratios and with the entire line now capable of 100,000 hours to half brightness. For those of us who became accustomed to the old model number designations and where they fell according to good> better> best, I have made a quick reference guide. I have only included real updates that actually matter and are not just marketing speak, though the 600hz stuff is borderline.
TH-**PX80U = TC-P**X1 Improvements: Infinite black panel, 600hz subfield drive (improved motion clarity), 100K hour panel to half brightness, New Anti-reflective filter, 24p playback with 2:3 pulldown, over 4K+ color gradation steps, 720 lines moving picture resolution
TH-**PZ80U = TC-P**S1 Improvements: Infinte black panel, 600hz subfield drive, new anti-reflective filter, over 6K color gradation steps, 1080 lines moving pictureresolution
TH-**PZ85U = TC-P**G10 Improvements Infinite black panel, 600hz subfield drive, new anti-reflective filter, THX MODE, over 6K color gradation steps, 1080 lines moving picture resolution
** is where the size would be inserted 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 65
There has not been a designation made for a replacement for the TH-**PZ800U and 850U as of yet, but my guess is the new "Panasonic Premiere" line will fill that niche. I do not have any info on the model designations at this time. However, the G10 models appear to be comparable to the 800U models with THX modes
There is a TC-P**C1 model out there but it is not common. It seems to be a stripped down version of the X models for Walmart & Best Buy. There is also a TC-P**U1 model that is a stripped down version of the S models again for Walmart & Best Buy leader pieces.
