INTRODUCTION:

If you go to any major electronics store these days you are bound to be bombarded by all of the flat panel tv's hanging on display. A few years ago these were considered techie toys that were more for showing off than anything else, but with the FCC declaring that all tv broadcasts should be digital by Feb. 17, 2009, analog tv is guaranteed a certain demise and HD TV is bound to be a necessity. With all the different varieties of HD TV's available how does one go about choosing the right one for their needs? Excluding the less popular CRT & Projector HD TVs we will focus more specifically on the differences between LCD and Plasma televisions because these are by far he most popular choices. As you will see, the decision between these two is not as difficult as most would think!

PICTURE QUALITY:

This is probably the most important factor when deciding an HDTV and a lot misconceptions still exist regarding this issue. I have found a lot of salespeople trying to push LCD TVs over plasma because they have a higher resolution. While it is true that you will find many more LCD TVs with 1080p resolution, the fact remains that resolution is only one part of the picture quality equation. Most experts would agree that color accuracy and black levels are far more important in determining a "quality" picture than merely resolution. Plasma TVs are capable of producing much deeper blacks than LCD TVs and Plasmas are far better at producing rich and accurate colors.

Another big factor in the war between LCD and Plasma picture quality is the ability to show motion smoothly. LCD TVs have a slight delay when it comes to changing images and this ends up becoming visible in fast action scenes in movies and TV shows. This picture ghosting is something you do not see at all in plasma TVs so if you plan on watching sports or action movies on your big screen then plasma is definitely the way to go.

Another factor that affects your viewing pleasure is the viewing angle. This is basically how far you can move to the right or left of the TV and still be able to see the picture. Many LCD TVs are advertised as having extremely wide viewing angles but in reality Plasmas have LCDs beat by far on this issue. Generally a plasma can be viewed while sitting almost 80 degrees from center. An LCD TV starts to lose its color and the picture starts to get garbled at anything greater than 70 degrees from center. The next time you go to your electronics store, try standing at an angle while watching and you will see the difference.

Although it seems like Plasma has LCD beat when it comes to picture quality, LCD does manage to get out a couple of parting shots that will make the consumer's life more difficult. This is mainly the issue of brightness and LCD TVs tend to be a lot brighter than Plasmas. What this means is that if you plan on watching your TV in a very bright room then LCD might be a better option because its picture will still "pop" despite all of the background light.

Despite the brighter screens, the picture quality award still goes to plasma because of its better colors, deeper blacks, and wider viewing angles. The only situation where LCD would be a better bet than plasma for picture quality would be at high altitudes where plasmas cannot function properly

Lifespan:

In the early days of flat panel TVs, plasma TVs were notorious for having images burn into their screen and having their brightness cut down to half in just a couple of years of use. But that was around 1998 and in almost 10 of years of continued improvement the technology has come a long way. Plasmas are made of newer components that have improved their lifespan significantly. Overall, most plasma manufacturers are rating their tvs to last 2 decades or more with average use. Image burn in is still a possibility but most sets feature measures to prevent this so unless you play a lot of video games or watch a news ticker for several hours a day, this should not be an issue.

LCD televisions were not a significant player in the market in the early days of digital tv because of their smaller screen sizes and relatively expensive price tags. Nowadays the situation has changed dramatically, LCD screens have become cheaper to manufacture and their sizes have grown considerably. Plasmas can still be found in larger sizes than LCDs, but the margin is narrowing. The latest LCD tvs feature LED backlights as opposed to fluorescent backlight. This should lead to even longer lifespans, not to mention brighter pictures and less electrical consumption.

With average use, LCD lifespan should be greater than plasma tvs but does that really matter if both are rated for at least 20 years? If you plan on playing a lot of video games or if you plan on using your tv heavily (more than 8 hours/ day) then LCD is definitely the way to go because the image burn in issue is non-existant on LCDs and brightness should be consistent throughout its life, but for most other situations both are about equal in their lifespans.

SIZE & CONSUMPTION:

Generally plasma TVs can be found in larger sizes than similarly priced LCD models. They both are approximately the same thickness, which is to say they are very thin. Where the difference comes into play is that Plasma TVs tend to be heavier than LCD TVs. Generally it is a difference of maybe 20-30 pounds (for a 50 inch set) not a dealbreaker but something to consider for mounting options.

One area where there is a much more significant difference is the issue of power consumption. Plasma TVs are akin to big neon signs and they consume power in that way. LCD TVs use much less electricity, enough where it will actually show on your bill over just a few months use! The next generation of LCDs that will use LED bulbs instead of fluorescent will use even less power thereby further widening the gap.

COST:

This is a an area where plasma once again dominates. Although prices are coming down for LCD TVs plasmas are still significantly cheaper for comparable sizes.

CONCLUSIONS:

Because of their better picture quality, larger sizes, and cheaper prices Plasma TVs are a much better purchase than similar LCD TVs. One thing to keep in mind that there is a new generation of LCD TVs coming out that will produce better colors and deeper blacks, not to mention faster response times for those action sequences. But the thing to remember is that new generation is going to be priced significantly higher than the competing plasma models which makes the Plasmas an even better deal.

Recently (January 2008) Sound & Vision magazine did a comparison test between the best plasma versus the best LCD television and their results were not surprising. Their results basically reiterated everything mentioned above and the plama beat the LCD tv hands down.