- In this report
- Overview
- Why buy a plasma TV?
- Why buy an LCD TV?
- When either type is fine
ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
March 2008
When either type is fine
In some situations, either an LCD or plasma TV should do almost equally well:
For sports and action movies. It's true that plasma sets are better than LCD TVs at displaying fast motion, but it's not likely you'd notice much of a
problem on an LCD. Our video experts can clearly detect motion blur with test patterns designed to pinpoint the problem. However,
you might not notice any blur, or might not be bothered by it, when watching sports and movies. Some newer LCD models have
high refresh rates (120 Hz) designed to improve motion-handling, and we have noticed a visible reduction in image motion blur
on those TVs.
For a long, useful life. Another point that needn't concern you is any difference in longevity between the two technologies. Despite reports you might have read about plasma's allegedly short life span, both LCD and plasma sets should last a good 10 years or more in normal use.
For wall-mounting. Both LCD and plasma panels can be mounted on the wall, but you should attach mounts to wall studs to ensure adequate support. That's especially important with larger plasma TVs, which tend to be heavier than comparably sized LCD sets. A 50- or 60-inch screen can weigh more than 100 pounds.
Bottom line. You have a lot of fine TV choices. Excellent picture quality is the gold standard, and you'll find more sets that hit this high mark, some at modest prices. You might also want to consider sets with very good picture quality. It can be hard to detect the sometimes subtle differences between excellent and very good pictures, especially when you're watching typical cable and satellite programming, which doesn't always provide the best signals. Discerning the differences is even more challenging when you're not comparing two TVs side by side as we do in our labs. If you find a TV with very good picture quality at a low price, it's worth considering.
For a long, useful life. Another point that needn't concern you is any difference in longevity between the two technologies. Despite reports you might have read about plasma's allegedly short life span, both LCD and plasma sets should last a good 10 years or more in normal use.
For wall-mounting. Both LCD and plasma panels can be mounted on the wall, but you should attach mounts to wall studs to ensure adequate support. That's especially important with larger plasma TVs, which tend to be heavier than comparably sized LCD sets. A 50- or 60-inch screen can weigh more than 100 pounds.
Bottom line. You have a lot of fine TV choices. Excellent picture quality is the gold standard, and you'll find more sets that hit this high mark, some at modest prices. You might also want to consider sets with very good picture quality. It can be hard to detect the sometimes subtle differences between excellent and very good pictures, especially when you're watching typical cable and satellite programming, which doesn't always provide the best signals. Discerning the differences is even more challenging when you're not comparing two TVs side by side as we do in our labs. If you find a TV with very good picture quality at a low price, it's worth considering.
