Panasonic's 2011 non-3D TV lineup: New screen sizes, Viera Connect online service

Consumer Reports News: March 08, 2011 02:16 PM

If you saw our blog post on Panasonic's new TV lineup, you already know that 3D figures prominently in the company's 2011 plans. In fact, 12 of the 19 new plasma TVs are 3D models, and the company has even extended 3D to two LCD TV series for the first time (though we wonder how much demand there will be for 32- and 37-inch 3D sets).

But the company will also offer some new regular plasma and LCD sets for those who aren't interested in 3D this year. Among the highlights are new screen sizes—55 inches instead of 54, and 60 inches rather than 58—which are achieved not by reducing the bezel width (a la Samsung), but by cutting a bigger piece of glass.

There are also two flavors of Panasonic's rebranded online service, Viera Connect: a full version with access to more content—including Hulu Plus, games, and health/wellness programs, plus a new apps market—and a "lite" version (Easy IPTV) with more limited content, though it does include streaming movies from Amazon, CinemaNow, and Netflix, plus Napster, Pandora, and Facebook.

Panasonic's newest 1080p plasma sets are available are in the S30 series. These TVs include the Easy IPTV service, Viera Image Viewer for viewing content stored on an SD card, and DLNA support. They're also Wi-Fi-ready. For those looking for lower prices, X3-series models have almost the same features, except for their 720p screen resolutions.

Here's the non-3D TV rundown:

1080p plasma TVs

60-inch TC-P60S30, $1,900, available in May
50-inch TC-P50S30, $1,100, available now
46-inch TC-P46S30, $950, available now
42-inch TC-P42S30, $800, available now

720P plasma TVs:

50-inch TC-P50X3, $800, available now
46-inch TC-P46X3, $700, available later in March
42-inch TC-P42X3 $600, available now

In LCD TVs, Panasonic new E3-series have edge LED backlights, the Easy IPTV service, and are Wi-Fi-ready. Another series, the E30, adds 120-Hz technology. There's currently only one E30 model, the 42-inch TC-L42E30. And standing atop the Panasonic LCD heap is a single D30-series model, the TC-L42D30. The 42-inch 1080p set has an LED backlight, 120Hz technology and the full Viera Connect service; the other LED model is the 19-inch TC-L19C30, a 720p set.

Panasonic will offer several series that use conventional CCFL backlights. For example, there are two models each in the 720p C3 series (24 and 32 inches) and the entry-level 1080p U3 series (32 and 37 inches). The 1080p U30 series has just one model, the 42-inch TC-L42U30 (a 120-Hz set), while the lone X30-series TV—the 32-inch TC-L32X30—is a 720p set with a built-in iPod dock, 120-Hz technology, and the Easy IPTV service.

Here's the LCD TV lineup:

LED-backlit LCD TVs

32-inch TC-L32E3, $700, available in March
37-inch class TC-L37E3 $800, available now
42-inch TC-L42E3, $950, available in March
42-inch TC-L42E30, $1,100, available now.
42-inch TC-L42D30, $1,150, available in April
19-inch TC-L19C30, $250, available in May

CCFL LCD TVs

32-inch TC-L32C3, $400, available in March
24-inch TC-L24C3, $300, available in June
37-inch TC-L37U3, $600, available now
32-inch TC-L32U3, $500, available in March
19-inch TC-L19C30, $250, available in May.
42-inch TC-L42U30, $800, available now
32-inch TC-L32X30, $500, available in March

As always, we look forward to getting some of these new plasma and LCD TVs in our labs for thorough testing. Keep checking back here for news of when our newest TV Ratings (available to subscribers) go live.

—James K. Willcox