As an indication of how much importance Panasonic are placing on the technology, they are describing their high end 2009 Plasmas as 'NeoPDP' TV's. But what is 'NeoPDP' technology?

Panasonic have categorized their high end Z1, V10, G15 and G10 plasma flat screens for 2009 as 'NeoPDP TVs'. The technology seeks to improve the efficiency of three different components of screen performance - gas discharge and cell design, electronic circuit technologies and materials and processes.

The 'gas discharge and cell design' element of NeoPDP technology, introduces larger plasma cells which are capable of emitting more light while using less power. By reducing the residual light in each of the larger cells, contrast, or black levels, have been considerably improved (to a claimed 2,000,000:1). Consumers will have the option of benefiting from a 50% power reduction or an increase in on screen brightness levels.

The 'electronic circuit technologies element of NeoPDP introduces 600Hz Sub-field Drive system, which increases the rate at which plasma pixels refresh. Designed to improve motion tracking, it is worth noting that the figure is not directly comparable to an LCD refresh rate. A video signal is actually a series of still images or frames, which appear so quickly that they trick the eye into believing we are watching a moving image (100Hz = 100 frames per second). Panasonic's 600Hz sub-field technology adds an extra step to the process, to display (or 'flash') the individual image elements (dots) on a plasma panel 600 times per second (600Hz). Panasonic are then using mathematical algorithms to 'interpolate' this extra data. The number of frames displayed per second in the case of Sub-Field technology has not actually increased to 600.

Finally, the 'materials and processes' element of NeoPDP has seen the introduction of environmentally friendly features such as a lead alternative in the manufacturing process. Panasonic has significantly reduced CO2 emissions and the amount of harmful chemical processes and materials used to produce their NeoPDP screens.

One of the most noticeable benefits of NeoPDP technology is that it has enabled the production of slimmer and lighter screens - Panasonic's range topping Z1 is just 8.8mm thick. While the overall picture performance of plasma has always compared favorably to LCD, relative power consumption of the competing technologies exposes plasma's Achilles heal in significantly greater running costs. A significant reduction in power consumption places NeoPDP equipped plasmas on a level playing field in terms of running costs with LCD TV's. It is worth noting that NeoPDP implementations introduce the option of either reducing power consumption or increasing screen brightness.

NeoPDP has also been billed as a technology which would introduce screens with improved picture contrast and colour accuracy. The performance of Panasonic's high end Z1, V10, G15 and G10 plasmas suggest that NeoPDP technology is producing tangible improvements in overall screen performance.

Giving credence to the claims made by Panasonic for NeoPDP, the European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA) has given Panasonic's TX-P42V10 its best Plasma award for 2009-2010.

Read a full review of the Panasonic TX-P42V10

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