Flatscreen TVs, also commonly called flat panel TVs, are the sexiest new video products on the market. People like them because they are thin and hang on the wall like a framed picture. They are upscale high technology, and inch-for-diagonal-inch they are the most expensive video display products on the market. As such they make a statement, sort of like driving a Porsche makes a statement.

Two common technologies are used in flatscreen TVs-plasma and LCD. Plasma was the first in the large screen format. But LCD is a highly competitive technology that can surpass plasma in image quality. So LCD TVs are coming on strong. Each of these flatscreen technologies has advantages over the other, as we will explore here.

Both LCD TVs and plasma TVs can come in monitor editions as well. If you use a satellite or cable set-top-box for channel tuning, you don't need one in the TV display as well. Furthermore, if you have an external surround sound system, you don't need audio speakers onboard the video display either. So get just the components you need to complete your system, and save yourself some money by avoiding the fully integrated television if you don't need it.

Superb picture quality. Both plasma and LCD TVs deliver high contrast, excellent color saturation, and an assortment of native resolutions. Between the two, plasma tends to have higher contrast, deeper blacks, and more deeply saturated color--over-saturated in some cases.

However, LCD has (in our viewing experience to date) a more realistic, natural balance, superior color accuracy, much better flesh tones, and better sharpness. Accordingly, LCD has a lot to offer if you are a dedicated videophile.

Both plasma and LCD can produce beautiful images, but they have different quality characteristics. One is not better than the other. Personal preferences for the type of image you want to experience, along with other factors like size and cost will ultimately determine whether plasma or LCD, or indeed a non-flatscreen alternative, will be the best solution for you.

Great in ambient light. No darkened room is needed for flatscreen TVs like it is for most front projectors. They function quite well in open room light, just like conventional televisions. LCD tends to be brighter than plasma, although differences in brightness are not likely to be deciding factors in the selection of one technology over the other.

Practical space-savers. Those who live in apartments or small homes will find flatscreen TVs particularly appealing due to their unobtrusive design. Plasma TVs are typically less than 4" thick, and LCD TVs are even thinner yet. Hang them on the wall and they take up no floorspace at all.

Wide viewing angle. Flatscreen TVs can be viewed at oblique angles either vertically or horizontally without too much compromise in picture quality. So they can accommodate viewers who are positioned at wide angles to the screen in the viewing room. Thus they are more versatile than rear-projection TVs which need to be viewed head-on at eye level for best results.

Integrated audio. Many people going to large screen displays are opting for multi-speaker surround sound systems also. However, if you don't want to go that route, you don't have to since flatscreen TVs tend to have better audio on board than your old television ever had. This means that even if you do want to go with a surround sound system eventually, you don't have to do it all at once. Conversely, with a front projection system, you will need separate audio capability set up along with it from the outset.

Long product life. A plasma TV will slowly dim over the course of its life, reaching 50% of its original light output in the range of 30,000 to 60,000 hours of operation (30,000 hours is about 4 hours of use a day, seven days a week for 20 years). An LCD TV will go 50,000 to 60,000 hours. So for normal television and movie viewing in the home, both technologies will last much longer than you would ever expect to have the product in service.

Cost. When it comes to cost per diagonal inch of screen surface, flatscreen TVs are the most expensive video products on the market. And at the present time, inch for inch, LCD is more expensive than plasma. At the moment a 42" plasma TV will cost about $1,100 less than a 42" LCD TV. However, you can expect this price gap to shrink in the months to come as LCD flatsceens get more price-competitive.

The cost of a larger plasma TV will cause the buyer to consider alternatives. For example, a 61" plasma TV can cost in the range of $10,000 or more. By comparison a 61" rear-projection TV (using LCD, DLP, or LCOS technology) will cost closer to $3,000. Furthermore, you can get front projectors for well under $2,000 that will deliver a beautiful, bright, high contrast 60" image if you want to set them up to do that. So there is a huge price premium to be paid for larger format (50" and larger) plasma TVs.

Resolution. At this writing, LCD flatscreens are available in higher resolution than are plasmas. Sharp's 45" LCD TV is a 1080-line progressive scan display, which is 1920x1080 resolution. No plasma TV or rear-projection TV currently on the market has this native HDTV 1080-line resolution format. Currently, maximum resolution on plasma TVs is 1366x768.

Limited screen sizes. At the moment the largest LCD TV on the market is 45" diagonal, and they go all the way down to a petite 13". (Actually, they can go all the way down to wristwatch size depending upon how loosely you define the word "television.") Conversely, the smallest plasma TV is 37" diagonal, and they currently go up to about 65". So at this writing, there is overlap in the 37" to 45" size range, in which you can choose from either LCD or plasma models. Below 37" you will find LCDs only, and at 50" and up you can get only plasma. However larger models in both plasma and LCD are certainly on the way. If you want an image that is 80" diagonal or larger, the front projector is the only cost-effective way to get it.

Burn-in. Plasma TVs in particular have been know to have problems with burn-in. This occurs when a static image appears on the screen for a long enough period of time that it becomes permanently etched into the image. LCD flatscreens do not have this problem. Some of the latest plasma products have made strides in reducing tendencies toward burn in as well. But if you plan to use your video display for any type of static material, such as an Internet browser or video with a stock ticker along the edge of the screen, be aware that some plasma displays can create a problem for you. Do your research, and either find a plasma product that is designed to avoid burn-in, or get an alternative type of video display.

Installation. One of the downsides of flatscreen TVs is that they can be more of a project to install if they are hung on the wall, which is where most people want to put them. They certainly look their best when hung on a wall, but you do not want a wad of power and signal cables dangling from the unit down to the floor. Wall mounting therefore requires opening up the wall, running the signal cables and power, installing the mount, then repairing the wall. Sometimes a reinforcement of the wall is required so that it will sustain the weight of the display.

Wall-mounting a flatscreen TV is not a project that many consumers will want to tackle by themselves. The good news is that you can contract with local installation companies to do it for you. Some will not only perform the physical installation, but will offer professional video calibration of your new system as well. These services can cost from $500 up to $1500 or more depending on the size of the unit and the complexity of the installation project. It is a cost you should get quotes on and factor into the decision to get a flatscreen TV before you place the order. Some of the dealers who sell these products on the Internet can help arrange for in-home installation as part of the service that they offer.

On the other hand, flatscreen TVs and monitors can be installed on stands and table tops without having to deal with wall-mounting. This makes installation and set-up a lot simpler. However, once you go this route, you lose the space saving advantages--the table or stand will need to be at least as deep as most rear projection TVs in order to ensure stability. And you also compromise the "cool" factor of hanging the TV on the wall. So at this point, you might want to consider whether a much less costly alternative, like an 18" deep rear-projection TV, would make more economic sense.

Shipment costs and risks. Due to improvements in shipping procedures and crating, the risks of shipping flatscreen TVs is not nearly what it used to be. Nevertheless, make sure to read the fine print on the dealer's return policies. Understand clearly who is responsible for what if the unit is damaged in shipment. Do not ever sign for a delivery without first opening and inspecting the merchandise, as you may lose any right to return defective merchandise if you sign the bill of lading stating that it was received in good condition.

Some dealers/vendors offer white glove delivery, which normally means they will bring it into your home, unpack it, verify it is in operating condition and remove the packing materials and crate. This is the safest and easiest way to ensure that the unit is in good working order when received. Make sure to power it on and put a signal to it before letting them take that crate away! But all things considered, buying online with white glove delivery is a much safer and easier way to get a flatscreen TV into your home than buying at a local retailer and loading it into the back of your pickup truck.

LCD TVs and Plasma TVs are most appropriate for those who have the money to spend on the most exciting new video display technologies available. They are ideal for anyone who wants to get rid of the box television and save floorspace, or who simply enjoys the high-tech look of a very thin television hanging on the wall like a framed picture.

Plasma TVs start as low as $1,500 and go up to over $10,000 depending on resolution and size in diagonal inches. The entry level plasma TVs are 42" diagonal. For the entry level prices well under $3,000 you get "EDTV" resolution, which is 854x480. Though this is lower resolution than the more expensive models, it is the perfect native resolution for watching standard NTSC television broadcasts and widescreen DVDs. In fact, unless you are really plan to watch a lot of HDTV and want to pay a premium for incremental image sharpness, you may find that the native 854x480 plasma TVs deliver the best overall trade-off value between picture quality and cost.

Furthermore, if you intend to sit back a ways and watch a 42" plasma TV from a distance like many would a regular television, you won't see much difference in resolution between the 854x480 units and those with the higher widescreen format of 1365x768. It is only as the picture itself gets larger, going to 50" or 60", and your viewing distance relative to the screen size gets closer, that differences in resolution will get more visible. Why pay for higher resolution if you are not ever going to see it from the distance you plan to view from?

So here is a buying tip: when you are in a retail store checking these products out, make sure to stand back and view them from the distance you intend to watch them in your home. This may be difficult to do since many stores set them up to be viewed from a close distance simply due to floorspace constraints. But if you are watching a high resolution plasma TV and a low resolution plasma TV side by side with an HDTV signal, from a distance of say four feet, the higher resolution unit will definitely look better. But if you were to change that input signal to regular DVD and back up to a viewing distance of about eight feet, suddenly you will see very little difference between the two except the size of the price tag.

On the other hand, many consumers are excited about the potential of HDTV and the new high definition DVD format that is just around the corner. If high resolution image quality is important to you and you are willing to pay for it, the larger format, higher resolution plasmas may be the best choice for you. And if you want to get into expensive high resolution HDTV in a 45" format, Sharp offers their 1080p LCD TV noted above. At this writing, plasma technology does not come in native 1080p resolution.

Projectors-Advantages and limitations

Rear-projection TVs-Advantages and limitations

Direct-view CRT-Advantages and limitations

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