Plasma TV Guide
- Is This the Best Flat Screen TV?

An Introduction to the Plasma Television

Are you thinking about buying a plasma television? Hopefully this plasma TV guide will convince you that you should be.

Make no mistake, a plasma should be on your list of possibilities if you are looking for the best flat screen TV.

It can be easy to ignore plasma TVs as there are so many cheap LCDs in the shops, and you may have heard about various plasma TV problems.

However, whilst there are some things to be aware of, for many people the positives of this technology outweigh the negatives.

So let us take a look at these flat panel TVs and find out a bit more detail.

Helping Hand

If you see a technical word you don't understand - don't panic!

Technical terms have been highlighted in purple.

Hover over the word to get an explanation or definition - or click on the word and go to the home cinema guide glossary (use your back button to return to where you were).

The glossary is your friend!

What is a Plasma TV?

A plasma TV is a type of flat screen TV; similar to an LCD TV.

However, it is made in a completely different way to an LCD screen and so has different advantages - and disadvantages!

To put it very simply, a plasma screen is made up of small pixels that are filled with gas. These pixels have a phosphor coating and, when fed with an electrical charge, the phosphor interacts with the gas to create colours.

By carefully controlling the electrical charge, a plasma screen can accurately create over 16 million colours - and it is this technique which creates the TV image.

Now isn't that clever!

Follow this link if you would like a longer, more detailed explanation on how a plasma screen works.

That Big Screen Experience...

There is nothing like watching a movie on a really big flat screen television - it draws you in and you really feel part of the action.

The technology of plasma lends itself to the production of large screens, and the size of these TVs start at around 37 inches and go up to well over 60 inches.

Therefore this type of screen is an excellent choice if you are looking for a large flat screen TV.

Also, the fact that modern HD plasmas are relatively thin - about 4 or 5 inches (10-12 centimetres) - means they are often hung on the wall.

This can not only look amazing in your room, but it can create a whole load of extra space (which is always handy).

Alternatively, if you wish to have the TV on a stand or piece of furniture, you still create a sense of space in the room because you can have the TV closer to the walls or corners.

Picture Quality

For many people, a plasma flat screen TV is seen as the top dog when it comes purely down to picture quality.

LG INFINIA 50PK750 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
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This technology is widely regarded as providing a better picture than LCD TVs - although 'better' can very much depend on personal taste.

However, the excellent contrast ratio and colour reproduction of plasma TVs help to provide a superb picture with very deep blacks and strong colours.

They provide a very natural picture that really excels in low-light conditions - so if you like watching a movie with the lights down for that 'cinema experience', a plasma is definitely worth considering.

Go to this article for more details of why the best plasma TV beats the competition.

Sound Advice

The sound that you hear from your TV will depend on your setup.

A screen will usually have built in speakers (some 'professional' models may not - best to check to be absolutely sure before buying), and these will provide a decent, if unspectacular, sound.

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The quality of the in-built speakers does vary, and so if you are going to be relying on these speakers completely for the sound, then it may be worth paying more for a model with better speakers.

However, many people will have a separate surround sound installation for a much better sound experience and may not use the onboard speakers at all - although this is not absolutely necessary.

Installing surround sound systems takes a bit more effort - but it's not that complicated and it will be well worth it in the end when you hear the improvement in sound. This guide recommends you seriously think about using a surround sound system - but in the end it is something that you can decide for yourself.

Input Connections

Modern day plasmas will also come equipped to accept a wide range of input connections.

The type, and amount, of connections on a plasma TV will vary between models - and so this is an important area to pay attention to.

For connecting video sources (for the picture), your new TV will have an HDMI port for connecting modern equipment such as DVD and Blu-ray players, but it should also have the capability to connect via component video, composite video, s-video connectors or by SCART connections. This allows you some flexibility when connecting other devices to your TV.

You will also find an antenna/aerial connection which you will need if you require an external antenna for analog or digital TV transmissions.

If you want to connect a PC/computer to your TV then a VGA connector is often found on modern flat screen TVs - but not always!

Common Plasma TV Connections

There will also be a number of options for connecting the audio from your external devices.

If you are using HDMI or SCART connections for the video, then these can also be used to send the audio. The cables for these inputs are designed to carry the picture and the sound, and so these may be all you require.

However, you should also find red and white analog audio inputs (for connecting stereo RCA cables), and sometimes digital inputs such as coaxial digital audio or optical digital audio. These extra audio inputs are for devices that send the picture through component, s-video or composite connections and which require a separate audio connection.

If you are planning on sending the audio from the TVs internal analog/digital tuner to a surround sound system, then you will also need a analog or digital output. Audio outputs are less common on flat screen TVs, so make sure that the model you buy has one of these if are going to need one.

Plasma TV Guide Buying Tip!

It is one of the most important things to think about when buying a new TV - but it is also something that is easily forgotten.

Do you have enough input connections (and maybe outputs too), to connect all your external equipment?

Your external devices such as a Blu-ray/DVD player, cable TV box and games console may all have different video and audio output connections - so you need to make sure you have enough inputs of the right type.

Might you need to connect another device by S-Video instead - or component?

Do you want to connect a computer to the TV? How does this connect?

Some plasma screens have VGA connections for computers - some don't.

Give some thought to the devices you want to connect - and therefore which connections you need on your new TV.

Check this before you buy!

However, having warned you of this, there is one example where you may not need to be too concerned about the number of connections on your TV; and that is if you are using an AV receiver as part of your system.

In this case, the AV receiver will be the device that requires all the correct inputs, and you will only need one or two inputs on the TV itself to take the output from the receiver.

If you want more information about this, then go here for the article on installing a surround sound receiver.

HD or Not HD? That is the Question...

Which brings us to one of the main reasons for buying a plasma TV - high definition television.

All modern HD plasmas will be widescreen and capable of accepting a high-definition picture - either 720p, 1080i or 1080p.

Panasonic TC-P46G10 1080p Full HD Plasma TV
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If you don't have a high-definition source yet, then don't worry, you can still watch a non-HD picture on the screen - although the higher resolution of a flat panel may highlight the imperfections in an SD signal.

Some plasma TVs will be better than others at showing an SD picture - much depends on the quality of the internal processing of the TV itself. So if you know you will be watching plenty of standard definition TV for a while yet, this can be an important issue to look out for in the TV model that you decide to buy.

You will also want to be aware of the native resolution of the screen.

The smaller plasma screens, 37 inches to about 42 inches, are more likely to be 720p (1280 x 720) rather than 1080p (1920 x 1080) - although there isn't a hard and fast rule.

One thing that is often misunderstood - 720p or 1080p - they are both high-definition!

They will still look fantastic with a high-definition source, but for the relatively smaller screen sizes many manufacturers don't think you'll see the difference between the two at normal viewing distances - and they may be right!

Panasonic TC-P42X1 720p Viera X1 Series Plasma TV
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In theory, a 1080p screen will show more detail than a 720p TV as it has a higher resolution (and will also cost you more) - however it's not quite as simple as that.

To put it in very simple terms, the further away you sit from the screen the more difficult it is to tell the difference between the picture quality of 1080p and 720p. Or to look at it another way, the closer you are to the screen; the more benefit you will get from a 1080p screen.

All the technical information can seem a bit overwhelming when you are looking around to buy a new flat screen television.

After all, you just want a new TV - not a qualification in electrical engineering!

However, the boring thing is, that understanding a bit about these things can make sure you buy the right thing for your home.

Follow the links below if you need some help understanding the dull technical stuff (and you'll probably end up knowing more than the guy in the shop!).

Geek Speak

Want to be geek for a while? Need to understand the technical stuff? Then here are some frequently asked questions about buying a new plasma TV (or any other type of flat screen for that matter).

Do You Need a 1080p Resolution HDTV? How Important is the Native Resolution of Your TV?

What is the Best TV Screen Size and Viewing Distance For Your Room?

What is the Difference Between 720p vs 1080p vs 1080i?

Understanding the 4:3 and Widescreen TV Aspect Ratio

The Cost of a Plasma TV

It's difficult to make a generalisation about the cost of flat panel screens - there are so many models with different features and specifications.

Samsung PN50B550 50 inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
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You will find that in the market today, throughout the size ranges in which they compete, the cost of a plasma and an LCD TV are starting to get closer.

However, as the screen size increases, plasma TVs still give slightly better value so if you want a very large screen (say 50 inches and above) then a plasma probably has the edge on price.

The main thing to be aware of is to check exactly what features are included with each model. For instance, one model may come with a built-in digital tuner and one may not - so make sure you are comparing like with like if cost is important to you.

Who Makes the Best Plasma TV?

So what is the best plasma TV on the market? Well, there are a number of brands to look out for.

There are less manufacturers making plasma TVs than for LCD, so it's slightly easier to narrow down your choices.

The major plasma television manufacturers are:

LG
Pioneer

Panasonic
Samsung

Any one of these will give you a high quality plasma flat screen TV - although there will be pros and cons between models.

Note:

Pioneer are in the process of pulling out of the plasma TV market. So while you may see some models still available, there will be no new plasma TVs from Pioneer.

Buying Guide: What To Look For

The main things to think about are:

What screen size for your rooms TV viewing distance?
The quality of the high-definition picture (720p or 1080p)
The quality of the standard definition picture (if you will be watching an SD source)
What TV resolution - 720p or 1080p?
How many connections do you need for your external devices? (HDMI, component etc.)
What are the on-board speakers like? (unless you are going to use a separate sound system)

Check the specification closely for each TV and read as many reviews as you can. Also, keep an eye on the-home-cinema-guide.com for our upcoming plasma TV reviews and ratings.