The latest issue of Information Display from the Society for Information Display (SID) has a couple of articles that are somewhat of a high-end Consumer Reports coverage of TVs, particularly plasma. I, for one, had formed the opinion that plasma TVs were off the map as a personal consumer. Apparently, even if that may have been right the last time I bought a TV (I don’t do this very often), it is clearly not a given now.
The takeaway from the articles (should you not be a member) is that plasmas are now less expensive than competing LCD units. The key selection criterion is whether you watch TV in an environment with high-ambient lighting – that is, a room with floor-to-ceiling windows where you are watching when the sun is not down (who has time). If that is the case, then the clear consensus is LCD. However, if you are more of an after-the-kids-go-to-bed TV watcher, then plasma is the clear winner. Also, if you happen to be one of the few that have gone 3D, plasma is a faster technology that is intrinsically better for 3D.
Another valuable item from this issue is they point to a particularly educated purveyor of TVs in Scarborough NY, with an Internet presence: Value Electronics.
There are additional articles on the status of the higher-tech stuff you may be interested in. I am not in the market this year (or am I?) but I thought this was a valuable issue that you might otherwise miss.
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