pennypincher said:
I'm thinking of going mad and buying a Plasma TV after viewing one in a showroom recently.I've read a little around the subject but am confused as to the life span of the device also mention of HDTV has confused me.Basically I need a few questions answered
1.Is it a better resolution picture?Looks so....
2.Is there anything on the horizon that would make them obsolete?
3.Are they likely to get cheaper?
4.How does a LCD TV compare?
5.Where does HDTV fit in with all this?
Check out
this thread.
My own opinion, based on my own research, is as follows:
1. Good plasmas or LCDs usually have as good resolution as very good CRT (tube) TVs, but at a significant cost. You have to pay more for the convenience of the "hang on the wall" form factor. For under 2K, you would be better off with a CRT TV as cheap Plasmas / LCDs often have poor resolution.
2. There is always something on the horizon - better, cheaper Plasmas, LCDs, half-depth CRTs. However, the most future proof you can get now is to go for the HDTV Ready model.
3. They are coming down all the time but they will probably be more expensive that CRTs for a while to come.
4. Check out [broken link removed]. LCDs are probably superior (last longer, brighter) but are more expensive at bigger sizes.
5. There is a "HDTV Ready" logo you can look for. Plasmas and LCDs are more likely to be HDTV ready - you need a large screen size and digital inputs. I have heard it said that you need to have bigger than a 40" display in order to appreciate HDTV because you usually sit too far back to appreciate the extra detail on a smaller TV.