LCD TV or Plasma TV - Which is Best For You?

Actually it's a great thing to have to make a choice between these two competing TV screen technologies. You really can't lose either way that you go, because both LCD screens and plasma TV screens produce a much better TV image than anything that has been available in the past. But there are some differences that you need to know about to make the best decision for your own use.

Both LCD and plasma TVs can be very thin in configuration and produce a flat panel picture that is similar to watching a movie screen. Plasma TVs though can be a little thinner than LCDs, so if space is a major consideration you may prefer the plasma screen for that reason.

The major difference when viewing both screens is that the plasma screen does reproduce more solid black than LCDs do and so it has a more contrasty picture. For some, this is a good thing, for others it doesn't really seem to be an issue. So before buying be sure to make your own comparison and decide for yourself which screen fits you best.

One other difference is that plasma TVs run more hot than LCD because of the technology used to display the screen colors. So a fan is usually used in a plasma TV monitor to help cool the unit while it's running. Depending on the manufacturer the fan can be easily heard while it is running, so if you have settled on a plasma TV, be sure that you check out the model that interests you and listen for fan noise before buying it, getting it home, and then deciding that you can't live with it.

Another small difference is that plasma screens have a reputation for being susceptible to screen burn-in, where an image that has been on-screen for some time is still faintly visible even when viewing a different program. Actually the bad rap that plasma TVs have gotten on this matter is mostly overrated and is usually only a problem when an image stays on-screen for an extended period such as a video game that is paused for a long time and left on the screen. LCDs don't suffer from this problem at all though, so just decide whether your viewing habits could possibly introduce a burn-in problem or not beforehand, and make your decision accordingly.

As was stated above, either kind of monitor will most likely suit you well as both technologies are fairly mature and well-developed. But being aware of the subtle differences will always lead to making a better, more informed decision.

Find out more about a flat panel lcd tv and lcd tv reviews by visiting our HDTV website.

Plasma TVs at high altitudes

An interesting factor to consider when planning your purchase of a new plasma television is altitude. Plasma TVs use millions of tiny, gas-filled chambers to create a picture. When you move to higher altitudes, the constant pressure in the chambers and the now lower ambient air pressure create a buzzing sound reminiscent of a halogen beer sign. This buzz is a combined result of the increased power consumption necessary to overcome the pressure differential, and the increase in fan use because the high power consumption heats the unit. This change in noise is really the only difference between operating a plasma television at sea level and one operating at extreme (above 6,000 ft) altitudes.

This noise increase provides a hint as to the more serious reason to avoid using a plasma television: lifespan. The life of a plasma screen is dependent on how hard it works through the course of its life. Operating these televisions at altitudes above what they were designed for puts an excess strain on their various components. Using a plasma TV above 6,000 ft. is more likely to annoy you with additional noise than anything else, but it's a bad choice in the long run.

This pressure change is why airplanes chose to use LCD screens over plasma screens on flights that offer video entertainment. LCDs use crystals instead of gas filled chambers, and are thus indifferent to altitude changes. That said, there are manufacturers who have designed plasma televisions for use at altitudes up to 9,000 ft. You'll pay for this upgraded design, so you must decide if the price difference is worth it. So, check the elevation information for your city to determine if this should concern you, because it's not always obvious. Denver is just under the 6,000 ft. window for operating a regular plasma screen. You may see a slight difference in the lifespan of the unit here when compared to an identical television located closer to sea level, but this is likely to be very small. If you're not sure what your local elevation is, or if you're close, but still below the 6,000 ft. recommended ceiling, do some firsthand research. Go to an electronics store and test out the various plasma TVs on display. Listen closely for a buzzing or humming. You may find that your local air pressure is low enough to affect the performance of a plasma unit.

So you've done your research and planning, and you're ready to buy your plasma television? Now make sure you check your local conditions and, if necessary, invest in a high altitude plasma unit.

Jakob Culver is founder of the website www.plasmatvarena.com providing information, articles and reviews about plasma tv's. To find more articles like this one visit the site http://www.plasmatvarena.com/

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Choosing A Hitachi Plasma TV

In this busy day and age, spending what free time you have needs to be as enjoyable and relaxing an experience as possible. Nowhere is this more relevant than with your TV, whether it's for watching a DVD, or using it to play the latest games on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 on. With the features on the latest models, choosing a Hitachi plasma TV can offer the solution that you've been looking for.

With Hitachi's new Platara range of plasma TV's, picture and sound quality has never been better. Even with the largest 42" model, Hitachi has managed to maintain a depth of only 90mm deep, so it won't take up any major space in your living room, whether you let it sit freely or decide to wall-mount it. Despite the relative slimness of the model, it's still fully laden with features.

Using Hitachi's patented ALIS technology, which offers bright yet bold pictures displayed in high resolution, their flagship 42" model, the 42PD9700 contains a wealth of features, including:

? Picture Master HD Technology, for the sharpest pictures yet
? Integrated Digital TV (IDTV), offering digital transmissions from the box, without the need for a separate cable or satellite connection
? High Definition ready, offering future proof upgrading
? Motorized swivel stand

However, if this model appears feature packed, then the new Hitachi Ultravision Plasma HDTV range is the nest level up in plasma TV's. With patented technology, these models offer the ultimate in plasma picture quality. Incorporating the world's first true HD display of 1080i, the 42HDX99 also impresses with:

? Picture Master HD III Video processor, which scans every single frame of movement to provide a crystal sharp image

? Day & Night Picture Memory, allowing easy switching between preferred screen settings

? Film Quality Image Tuning, which improves the detail in both highlight and shadow

? Natural Color Deep Black Anti-Reflective Glass Screen, which reduces the effect of sunlight on the screen and allows far superior pictures

? Digital Color Management III, which automatically re-tunes its settings when attached to a digital camera to match that objects color display

However, even this phenomenal set is outshone by its bigger brother, the 55HDX99 Ultravision Director's Series. With all the features of the 42" model and more, this truly is the pinnacle of plasma TV's and will enhance anyone's living area beyond compare. With intelligent remote controls that allows you to tune your whole home cinema system to your TV remote, and an HDMI interface for connecting superior products such as HD DVD players, this really is the next generation of not just Hitachi's plasma TV's, but any of its competitors as well.

Peter Thomas is the marketing manager for http://www.plasma-television.co.uk - the UKs leading plasma & lcd tv price comparison website.

Whats the Difference Between Plasma TVs and LCD TVs?

Plasma and LCD TVs are the latest trend in home entertainment. Both offer unrivalled picture quality and resolution, while doing away with the bulkiness of the older rear-projection technologies. But with all of the hype surrounding these two types of televisions, what is the difference between them? Although they look- and are virtually priced- the same, they are not.

There differences are found in the way in which they display their pictures. Plasma TV technology is made up of hundreds of thousands of little pixels, each capable of displaying red, green, and blue colors. A plasma monitor often consists of two panels, which are filled with an inert gas, such as xenon or neon. When the pixels are excited by pulses of electricity, the gas becomes liquid, thus generating light. This light in turn then illuminates the pixels, causing them to display the appropriate color to form a picture.

LCD panels function in a very similar manner. A panel of thin-film-transmitters, or TFT, sends electricity to cells filled with liquid crystal. When the cells are struck by the electricity, the liquid crystals allow light to filter through. Unlike the pixels found in plasma TVs, LCD monitors create color by blocking out the appropriate wavelengths from white light.

So which is better? The answer to this question depends upon what you plan to use TV for. Do you just want to use it to watch movies and television? If so, then a plasma TV might be best, because they are capable of a higher better color saturation and contrast than their LCD counterparts and for displaying moving images. If you plan in spending a lot of time showing digital photography or plan on using the monitor with your computer, then a LCD display might be better suited to these purposes.

Both plasma and LCD technologies each have their advantages and disadvantages and your decision should ultimately be based on your monitor's application.

Tom Ace is the founder of Plasma tv Resources a website providing information on plasma televisions

LCD Plasma Television Appear Like Works of Art Hanging in Your Living Room

If you've been shopping around for a television set in the recent past, chances are that you've been astounded by the wide array of television sets available. I'm not referring to the number of manufacturers. Apart from the brand names most of us have grown up with, most state of the art television sets today come from the Asian region, from companies in China, Korea and Japan. What I am referring to however, is the new technologies that are available. If on the one hand there are still cathode ray tube conventional televisions, on the other hand, there are innovative display systems like liquid crystal display televisions and even what is known as plasma televisions.

In the tried and tested conventional televisions that most of us have grown up with, the technology used is known as the cathode ray tube technology. A cathode gun fires electrons, which, when charged and excited, tend to form an image on a glass screen. These images form as pixels in the three basic colors, which when combined can produce millions of colors. While the technology itself has been fine tuned and developed through the ages to give us great television monitors, there are certain limitations to what the conventional cathode ray tube television can do.

For one thing, being built of glass, the screen of the cathode ray tube or conventional television has a size limitation. Most conventional televisions which use the cathode ray tube technology are less than 42 inches in size. This size is not the height or width of the television, but the diagonal distance between one end and the other. So, the biggest conventional television you can have is around 42 inches. Conventional televisions are bulky, restricted in image size and confined to the limitations of the box they are built in. This makes them big, and in some cases impossible to fit into your living room.

This is where newer display technologies have resulted in better, modern televisions like the plasma television. In a plasma television, the older cathode ray tube technology is left behind in favor of an atomic technology. Our ability to manipulate and control the behavior of atomic particles has also enables us to enhance our viewing experience. This is the technology that a plasma television uses. A plasma, is a gas that contains freely flowing ions and electrons. When an electric charge is passed through this plasma, photons are released, which then provide illumination. The rest of the technology in plasma televisions is concentrated on using this illumination to create the three primary colors and to display them as images. Just as the cathode ray tube televisions use different intensities of particles to produce differing colors, the plasma television also varies the intensity of the illumination to produce color changes. Which is why, while using a plasma television, more numbers of colors can be seen.

The plasma television removes or negates most of the drawbacks of the conventional television. For one thing, size is no longer a restriction, as the bulky cathode ray tube has been done away with. For another, bulky boxes are not required and the plasma television can be as thin as you could have imagined it. Most plasma televisions nowadays appear more or less like works of art hanging in your living room. So adopt the plasma television today and see how innovations in display have enhanced the quality of our entertainment!

Muna wa Wanjiru has been researching and reporting on HDTV LCD TV for years. visit his site at http://www.merpetsales.com/home-theatre.html

Plasma Television Myths and Facts

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Myths about plasma television persist even though these flat panel entertainment wonders have been around for a while and are widely used in home, offices and public areas.

Like all decisions in life, the decision to purchase a plasma television has both pros and cons. But that is not this article. This article is about the debate about what those pros and cons are to help you sort out the raging shouting matches on the technology forums.

Like any good, religious technology debate the debate between plasma televisions and LCD screens is as hot as between PC and Mac fanatics.

Anything I say here will be seen as wrong, even with the numbers to back it up, by one of the camps. Since I have worked at the electronics department of a major department store before, I have seen the ups and downs of both camps. Which is why there is a CRT in my living room. Now that all biases have been aired, let's try to see the debate:

1. Stupid Myths. If it sounds like something your father came up with (like needing to refill or recharge your plasma television) it is probably stupid.

2. Burn In. Remember the original reason for screen savers? Well, it is still alive and well today. While it is true that a plasma television used a certain way will not have burn in, there have been enough examples of toddlers burning the screen. For the price of a plasma television, any example is too many. The manufacturers either need to fix the problem or issue rebates.

3. Fade. Yes, they both do it. The only debate is in how long it takes to do it. Unfortunately, my last CRT was over 30 years old and still had a perfect picture. Again, there is not much excuse for any television wearing out.

4. Picture Quality. The manufacturers would have you believe that it is impossible to get as good a picture quality on a CRT as a plasma television or an LCD screen. They are lying. There are CRT's with comparable picture quality, they are just hard to find.

5. The Myth of the Clean Room. Manufacturers love to advertise the image of a plasma television screen in a picture frame and no other electronics in the room. Yeah, right. First of all, plasma televisions are hard to hang. Then you still have all your other stuff that needs to be connected, like VCR's and cable boxes and game systems.

What they never show on advertisements is the nest of cables, cords and power strips! Plasma televisions do not have anything built into them to help cut down the clutter.

6. Durability. Plasma televisions are fragile. Once you decide where they are going, then they are staying there because you probably had to have them professionally installed. And if you want one over your fireplace, then you will need special carpentry to hold it in place.

Okay, most writers about plasma television myths assume that you are stupid. You probably are not. Therefore, you are not looking for questions on obvious myths, but the real possible problems that you might have with a plasma television. I hope that you feel more confident in your decision now.

New technology is always exciting and mysterious. Plasma televisions are no different. However, if you question closely owners of plasmas to find their experiences, you will have a better idea of their performance and if these new televisions are for you. At the price, you want to be right!

Ready for plasma? Louis Zhang provides jargon-free, relevant information on plasma televison technology, selection and installation. For more on plasma television myths, go to http://www.cool-plasma-television.com/recommends/plasmatv-myths