Last Wednesday and Thursday, Panasonic held press briefings in New York to showcase their 2009 VIERA plasma and LCD TV line-up, plus some new Blu-ray players. In keeping with current economic times, this low-key event was held at the Shop Studios loft on 49th Street — a far cry from the locale for Panasonic’s 2006 event, held at BB King’s Blues Club and Grille on 42nd Street.

Even though the surroundings were sparse, there were plenty of products to inspect. In an ironic bit of timing, Panasonic’s 2009 show followed by a few weeks Pioneer’s announcement that it was kissing off the plasma TV business in 2010. Pioneer’s announcement apparently prompted several Internet bloggers to prematurely and erroneously write the epitaph for plasma.

Remember, this is Panasonic we’re talking about – they own multiple plasma fabs, with PDP production capacity exceeding 11 million panels a year and have lots of shelf space in big box stores. And even though Panasonic features several new LCD TVs in the 26-inch to 37-inch category, it’s “plasma all the way” above 37 inches – in both 720p and 1080p flavors.

Many of these new plasma TVs were announced already at CES 2009, so I won’t go into a lot of detail here. But we now have a clear picture of how many models are in the line-up: 17, with all but two offering 1080p resolution. Eight HDTVs in the line are priced below $2,000, including three 50-inch offerings, two of which offer 1080p resolution and come loaded with bells and whistles.

Of the 17 new models, 15 use Panasonic’s latest Neo plasma panels, delivering higher luminous efficiency and lower power consumption. And "VIERA" add-ons abound, from VIERA Cast (Web connectivity on Z1, G10, and V10-series TVs), VIERA Link (CEC through HDMI), and VIERA Image Viewer (displays JPEG images and AVCHD video files from SD memory cards).

The highlight of the press event was the ultra-thin TC-P54Z1, a 54-inch product that measures slightly less than one inch in thickness. It sits at the top of the plasma line and will ship for $6K sometime later this year.

54 inches is a new glass cut for Panasonic and apparently is intended to counter all of those 52-inch LCD HDTVs now flooding the market. This 54-inch size also pops up in three lower-priced VIERA HDTVs (G-10, V-10, and S-1 series) that will retail for $2,700, $2,400, and $2,200, respectively.

42 inches remains the lower limit of plasma territory, and Panasonic’s 720p-resolution TC-P42X1 has the lowest SRP ever for a Panasonic plasma TV — $899. There are also S1 and V-10 versions that step up in $200 increments and provide 1080p resolution. In fact, Panasonic now offers glass cuts every four inches across their S1 and V10 lines, which led me to wonder if the company has gone a little overboard for 2009.

The increase in price is about $300 for every four-inch jump. And sales data from 2008 indicates that consumers leapfrogged right over last year’s 46-inch VIERA TVs and instead bought 50-inch models when upgrading from the 42-inch category. Not a surprise, as 50-inch 720p plasma sets were widely available for $1K at Christmas time, while 1080p versions dropped well under $1,500.

As for the five LCD TVs in Panasonic’s 2009 line, all of them use IPS technology. The 32-inch and 37-inch G1 series are at the top of the heap, offering 1080p resolution and 120Hz processing. One level down, you’ll find the S1-series with 120Hz processing and ambient light management. Panasonic is also keeping 720p (1366×768) 37-inch, 32-inch and 26-inch LCDs in the 2009 line, priced at $800, $650, and $600, respectively. Several models include an iPod docking station, too.

Capping things off, there are three new Web-enabled Blu-ray players, none of which is priced higher than $400. The DMP-BD60 is priced at $299, while step-up models include the DMP-BD80 ($400) and the combination DMP-BD70V, an "all in one" chassis that also includes a VHS recorder/player and provides 1080p upconverted output from VHS tapes and red laser DVDs. (I kid you not!)

In conclusion, it’s pretty clear that Panasonic has hitched its wagon to plasma display technology, and their 2009 SRPs are very competitive with same-size, first-tier LCD HDTVs. If anything, Panasonic may have a few too many VIERA models in the line — look for 46-inch cuts to be phased out, as the premium that 50-inch plasma TVs command over 42-inch models dwindles to less than $400.