Plasma TV Buying Guide

So, you have decided to take the next step in your home entertainment system and buy a Plasma Television. Youve had to watch as your friends got one, as co-workers picked up a Plasma TV and finally your parents bought one, its time for you join the club. Before you go out to Best Buy or Circuit City and buy the fist plasma television you see, there are a few things you will need to decide. This article is designed to walk you through those We hope that this article will help you with those decisions.

Review of Plasma Technology

Pioneer was the first company to offer a plasma television back in 1997. Since then the Plasma TV market has mushroomed to the point where its estimated that over 50% of Televisions owned in the US are either Plasma TVs or flat panel TVs. As the volume has increased the price of a typical Plasma Television has dramatically fallen to a price where many consumers can afford one.

A plasma television is basically similar to a fluorescent light bulb. The display is a bunch of cells and with in each cell two glass panels are separated by a small gap in which neon – xenon gas in plasma form is injected and sealed in the cells. When the gas is electrically charged it strikes red, green, and blue phosphors which create the colors which create the image we see. These groups of phosphors are called pixels, just like you see on your computer monitor for more information check out this great web site supported by plasma manufacturers.

Along the way Plasma TVs have grown in size, capabilities and technology. The current largest Plasma television is a whopping 150” by Panasonic Corporation. Plasma TVs are perfect for a home theatre system. Enough history, whats so great about Plasma TVs?

> Flat – Plasma TVs like LCD TVs have a very slim profile.

> Weight – Lighter than CRTs and can be wall mounted.

> Viewing Angle – Plasmas have around a 178 degrees a little more than LCD TVs

> Size – Range from 32” – 150” rule of thumb the larger the more expensive.

> Refresh Rate – Overall Plasma TVs have the best refresh rate by LCD is not too far behind which makes those sports games and action movies spectacular.

> Life Span (the time until they are half as bright as a new unit) – range up to 30,000-60,000 Hours, about the same rate for LCD TVs.

> Durability – Slightly less durable than LCD TVs they still handle pretty well, but dont drop it.

> Installation – Requires a little more work due to weight may be worth a professional installing it.

> Brightness – Plasma Televisions have individual pixels that turn either on or off, creating deeper blacks and better contrast especially in low ambient light areas.

> Widescreen aspect ratio - Plasma TVs have a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, the relationship between the screens width and height. This is the proper aspect ratio for HDTV, and also allows many DVD-Video movies to be viewed in widescreen format, as originally seen in the theater.

Higher resolution- Plasma Televisions have higher resolution than conventional TV sets, and are capable of displaying full HDTV and DTV signals as well as XGA, SVGA and VGA signals from a computer. For example, you can get plasma displays with a 1024 x 1024 pixel high-resolution that can display images at true 1080i and 720p HDTV resolution, as well as 480i and 480p HD signals.

Well talk about some of those key features later on, but for now lets take a look at what you need to decide before purchasing your Plasma TV. Below is a set of questions to ask yourself and beneath the questions each paragraph explains the questions in a little more detail.

1. Where will you be watching your new TV?
2. What will you be watching on your new television?
3. What audio and video connections do I need? Do I want?
4. How much are you willing to spend on your Plasma TV?
5. Time to go Shopping what do I do?
6. Where do I buy online, in store, etc.?

Where – Location, Location, Location

Why does it matter where youre going to be watching your TV? First if the area has a lot of windows youre not going to get the most out of a Plasma TV. In fact because of the reflection on Plasma TVs LCD Televisions actually do better with a lot of ambient light especially if its directly on the TV. Second space is an issue. Sure you want that 60” Plasma TV, but youre going to be sitting only 3 feet its not going to look good. For optimal viewing a 60” Plasma TV should be viewed 12”-15” away. Take a look at this cool calculator if youre not sure what size to get.

What – So many things I could use a Plasma TV for!

This becomes important when you get down to selecting the right Plasma TV brand. Some will have better brightness and contrast others may have features you like. I would suggest you decide if Movies, Sports, Gaming, Computer stuff, or just plain TV watching is going to be your main use of the Plasma Television. Or go for a brand that provides a cross section of all of these. Here are some things to look out when youre deciding on a TV.

> Movies – You want brands with high level of resolution and brightness. Also check out the type of Audio and Video Display connections that come with the TV.
> Sports – Once again resolution is important, however the connections are not unless you want to put you own championship basketball game on.
> Gaming – Connections are a big deal here; make sure you have enough to hook up your X-box, HD-DVD player, sound system, Video camera, etc. Look for front connections so you can setup your game easily or switch to your Wii.
> Computer Stuff – Stop now dont go with a Plasma look at the LCD instead. Can you use a Plasma yes, but youll be happier with the LCD.
> Just TV – Well it depends on the shows, but Discovery is amazing on an HD Plasma Television.

Resolution – Does it really matter?

I mentioned resolution earlier so lets talk about it for bit. Resolution is another factor in the cost and image quality of a plasma display. For pixel based devices like plasma televisions (computer screens), native resolution refers to the number of unique pixels provided along the displays horizontal and vertical axes. The more you cram in there the better the picture and the less likely youll notice the individual pixels. The larger Plasma Televisions 50” or more usually will provide 1080p native resolution. Native means that no conversion is necessary to get this resolution. Just realize that youre cable only comes in at 720p, but youre DVD player may be able to use 1080p.

For smaller Plasma TVs less than 50” have a range of resolutions from 852 by 480 pixels (enhanced definition) to 1,024 by 1,024 pixels. Any widescreen TV that offers at least 720 lines of vertical resolution is considered a high-definition display. Horizontal resolution is not factored into that definition. Many 42-inch HD plasma displays provide a native resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. These and smaller displays have lower horizontal resolution than the 50-inch and larger models; that is offset somewhat by their smaller size, but smaller plasma TVs will lose some image detail when formatting a widescreen HDTV picture into their native resolution

HDTV – So I just need a Plasma TV Right?

Please make sure you know if the TV youre looking at is HDTV complaint. HDTV – High Definition Television allows for whole new three dimensional viewing experiences. Is it worth it, definitely if youre setup for it? Meaning an HDTV is useless with HD Cable or HD Satellite and an HDDVD or Blu-Ray DVD Player or an HD Tuner to receive local channels in HD. Many HDTVs have HD Tuners built in, but not all of them. You may have to buy it separately so make sure to include it in your cost pricing. Also beware there are still Plasma TVs that are only EDTV which is a lower simulated version of HDTV. Dont bother with it, although it takes awhile to see the difference the price comparisons between the two have dropped dramatically almost making it pointless to buy an EDTV. If you dont believe me check it out at the local Best Buy or Circuit City.

Audio & Video Connections – Who needs them?

We mentioned that Audio and Visual (AV) connections are important to your Home Theatre Setup and youre not buying the Plasma TV to sit by itself. So we need to make sure it has all the connections you need. There are two way to approach this. You can take a look at your current “Home Theatre System” and make sure they all contact to your new plasma television. Or you can decide to upgrade your entire system when you buy the Plasma television or within the next few months. So here are the key AV connections:

RF	Radio Frequency - Antennae, VCRs, cable and satellite boxes	HD Digital Tuners produce high quality, most other RF connections are low quality (analog)
Composite Video	Good old yellow connection when combined with red connection gave you audio and video together. Used on VCRs, older DVD players, and older game consoles	Low quality compared to newer connections like HDMI. (analog)
S-Video	Cable and satellite boxes, S-VHS VCRs, DVD players, game consoles	Okay resolution much better than composite, but less than HDMI. (analog)
Component-video	Green, Blue and Red colors can produce 1080i; 720p HDTV resolutions. HD cable and satellite boxes, HD & DVD players, HDTV tuners, and game consoles.	Great resolutions. (analog)
FireWire (1394)	Some HDTV Tuners and computers can connect with FireWire.	High Resolutions (digital)
DVI-D (Digital Visual Interface)	Mostly computers and old HD cable boxes only provide visual no audio.	High Resolutions (digital)
HDMI	Most HD cable & Satellite boxes, HDTV tuners, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players, game consoles etc.	Excellent resolutions in pure digital.

So basically youre looking for HDMI connections. Make sure there are at least 2 connections as you dont know what other devices you may want to hook up to the Plasma TV later. If you need to the Component Video offers the best analog inputs. Also make sure you take a look at the location of the AV inputs. You may want external connections on the front to hook up your video camera to embarrass youre 15 year old daughter by watching her 1^st birthday video when her date comes by for the prom.

Most plasma displays include stereo speakers. Though a decent surround-sound setup will provide a more compelling listening experience, the speakers bundled with most plasma displays are typically easier to set up and use. Some displays have side-mounted speakers, which make the unit wider and may mean the difference between a perfect fit or doing without. Some inexpensive plasma TVs have permanently attached speakers, which you may want to avoid for aesthetic reasons.

How much to spend? – I just won the lottery.

Okay if you won the lottery just pick out the best of everything and anything they recommend to you and youre done. For the rest of us its a game of what we want vs. what we can afford. First dont buy it if you cant pay cash. Its not worth going into debt for or spending your tax refund on. Second decide what is important to you size, resolutions, brightness, connections, etc. You should have a good idea by now. Third dont forget you will need to buy cables, possibly sound system, DVD players, satellite or cable tuner, etc. Hey if you get an HDTV dont forget the HD cable or satellite additional cost it adds up.

Here are some rules of thumb for how much to expect to spend on accessories (anything except the TV). For a full home theatre system double what youre paying for the TV and expect the same quality as the TV. For high end system this may be $3,000 for the plasma television and $3,000 for the accessories. For just a Plasma TV and the normal cables expect to spend around $100 on top of what you paid for the TV. Dont forget you may need a wall mount of new TV stand for your huge Plasma TV. Look to spend $300 on a stand or a wall mount.

Time to shop –

First thing you do is get in your car with your handy notebook and head off to Circuit City or Best Buy whatever is close to you with Plasma TVs. Just browse around and get a feel for which TVs you like best. Be sure to stand directly in front of the TV and at least 8 feet away depending on the size. Once you narrow down the selection take a look at the specifications. What type of resolutions does it have, connections, what vendor, etc.? Write this stuff down itll save time later. Ask the salesperson any questions you may have. Most importantly figure out which ones look right to you.

Believe it or not we all our eyes are made differently so what looks amazing to me may look like junk to your eye. Some people like bright colors, others prefer to see the variations of black, some just like the colors to blend well, and its all in the “eye of the beholder”. Also remember store lighting is totally different from your house, funny you never see windows in these places, I wonder why. Some things you can check out are:

> Shadow Detail – do peoples faces show a gradual shadow or do parts of there face just disappear on the TV. Also check the Letterbox on widescreens it should look inky black not grey.

> Resolution – can you tell the difference between two different resolutions. Make sure you find out what is showing on the TV cable or an HD Movie.

> Brightness – is it too much for your eyes, or is too hard to see. How will the light in the room youll be watching affect the brightness?

Finally are you willing to pay for the differences you see? Youll be surprised if you just look at the set before the specifications you may like the Plasma TV that is not the latest and greatest remember everyones different. Make sure to write down youre top picks and then do some research on reviews for your choices. Check out http://www.cnet.com and http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com

Where do I buy – Online, In Store so many choices, oh my!

Well this question really depends on you and what youre buying. First if you getting an entire home theatre system I would go to one store. Itll be a little more expensive, but if youre willing to negotiate you should be able to get some type of discount for spending it all at once. If youre a risk taker and are comfortable with the Internet youll find the best prices almost all the time online. Check out http://www.buyplasmatvs.com/ for quick look at both new and used Plasma TVs. Most online stores will allow you to return you item within a certain period, but be sure to check out the shipping costs as well as the price. Dont forget you may be able to avoid sales tax by buying online.

Well, thats it, almost you can spend a lifetime learning everything and analyzing all the latest brands in fact some people do just that check out cnet.com. Eventually you just have to take the plunge and decide what you want. We hope weve helped get on the right path and wish you the best of luck in youre search.

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