Which flat-panel TV type is right for you?
Plasma's deep black levels, smooth motion, and vibrant colors produce picture quality than many people describe as "movie-like."
A plasma TV might be for you if:
- You like rich, warm colors and deep black levels.
- You do most of your viewing with low or modest room lighting.
- You or others will be sitting off-axis when watching TV or movies.
- You want the smoothest, most natural motion with fast on-screen action, like sports or video games.
Some LED-LCD models have an ultra-thin bezel which gives the screen an attractive virtually edgeless look.
An LED-LCD TV might be for you if:
- You want an ultra-thin TV ? LCD TVs, especially LED-backlit models, tend to be thinner than plasmas.
- You do a lot of daytime viewing in a room with windows lacking blinds, curtains or drapes. An LED-LCD's bright picture will still look crisp and colorful in bright light; some LCD screens also resist glare.
- Low power consumption is a priority ? LCD TVs are more energy efficient than plasma models with the same screen size.
[TABLE="class: mini, width: 455"]
[TR]
[TH="class: hdr, bgcolor: #454545, colspan: 5"]LED, LCD and plasma TV average energy use[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="class: main, bgcolor: #DDDDDD, colspan: 1"]Type[/TH]
[TH="class: main, bgcolor: #DDDDDD, colspan: 1, align: center"]Screen Size[/TH]
[TH="class: main, bgcolor: #DDDDDD, colspan: 1, align: center"]Average energy use[/TH]
[TH="class: main, bgcolor: #DDDDDD, colspan: 1, align: center"][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 1"] LED[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"]42 inch[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"]64 watts[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 1"] LCD[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"]42 inch[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"]107 watts[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 1"] Plasma[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"]42 inch[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"]195 watts[/TD]
[TD="colspan: 1, align: center"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]