http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_G...l#anker_733435

TH-42PZ81 and TH-46PZ81 available from June 2008, TH-50PZ81 available from July 2008.

These stylish and desirable plasmas boast a host of features to deliver outstanding moving picture resolution and beautiful colour reproduction together with brilliant sound and easy operation, giving viewers the optimum HD viewing experience.

Freesat offers subscription free HD services, enhanced HD interactive services and the potential for future feature expansion. As the Freesat service is satellite based, further capacity for the expansion of HD services can be assured.

A Panasonic HD plasma TV with Freesat built-in is a quick and convenient way to view a wide range of channels including brilliant HD programmes from the BBC and ITV, all for free*. These sets give optimised picture performance, perfect for HD sports, movies and games, as they come equipped with Panasonic’s flagship Intelligent Frame Creation System, which harnesses the computing power of the V-Real Pro 3 processor, motion compensated additional frames are created and inserted between the source frames resulting in natural frame-to-frame transitions, for smooth motion high definition images. In addition 24p Real Cinema technology ensures enhanced judder-free playback when viewing 24 frames per second material, such as that output from Panasonic Blu-ray players. The PZ81 series also features 100Hz Double Scan to ensure beautiful, flicker-less on-screen motion and an extra wide colour gamut with x.v.Colour, which produces richer, more vivid colouring from x.v.Colour signals¹

Interesting but no point in having broadcast content you can not record, I've no wish to go back to pre VCR days so only interested in a Freesat HD DVR.
Still with Freesat, Freeview and an Analogue tuner all bases are covered, I wonder if the Freesat tuner and firmware could be tweaked to use the CI slot

Flippin' 'eck - I hope Brucie isn't a pre-requisite for receiving Freesat. I'd rather cut of my testicles (not that I've got much use for them anyway - but that's another story).

I would hardly say there's no point in it. The point is you can watch HD broadcasts on your TV without an extra box. You can also use VieraLink to pause the live TV to a new Panasonic HDD/DVD combi. The amount of broadcast HD at the moment is so small that recording those dreaded clashes is relativly low priority.

Whats the cost of buying and installing the dish? roughly? is it as big as Sky?

It's considerably more, £80 minimum according to prices mentioned previously.

I really see it as a step backwards to offer a HD broadcast format that can only be recorded in SD thanks to the choices of manufacturers and piracy issues of media concerns. Although as you say perhaps only 5% of the channels eventually on Freesat will be HD and it's easy to forget the majority of Freesat buyers will be interested and only watching in SD.

I am in the market for a new TV and seriously considered cancelling my order and switching to the TH-46PZ81 but I only want HD if it's via a DVR (I don't watch live these days) so why pay the small premium when I am going to get the same capabilities at a later date.

So it's pointless to me, a bad idea overall but will perhaps suit the average punter and I do applaud putting all tuner options into the TV not just one

the 42'' is quite cheap

http://www.zettavolt.co.uk/Panasonic-TV/TH42PZ81.html

OOPS deleted sorry

I think you really need to consider how TV's and recorders are generally used?.

If you have an SD TV now, and an SD PVR, then you can watch one channel whilst you record either one or two more. Having an HD IDTV and an HD PVR means you could do exactly the same with three HD channels (assuming there were three HD channels ).

It's really giving you the best of all options, and there certainly will be more than three HD channels in the not too distant future - now finding three things you want to watch/record is a different matter!

Nice TV's as they are in a year or so's time they will be out of date as HD freeview starts. At least the description is clear about this saying it receives SD freeview, first time I've seen this expression used for freeview suggesting there will be HD freeview which there wil be

I will wait until HD is available on Freeview and get an HD PVR.

That could be 4 years depending upon where you live and of course everyone going along with OFCOM's view on what DTT HD should be

£300 + extra to have the built in freeview HD sat? dosent sound cheap to me.

While I don't really see the point having built in freesat on the main tv of the house, I'm rather pleased they have brought this out as now the Panny TH42PX80 is £650 in my local Currys!!
G

TH42PX80 has to downscale HD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I think the PX70 was as cheap as £575 though. (Dixons last week)

I take it this bit of equipment doesn't have a built in PVR? Or will they ever?