The Panasonic TC-PVT30 series replaces our favorite TV of 2010.

LAS VEGAS--About this time last year we gave the Panasonic TC-PVT25 series of plasma TVs our Best in Show award as the most promising product at CES 2010. At the end of 2010 it still stood out as the overall best-performing HDTV we'd tested all year, and the second-best of all time (yes, the Kuro is still 1).

The VT25's successor, the TC-PVT30 series, looks like the favorite again in 2011.

Panasonic's chief VT30 enhancement for the new year is something the company calls an "Infinite Black Pro 2 Panel." As the press release puts it, the panel "raises the luminous efficiency while minimizing pre-discharge, resulting in even more subtle, delicate blacks, in both dark and bright environments than last year's Infinite Black Pro Panel provided."

The VT30 provides one other important step-up over the GT30: the ability to properly reproduce the cadence of 1080p/24 sources. We noticed some artifacts when we engaged that mode last year, however, so we're curious to see if they'r been eliminated this year.

You get one pair of glasses free when you buy a VT30 3D TV.

Like the GT30 the VT30 is THX certified, although we don't know yet whether the certification applies to 3D sources as well. We also don't know whether any Panasonic plasmas offer 2D to 3D conversion, although we assume they will. Unlike the GT30, Panasonic throws in a pair of shutter glasses for free with the VT30.

In terms of style Panasonic has cleaned up its entire plasma line, thinning down the chassis and adding, in the VT30's vase the one-sheet-of-glass front we liked so much on earlier Panasonics like the V10 series. The bezel might still be thicker and the panel a bit chunkier than those from Samsung and LG, but it's a step in the right direction.

The VT30 has the same Viera Connect Internet suite found on the ST30 series.

Pricing was not announced for the VT30 series, but it will be available sometime this spring.

Panasonic TC-PVT30 series features:

Panasonic TC-PVT30 series models:

Editor's Take: I notice that the description of the new Pro 2 panel includes the words "subtle, delicate" but not "deeper" or "darker." I interpret that as a possible indication that the VT30 will not match the depth of the Kuro's blacks. But once again I'll have to wait until I see one in person, and directly compare it to the VT25 and the Kuro (not to mention the new Samsung D8000), to get the full story. Even after that, long-term testing will be in order to see how those blacks fare over time--both on Panasonic and on Samsung and LG plasmas. Finally, I find it strange that Panasonic is only offering two screen sizes, and wouldn't be surprised to see others appear later in the year.