How to Buy a Flat-Screen HDTV

If you decide that a flat-panel HDTV is the way to go, you still have to determine which kind to buy: plasma or LCD. For screens smaller than 42 inches diagonal, your only choice is LCD. But for screens of 42 inches or larger, it's a matter of assessing which technology better suits your viewing conditions and preferences -- and your budget.

Almost all sets on the market now, both plasma and LCD, are wide-screen models. Translation: Such sets have a 16:9 ratio of screen width to screen height (aspect ratio), which is the standard for HDTV and very close to the ratio used for most modern movies. As a result, the displays are more rectangular than the traditional, almost-square 4:3 sets of the past.

You can find the latest prices on both plasma and LCD TVs in PC World's Shop & Compare center.

Essentially all current plasma displays offer HDTV resolution. Screen sizes begin at 37 inches diagonal and typically range up to about 65 inches (occasionally moving up to the downright ridiculous 150-inch sets that companies trot out for trade shows). Prices start at around $800 and can reach about $15,000 for large, very high-end models, though $5,000 to $7,000 would be a more typical top price for 60- to 65-inch units.

Typically you get what you pay for in both plasma and LCD. A budget plasma model will usually have lower contrast and poorer reproduction of black and of dark grays, yielding a picture with less punch and detail. A bigger problem with a bargain set is that it may do a worse job of upconverting regular standard-definition TV programs and DVDs to its native resolution. The resulting picture could look softer, coarser or noisier than if it had better processing.

The most expensive plasmas in a given screen size are typically 1080p models, which offer 1920 by 1080 resolution. Whether that provides a visible improvement in picture quality over 720p, in either 1366 by 768 or 1024 by 768 resolution, depends on the screen size and viewing distance. The smaller the screen, the closer you must be to it to fully appreciate the benefit of a higher display resolution. For example, with a 50-inch screen you would have to sit within about 10 feet to perceive the difference between 1080p and 1366 by 768. That said, we recommend skipping the less expensive 720p models and buying one that supports 1080p, the resolution of Blu-ray Disc video. Even some online streaming services, such as Vudu and Dish Networks' on-demand options, offer 1080p today; we expect more services to do so in the future.

Like CRTs (picture tubes), plasmas use phosphors to generate light, which means they can be subject to "burn-in" -- or, at least, older plasma sets are susceptible. Burn-in occurs when a static image stays on the screen for a very long time; for example, it could be the health meter in a video game, or an annoying network logo that squats in the corner of your screen.

Fortunately, you can minimize the risk -- or in most cases, nearly eliminate it -- by keeping the contrast and brightness settings reasonable (almost all TV sets come out of the box with their contrast, brightness, color and sharpness controls turned up way too high) and by using stretch modes to fill the screen when you're watching 4:3 programming (though that will distort the picture). Plus, most of today's plasma TVs use pixel-shifting strategies that continually move the image on the screen in imperceptibly tiny increments to prevent burn-in. Such technology should help -- that is, unless you plan to watch NCAA March Madness nonstop. Then you have bigger issues.

One last thing to bear in mind with plasma sets is the audio. Most now come with speakers either built in or attached to the sides or bottom of the panel, but some remain strictly video displays with neither speakers nor any integrated TV tuner. In such cases you will need to factor those additional costs into your home-theater budget.

You can find the latest prices on plasma TVs in PC World's Shop & Compare center.