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Panasonic wants to set the record straight about plasma TV longevity. The company says plasmas are getting a bad rap on the sales floor. It cites a study by J.D. Power and Associates that states a "high proportion of recommendations of LCD sets is primarily due to retail salespersons' lack of knowledge regarding recent improvements in plasma technology."

Fact is, plasmas last a long time. The 2008 line of Panasonic Viera plasmas don't reach half brightness until they've been operating for tens of thousands of hours. The 1080p models hit half brightness at 100,000 hours. With average viewing time of 6.5 hours a day, they would take more than 42 years to reach half brightness. The 720p models hit half brightness at 60,000 hours. Again, at 6.5 hours a day, that would come out to 25 years.

So it is not unreasonable to conclude, as the press release headline says, that "Today's Panasonic Plasma TVs Might Outlast Owners"--if those owners are middle-aged and not watching their cholesterol levels. So take comfort in knowing that by the time your plasma begins looking less perky, worms will be tunneling into your eye sockets, your mortal flesh will be food for fungi, and you'll be in heaven watching an even bigger Panasonic plasma. Or in hell watching an analog CRT set.