Plasma lovers rejoice. Matsushita, the makers of Panasonic, have announced the latest and greatest in television technology: a plasma television that is thinner and uses half the amount of power required by current models.

The downside is that you'll have to wait until April 2009 before these hit the market. Matsushita, already the leading producer of plasmas, currently constructing the largest plant in the world to produce the televisions. The plant will increase production levels, making the televisions more easily and readily available.

If you've been playing the plasma versus LCD game, this will probably add another 'pro' point on the plasma side. LCDs use far less energy, but don't offer the same picture quality for sporting events as a plasma. I've heard horror stories of individuals who invest in a plasma television and are completely blindsided when the ensuing electricity bill is double the usual monthly cost. Of course, the truly eco-friendly thing to do would be to use a radio or get a library card as your primary form of entertainment. However as a hockey fan myself, I'll admit that no matter how much more earth friendly it is, listening to the play-by-play commentary on the radio offers no comparison to watching the game on a 42-inch, high-definition screen. Since I don't actually own a big-screen yet, I'll just have to sit tight and wait until Panasonic releases this bad boy.

» Reuters Environment