What's better, a 52" lcd or a 52" plasma tv?

HD TV, Whats the best? Plasma, LCD? I want the best value for my money....?

• I want to get a HD TV but I want the best picture for my money. Whats the best brand, type, etc, without breaking the bank. I dont know a lot about the whole LCD Plasma etc. What should I look for?

• Answer:

  "With Lcd you dont get any burn-in like plasma's do." -Perhaps, but you do get pixel drop-out. "Also with Lcd the picture is brighter and clearer!" -The picture is clearer on Plasma. As far as being brighter, it's because it has a backlight that is always on at full power. Most people view their output with the brightness too high, anyway. If you're television has a 'Cinema' or 'Theater Reference' picture mode, this is the mode closest to the original intention of the creator for viewing. "Plus Lcd tvs are lighter and use less power." LCDs are lighter because they are smaller. However, a few companies are attempting to create a smaller plasma to compete w/ the cost of LCD. Soon we may be seeing a 32" plasma. "For fast action movies..." -Due to faster response time than LCD. "...has better dark colors." -Due to increased contrast ability. Also, depending on how they're made, better light colors. "Burn in images from still images." -Try to avoid keeping the same image in one position on-screen for more than 15% of the viewing week and you shouldn't have problems. "Plasmas are 40inches and UP." -Actually, currently 37" up to 103" for the time being. "LCD: For best picture quality, last a lot longer than plasmas." -Lasts longer in what area? The lamp in a native 1080p plasma will last on average over 11 years if it's left on 24/7. Since the average family has their TV on 7 hours a day - that's almost 40 years of lamp life. Not sure if you're referring to it out-lasting some other way? "There are no image burn ins." -As I said before, though, there is pixel drop-out -which is more frequent and can be just as annoying. "LCDs size ranges from 1" and UP." -Average is 7" to 32", but Sharp made a 108" and another company (can't recall) has a 110". "In addition........plasmas are less energy efficient. they tend to consume 25-30% more power than the same size LCD." -Also a common misconception. Actually, LCDs are less energy efficient. As I said before, the LCD has a backlight that - even when the picture is of complete blackness - is still on. In a plasma, if there is black in a picture, the light being transmitted through that pixel is cut off completely. Therefore, that alone saves on power significantly. The power consumption based on size and type of viewing is roughly the same. "While Plasma's big selling issue is "Blacker blacks" i.e. contrast......I looked at a 46" Plasma and LCD side by side and, honestly, couldn't see the difference." -Depends on the connection of what you were viewing and which model. Some of the cheaper ones do not have the higher spec contrast ratio. "I had to dig deep, but I bought a 46" Sony Bravia (LCD.) In my humble opinion, TVs may get bigger -but- they don't get any better than this. Watching a Blu Ray DVD at 1080p is just short of "breathtaking."" -Connect it to a plasma w/ a contrast ratio of 20000:1 and a 1080p native resolution (soon to be going to 1440). Also, wait until a TV is made with new HDMI specifications of deep color (10, 12, and 16-bit color). If you think it's breathtaking now - think of the advancements coming soon with the HDMI now that 1.3 spec has doubled available bandwidth in the cable. "Best of luck to you, regardless of what technology or brand you buy - it's YOUR eyes and your budget that will ultimtley make the descision." -Truest statement of all.