With so many decisions going into your television purchase, choosing the right model seems a daunting task even for the most tech savvy among us. So before you go dropping the big bucks on any old Samsung HDMI 42 in HDTV,  make sure you mind your Ps and Qs. When buying your new HDTV, one of the biggest decisions you will have to make is between a plasma or LCD screen.

The Case for Plasma:
Plasma screens are generally accepted as providing better picture quality and boasting a superior ability to handle fast moving pictures, such as sports, than their LCD counterparts. Another benefit is that they provide much better viewing angles. If you have a sitting room where people will be sitting around a TV as opposed to sitting directly in front of it, plasma is a better option.

Plasma’s screens generally produce more vibrant colours, so they perform better in low light conditions. In big screen models, plasmas also cost less than an LCD TV of equal size (though the price of LCDs is dropping rapidly).

The Case for LCDs:
With the price of LCD TVs dropping rapidly, they are now becoming much more price competitive with plasmas. They are also much thinner and more eco friendly than plasmas and can pack more pixels onto their screen.

Another advantage LCD TVs have over plasmas is their lifespan. Plasmas tend to burn out after about 60,000 viewing hours.  Plasmas can also be affected by what is known as “burn-in”, where an image left on the screen for too long can leave a permanent ghost image (think of a ticker on the bottom of a news channel being permanently etched into your television).

With LCD TVs having issues with fast moving pictures, manufacturers have countered by upping the refresh rate of the screen.  Without getting too technical, if you are buying a big screen, make sure you go with a model like a Sony LCD TV with a 200 Hz refresh rate. Anything less than 120 Hz will not perform well, and could cause image blur.  While plasma manufacturers also advertise refresh rate, like the Panasonic Viera 400 Hz Plasma, this is really just a marketing gimmick. The refresh rate is generally irrelevant for plasma TVs.

The Verdict:
If you are looking for a TV under 40”, your only option will be a LCD model. If you are opting for a big screen, plasmas still hold a slight edge over LCDs at the moment. But dropping prices and new technologies, like backlight LCDs and high screen refresh rates are making LCDs a very attractive option.

Remember to keep the dynamics of the room the TV will go into in mind.  LCD TVs will perform better in bright light, so if you do a lot of day time TV watching, this is a better option for you.  Plasmas will do better in low light settings, offer a better picture for a variety of viewing angles, and will handle fast moving pictures better than LCDs.

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