Plasma Or LCD
When choosing between LCD & plasma TVs, most often, one gets confused as to buy which one:  both of these are actually two competing technologies, having similar features (i.e., bright, crystal-clear images, super color saturated pictures) and come in similar packages (i.e., 3.5 to 5 inch depth flat screen casing). Despite all these similarities, there are some differences regarding their working:

• Brightness, in both LCD and Plasma is expressed as candelas per square meter (cd/m2). Usually, plasma ranges in brightness from 500-700 cd/m2, but LCDs feature a brightness rating of  450 cd/m2, again when measured independently.
• Contrast Ratio, is the measurement of the brightest white against the blackest black that the TV can create. Modern plasma measure contrast ratios of up to 3000:1. However, LCDs range from 350-450:1 when measured using the same realistic standards.
• Color Saturation, describes the amount of grey in a color. Plasma has an added advantage over LCD in the area of color saturation, due to its method to light blocking.
• Screen Size, at present, the plasma offers TVs as big as 60 inches, and no plasma TV is available smaller than 32 inches. LCD screen sizes range from 13 inches to 46 inches and because of manufacturing innovations, larger models be found in the market every year.
• Viewing Angle, plasma features a larger viewing angle, at about 160 degrees, when measured against older LCD TVs. However, the newer models in LCD have viewing angles up to 175 degrees.
• Burn In, occurs when an image stays on a plasma screen for an extended period of time. LCDs are not susceptible to burn, while the plasmas are vulnerable; some newer plasma has added features that combat it.
• Lifespan, of typical plasmas id nearly 20,000 to 30,000 hours, which equates to at about 20 years of usage if you have the set on for 4 hours a day, while the lifespan of an LCD is typically 50,000 to 60,000 hours, or about 40 years running 4 hours daily.
• Response time is the amount of time, measured in milliseconds (ms), which it takes for a pixel to go from active to inactive and back to active again. Plasmas have a response times as low as 15 ms, but the LCD has somewhere nearly 25 ms.

Plasma HDTV Brands
Undoubtedly Philips was the first to introduce the plasma television in 1998, but now there are many competing popular brands. Some of the popular plasma and LCD television brands include Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and Toshiba. Each of them is known for its popular, innovative or impressive models, featuring vast array of sizes, aspects and sound options available in today's plasma television market.

Buying Plasma HDTV
When choosing Plasma based HDTV, here are a few features or specifications that must be taken into consideration. These are as follows:

• Inputs – In case you want to connect your DVR, DVD player, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and many other gadgets, then your plasma HDTV, would need a lot of inputs. Be sure that your HDTV has sufficient inputs for any future gadgets you may purchase.
• Burn In – It is a phenomenon in which constantly displayed items, such as channel identification logos, are permanently partially displayed on the plasma HDTV screen. This greatly decreases the enjoyment of watching television and will drastically reduce the resale value.
• Warranty - The backlight in most of the plasma HDTVs is quite expensive to replace, so it is suggested to find a TV with a good warranty.
• Everything Else – Always after considering the previous aspects of purchasing a plasma HDTV, check out personally, because most of the HDTV retailers have the bad habit of tweaking the picture only on their high-dollar TVs, so be sure to experiment with their lower-priced TVs.