Should You Buy A Plasma Or LCD TV?

2 main types of flat screen HDTVs populate the high definition arena at the moment: plasmas and LCD TVs. Even though these screens are flat, sexy and capable of spectacular pictures, most potential owners still cannot decide on which type of flat panel HDTV they should get. This article will try to help you in making the correct decision by looking at how you’re going to use your HDTV.

Traditionally, plasma TVs were superior over LCD TVs in terms of pure picture quality. Having said that, as LCD TVs become better as technology advances, the gap now is minimal at best. That's why to decide on whether you should get a plasma TV or LCD TV, you should look at how you are planning to use the flat screen HDTV.

If you intend to spend a lot of time playing console games on your new flat screen HDTV, you should opt for an LCD rather than a plasma TV. Even though not as big an issue as it was before, plasma TVs are still considerably susceptible to screen burn and image retention which could be easily brought upon by a prolonged gaming session.

Besides, LCD TVs are generally brighter and boast a higher resolution than similarly priced plasma TVs, which make the games look more vivid and detailed, resulting in an immersive gaming experience.

You should also opt for an LCD if you are planning to hook up a home theater PC (HTPC) with your flat screen HDTV. The higher resolution of LCD TVs will make sure that the text on the screen are well-formed; and the increased brightness level (compared to plasma TVs) is essential to mimic a computer monitor. Besides, if you sit closer to your flat screen HDTV you may notice pixel noise on plasma TVs due to the method the images are rendered through pulse width modulation (PWM).

On the other hand, if you enjoy fast paced sport programs, a plasma TV should be a strong contender in your shortlist. Although better compared to older generations, LCD TVs continue to suffer from motion blurring due to the sample-and-hold effect that is inherent in the LCD technology. Newer LCD TVs powered with frame interpolation technology (100Hz and above) are better in this respect, but as the technology has not been perfected, it is usually limited to smaller panels (less than 40”), and processing artifacts like shimmering and frame breaking are intermittently noticed.

I know I said before that there is minimal difference in the picture quality of plasmas and LCD TVs these days, but taken as a whole, the blacks and gray gradation on plasma TVs are better than those on LCD TVs. So if you’re a big fan of films with a lot of dark scenes (for example Batman Begins and The Prestige), you should seriously consider a plasma TV over an LCD TV.

By analyzing the way you are planning to use the flat screen HDTV, you are more likely to arrive at the right decision on whether to purchase a plasma TV or LCD TV. Good luck!

Article Source: http://www.topicinfo.com

Vince Teoh is a writer for HDTV Test, which publishes HDTV reviews professionally. For further information you can try out his HDTV Selector.

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