Over every other technical question the one I hear the most "Plasma or LCD, which should I buy?"

Buying a TV is not what it used to be.  I remember being a kid and the TV we owned died one early afternoon. I was heart-broken as there was a special MacGyver special being shown that night.  My parents, figured it was a great educational show as it aids in real world problem solving and creativity, went out that night to look for a replacement.  Ironically, the episode shows MacGyver using a brilo pad, some bailing twine, The Bedazzler, and 12 Tuperware lids to make his own TV.  Awe yes!  If only we all had Bedazzler's it would be that simple, right?

Joking aside, the choices available then were:

1. Color or Black and White
2. Size. 

Many of you may recall not even having color as an option which helped in the decision process but it was a no-brainer barred of course by price.  Now?  Its acronym and number mania, LCD DLP LCOS, OLED, Plasma SED, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, ect...  If you really want to confuse yourself have a look at this CNET article and its comments.  I'm not going to drown you with what the hell all those mean, but I want to arm you with enough to feel comfortable with making a purchase.

Contrast: All this is, is a measure between the blackest black and the whitest white.  My favorite line form a sales person was "It's blacker than black".  The technology between the two are pretty close now a days however the clear advantage of Plasma over LCD is whats called Off Axis-viewing.  Blah, blah, blah If your planning on watching TV from any other angle then head on get the plasma.  Avoid the LCD.  If you want to get flat panel snobby, you could justify that Plasma's handle scenes with a lot of light and dark images shown simultaneously. In short, today, Plasma is the clear winner here.

Color: Plasma's tend to offer a richer color base than that of LCD just purely based on the technology used.  One is subtracting color out of white light, the other is creating the color with three (blue green and red) elements.  LCD has been known to be brighter which may make the greens and reds a bit strong.  Two things to consider: If you have a well-lit common room with daytime viewing, blah blah blah, an LCD is right for you.  If light in the room can be controlled then a Plasma is better for you.

Here are a few more things to consider

1. If you plan on connecting a computer or a gaming system an LCD is better.
2. If you watch a lot of high action sports and movies a Plasma is better.
3. If you live a mile high+ (6,500 feet or more) an LCD is better.
4. If you concerned about electrical power consumption over everything else, go LCD.
5. If price per size is your concern then go Plasma (LCD's are typically a third more for similar size).

Now my disclaimer: there are always exceptions to when one is better over the other.  What has been provided above should be used only as a general guide.

And lastly, go to a place that actually has a home viewing type setting.  The Walmart's, Costco's, Best Buy's and Circuit City's all just have dozens of TV's lined up under fluorescent lights with tons of store noise and other equipment throwing off reflections and crap.  Plus, those big stores don't take the time to properly calibrate the picture so you can't tell if its the TV quality or a bad calibration.  Go visit an Audio/Video dealer and really LOOK at the difference there.  They have the environment setup to mirror that of your home.  I'm not saying buy your TV from there, all though you could, but go look.  Once you do you could then check elsewhere for the right model that meets your budget and specs.

Before you make your TV purchase, register for your FREE LCD vs. Plasma Buyers guide at www.mydigitalauthority.com

For more information look at:
LCD TV Buying Guides: LCD TV vs Plasma
Flat TV People: LCD And Plasma Comparison Chart
CNET Home Theater Resource: Plasma vs. LCD Chart

-your technoshrink

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