DealWatch: 42" and 50" 720p Plasma TVs

Although they're losing ground to LCDs, aggressive deals on plasma TVs are still readily available. We examined the past year's deals (excluding refurbs) to see where pricing on these once expensive sets is heading next.

Verdict¹
Since June of 2008, pricing on 42" plasma TVs has steadily dropped to the point where $600 will soon be the standard deal. Panasonic deals were the most abundant, closely followed by LG. It's also worth noting that choosing a 42" plasma TV over an LCD of the same size can save you about $200. (See our DealWatch on LCDs for LCD deal trends.) The LCD will have the better resolution (1080p), but if you're looking for a second set or if resolution isn't important to you, plasma TVs offer the better value. Click to see the latest deals on all plasma TVs.

^{1 We found no noteworthy 42" plasma deals in March, so data for that month is represented by dotted lines.}