What do the numbers on the t.v. stand for like the 720 and 1080 and whats the difference between lcd and plasm

Plasma TV Overview Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element). Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images. LCD TV Overview LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology (see also question #1 for this same explanation). Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer. Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is need for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself. Plasma vs LCD The ADVANTAGES of Plasma over LCD are: 1. Larger screen size availability. 2. Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks. 3. Better color accuracy and saturation. 4. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images). The DISADVANTAGES of Plasma vs LCD include: 1. Plasma TVs are more susceptible to burn-in of static images. 2. Plasma TVs generate more heat than LCDs, due to the need to light of phosphors to create the images. 3. Does not perform as well at higher altitudes. 4. Shorter display life span (about 30,000 hours or 8 hrs of viewing a day for 9 years) than LCD. However, screen life span is improving to as high as 60,000 hours. due to technology improvements. LCD television ADVANTAGES over Plasma include: 1. No burn-in of static images. 2. Cooler running temperature. 3. No high altitude use issues. 4. Increased image brightness over Plasma. 5. Longer display life (about 60,000 hours - at which time all you may need to do is replace the light source, not the entire set). This can vary according other environmental and use factors. 6. Lighter weight (when comparing same screen sizes) than Plasma counterparts. DISADVANTAGES of LCD vs Plasma televisions include: 1. Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks. 2. Not as good at tracking motion (fast moving objects may exhibit lag artifacts) - However, this is improving. 3. Not as common in large screen sizes above 42-inches as Plasma. However, the number is growing fast, with some LCD sets having a screen size as large as 65-inches now available to the general public. 4. Although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you. 5. LCD televisions are typically more expensive than equivalent-sized Plasma televisions (although this is changing), especially when comparing EDTV Plasmas to HDTV-LCD Televisions.

If you are looking for a ranking of what is the best: LCD vs. DLP, here's the pros and cons: 1. DLP front projection provides the biggest bang for the buck. The only downside is possible viewer sensitivity to the "rainbow" effect which is greatly lessened with 4X+ [speed] color wheels. If brightness is a major consideration, stay with the older 480i/p configuration since the higher 1040+ Dark 3 chips greatly lower the final lumens output. Also be very careful when shutting down the projector and allow some 20 minutes for the fan to cool down the bulb and associated color wheel. Failure to properly cool down DLP's is the major reason for shortened lamp life. A typical bulb will cost between $300 - $400 and last some 4,000 hours. 2. LCD front projectors have been around for some time and the "screen door" effect has been greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Unfortunately, there's the issue of LCD panel fade since many LCD projectors still rely on 'organic' based panels which will fade over time, especially the blue panel. Look for the new "inorganic" LCD panels to correct this fading issue. Still the "blackness" background of LCD projectors do not come up to the better movie-like blacks generated by DLPs. And finally, is there truly a best buy budget DLP projector? Check out at Amazon.com, the Infocus SP4805 for some $550 [refurbished] which produces a 350 lumens, 92" diagonal screen picture with the WOW effect. And the world-famous Faroudja deinterlacer and built-in speaker adds true value to this home-theater projector. Good luck!