LCD vs. Plasma, which is right for you?
LCD an Plasma are the two main types of HDTVs on the market today (DLPs are slowly going the way of the dinosaur). Plasma’s have been around for years but LCD’s have quickly become the consumer favorite. Both LCD and Plasma make for superb televisions, but each will provide a better experience based on the context.
Get an LCD HDTV if:
- You watch a lot of TV.
- Your room is well lit (big windows, lots of lights, etc) and/or you do alot of day-time TV watching.
- You will primarily be sitting in front of the HDTV, not off to the side.
- You will be hooking your computer up to your HDTV and using it as a monitor.
- You are concerned about the environment. LCD’s generally use less energy than Plasmas.
- You are looking for a TV smaller than 40 inches.
- You want more choice in how the HDTV itself looks. There are many more LCD’s on the market than Plasmas.
- You don’t watch alot of high-movement TV/video. LCD’s can produce slight motion blur in high-movement scenes. To get rid of the motion blur, make sure you buy a 120Hz LCD HDTV.
Get a Plasma HDTV if:
- You watch primarily movies.
- You play a lot of video games.
- You don’t watch much TV and don’t play many video games.
- Your room does not have much ambient light or you can easily control the amount of light in the room.
- You want very true, rich colors and very deep blacks.
- Your seating is not directly in front of the TV, but rather at an angle.
Generally I suggest going the LCD route since it does everything very well, even if its Pictured Quality (PQ) isn’t as good as high end Plasmas. LCD’s are very versitile sets that can be moved and used in most any room (the smaller viewing angel of approx 170 degrees would be the main limiting factor regarding placement). That being said, Plasma’s are excellent as well.
Keep in mind that the above suggestions are general guidelines and shouldn’t be taken to extremes. You don’t need to be sitting directly in front of an LCD to enjoy, and like wise you don’t need a dark room to enjoy a Plasma. The above lists merely highlight where each type of HDTV excel; both types can do everything well, its just that one of the types can handle each list item better.