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Panasonic sent out a press release recently saying their plasma TVs could very well "outlast" their owners.

Panasonic says its 1080p VIERA Plasma HDTVs last 100,000 hours before reaching half the original brightness.

Thus, based upon the average daily viewing time of four and a half hours in Australia, it will take nearly 61 years for a Panasonic 1080p Viera PlasmaTV to reach half its original brightness or be on the way out, according to Panasonic.

The company also says its line of 720p VIERA plasmas will reach half the brightness after 60,000 hours or 36 years at current viewing levels.

So looking at the ABS statistics, which finds that on average Australians (both male and female combined) live to about 78 years of age, if you have bought or are intending to buy a Panasonic 1080p VIERA Plasma HDTV after your 18th birthday, according to Panasonic, you may as well leave it in your will for your children, as per their calculations, it will still going strong well after your funeral service has been done and dusted.