Choosing Your Plasma TV - Features to look for when purchasing a
Plasma Television
Article Summary: Are you planning a Plasma TV purchase?
Plasma televisions are among the most expensive big screen
options. Hence, proper planning of your purchase is essential to
enjoy the best results.
Discover the features to look for when choosing your flat-panel
Plasma display TV set in this Plasma Television Buying Guide.
What to look for when buying a Plasma Television
As with all big screen TVs, the choice of a plasma television is
in reality a function of finding the right trade-off between
screen size and supported features for your available budget.
This budget issue is even more important when it comes to plasma
TVs. It is true that we are seeing more and more of the
so-called cheap plasma TVs in the sub-$2000 price tag, yet as
one starts stretching the screen size over and above the 42-inch
entry-level mark, price increases drastically.
Before you start shopping around for your plasma display,
it is important that you make a prioritized list of the features
that are most important to your needs; this should include:
Screen Size
Display resolution
Support for HDTV
Connectivity
Appearance
When evaluating your options, keep in mind that plasma's are
expensive - hence the end approach is a trade-off between the
desired features and price in order to match your budget.
Ultimately, it is your budget that will drive your
purchase - hence you may have to scale-back accordingly.
Always start with Screen Size
Plasma TV screens range in size from typically 37-inches to the
latest 70-inch and 80-inch big screen giants.
Screen size is a big factor in plasma pricing and is the
most important feature you need to decide on. You can always
find smaller screens in the 37-inch to 42-inch domain, for
$2,000 to $3,000. Some bare-bones models from major manufactures
like Panasonic and Samsung, are even selling at slight less than
$2,000.
Therefore, the best way to start choosing your plasma TV is to
select the screen size you want, and then evaluate your options.
This is not an issue where if you can afford it, buy it! Here
there is a very important aspect to take into consideration when
deciding on your Plasma TV screen size - you need to choose one
that fits your room. This does not simply mean a screen size
that will fit your wall or available cabinet space only. Even
more important is the need to match the chosen screen size with
your available viewing distance. (More on this can be found in
our detailed article on TV Viewing Distance and Screen Placement
at
http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/TV-viewing-distance.h
tml.)
Many argue that TV viewing distance is a matter of personal
preference. To a certain extent, this is true, but there are a
few guidelines worth considering if you want to enjoy the best
possible viewing experience. In essence, a 42" EDTV plasma
television would require 10 feet between you and your screen -
you may get close to 9 feet for a HDTV plasma TV of the same
screen size. However, try not to get closer than this as you may
start seeing the pixel build-up structure on the screen - which
can be extremely annoying.
Display Resolution and Support for HDTV
The native resolution of a plasma display is another
important factor to take into consideration when choosing your
plasma TV.
Although generally, picture quality from a plasma TV is very
good irrespective of the set resolution, yet higher resolution
plasmas will be able to display certain video content better.
This becomes an issue especially when watching an HDTV signal on
your Plasma TV. A 720p HDTV signal supports a resolution of 1280
pixels by 720 lines while 1080i/p supports 1920 pixels by 1080
lines.
This means that to be considered true HD, the plasma display
must have a native resolution of at least 1024x720. Normally
HDTV plasma displays in this category will support a resolution
of 1024 x 768 though some come with a higher resolution of at
least 1280 x 768 or 1366 x 768. These higher resolutions will
enable the respective sets to display a full 720p HDTV image
without any re-scaling.
Plasma TV sets with a lower resolution will still be able to
display a high definition video signal if they have the
necessary electronics - by re-scaling the image. This re-scaling
process means disposing of some of the information in order to
fit the set native resolution. These plasmas tend to have a
resolution of 852x480 and are referred as EDTV plasma TVs.
This resolution is actually what progressive scan DVDs and
Digital Television are in and looks as good as any plasma with a
higher resolution when displaying these signals. The only
visible difference between plasmas with a resolution of 1024x720
(or higher) and 852x480, is when watching true HD material.
A few words about Digital Television and HDTV: While HDTV
offers a clearer picture than regular television, yet not all
setups allow you to take full advantage of HDTV. It all depends
on the quality of your HD source. If your source is a compressed
signal e.g. TiVo, then you cannot take full advantage of the
quality supported by HDTV. It is also important to remember that
HD still represents a small portion of all available TV content.
Connectivity and Features
Inputs: A plasma TV should include the inputs you need to
plug in the various video components. These should include
composite, S-Video, component video, DVI, HDMI, and RGB.
Preferably, look for a model that would also provide you with a
set of front or side-panel A/V inputs for convenient camcorder
or video game hookup.
RGB is a standard 15-pin computer input. Composite video is a
single line video output that is typical on VCRs,
cable/satellite receivers, and DVD players. The next step up in
quality is S-video. This can be found on DVD players and most
cable/satellite boxes. Component video, which is of a higher
quality than S-Video, divides the video signal into red, green,
and blue; it is mainly found on progressive scan DVDs and some
newer cable/satellite boxes.
DVI and HDMI are purely digital connections; the main difference
between the two is that HDMI carries also the audio on the same
interconnect used for the video. Both interfaces are capable of
supporting up to 1080 lines of picture resolution. In order
words, they both can handle HDTV.
Additional Features: Supported connectivity and
additional features all add up to the final product price. If
you can afford to add a little more to your available budget,
you can normally find models with additional features that
support a wider range of video inputs, better control options,
and support for HDTV.
A Final Advice
Keep in mind that price does not equate to performance. It may
mean a bigger screen size but not necessary a better picture.
Hence, if you are still uncertain as to the best way to go, your
primary consideration here should always be - how good the
picture will look on your big screen plasma TV.
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