Photos: Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ81 Freesat plasma

freesat is here, and has been for a while now, but without the simplicity of Freeview can the service ever really take off? Sure, it's great to have access to HD channels, even if there are only two of them, and they're both part-time. What will make or break the service is the availability of hardware, so Panasonic's PZ81 range is critical -- for the first time, freesat comes built-in to a TV. We got the 42-inch TH-42PZ81 model in for a closer look.

If you've already got a Sky dish on your house, this TV lets you hook it up directly to the dish and start watching freesat channels straight away. If you don't have a dish, you can simply use the built-in Freeview and analogue TV receivers to watch TV through your normal aerial.

Although freesat is the focus for the PZ81 range, it's well worth pointing out that this is a high-end Panasonic plasma, so you get a 1080p panel, with the superb picture quality we've come to expect from the company and features such as Intelligent Frame Creation and 100Hz support, to smooth out film motion.

Dixons is selling this TV for £1,150, which considering its size, features and picture quality, we think is a veritable steal. You can even find it for under £1,100 elsewhere if you shop around. Give it a few months and the price might even drop slightly. So, with the TV basics out of the way, let's have a look around the set and find out what it offers. -Ian Morris

Update: Read our full Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ81 review.

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• Panasonic,
• Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ81 (freesat),
• living room,
• camcorders,
• inputs