This week we complete our guide to purchasing high-definition televisions (HDTV) by looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the plasma and LCD TVs.

Disadvantage for plasma TVs:

Plasma suffers from burn-in. This is when a still image is left on the screen for two long, then fragments of the image can be seen after the picture has changed. Technology has improved with this over the years but plasma still has a minute problem with it. Another disadvantage with plasma TVs is that they are heavier than LCDs, something to note if you plan to hang it on the wall. Plasma TVs burn more energy than LCD TVs, so they are not very friendly to our energy bills.

Another disadvantage for plasma is high-altitude problems. Because plasma TVs are made up from gases, they don't work as-well over 6,000 feet above sea level.

Advantages of plasma TVs:

Plasma TVs can display deeper colours and have a better contrast ratio. They are also less expensive than LCD TVs. In terms of the viewing angle, the advantage goes to plasma and also the response time is in its favour. Other than for the burn-in issue, plasma has the advantage of picture quality.

Disadvantages of LCD TVs:

The biggest disadvantages of LCD TVs are picture related issues, such as response time, contrast ratio, refresh rate and viewing angle. Another disadvantage of LCD TVs is the fact that because technology is always changing to keep pace with plasma picture quality, the prices keep on increasing and your new LCD TV gets old very quickly. Ouch!

Advantages of LCD TVs

First off, they don't consume as much electricity as plasma TVs. They are lighter, which is a better option for wall hanging. They don't suffer from the burn-in issue like plasma TVs and there are no altitude problems with LCD TVs.

Conclusion: If you are going to buy a new HDTV, don't decide instantly, do some home work on the best specifications to get or you can simply use this article as a guide. Another thing to note is that manufacturers set their TVs to look great on a showroom floor, so most TVs will always impress you in the store but in a practical environment it can be less impressive.

Always walk with your own DVD an original copy that produces an HD signal, preferably a fast-paced action movie, to see how the TV handles the video. All the specs mentioned in this article are important but finding an HDTV with all of them can be expensive so try to understand them, then decide which ones you think you can avoid if you need to.

Done by Explorers Computer

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Kingston 5,

Tel; 849-9381

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Technical writer: Kamar McIntyre