Plasma TV HDTV Buying Guide

The first thing you should realize is that there is no such thing as plasma LCD TV. Plasma and LCD are two separate technologies that do somewhat similar things but carry very significant differences. Both are flat HDTV flat screen TV technologies, but they carry some differences that many consumers may not be aware of.

Plasma TV HDTV uses what is known as a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells that are charged by electrical currents to create the picture you see on your HDTV flat screen TV. LCD screens, known as liquid crystal display, uses liquid crystals that are pushed into the space between two panes of glass. Electrical current is supplied and the liquid crystals manipulate themselves to achieve the picture you see on your screen.

Both plasma and LCD TV screens perform rather well. The picture quality on both television set varieties is said to be excellent, but some technology experts still swear by the quality of CRT sets. The CRT television set, known as the cathode ray tube, is the standard television set that most of us know well and have been using for years. It is interesting to note that despite all of the advances in technology, most experts still agree that the picture quality on the older CRT sets is better.

Despite this, the industry seems geared towards moving in the direction of plasma and LCD televisions. The plasma TV HDTV does have some benefits over LCD sets, but conversely the LCD sets do have some advantages over the plasma sets. How do you decide which television set is right for you? That seems to be the question that most technology junkies are struggling with at the moment, while other people are content to watch the whole scene play out from the comfort of their old-fashioned CRT sets.

Plasma TV HDTV tends to have the following benefits over LCD televisions:

• Better overall contrast, allowing for better viewing of deeper blacks and grays
• More viewing angles than LCD
• Brighter colors
• Price - most plasma televisions are cheaper than most LCD televisions

LCD televisions tend to have the following benefits over plasma TV HDTV televisions:

• Higher resolution, meaning more pixels on the screen
• Less power consumption than plasma television sets
• Lighter overall unit, making LCD televisions easier to move
• Longer product lifespan

There is no "right" answer to the question of LCD versus plasma TV HDTV televisions. Ultimately, you will need to make your own decision about what works best for you. Read TV HDTV reviews for more information, then visit a home electronics or department store. Watch both televisions side by side, then compare your overall feelings about each television, and base your purchasing decision on your results.

The difference between plasma and LCD television is something that you should research thoroughly before coming to any final buying decisions. Both televisions deliver the same results and have there own distinct advantages even though the technologies involved are totally different.

The average consumer needs to be well informed of the differences especially as LCD televisions begin to encroach into the plasma display market.

Plasma television display sizes, up until recently, have always been way ahead of LCD due to the different technologies involved. For some time, the maximum LCD display size was limited to 32 inches or less while plasma was the obvious choice for anything bigger.

With affordable prices on LCD televisions in the 37-inch bracket, the dominant plasma market is being challenged. It won't be too much longer before larger LCD displays in the 40 to 46 inch size range will be within the price range of the average consumer.

Ultimately, the public will soon be faced with choosing between LCD and plasma with many not knowing what the difference is between the two technologies. Instead of just walking into a home electronics store to select a new 42 inch television, we will not only be faced with a choice of different brands, but also a choice of different technologies.

To make matters worse, manufacturers such as Panasonic have decided that plasma technology is the ideal solution for large display television and as such, have not produced LCD displays larger than 32 inches. Another example comes with the electronics giant, Pioneer, who have so much faith in plasma display technology, that they have so far refused to make LCD televisions in any size.

For whatever reason, the general opinion amongst consumers seems to be that LCD television is the future while plasma is yesterday's technology.

Even though it may appear, that plasma is not as 'trendy' as it once was, it would be a mistake to discount altogether. While LCD might have the edge over plasma in making high definition look dazzlingly bright and sharp, in many other equally important but less showy performance areas plasma television can still show up young LCD.

Just because everybody else seems to be buying LCD, don't make your buying decision just on that basis and give plasma an equally fair chance when investing in your new HD television.

At the end of the day, the rivalry between plasma and LCD is only going to increase in the future as larger displays come onto the market.

Taking into account the size, price and other special features, you as the consumer will need to base your buying decision on what you really want or need and the price that you are willing to pay.