Four styles of HDTV
Flat-panel TVs: plasma and LCD
With prices starting around S$4,000 (US$2,945.01) for high-resolution models, a coveted plasma TV is within reach of most shoppers. But now that you can get a 40-inch LCD for about the same chunk of change, plasmas have to depend on factors other than price to remain competitive against their flat-panel nemeses. Picture quality varies greatly between different makes of plasma, so be sure to read reviews before you plunk down your cash. Despite significant advances, plasma panels still can't quite replicate the deep blacks that tubes can. Otherwise, the best plasmas can produce nearly CRT-quality images, with excellent color and viewing angles, and high-resolution models (as opposed to EDTVs) appear demonstrably sharper than most CRTs when showing high-def sources. LCDs generally have higher resolution at similar screen sizes, however, which affects visible detail with HD and computer sources. Burn-in: You may have heard that plasma has a couple of drawbacks. One such downside is burn-in, which occurs when an image--such as a stock ticker, a network logo, or letterbox bars--gets etched permanently onto the screen because it sits in one place too long. In our experience, the danger of burn-in has been greatly exaggerated, and people with normal viewing habits have nothing to worry about. The potential for burn-in is greatest during the first 100 or so hours of use, during which time you should keep contrast low (less than 50 percent) and avoid showing static images or letterbox bars on the screen for hours at a time. After this initial phase, plasma should be as durable as any television technology. Many panels also have burn-in-reduction features, such as screensavers and pixel orbiting, or settings to treat burn-in once it occurs, such as causing the screen to go all white. Plasma life span: The life span of plasma TVs is another area that's improved dramatically over the last few generations of the technology. Partly in response to claims made by LCD TV makers, plasma manufacturers now claim their panels last an extremely long time. Most plasma makers today claim that their 2005 models have a life span of 60,000 hours before the panel fades to half brightness. According to a 2005 Nielsen study, the average household watches 8 hours, 11 minutes of TV every day. Even if the real figure is closer to 30,000 hours, and the plasma is the only TV in the house, that works out to more than 10 years before the set reaches half-brightness--about what you'd expect from a direct-view CRT.
 The Hitachi 37LD8800TA offers impressive performance for an LCD, and at 37 inches, it makes a good replacement for a midsize tube TV. Flat LCDs are extremely popular in screen sizes below 37 inches, thanks to their stylish looks and the fact they can fit just about anywhere. Larger LCDs--as high as 65 inches--remain more expensive than plasma and rear-projection models, but in the critical 40- to 42-inch size range, LCD prices have dropped precipitously. As of spring 2006, flat-panel LCDs in this size range can be had for around S$4,000 (US$2,945.01)--pretty much the same as plasmas. The picture quality of LCD has historically suffered from poor black levels, but the latest versions are much improved, if not quite up to the best plasmas. That's because LCDs cannot achieve a true black since there's always some light leaking through the pixels. Color saturation is also generally inferior to plasma, again as a result of the inability to completely blacken (turn off) the pixels. Light leakage affects the purity of the color. Viewing angle is another weakness of LCD compared to plasma. On every LCD we've reviewed, we witnessed some brightness and color shift visible when we watched from an angle that's far from the sweet spot right in front of the TV (to either side, and especially above or below). Plasmas look equally good from very wide angles. On the other hand, LCDs will generally have higher native resolution than plasmas of the same size, leading to slightly better detail with HD and computer sources--although high-resolution plasmas have plenty of detail for most viewers. LCD spec sheets often talk about response time, but in our experience, almost all newer LCDs have adequate response time to deal with fast motion. LCDs also have a reputation for being brighter than plasmas, and while that's technically true, plasmas are generally plenty bright for even the most demanding high-ambient-light viewing. Plasma vs. LCDIn terms of picture quality, plasmas and LCDs are becoming more and more equal, although we still generally recommend the best plasmas over the best LCDs for critical home-theater viewing. Most people will be perfectly happy with either technology, however, especially with high-def sources. For screen sizes between 37 and 42 inches, the buying decision generally boils down to price, the performance of individual models, and the perception of plasma's fragility, a perception that, again, is largely mistaken. |
1: Direct-view (tube) TVs
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