You are ready to purchase a flat screen TV and Plasma is your choice. In the world of plasma flat screen technology there is alot of new and seemingly complicated options. So we have included some tips to consider when getting ready to select a plasma tv. The following plasma tv buying guide is designed to help you in that process. Happy shopping. Plasma TV buying guide ...
Contrast ratioPlasma TVs have higher contrast levels than LCDs. Under ideal conditions (no ambient light) this is a true advantage of plasma technology. Plasmas have deeper blacks and better contrast. This means better contrast and detail in dark-colored television or movie scenes. It is important to find a Plasma TV with 10000:1 contrast ratio. Contrast ratio is the ratio between the white and black parts in an image. The larger the contrast ratio of a display device the greater is the difference between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks a video display can show. This makes Plasma TVs perfect for your dark home theater.
Color accuracy and SaturationIf you are one that appreciates precise color and sharpness then the plasma TV will deliver just what you desire. Plasma TVs excel at color accuracy and saturation which means that colors are vibrant and show movies/videos the way they were meant to be seen.
Burn-inBurn-in is often cited as one of the main drawbacks of plasma TVs. Plasma TVs can suffer from burn-in produced by static image--such as a stock ticker a network logo or letterbox bars gets etched permanently onto the screen because it sits in one place too long. With technologies such as 'pixel orbiter' new plasma TVs have addressed burn-in and significantly reduced the issues of older models.
Plasma lifeThe average name brand plasma TV will last 50000 to 70000 hours to half life ( brightness is 50% of original it will still be 2 to 3 times brighter then a regular TVs) This is around 20 years at 6 hours per day. Expect substantially less on a no name.
High altitudesHigh altitude (6500 ft and higher) can affect the performance of plasma displays because the gas held inside each pixel is stressed and has to work harder to perform. Some manufacturers make plasmas that are specifically designed for high-altitudes but they may be priced higher than standard models.
Screen sizePlasma TVs support larger screen sizes (from 32 to 60)
Motion trackingPlasma TV handle motion tracking very well which means that fast moving images such as a sporting event will look fluid and crisp and wont blur with movement.
Aspect RatioTelevision screens today come in two shapes. The most familiar one is called 4:3 which represents four inches of width for every three inches of height. You can also buy wide-screen or 16:9 televisions which take the same shape as many movies and HD-programming. Plasma displays come primarily in 16:9 (Wide screen). Almost all large flat-panel TVs are wide screen. It's just a matter of time before 16:9 becomes the standard.
ResolutionIt’s important to find plasma TV with ability to support HD-resolution of 720p (1024 x 768) or higher.
HDMI inputsHDMI is a new input used for HD-DVDs HD-satellite HD-cable boxes next generation-video game console and other hardware to support HD content.
Computers and video gamesMost plasma and LCD TVs 16:9 (wide-screen) 4:3 (normal) can double as computer monitors. They'll also hook up to a game console without any problems. So which technology is better for these purposes? From a performance standpoint it's hard to pick a winner but because of plasma's burn-in risk LCD is the safer choice for computer work and gaming.
WarrantyThe standard warranty covers parts for one year and labor for 90 days. High-end TVs especially plasmas often have a one-year labor warranty. Some manufacturers also offer in-home service on more expensive and larger models that are difficult to ship.
