Sony TV - What to look for when buying a Plasma TV

To buy the best plasma TV for your needs you have to do more than just pick one of the top models. You have to know what you need and what features will provide the most value for you.

Is Plasma the Best Choice for You?

You need to first of all make sure that the plasma TV is the best choice for you. LCD TVs are very similar but at the same time they are different. Both technologies have advantages and disadvantages; you have to understand what each technology has to offer and decide which type of HDTV is best for you. Depending on how you use the TV, one might be better than the other.

Please refer to my earlier Blog posting.

Optimal Size and Resolution

Optimal size and resolution are the most important things you have to know before going to buy a plasma TV (or any HDTV for that matter). The amount of detail you see is determined by three factors: Viewing Distance, Screen Size, and Screen Resolution.The viewing distance is a constant value. Unless you intend to move your armchair or couch back and forth the viewing distance will always be the same. Just to be absolutely clear, by viewing distance I am referring to the distance between you – the viewer – and the plasma TV. You need to know this distance so go and measure it.

Viewing Distance



You should determine what is the best screen size and resolution for you depending on the viewing distance. There are two resolutions available – 720p and 1080p. Though the exact resolution of a plasma TV screen can have more “flavors” it is somewhere close to 720 or 1080 pixels on the vertical axis. Screen sizes are from 42 inch up to 65 inch.

You must be able to see the full detail and at the same time not see the actual pixels that make up the image. Use the table below to figure out what size and resolution is best for you.

Keep in mind that those figures apply only for quality high definition content. If you watch SDTV, even on the best plasma TV it won’t look too good and those figures below don’t apply anymore. You might also ask why you would buy a 720p plasma TV instead of the 1080p which offers the highest quality. The answer is simple: price.

The larger the screen is, the more you have to pull out of your wallet for it. Also you should know that the difference between 720p and 1080p is not that obvious.

Plasma TV Technical Specifications

This blog only present only the most important things you have to know before buying a plasma TV.

We need to understand what we need and why! The salesperson in a store doesn’t always know or want to give you useful recommendations. In conclusion, the most important advice from me is to be informed and know exactly what the technical specifications meant.

I will be sharing with everyone on the technical parameters and specifications when looking for a Plasma TV in my next blog. Stay tuned.

SONY TV - Advantages of Plasma TV

What are the Advantages of Plasma TV

-Exceptional Color: Plasma TVs display up to 16.77 million colors - more than the human eye can even register - to provide a highly accurate, lifelike picture.

-High Resolution: Plasma TVs are able to display a high resolution, and are capable of displaying HDTV signals.

-Slim, Lightweight Design: A key advantage of the Plasma TV is it's thin, flat-panel design, often only inches thick. Plasma TVs are also very light, generally weighing 50-80 pounds.

-Price: Although still more expensive compared to direct view or rear projection TVs, Plasma TV prices have fallen dramatically, and are now quite affordable. Plasma TVs are priced lower than other new technologies such as LCD TVs.

-Built-in Line Doubler: Most Plasma TVs include a built in line doubler; a feature that basically doubles the resolution of conventional TV signals, greatly improving their image quality. This is perfect for those times when you are not watching a HDTV or DVD source.

-Widescreen Aspect Ratio: Plasma TVs offer a dramatic widescreen 16:9 ratio display, allowing you to view HDTV signals in their native size, as well as view DVDs in their proper aspect ratio.

-Uniform Screen Brightness: Compared to rear projection TV's, Plasma TVs offer perfectly uniform screen brightness.

-Wide Viewing Angle: Plasma TVs offer the best viewing angles, equal to that of the best direct view (CRT) sets. Plasma TVs are noticeably superior to rear projection and LCD TVs in this regards.

-Magnetic Field Immunity: Since Plasma TVs use different technology compared to conventional TVs, they do not suffer distortion when placed in proximity to a magnetic field. Speakers can be placed next to, below, or right on top of Plasma TVs with no adverse effects.

-Flat Screens: Plasma TVs offer perfectly flat screens, cutting down on image distortion and glare.

-Computer compatibility: Most Plasma TVs are able to receive VGA and SVGA signals from computers, as well as standard television and HDTV signals. This allows them to be used for multiple purposes, including many in a commercial or retail environment.

Sony TV : What are the advantages of LCD TV?

Besides looking cool and oh-so futuristic in your living room, what are the advantages of owning an LCD TV or monitor?

It's easier to watch.

Flat panel TV displays like LCDs and Plasmas are significantly brighter and feature higher contrasts than traditional CRT sets. Which means that an LCD TV will perform exceedingly well under most ambient light conditions. A brightly lit room won't wash out its picture, nor will lamplight cause a glare on your television screen.
And, you can watch TV from almost anywhere in a room since flat-screen LCD television displays can have up to a 160° viewing angle, which means your TV will look good when viewed from any point 80° in either direction from the center of the display.
One issue affecting the overall quality of the picture reproduced on LCDs has to do with dot pitch. Smaller dot pitches make for sharper images. You generally want a dot pitch of .28mm [" 10,000 pixels/in2 of your display] or finer.

You can watch your new television right out of the box because the tuner is included.

LCD TVs generally come with tuners and speakers already built in, so they're more or less plug-and-play devices. Since most LCD TVs don't require external tuning devices, they are ideal for smaller applications, where space is at a premium (like bedrooms and small living rooms) or where clutter is inconvenient (like crowed kitchen countertops).

The picture is smooth, colorful, and (best of all) wide.

LCDs have none of those annoying scan lines that conventional sets do.
Recent advances in LCD technology have markedly increased the response time of these displays, resulting in even smoother on-screen presentations. One way to think about response time is in terms of the amount of time it takes a pixel to "refresh" itself-i.e., to go from being active to being inactive, which is to say, ready to be re-activated). Response time is measured in milliseconds (ms), with the best LCD monitors now clocking in with response times under 20ms. Slower response times (>20ms) can cause the image on the panel to lag and appear jerky, an effect known as "streaking" or "trailing." Another phenomenon associated with slower response times is "ghosting." This occurs when the display is made to switch quickly from light to dark states (or vice-versa). In these instances, on-screen images may appear to stay on the screen belatedly.
LCD displays come either with a 16:9 aspect ratio (i.e., 16 units wide to 9 units high), the proper one for viewing HDTV and for watching DVDs, or with a 4:3 aspect ratio, the norm for most broadcast television shows.

SONY TV - When to choose between Plasma and LCD TV

Sony BRAVIA KDL-52W4100 52" LCD TV

Many people know they want a flat-panel TV, but aren't sure which type to get.

A plasma TV might be for you if:

- You want really rich, warm colors and deep blacks.
- You'll be sitting off-axis when you watch TV or movies.
- You don't watch a lot of TV shows or play lots of video games with static images on the screen for more than a few hours at a time.
- Your viewing room doesn't have a lot of ambient light, or you can easily reduce the light by closing the blinds, for example.
- If you're looking at screen sizes under 40", LCD is your only flat-panel choice. LCD looks great in a kitchen or any other room with bright lighting. LCD displays are better at resisting glare from sunlight or room lights, and they're very bright (brighter even than plasmas). LCD is also one of the most rugged display types. Its total immunity to screen burn-in makes LCD an ideal choice if your viewing includes frequent computer or video game use. And if you leave your TV on for hours at a time tuned to a news or sports channel with a scrolling "ticker," LCD would be a safer TV choice.

A flat-panel LCD TV might be for you if:

- You watch a lot of TV shows or play lots of video games with static images on the screen for extended periods of time, multiple days a week.
- Your TV room is relatively bright, or you do a lot of daytime viewing.
There are many more 1080p LCD models than plasma — that's the highest resolution currently available, so you'll see a very sharp, detailed picture.
- LCD TVs are usually more energy efficient than plasma models of the same size.

SONY TV - What is the difference between Plasma and LCD TV

Video on the Difference Between Plasma & LCD TV



Outward Appearance

Outward apperance are definitely deceiving when it comes to LCD and Plasma televisions. Although both types of televisions are flat and thin, they employ different technology in an attempt to deliver similar results.

Plasma TV Overview

Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element).
Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.

LCD TV Overview

LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology.

Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.
Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is need for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself
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