So you have decided to reach into the old wallet and spring for a new flat screen TV. Ahh I can almost HEAR the Velcro ripping now! But like most people you only know two things:
1.) You want a TV cooler then your buddies next door.
2.) You don’t want to be paying for it for the next 10 years.
Luck for you we here at NextLust have done all the legwork for you. At the end of this series of articles you will be able to shop for a flat screen in style. So without further delay I present…
The Ulitimate Flat Screen TV Buyers Guide - Part 1
The first thing that must be decided when embarking upon this journey is the decision to buy Plasma or LCD. Both have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. Over the course of this article we will go over in detail the differences between the two so that we may begin to narrow down our selection.
Contrast Ratio
Contrast is determined by the difference in the color and brightness of the object and other objects within the same field of view. It is essentially how deep the colors look. A television with poor contrast will make different colors look more “greyish” and “bland.” Whereas a television with excellent contrast will display colors that are “lush” and “bright”
Contrast is measured in something called the “contrast ratio,” which is the measurement of the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black. A typical contrast ratio is 3000:1. The key to remember here is the higher the first number the better the ratio.
Traditionally Plasma TV’s have always had higher contrast ratios then LCD’s. Recently LCD manufactorers have been able to boost their contrast ratios to be on par with those of Plasmas, however overall Plasmas still outperform LCD’s. It should be noted however that no matter which type you decide to go with, you should first find out the contrast ratio.
Viewing Angles
Remember when your cool friend had that “projection TV” that looked REALLY great when you were sitting smack dab in the middle of the couch, but could barely be seen when you were exiled to the recliner at the other side of the room? That is viewing angle.
In this area it can be at toss up. I have read articles that say Plasma is the clear winner, and then read others that say LCD is the clear winner. Honestly, after you get past 150 degrees not many people are going to care. My advice is just to keep an eye out for the specs when you go to purchase your TV. Depending on how your bedroom or den is set up this might be a large or a small factor.
Multi-Functional
Depending on how tech savvy you are you might want to use your flat screen TV for a multitude of different uses. For example, I have a friend who has his flat screen TV hooked up to a PC so that he can play World of Warcraft on his nice 50 inch flat screen. Let me tell you a 50 inch Onyxia can be a bit intimidating.
If you’re looking to use your TV in this capacity, LCD monitors are the way to go. Plasma TV’s are slowly gaining ground on problems such as burn-in and flickering, but LCD’s are still the industry powerhouse in this area.
Burn-In Factor
What is “Burn-in”? Ever looked straight up at the sun (even though your mom told you not to) and then looked away real quick? Even after you have looked away, the bright ball of light is still burned into your retinas. Same principle here. The image of whatever you’re watching gets burned into the pixel cells of the TV.
This is something that has always plagued Plasmas. Newer technologies have made the time it takes for this to happen longer and longer but it is still a possibility. The time it takes to temporarily burn-in an image can range from a half hour to an hour, depending on the manufacturer. Permanent damage is more like 10 hours.
Size
When speaking about TV’s size DOES matter, no matter what your wife might tell you. If you’re planning on taking the plunge and trying to get the biggest screen possible then Plasma is the way to go. Right now the largest Plasma screen TV is around 65 inches, whereas the largest LCD is around 46 inches. Remember the larger the TV the higher the cost, so if you’re thinking about capping your spending funds then most people will be looking at around the 40 inch range, which both Plasma and LCD provide nicely.
Pump Up The Power
So you dropped a couple grand on your TV, you’re in the poorhouse but that doesn’t matter because at least you can watch Sports Center in style. Only problem is that your electric bill is now skyrocketing because of it. Power is one of those things that people don’t think about until AFTER they have spent the money.
In this category LCD’s are the clear winner. They tend to consume half the power of what the same size Plasma would. Might not be a huge issue if you’re well off, but still something to consider for you penny pinchers.
Refresh Rate
This type of thing used to be a huge issue in the battle between LCD’s and Plasmas. Originally LCD’s were designed to display data, not video. Because of this, the refresh rates were poor up until recently. Now a days you can find LCD’s with refresh rates as low as 5ms, which is almost unnoticable. Plasmas still slightly win out here but as long as you check what the refresh rate is on the LCD before you buy, you should be ok.
Weight/Durability/Installation
You know all those great commercials that sport those cool looking Plasma TV’s on the wall over the fireplace or on the ceiling in some rappers crib? It looks SOOO simple doesn’t it? Think again…don’t be “that guy” and think that you and your buddy can lug that TV up the stairs and mount it on the wall in your bedroom while you raise a toast to your new swag over a brewsky. No matter how “baler” you think you are, you’re going to need help.
Plasma TV’s are much heavier, much more susceptible to breakage, and much harder to install then your average LCD. Most of the time they require special shipping and home installation by a professional.
Lifespan
Some people will care a lot about this, others not so much. According to my research, LCD’s used to have a big advantage over Plasmas, but with the new technologies out there it really depends on the brand now. The normal amount of hours that a TV lasts before starting to show breakdown is around 60,000 hours. If you watch THAT much TV, then by the time it starts to fail it wont matter because your eyes will have already bled out.
Resolution / HDTV
I will say this once, not many Plasma TV’s under 42-inches reach the “full effect” HD resolution, which is generally at least 1,280 X 720-pixels. That isn’t to say that both TV’s can’t “receive” the HD signal, it just means that LCD’s can display it better. However, the typical TV viewer wont see much of a difference between the highest resolution on a Plasma and the HD resolution of an LCD. So unless you’re a stickler for this type of thing you should be ok. Just be aware that LCD’s have a clear advantage in terms of resolution range.
Conclusion
Well that’s the end of Part 1 of our breakdown. At this point you should have a rough idea of which type of TV will suit your needs. Next week I’ll go over the top brands in each category and start to get into more specifics about reading spec sheets. Stay tuned…
Sources
[via Plasma TV Buying Guide]
[via CNET]
[via Audioholics]
[via LCD TV Buying Guide]
[via Flat TV People]
February 21st, 2007 at 8:24 am
No mention of DLP’s?
February 21st, 2007 at 8:53 am
LCD rear projectin a la Grand Wega? Toshiba SED as an emergent technology? Front projectors as an aside?
Great column, though! I look forward to future information.
February 21st, 2007 at 9:04 am
Gotta cover LCos (or SXRD) technology right now. Many publications’ top reviewed picks for 06 and already 07 use LCoS technology.
February 21st, 2007 at 9:04 am
What 5 pages isn’t enough for you! Lol if there is enough demand for DLP info I’ll put it in a future section.
February 21st, 2007 at 10:01 am
DLP is actually a great alternative to LCD, and a much better choice than plasma…
I’m just sayin
February 21st, 2007 at 11:30 am
I have looked up DLP’s, LCos and SED I’ll be including those in my next section