Traditionally, one of the biggest drawbacks of plasma TVs compared LCD TVs was the fact that plasma TVs did not last as long. Panasonic has announced new TVs in its VIERA 1080p plasma line that it claims will last for up to 100,000 viewing hours before reaching half brightness.

Panasonic says that based on the US average daily TV intake of 6.5 hours, the Panasonic 1080p plasma TVs could, on average, last 42 years. The Panasonic's 1080p line last significantly longer than its 720p VIERA sets, which are rated for 60,000 hours before half brightness.

"There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about Plasma HDTVs and longevity, and we're happy to once again set the record straight on the durability of Panasonic Plasma," said Robert Perry, Senior Vice President, Panasonic Display Products Company. "Quite simply, our Plasma TVs are built to last a very long time -- as much as 100,000 hours to half their brightness."

Via Panasonic