So, you're buying a new flat-panel HDTV. Congratulations! But with brochures, adverts, and cut-price offers desperately trying to sell you a TV - any TV! - it's nearly impossible to make an informed decision.

Well, suffer no more: We've condensed years of experience with flat-panel LCD and plasma TVs into this one-page primer. Where you feel you need more information, follow the links to our in-depth articles on plasma, LCD, and other HDTV topics.

One of the best plasma TVs of all time: Pioneer's 50-inch Pioneer KRP-500.

The all-important question - LCD or plasma?

The answer to this, as we've already mentioned, depends on what you want to watch. LCD TVs are brighter, thinner, and more energy efficient than plasmas, so they make great everyday TVs - they fit neatly into the living room, the picture is bright enough not to need the curtains closed, and the low power consumption means you won't be worrying about using it all day.

Plasma TVs excel in most other respects: Richer blacks, higher contrast, more accurate colors, better motion sharpness, and wider viewing angles. On the other hand, plasmas aren't as bright as LCDs, so they won't be much good in a sun-drenched living room - a dark home-theater will get the best out of a plasma TV's picture.

To put it very, very simply: If you like movies, buy a plasma and enjoy deep blacks and crisp motion sequences. Otherwise, go for an LCD and enjoy a bright picture, even during the day.

Leading the LCD pack: Sony's 52-inch Sony KDL-52 V 5500 also works excellently in a dark environment.

Of course, plenty of people like movies and want to use their TV during the day. LCD technology has made huge leaps in recent years, and some LCD TVs can give you the best of both worlds - a bright screen and great contrast.

Plasmas nevertheless still have the edge in terms of contrast - so long as you're watching HDTV movies in a very dark room. We refer you to our reviews sections for LCD TVs and Plasma TVs, in which we discuss each TV's suitability for different types of content - many televisions are versatile enough to cope with all kinds of viewing situations.

The links below discuss various important decisions that face TV buyers - which features, size, and resolution, for example, do you really need for your living room?

TV Buying Guide Size, Viewing Distance, Resolution 
Even with the best intentions, these factors are impossible to separate - the price of a TV depends directly on its size and resolution. In turn, the same factors also determine the optimum viewing distance.

TV Buying Guide Design 
Of course, how you want your TV to look is your own choice - it's a question of personal taste. And especially if the TV is headed for a prominent spot in your living room, it'll need to suit the interior design - be it futuristic or more rustic-farmhouse style. But we do have a few useful tips when it comes to a TV's look.

TV Buying Guide Features 
Advertizing for HDTVs is crammed with impressive-sounding features. But does it make any sense? Well, for many buyers, very little - the technical jargon and marketing slogans combine to form an impenetrable haze of quasi-fact.

TV Buying Guide Operation 
Simple, intuitive operation is crucial in a TV. What use is a pricey new flat-panel if you can't set the picture format correctly? This article examines common pitfalls and refers you to examples of TVs that show the rest how it's done.

TV Buying Guide Picture and Sound 
Don't rely on the first impression in the showroom. Instead, try the TV out carefully for yourself - with movies that you know well, for example, and with different signal types, from DVDs to TV programs. Only then can you get a real idea of the TV's quality.

TV Buying Guide Power Consumption 
It can be worthwhile to keep your new TV's power consumption in mind. There can be massive differences from one device to another, and TV manufactures are increasingly trying to bring low-consumption devices to the market.

LCD TV Technology

An important first step to choosing between LCD and plasma is to understand the technology. LCDs, or "liquid crystal displays", produce an image using a technology similar to that in digital wristwatches or pocket calculators. The image only becomes visible when given a light source - LCD TVs therefore have either fluorescent tubes (CCFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that shine through the image from behind.

Since, traditionally, this "backlight" shines through the picture constantly, blacks are never truly black - some light always leaks through, making the picture look milky. Newer TVs can dim the backlight in different areas of the screen independently ("Local Dimming") - using either CCFLs or LEDs - to make blacks deeper and increase the picture's contrast. Other systems dim the backlight as a whole depending on the picture's contents - dimmer in dark scenes, brighter in bright scenes. This is known as "dynamic backlight adjustment". Also, since backlights shine even while the liquid crystals are changing from one image to another, LCDs suffer from blurring that isn't present in TVs that use other technologies - such as plasma.

Switching the backlight off and on between frames ("pulsing") can decrease blur. Doing this twice for each frame increases the number of images in a second from 50 (or 60 in the USA) to 100 (120), and is the origin of so-called "100 hertz" technology. Newer such systems actually generate new images based on the existing ones, guessing mathematically where moving objects will be between frames. TVs that do this twice as often again are known as "200 hertz" TVs. LCDs are also well known for having narrow viewing angles - the picture quickly loses contrast and color fidelity as you move to the side of the screen.

LCD images look worse when viewed at an angle.

LCD: The Dominator
An in-depth look at LCD's origins, how the technology works today, and future developments.

Plasma TV Technology

Plasma displays use an entirely different principle to produce their images. Each individual dot ("pixel") on a plasma screen behaves like three fluorescent light bulbs (one for each of red, green, and blue): Gases inside tiny glass cells are excited electrically to form a "plasma", which then discharges, causing light-producing chemicals ("phosphors") to emit the colored light that the viewer sees.

Since the light is produced by the cells themselves, plasma TVs use no backlight - if a part of the picture is black, the screen simply doesn't produce light in that area. Blacks are therefore much, much darker than on traditional LCDs.

One advantage is that each cell behaves like a tiny light bulb, emitting light in all directions, so the picture quality varies little when the screen is viewed from one side. The main benefit of a plasma TV is its more contrast-rich picture.

The lack of a backlight also means there's none of the blurring that LCDs suffer - plasma pixels flash like a strobe light anyway, producing the same effect as the pulsed backlights now being used in LCDs. The downside is that, overall, plasma technology produces less light than LCDs - and even while using more energy. This low light-output is why plasmas work best in dark rooms.

Plasma TVs will soon reach screen diagonals of up to 150 inches.

Plasma Technology Explained
An in-depth look at plasma's origins, how the technology works today, and future developments.

More LCD and Plasma related articles

Televisions.com Glossary
An explanation of technical terms you might find here or elsewhere on our site.

Plasma TVs on their way out 
This article looks at why plasma is losing customers to LCD, and at what chance the underdog has for a late revival.

First steps to HDTV 
Important basic considerations when making the leap to HDTV. Discusses signals, source devices, and what type of HDTV to buy.

Money for old TVs 
Practical and fun ideas for what to do with your old TV after you buy a flat-panel.

Translating TV-marketing 
How not to be fooled by TV-marketing jargon.

Internet on your TV 
TVs with internet access. Many of the latest LCDs and plasmas offer this feature.

Honey, I think we need a new TV 
Deciding on a new TV is only part of the struggle. If your other half is reluctant, try our ten strategies to persuade them.