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A Plasma Television Buying Guide
Choosing Your Plasma TV

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 FPT5084 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV - a solid first attempt from Samsung into the ever increasing array of 1080p plasma TVs.

What to look for when buying your 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 in view that as one starts stretching the screen size over and above entry-level 42-inch 720p HDTVs, price increases drastically.

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; this should include:

			Screen Size
			Display resolution
			HDTV Support
			Connectivity
			Appearance

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 would cost around $1,000.

Hence the end approach is a trade-off between the desired features and price in order 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 70-inches though larger screens are also available for consumer use; sizes smaller than 42-inches are almost non-existent.

Screen size is a big factor in plasma pricing and is the most important feature you need to decide upon. You can always find smaller screens in the 42-inch domain for around $1,000 while entry-level name-brand 720p 50-inch plasma TVs costs around $1,500. Interesting models to look at include the Samsung HPT4254 42" Plasma HDTV, the Hitachi P50H401 50-inch HD1080 Plasma HDTV, and the Panasonic TH-50PX75U. More info on these products is available at our Cheap Plasma Television guide.

However, 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 article 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 your minimum 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.

However, do 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 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 an 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, most 2007 entry-level 42-inch plasma TVs come with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768. This is not 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.

50-inch displays come with a typical native pixel resolution of anything between 1280 x 720 and 1366 x 768. At this screen size, a pixel resolution of 1366 x 768 is more than adequate to display any HDTV content, including 1080p content.

Though 1080p HDTV plasma resolutions (1920 x 1080) are now available at even 42-inch, yet for screen sizes up to and including 50-inch displays, it would be hard to discern any significant additional picture detail in comparison with a 720p display.

A few words about Digital Television and HDTV: While HDTV 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.

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, 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 also 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.

DVI and HDMI are purely digital connections; the main difference between the two is that HDMI carries also audio on the same interconnect used for the video. Both interfaces are capable of supporting 1080p HDTV; in other words, both DVI and HDMI can support the highest HDTV resolutions presently available. Ensure that you will have at least two HDMI connections on your plasma TV. This should not be an issue; most models in the 2007 line-up from major TV makers include three HDMI inputs. One thing to note however when it comes to HDTV is that any HDMI and DVI connections should be HDCP compliant.

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.

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

Finally, please note that price does not equate to performance. It may mean a bigger screen size or a higher pixel count, but not necessary a better picture. Rather, the primary consideration when planning a plasma TV purchase should always be the set picture performance.

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