Panasonic TH-50PF11UK

The good: Reproduces deep black levels with realistic shadow detail; accurate grayscale after calibration; extensive picture controls including custom color temperature settings; extremely compact, minimalist design with robust build quality; versatile picture-in-picture; optional, swappable inputs.

The bad: Relatively expensive; inaccurate primary color of green; no stand, speakers, or tuner included; sparse connectivity with just two HDMI, one PC input and no S-Video or composite inputs.

The bottom line: Although expensive and light on features compared with consumer sets, Panasonic's TH-50PF11UK 50-inch professional plasma monitor delivers pro-level picture quality.

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Description: The Panasonic TH-50PF11UK is a 50-inch, plasma television. Compared to other plasma TVs on the market, it is midpriced at around $2,365. In general, a liquid plasma display can recreate more realistic black-levels than an LCD display can.

Pros: Only has RCA phono x 2, BNC x 3, 19 pin HDMI type A, 9 pin D-Sub, mini-phone 3.5 mm, and 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) connector type, which is more favorable than some similarly priced TVs. This unit can display images that are sharper and more realistic than analog television when hooked up to a high definition signal. The 3:2 pulldown feature of this set 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 home entertainment.

Value: Overall, this TV's features are as expected for this price.

Suggestions: (1) For assistance in shopping for a new HDTV, read 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 .