Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ85U

The good: The Panasonic TH-46PZ85U can produce one of the deepest shades of black we've ever tested; it has punchy color; a relatively effective antireflective screen; and sleek styling.

The bad: Poor noise reduction; less-accurate primary colors; fewer picture controls than many HDTVs.

The bottom line: A couple of issues keep its picture out of the top tier, but excellent black-level performance still makes the Panasonic TH-46PZ85U plasma HDTV stand out from the pack.

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Description: The Panasonic TH-46PZ85U is a 46-inch, plasma television. Compared to other plasma TVs on the market, it is midpriced at around $1,985. In general, a liquid plasma display can provide more realistic black-levels than an LCD display can.

Pros: Has a 3D-Y/C digital comb filter. This is more favorable than the average TV on the market today, but is to be expected for a TV of this price. (A 3D filter is one of the best types available, and is "motion adaptive," meaning it utilizes a special method for clearing up the moving parts of the picture, as opposed to the static parts.) Also, this TV 1080p (FullHD), which is than some similarly priced TVs. In fact, the typical cost of a product this is $3,055. With built-in HDTV compatibility, this unit can display images that are significantly sharper and more realistic than regular television, as long as the source is high definition. (It can easily render standard-resolution digital TV broadcasts and also depict the full resolution of widescreen DVD video.) The 3:2 pulldown feature of this unit reduces artifacts that can occur when motion pictures are transferred to a digital format such as DVD.

Cons: None noted, given available product data.

Suitability: A plasma TV, suited for personal entertainment and home theater.

Value: In general, this TV's features are in line with its price.

Suggestions: (1) For assistance in shopping for a new HDTV, review CNET editors' <ref type="link" url="http://cnet.com/hdtv-world/?tag=arw">Ultimate HDTV Buying Guide. </ref> (2) If donating or repurposing your old TV is not a viable option, CNET encourages households to recycle their electronics. Please explore the following website to find a recycling center in your area Electronics Take Back Coalition .