Many people and families would love to watch TV or movies on a large screen in their living room or family room, but dislike the idea of a looming box taking over their space. Fortunately the latest flat panel displays can be integrated into a room without overwhelming it.

Because of their thin profile, usually up to only 4 inches deep, flat panel displays can either be placed on a small stand or hung on a wall. Although there currently is a price premium for the latest high-tech design, more and more people are willing to pay for the far greater visual appeal of flat-panel televisions—when they are turned off. When turned on, their aesthetic appeal is also far greater than images produced by older cathode ray tube (CRT) screens. By the way, flat-panel does not mean flat-screen. Flat-screen CRT screens have been on the market for years, are big and bulky like a regular old television, and are inferior in picture quality to flat panel screens.

Flat panels screens can bring you many hours of viewing pleasure, with minimal impact on the style and design of your rooms. They can easily disappear inside a cabinet or even remain in view and display a favorite painting! Technological shortcomings are being rapidly addressed and prices are dropping at a rapid pace.

LCD or Plasma: The Size Issue

Currently, two different technologies are used in flat panel displays:

• LCD Flat Panel TVs
• Plasma Flat Panel TVs

LCDs dominate the smaller sizes, from 7 inches (measured diagonally) up to 32 inches. Plasma displays typically range in size from 42 to 60 inches, with 80-inch sizes coming. Because of the cost of the technology that is used in plasma displays, they are unlikely to be made smaller than 42 inches. However, LCD displays are beginning to appear in larger sizes such as 37 inches and into the 60-inch and larger Plasma territory.

If you know the approximate size that is appropriate for your room or viewing habits, the decision between LCD and Plasma is easy. If a 32 inches or smaller TV is right for your room, than an LCD screen is appropriate. If you want a thin TV that is 42 inches or larger, then you are probably better off with a Plasma display.

LCD or Plasma: HDTV and Aspect Ratio

Another distinction between the two technologies has to do with the shape of the screen. Traditionally, TVs have had a 4 x 3 aspect (width to height) ratio, or a screen a little wider than it is high. With the advent of high definition television (HDTV), with its greatly improved picture quality, there is a new 16 x 9 aspect television ratio that is more like the wide screen format we are used to seeing at movie theaters.

LCD panels come in both the traditional 4 x 3 and the new widescreen format while plasma displays are exclusively 16 x 9. You can save money by buying a 4 x 3 LCD, although you won't be able to view incredible high-resolution HDTV images on it. If you are planning on receiving HDTV in the near future, make sure you get a 16 x 9 aspect ration screen, whether LCD or plasma.

LCD or Plasma: Finer Distinctions

How Black is Black? From here, the distinctions between the two technologies, LCD and From here, the distinctions between the two technologies, LCD and Plasma, become less great, but there still are some things to consider. Neither is great at displaying the color black. Instead the result is more like a dark grey. Rapid advances in both technologies are making this less of a concern, but for now in this regard, Plasma, while not perfect, is better than LCD.

How Well Do Things Move? Another problem that is being improved in the latest versions of both is the smooth reproduction of motion. On LCD panels the edges of moving objects can blur or appear fuzzy. This happens less with plasma screens, whose response time or speed at which pixels change their state is superior to plasma TV. If you are a sports or action movie buff, a plasma screen might make more sense although recent LCD screens are almost on par with plasma response times. This might be something worth checking out in a store to see if it is an issue for you.

How Bright is Your View? LCD screens, on the other hand, are brighter than Plasma screens. Additionally, the phosphors in a Plasma display will gradually fade over time, gradually dimming the screen, although this happens so slowly that you are unlikely to notice. Some studies indicate that after about five years of average viewing, a Plasma display will only attain about half the brightness that it did when new. However, this was also true of traditional CRT TVs, so if you didn't notice this happening on your old TV, then perhaps this is not of great concern. On the other hand, if you tend to regularly turn up the brightness level on televisions and computer monitors, then an LCD screen is more appropriate, especially if you plan on keeping your display for a long time.

Is it Burn-in? Finally, Plasma displays are prone to "burn-in," whereas LCD screens are not. This means that a bright image on the screen that does not move, such as the logo of the channel you are watching, can leave a faint impression or residue on the screen that lasts through (burns into) other images. Many Plasma displays now move their images a few pixels at a time in different directions at regular intervals. This movement is infrequent enough and so slight that it is completely imperceptible, but it helps to minimize the burn-in problem. In short, if you are worried or acutely sensitive to things like this, an LCD screen makes more sense.

What's Your Angle? The viewing angle is the angle that you can view the screen from the site and get a good picture. Plasma TVs are usually thought to be better, with viewing angles up to 160 degrees, although LCDs now can offer equivalent numbers. If you are concerned about watching the screen from the side, check up on this specification first.

What's Your Power? LCD screens use about one-half the power of comparably-sized plasma screens. They give off less heat, and so do not require the fan sounds that can make plasma TVs noisy.

LCD or Plasma: The Bottom Line

If you are into an action-packed big screen, go plasma. If you prefer screens below 40 inches, LCD is a superior choice. LCDs cost less, last longer and consume less energy. They also look better along the majority of visual parameters—especially as time goes by.

• See all Recommended LCD TVs
• See all Recommended Plasma TVs