Are you avid sports fan? Looking for that perfect television for the Super Bowl? But you are confused by all the techno jargon and the several different types of TVs available, and you are not all that sure you trust that salesman at the electronics store. Well here are a few tips and facts that will get you on the right track.
First of all, how big do you want to go. Recently Panasonic revealed a new 150" plasma television. If you are looking for something that big, then the answer is easy Panasonic is your only choice. Of course you could buy a high definition projector and a screen, but then I'm not addressing projectors in this article. For purposes of simplicity, I'll assume you are looking for a 50" or larger screen. Bottom line up front - Purchase a plasma and not an LCD; here's why:
LCDs suffer more from motion blur than plasma TVs. They are improving, but plasma screens definitely have the upper hand here. Motion blur is the tendency of the picture to lose resolution where there is motion on screen. Guess what there is a LOT of motion in football. A plasma television would be preferable for any sports watching.
Plasma TVs are simply have better contrast ratios, that is their range between white and deep black onscreen. This is one the most important factors when it comes to overall TV picture quality. While LCD TVs are improving their contrast ration and closing the gap.
LCDs have a narrower viewing angle. A football party will tend to have a lot of people, spread across a room. For this reason the plasma TV is a better Super Bowl TV.
Of course plasma have some disadvantages. First, they can suffer from burn-in, that is where an area of the television "burns-in" if there is a constant image on the screen. This is predominantly a problem is the TV is used primarily for video games or a monitor. In this case we are assuming the TV will mostly be used for sports, so no problem here. Additionally, if you allow your TV to display a variety of programming for the first 12-14 hours of use, this greatly reduces the chance of the set ever developing burn-in Plasmas are a bit heavier, if you are looking to hang your television on your wall, I'd make sure to screw the mount onto a wall stud, but then I'd recommend that for an LCD as well. On the plus side, plasma's also tend to be cheaper, especially as you get into larger sizes, since we are talking big screens here - that is a definite benefit. Plasma normally do not get any smaller that about 42", but again we are talking big screens, so - no problem.
Other considerations :
Look for a 1080p resolution. Most newer sets are 1080p, so it should not difficult for you to find one. As the screens get bigger, the difference between a 720p television and 1080p becomes more evident. Since we are talking big, make sure you get a 1080 set. You may also see a 1080i resolutions, although they have the same number or pixels as a 1080p, they are refreshed about half as often, this can lead to a perceptible flickering. The difference in price is minor, so get a 1080p.
New 120Hz Plasmas. Movies are filmed at 24 frames per second (fps), while TV programming is normally 30fps, since 120 is a multiple of both, they eliminate a slight juddering that can occur when watching movies. Since we are talking sports, you won't get much benefit from 120Hz. If you are planning to watch movies in addition to sports, or perhaps movies about football, you might want to pay a little extra for this, but since Plasmas don't suffer from motion blur as much as LCDs, 120Hz helps LCDs perform better more than Plasma screens.
Start your search for a plasma screen with Panasonic, in my opinion they hit the sweet spot between price and quality. You will get your money's worth, and they make some of the best plasma screens available. If money is not an issue, and you want the best possible TV for the Super Bowl, I recommend the Pioneer Kuro Elite TVs they come in 50" and 60" and have what most video experts consider the very best picture on the market, and an excellent speaker system.
Roger Sandoval is an audio / visual and home theater enthusiast.
For great buying advice and reviews visit http://www.dreamhometheater.net
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