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Plasma TV Shopping and Buying Guide

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Are you HDTV ready?

Welcome to the Plasma TV Shopping and Buying guide.  Your source for Plasma TV Reviews, Buying Tips, and Resources.

High-definition is here - and it's spectacular

The leap from yesterday's standard, boxy programming to today's digital widescreen offerings of shows, movies, and specials is comparable to the switch from black and white to full color in the '50s and '60s. HD's superior clarity and picture quality make standard TV look antiquated. Best of all, the HD revolution is just getting started.

Why HDTV?

Here's five reason why now is an excellent time to upgrade to an HDTV set.
  1. More TV shows are being broadcast in HD - A few years ago, HDTV owners had limited HDTV broadcasts to choose from. Now most of your must-see shows will likely be broadcast in HD.
  2. Now you can watch films on disc in HD - Though DVDs can deliver better quality pictures than standard TV signals can, they still don't rival the high-resolution images of movies broadcast in HD. But now, the availability of next-generation HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players and discs means not having to wait until the premium cable channels show your favorite movies.
  3. Videogames are being upgraded to HD - Software developers for the XBox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 are set to take advantage of the next-generations console's HD compatibility by developing immersive, truer-to-life visuals for their games. What's more, the new PS3 plays Blu-ray discs and not to be outdone, Microsoft is offering an HD-DVD player for its Xbox 360.
  4. You can even create your own movies in HD - Just as more television sets are capable of displaying HDTV, so, too, are more video cameras with HD-recording capabilities becoming available.
  5. HDTV sets are becoming more and more affordable - As television-set manufacturers abandon the outdated standard TV sets and concentrate efforts on building HD-compatible widescreen sets, production costs go down and the savings means less expensive sets at the electronics stores. Even the biggest and best HDTV's have come down significantly in price in the past several years. This trend will continue, but not at a pace that warrants putting off a purchase.

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HDTV FAQ

Ten simple answers to your hi-tech questions
  1. What is HDTV? High-definition TV generally refers to the all-digital, high-resolution signal for broadcast and viewing TV, though just as "TV" is sometimes used interchangeably with the television set, HDTV sometimes refers to the widescreen sets capable of displaying HD signals.
  2. What makes HD different from "regular" TV? HDTV has much higher resolutions than that of standard TV, making for images with far more detail, vibrancy and realism. Additionally, HDTV is generally broadcast in widescreen, whereas standard TV images are in the square shape of older set screens.
  3. What's the difference between an HDTV set and an HD monitor? Or an HD-ready set? More and more new TVs are HDTV sets, meaning they have a built-in digital tuner capable of receiving HDTV signals over the air via antenna. Until recently, though, many TV sets lacked an integrated HDTV tuner, and these required additional boxes to properly display HDTV. This was an absence easily overlooked since most HDTV set owners get HDTV programming via their cable or satellite provider set-top boxes anyway. Sets referred to as "HD-ready" have integrated tuners for standard TV signal reception, but no HDTV tuner. "HD monitors" lack tuners, but can display HD images from a cable or satellite box or external tuner. So, what does all of this mean? Buying an HD-ready set and HD monitor may save you a little money, but you'll be scrimping on functionality that could be useful in the near future.
  4. How big a TV set do I need to watch HD? There is no minimum requirement for screen size as far as HDTV capabilities go. That said, bigger is better. The difference in picture quality between standard TV and HDTV begins to be noticeable on a 30-inch screen, and the impact of HD improves as the size of the screen increases.
  5. What do I need to watch HDTV? Naturally, the best way to take advantage of HDTV programming is to watch it on an HDTV set! An HDTV has a native resolution of a least 720 lines and is capable of displaying HD. This is much more detailed than the 480 maximum lines of standard TV. You'll also need a digital tuner that is either likely built into the TV or a separate set-top box from your cable or satellite provider.
  6. Why does regular TV look so awful on my friend's HDTV? Standard TV programming can seem grainy or stretched out when displayed on a large HDTV set's screen. This is likely the result of pixilation that occurs when a low-resolution image is expanded to fill the screen.
  7. Is plasma the same as HDTV? Plasma flat-panel TV sets are usually HDTV sets, as they are typically new, large-screen TVs capable of displaying HD signals. But, not all plasmas are HDTV sets. You will need to pay close attention to the lines of resolution the TV can display to know for sure. Look for 720 or more.
  8. Do I have to pay extra to get HDTV programming? With the right antenna and tuner (built into many HDTV sets), you can receive HDTV signals from the major networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox, and NBC) for free. Most cable and satellite companies provide the HD versions of these network channels, and well as HD versions of cable channels like TNT and Discover HD Theater. HD versions of premium cable channels like HBO and Cinemas are generally free to anyone who subscribes to the other HBO and Cinemax channels, respectively. Specialty HD channels like ESPN HD are usually an additional few dollars a month.
  9. How much does a new HDTV set cost? Prices for HDTV sets continue to fall, such that now even big-screen TVs of 50 inches or more can cost less than $3,000.
  10. What other kinds of HDTV sets are there? In addition to flat-panel plasma TV sets there are many competing technologies, but since this is the Plasma Shopping and Buying Guide we won't be going into these! :-)

Helpful Books at Amazon.com

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The Right Plasma HDTV Set for You

Now that you're up-to-speed on the basics of HDTV, it's time to get in on the fun.

Thin, Flat, and Beautiful - With a Plasma HDTV you get excellent picture quality from nearly any angle. These thin TV sets (usually less than six inches deep) aren't light, but are still suitable for mounting to a wall. Just be sure to let a professional do the installation. A few years ago, 42-inch plasma sets hit the sweet spot in the size-cost trade-off; now, 50-inch screen TV sets are available for as little as $2,000. 65-inch plasmas aren't cheap, but they are no longer prohibitively expensive, either. Expect to pay about $100 per diagonal inch.

Plasma HDTVs available at Amazon.com

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Samsung Plasma HDTV Commercial

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Hitachi Plasma HDTV Commercial

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Plasma HDTVs available at eBay.com

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Plasma HDTV Product Reviews

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Plasma HDTV Resources

AVS Forum
Plasma Flat Panel Displays Forum
Engadget HD
HDTV Blog
Ultimate AV
HDTV Magazine

Plasma HDTV News

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Visitor Feedback

A place to share your own Plasma HDTV Shopping and Buying tips. Also, if you have any suggestions on how to improve this lens just let me know.

  • mjm Jul 9, 2008 @ 4:29 pm | delete
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  • May 11, 2008 @ 11:25 pm | delete
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  • CrexLand Oct 4, 2007 @ 9:49 am | delete
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  • rksmythe Mar 13, 2007 @ 10:27 am | delete
    Thanks for the great info.
  • SatMan Feb 27, 2007 @ 7:00 pm | delete
    Hi Emory! I really like the way you designed your lens. HDTV FAQ is also great.
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Emory is a seasoned, results oriented marketing professional with 15+ years of marketing experience, specifically within eMarketing and eCommerce.

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