Last year Panasonic's TH-42PZ70B HDTV was a run-away success in the UK and it is easy to see why. 

Plasma always beats LCD on shear picture quality because it has naturally superior colour gamut coverage, contrast ratios and response times. Only the top-range LCDs with wide colour gamut, dynamic contrast  and 100Hz technology can really compete on these spec points. The usual advantage of LCD is superior resolution and price at the screen sizes most people are looking for, yet with the TH-42PZ70B Panasonic brought us a 42 inch Plasma with 1080p resolution at under £1000. No wonder they had a hit.

This year the model was upgraded to the TH-42PZ80 and TH-42PZ85 with even better contrast ratios. They have even added 100Hz technology with motion compensation (as if plasma needed it) and 24p cinema mode for judder-free blue-ray viewing. If 42 inch is not big enough the range extends to 46-inch models TH-46PZ80 and TH-46PZ85 and 50-inch TH-50PZ80 and TH-50PZ85.

Of course these models all have Freeview tuners built in but this month the terrestrial Freeview service has been eclipsed by the launch of its satellite rival Freesat. Because satellite services have more bandwidth we can expect more channels and most importantly, more HD channels.

The last few years have seen 5 million HDTVs sold in the UK yet Sky HD has only 500,000 subscribers and cable HD is even less widespread. Most people are using their HDTVs to watch standard definition television and the occasional blu-ray film. BBC HD has been transmitting FTA for two years now and some people have been receiving it on FTA HD receivers such as those made by Humax, but take-up has been slow. PSB Freesat (an initiative led by the BBC for Public Service Broadcasting )promises to change that because it will bring more HD channels and improved accessibility. ITV HD is going through transmission tests already and other HD channels from the major networks are anticipated on Freesat this year.

Freesat provides an on-screen Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for these channels, that will make it much easier to see what is on for the week ahead. When incorporated into a PVR receiver, the EPG will make recording programs as easy to set up as it is currently on BSkyB's popular subscription service Sky Plus. Indeed, since Freesat uses the same satellite position and standards as Sky Digital, it will be easy for anyone with a Sky dish to swap to the Freesat service without having to pay for installation. An extra Freesat service can even be added using the same dish if it has a Quad LNB. It should be an easy DIY job to run extra cables to the receiver, and with two extra cables a dual-tuner PVR can be added.

Freesat receivers have been available for purchase since the launch earlier this month with retail restricted to Currys/Dixons, Comet, Argos and John Lewis, and manufacture limited to Humax and the Alba group. Publicity has been somewhat low-key, yet demand from early adoption enthusiasts has already put a strain on equipment supply. Take-up will accelerate as more channels appear and early technical difficulties such as current regionalisation problems are ironed out. We expect another wave of consumers to move to Freesat when The Humax HD Digital Video Recorder (DVR) makes its debut in July or August. By Christmas Freesat could be open to all retailers and if it is marketed by the likes of Tesco then popularity will soar. But in the longer term the mass market is likely to come on the back of Freesat receivers built-in to HDTVs as they are now for Freeview.

That is why Panasonic's latest development for its PZ series plasmas is so significant. The UK version TH-42PZ81B and TH-46PZ81B due out in June come with in-built High Definition Freesat receivers as well as the usual SD Freeview. The even larger 50-inch TH-50PZ81B will also be with us by July. Given the popularity of the PZ series in this country this is bound to be a big boost for Freesat. Furthermore it is an early indication of how much importance HDTV manufacturers attach to the Freesat service for UK High Definition television. You can be sure that Panasonic would not have taken this step so soon without assurances from the network broadcasters that they will be supporting HD on Freesat as soon as they can. So far they are tight-lipped in public so we do not know when Channel 4 HD and lifestyle channel Luxe HD will come to Freesat, or if other HD channels such as Five HD or Filmfour HD are even in the pipeline.

One technical limitation is the lack of narrow beam bandwidth on the Astra satellites which will hinder what can be broadcast on Freesat. Many programs including international series, films and sport events can only be broadcast unencrypted on satellite if the signal is tightly focussed on the region for which it has been licensed. For the UK there is only one satellite (Astra 2D) in a suitable position to do this, but it's transponders are already fully utilised. We may have to wait for a new satellite launch before many new channels appear on Freesat. Despite this, one thing is certain; a year from now things will look very different for FTA HD broadcasting in the UK and many more households will be able to appreciate the capabilities of the new technology on offer.