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A Plasma Television Buying Guide

Choosing Your Plasma TV Set
- What to Look For -

Are you planning a Plasma TV purchase? Plasma televisions are among the most expensive big screen options. Hence, proper planning of your flat-panel display purchase is essential to enjoy the best results. Discover the features to look for in this Plasma Television Buying Guide.

Samsung PN-50A550 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Samsung PN50A550 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV
Samsung Best-Selling Plasma HDTV

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 features for the available budget.

This budget issue is even more important when it comes to plasma TVs in view that as one starts stretching the screen size over and above entry-level 42-inch 720p HDTVs, the price increase is significant.

Before you start shopping around for your plasma display, it is therefore important that you make a prioritized list of the features that are most important to your needs.

Most important issues to consider should include:

		Screen Size: 32", 42", 50", or larger?
		Display resolution: 720p or 1080p?
		HDTV Support: Rather the available HDTV sources at your end
		Connectivity: In particular, the number of HDMI inputs, a USB connection, and computer support.
		Appearance: To what extend it is important for you to integrate your HDTV with the rest of your room decor?

When evaluating your options, keep in mind that plasma's are expensive. Even the so called cheap plasma TVs are not so cheap when considering that a 42-inch 720p HDTV costs close to $1,000.

Hence the end approach is a trade-off between the desired features and price to match the available 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 42-inches to around 65-inches; a few larger screen sizes are readily available for consumer use as well. Lately we have also started to see some 32-inch plasma HDTVs from brands like Vizio and Insignia - but in general your choice for plasma TV sets smaller than 42-inch is very much limited.

Screen size is a big factor in plasma pricing and is the most important feature you need to decide upon. Entry-level 42-inch 720p plasma HDTVs are generally available at under $1,000. For example, the Samsung PN42A450 42-Inch 720p Plasma TV is selling at under $900, while the Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U is even cheaper - at $750.

Similarly affordable are name-brand 720p 50-inch plasma TVs - which are generally available at around $1,200. Interesting models to look at include the Samsung PN50A450 plasma HDTV with its unique '3D' support, the 720p Panasonic Viera Th-50PX80U, and the 50-inch Vizio JV50P - which comes with 70 RMS audio, a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers, for a complete AV solution. More info on these products is available at our Cheap Plasma HDTV Guide.

However, prices start to shoot upwards as you move towards 1080p sets. Expect to spend some $300 to $500 more for 42-inch and 50-inch plasma TVs, even though what appears to be a new price war between brands is somehow minimizing the price difference between 720p and 1080p. A case in point is represented by entry-level models within the Panasonic lineup for 2008. The 1080p Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ80U is selling at approx. $1,350 while its 720p equivalent, the Panasonic Viera Th-50PX80U is available at $1200.

Nevertheless, as you cross the 50-inch boundary, prices start to shoot upwards. Thus, once you determine the available budget, the next step is to decide on the screen size and then evaluate your options accordingly. But...

Do not buy a plasma television that simply fits your budget. When selecting your Plasma TV screen size, it is important to choose one that fits your room as well. This does not simply mean a screen size that will fit your wall or available cabinet space. Even more important is the need to match the chosen screen size with the available viewing distance. More on this in our detailed guide on TV Viewing Distance.

It is true that TV viewing distance is a matter of personal preference - but there are a few guidelines worth considering if you want to enjoy the best possible experience. As a rule-of-thumb, you need between two to three times the screen width as viewing distance for screen sizes 42-inch and above. However, this depends on the signal quality; viewing 720p or 1080i content over an HDTV set would allow for a closer viewing distance than standard or enhanced TV content.

Still, do not be tempted to not move closer than the recommended minimum viewing distance as you will start to see the pixel build-up structure and video noise; this can make an otherwise enjoyable viewing experience, extremely unpleasant. More on this can be found in our Plasma Television Installation Guide.

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 television.

This becomes an issue especially when watching HDTV content on your Plasma TV. 720p HDTV signal supports a resolution of 1280 pixels by 720 lines, while 1080i/1080p HDTV supports 1920 pixels by 1080 lines.

Earlier plasma used to come with lower resolutions - resolutions that were mainly intended to support standard definition TV. To-day, standard definition plasmas are almost non-existent. In fact, the most common minimum resolution found on entry-level 42-inch and smaller plasma TV sets is 1024x768 pixels. Note exactly true HD but it is still considered enough to display 720p HDTV. It also represents a significant improvement over earlier EDTV plasmas that came with a native pixel resolution of 852x480 pixels.

Entry-level 50-inch displays come with a typical native pixel resolution of 1366 x 768. At this screen size, this level of pixel count is more than adequate to display any HDTV content, including 1080p content. Most retail representatives argue that 1080p HDTVs deliver more in terms of picture detail in comparison to a 720p screen. This is true - but at this screen size, a person's vision system would not be able to see the additional fine detail supported by a 1080p screen when viewing takes place from the recommended minimum distance.

A few words about Digital Television and HDTV: While high definition plasma TVs offer 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. Do not expect the best in HD picture quality from broadcast content - irrespective of whether this is cable, satellite TV or free over-the-air programming. To experience the very best in high definition, you need to connect your HDTV to a Blu-ray of HD DVD source.

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, multiple HDMI, and RGB.

Preferably, look for a model that would also include a set of front or side-panel A/V inputs for convenient camcorder or video game hook-up. The front panel should preferably include an HDMI port and a USB2.0 connection.

RGB is a standard 15-pin computer input. Composite video is a single line video output that is typical on VCRs, cable and satellite receivers, and DVD players. The next step up in quality is S-video. This can be found on DVD players and most cable and satellite set-top boxes. Component video, which is of a higher quality than S-Video, divides the video signal into red, green, and blue and is on progressive scan DVDs and some newer cable and satellite boxes.

HDMI is a purely digital connection capable of supporting the highest quality HDTV resolutions - including 1080p HDTV. Ensure that you will have at least two - preferably three - HDMI connections on your plasma TV. Having multiple HDMI inputs is very important as most of today connectivity comes in this form. Having multiple HDMI inputs on your flat-panel TV should not be an issue; most models in the 2008 line-up from major TV makers include at least three HDMI. One thing to note however when it comes to HDTV is that HDMI connections should be HDCP compliant. Again, not an issue with name brand electronics but may turn out to be a problem with some unknown brands. Therefore, it is better to be safe and check before you buy.

Last but not least, consider an Ethernet port on your television. Having a network connection on your TV is turning out to be a common feature with premium line HDTVs. An Ethernet connection on your plasma TV - especially if supported by a DLNA-compliant (Digital Living Network Alliance) option - is a great way of integrating your home entertainment with your PC. This lets you use your TV to view photos, or play music and stream video files from your PC, without the need for an additional media player.

Additional Features:

Supported connectivity and additional features all add up to the final product price. If you can afford to add that little extra to your available budget, you can normally find models with additional features that support a wider range of video inputs and better control options.

In particular, a very useful feature with today's multiple input TVs is some sort of a second channel preview such as picture-in-picture preview. Be careful however as some budget models have a PIP preview mode that is extremely limited in use - to the point that it is practically of no use; this applies even with name brand TV makers.

For example, while the Samsung PNA550 series is among the very best within its category, yet the picture-in-picture feature found on the PNA550 is extremely limited in use. It will only allow you to watch the analog TV channels in the sub-window (preview window) when you are using one of your external video sources as your main input.

It would not work the other way round - this apart from other limitations such as to switch the main window with the sub-window channel would require you to go through a whole series of menu buttons. An equally important limitation is the fact that this analog channel limitation would render the PIP redundant after February 2009 once the digital TV transition is complete.

Important: In other words, always ensure that when it comes to paying extra for additional features, first research your plasma TV carefully to see if this or that feature do actually provide the functionality you are looking for. In this respect, an easy way to research your product before buying is to download the product manual - if available online - and read carefully the various sections that deal with how to operate the set features. This should give you a pretty good idea of what is possible and what is not. Alternatively, go through the various customer reviews available on major stores to see what customers like and dislike about a product.

For more information on available plasma television options, check our Plasma HDTV Reviews section.

Always keep in mind that price does not equate to performance. It may mean a bigger screen size, a higher pixel count, or additional features, but not necessary a better picture. Rather, the primary consideration when planning a plasma TV purchase should always be picture performance.

Last Update:
18^th September, 2008

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