In all the ways that really matter, there isn't that much of a difference between the two. Both types of Flat-Panel TVs are thin enough to be placed virtually anywhere, and produce a picture that is startlingly clear, sharp, and bright. The only difference that really matters is the screen size. The majority of LCD TVs have a screen that measures 30" and smaller. TVs with a screen of 32" and larger are typically the domain of the Plasmas.

Technically, LCD and Plasma TVs are entirely different approaches to the same result, because they create images using completely different technologies.

A Flat Screen TV is a term used to describe any TV where the screen is a level plane. These TVs have a wider viewing angle than ones with curved screens. That means you can sit farther away from directly in front of the TV, and still see the whole picture. This term is usually used to describe Tube TVs. But even though the flat screen improves the quality of the TV, the total size of the TV is still the same as TVs always have been. Which is to say rather big.

Flat-Panel TVs also have flat screens, but that's not the really impressive thing about them. Flat-Panel TVs are called "Flat" because they are so thin they can be hung on a wall like a painting.
 

  3. What is "Burn In" and is it a problem with Flat-Panel TVs?

"Burn In" is a phenomenon that occurs when an image is left on the screen too long, like if you pause a DVD for a long time. And to put it mildly, Burn In is a major problem. Once burn in happens, you will always see a ghostly outline of the Burnt In image no matter what you are watching. This is because some pixels on the TV can no longer create as much light as others, so they will always appear darker. Most commonly this occurs from playing video games for too long (see, your mother was right) or from watching letterboxed material too often. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to limit videogame time and to watch material in a full screen format as much as possible. Another good tactic to avoid Burn In is to take frequent breaks. You can play video games for a little while, then watch some TV before you go back to the games.

However Burn In is nothing new. It has always been something to consider since the first TVs were invented. And Flat-Panel TVs are no more prone to Burn In than any other type of TV. In fact, one type of Flat-Panel TV is completely immune to this problem.

Burn In is a consideration with Plasma TVs, but not LCDs. Plasma TVs, like traditional Cathode Ray Tube TVs create their own light. They make light by exciting a chemical coating inside the screen called "phosphors". The burn-in issue happens when you continually ask some of these phosphors to make light while others nearby are basically sleeping. LCDs on the other hand create a picture by blocking light from an outside source (basically a powerful light bulb). This makes it impossible for burn-in to happen on a LCD screen.

So if your Flat-Panel TV is a Plasma, just keep in mind what you are watching and for how long, just like you would on a traditional television. But if it's an LCD set, go ahead and schedule that 24-hour Madden marathon video game session.
 

  4. What is an LCD TV?

An LCD TV is a flat panel television that utilizes the same basic Liquid Crystal Display technology that has been in use for some time in cell phones, camcorder viewfinders, and computer monitors.
LCD panels are made of two layers of a glass-like material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Electric current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images.
LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.
Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, there are no phosphors that light up, and, thus LCD panels are thin and require less power to operate.
Because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself, unlike traditional televisions.
Also, without the need for a picture tube, LCD televisions can be made very thin, thus allowing them to hung on a wall or placed on small stand on top of a table, desk, dresser, or cabinet very easily.
Combining the above technology with the features of a traditional television, such as, AV input/output connectivity, side or bottom mounted loudspeakers, TV tuner, and traditional television adjustment controls, bring to life a concept that is becoming a popular option for TV and home theater viewing.
2 What is the difference between LCD tv and plasma tv?
Outward appearances are definitely deceiving when it comes to LCD and Plasma televisions. Although both types of televisions are flat and thin, they employ different technology in an attempt to deliver similar results.
 

  5. Plasma TV Overview

Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent lightbulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element).
Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.
 

  6. LCD TV Overview

LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology. Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.
Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is need for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself.
 

  Plasma vs LCD

The ADVANTAGES of Plasma over LCD are:
1. Larger screen size availability.
2. Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.
3. Better color accuracy and saturation.
4. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images).
The DISADVANTAGES of Plasma vs LCD include:
1. Plasma TVs are more susceptible to burn-in of static images.
2. Plasma TVs generate more heat than LCDs, due to the need to light of phosphors to create the images.
3. Does not perform as well at higher altitudes.
4. Shorter display life span (about 30,000 hours or 8 hrs of viewing a day for 9 years) than LCD. This can vary according to other environmental and use factors.

LCD television ADVANTAGES over Plasma include:
1. No burn-in of static images.
2. Cooler running temperature.
3. No high altitude use issues.
4. Increased image brightness over Plasma.
5. Longer display life (about 60,000 hours - at which time all you may need to do is replace the light source, not the entire set). This can vary according other environmental and use factors.

DISADVANTAGES of LCD vs Plasma televisions include:
1. Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks.
2. Not as good at tracking motion (fast moving objects may exhibit lag artifacts).
3. Not as available in large screen sizes above 37-inches
4. Although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you.
5. LCD televisions are typically more expensive than equivalent-sized Plasma televisions, especially when comparing EDTV Plasmas to HDTV-LCD Televisions

  Do LCD tvs come in large size like plasma tvs?

The answer to this question comes down to two points, technology and price.
Plasma Televisions were designed for the purpose of replacing large screen televisions and their production and marketing emphasis reflects that goal. However, in larger screen sizes, LCD televisions are more expensive to produce than Plasma televisions, and, as a result, must command higher prices in the marketplace. Although you are beginning to see affordable ($1,600 and under) 32-inch LCD televisions entering the market, the prices of larger LCD televisions (37-inches and higher) are generally still more expensive than their Plasma counterparts.
As the flat panel television market stands now, Plasma televisions currently dominate the 42-inch and above sizes, while LCD dominates the 32-inch and below sizes.
However, LCD has recently been making strides in the 32-to-37-inch size range and is beginning to surpass Plasma in those sizes.
As technology development, increased production efficiency, supply, and demand continue to grow for LCD, you will see an increase in availability of larger screen LCD televisions (42-inches and larger), as well as more affordable price ranges for larger sized LCD televisions.
 

  Are All LCD Televisions Also HDTVs?

LCD Television
Most LCD Televisions are HDTV compatible, however, some of the smaller screen sets may not be. The following is an explanation on how to determine this.
In order for a Television to be classified as an HDTV or HDTV-ready the television must be able to display a vertical resolution of at least 720 lines. Some smaller LCD TVs sets are referred to as EDTVs (Extended or Enhanced Definition televisions) as they only display a resolution lower than that of 720 lines.
EDTVs typically have a native pixel resolution of 852x480 or less. 852x480 represents 852 pixels across (left to right) and 480 pixels down (top to bottom) on the screen surface. The 480 pixels down also represent the number of lines from the top to the bottom of the screen. This is higher than standard television, but not HDTV resolution.
The images on these sets look great, especially for DVDs and standard digital cable, but it is not HDTV. LCD TVs that are capable of displaying HDTV signals have a native pixel resolution of 1024x768 (where 768 also represents the number of lines from the top to bottom of the screen) or higher.
Since LCD televisions have a finite number of pixels (referred to as a fixed-pixel display), signal inputs that have higher resolutions must be scaled to fit the pixel field count of the particular LCD display. For example, a typical HDTV input format of 1080i needs a native display of 1920x1080 pixels for a one-to-one point display of the HDTV image. However, if your LCD television only has a pixel field of 1024x768, the original HDTV signal must be scaled to fit the 1024x768 pixel count on the Plasma screen surface. So, even if your LCD television is classified as an HDTV because it displays 1024x768 pixels, some HDTV signal inputs will still have to be scaled down to fit the Plasma Televisions pixel field. By the same token, if you have an EDTV, any HDTV signals will have to be scaled down to fit an 852x480 pixel field. In essence, the resolution of the image actually viewed on the screen does not always correspond to the resolution of the original input signal.
In conclusion, when shopping for a LCD Television, make sure you check to see if it is an EDTV or and HDTV-ready unit. Currently, most LCD Televisions are indeed HDTV compatible, with many having a 1280x720 or higher native pixel resolution, but some of the smaller (20-inch and smaller) units may not be.
 

  Q. What Else Do I Need for My LCD Television?

LCD Television
Basically, here is what you need to budget for in addition to your LCD television in order to use it to its full potential:
1. A place to hang it or place it on a stand.
2. Input sources: DVD, VCR, video game console, satellite or cable box. In addition, most LCD televisions will accept an input from your PC.
3. A sound system. Although almost all LCD televisions have an internal sound system, it is best to connect it to a home theater receiver for optimum home theater enjoyment.
4. A surge protector (which is good advice for any component in your system).
5. Connection cables to connect your LCD television with your other components.
6. A nice comfortable chair or couch to enjoy your new LCD television!
 

  Q. Should I Buy an LCD Television or a Plasma Television?

The final decision as to what type of flat panel television to purchase (LCD or Plasma) is really up to you; both types of flat panel televisions have advantages and disadvantages.
For Plasma televisions, the advantages over LCD, are: Larger screen size availability, better contrast ratio, better ability to render deep blacks, and better motion tracking. However, the disadvantages of Plasma vs LCD include: more susceptible to burn-in, more heat generation, does not perform as well at higher altitudes, and shorter display life span.
Although LCD television advantages include no burn-in susceptibility, cooler running, applicable at high altitudes, and longer display life (although improvements are being made in Plasma screen life).
LCD televisions do have drawbacks in several areas vs Plasma televisions: Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks, not as good at tracking motion, not as available in large screen sizes above 37-inches, and, although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen.
Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you. Finally, LCD televisions are more expensive than an equivalent-sized Plasma television, although the price gap is closing.
On the feature size of the equation, most LCD televisions already have built-in standard TV tuners (HDTV tuners must usually be added externally - but more are showing up as a standard feature), while many Plasmas are just monitors-only and may require both external standard and HDTV tuners to receive television signals (although more are beginning to include either NTSC and/or HDTV tuners). This is definitely a point to check when making your buying decision as it will affect your budget.
My recommendation is to go to a dealer and really take a look carefully at several Plasma and LCD televisions and compare the performance based on the above factors and narrow down your choices to one or two of both types and make your decision based on what type will give you the most pleasing image, connection flexibility, and fits your overall budget expectations.
Both Flat Panel Plasma and LCD televisions are viable options for home theater, and, with prices continuing to come down and features and quality continuing to go up, both types are quickly becoming a good value for consumers.