<h1>Plasma TV Buyer's Guide</h1>
Plasma TV Buyer's Guide
Owning a plasma television is like owning a sports car. Both combine sleek styling and low profiles that are sure to awe just about anyone. But of course you shouldn't be buying a sports car or a plasma just to impress your friends. It's all about the performance. These are days of fast-paced, wide-screen movies. And there's no question about it, all televisions will eventually be flat. Currently, two flat panel technologies are available - plasma and LCD. A few other technologies are also in the works. All plasma televisions are widescreen (16:9 screen ratio) and most range between 42 and 60 inches, although by the end of this year you'll be able to find plasma screens closer to a colossal 100 inches. How big do you want your plasma to be? That all depends on your space. A good rule of thumb is that the distance from your seating position to the television should be 3 times the diagonal screen measurement. Any larger and you may see obvious pixilation and scan lines may become visible.
In addition to the screen size, resolution is a prime factor in determining a plasma television's price. The lowest priced plasmas are enhanced-definition (ED). They have a resolution of at least 480p which is equivalent to today's DVDs. A high-definition (HD) display has a resolution of 720p, 1080i or the latest 1080p. A high-definition plasma is a great investment since a good amount of HD programming is now available, and HD DVD and Blu-ray movies look absolutely fantastic. A high-definition plasma costs a slightly more than an enhanced-definition model but it is well worth the investment. Although, if you've got a smaller budget you'll be better off picking up an ED plasma that has good signal processing, interpolation, contrast, and brightness. Its picture might be better than that of an inexpensive HD plasma. Up-conversion from a lower resolution source is tricky (which is what all HD plasmas have to perform) and an inexpensive unit will not do a very good job at it. In contrast, down-converting a high-definition signal is much less detrimental to picture quality. If you plan to display computer images on your plasma or surf the internet on it, an HD plasma will produce much better results over an ED model.
If you plan to watch mostly standard-definition cable on your new television, a plasma may not be the right choice. You would be probably better off getting a good CRT-based television. Regular (analogue) cable picture is of low-resolution, displayed in a 4:3 format. This picture has to undergo an up-conversion process to be displayed on a plasma that usually results in substantial loss of quality. You'll also get those annoying black bars on both sides of the picture. On the other hand, plasma televisions do an incredible job with DVDs, video games, computer signals and of course high-definition signals. Consider the number of inputs and outputs the plasma offers. Does it have enough inputs for you to connect all of your gear? Does it have enough inputs to add new components in the future? Although this may not be a major deciding factor in your purchase. Most home theater receivers are equipped with video switching and you can always add more components to your plasma using an external video switcher. Look for a plasma television with DVI or HDMI (digital) connectors. These digital connectors send the digital signals directly from your DVD player to your display without any digital to analogue and vice-versa conversion of the signal. Most of today's models come equipped with one or more digital connections. Latest plasma televisions come with a built-in ATSC (digital) tuner, in addition to the standard NTSC tuner. This allows them to receive over-the-air high-definition channels. Currently, only a few over-the-air high-definition channels are available in Canada and can only be picked up in large cities. The FCC in the US has mandated that all TVs over a certain size must now contain an ATSC tuner, so it's safe to say we'll see the same happen here in Canada. An HD-ready or HDTV-compatible plasma means that it is capable of displaying high-resolution signals but does not have an ATSC tuner built-in. You will need a set-top box from your cable or satellite provider or an external ATSC tuner to bring high-definition to life on these sets. Viewsonic is currently the only company in Canada that offers external ATSC tuners such as the NextVision HD10 and NextVision HD12.
Click here to read our Latest LCD TV and Plasma TV Buyer's Guide (and how the two technologies compare).
In the end your decision should be based on whether you're impressed by the quality of the picture the plasma produces, not its specifications. Plasma televisions at big box stores are usually not calibrated properly, play the same source in a loop and do not have DVD players connected directly to them. Chances are, that you won't be able to bring your own DVDs to test there. But independent audio video stores generally properly configure their televisions and will allow you to play your DVDs and offer much better advice than big box stores. There is nothing like watching a good movie on a good plasma television.
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