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What Is a Flat-Panel TV?

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Understanding Digital and HDTV Broadcast Standards

LCD TVs vs. Plasma TVs

There are two main types of flat-panel TVs: LCD (liquid-crystal display) and plasma. These formats were developed during the 1960s, but didn’t hit the mass market until the late 1990s. Their popularity has soared since then, and their sizes have increased—and prices decreased—as technology has improved.

LCD TVs

LCD TVs, which range in size from 13–65", have screens that sandwich liquid crystals between two plates of glass. The crystals contain tiny cells, or pixels. When the pixels are charged by an electric current, they rotate and filter light from a lamp located behind the screen, creating an image.

LCD Pros and Cons

LCD Pros		LCD Cons
Available in small screen sizes		Fast-moving scenes, such as car chases, may look slightly blurry.
Provide glare-free viewing even in bright rooms		Picture quality can be compromised when viewed from an angle.
Consume up to 30% less power than plasmas		Lower contrast ratio than other types of TVs, so black and other very dark colors may look washed out or unsaturated.
Have a longer lifespan than plasmas, lasting 60,000 hours on average (plasmas last 30,000–60,000 hours)		Very big screen sizes (large than 65") are not available.

Plasma TVs

Ranging from 42" to a whopping 103", plasma TVs have screens made up of pixels that are filled with xenon and neon gas molecules and suspended between two panes of glass. Behind the front pane of glass are display electrodes wrapped in a layer of protective dialectric material, and behind the rear glass are address electrodes. When these electrodes are charged with an electric current, the xenon and neon gases in each pixel become ionized gas, or plasma. The plasma then ignites phosphors located behind a protective layer of magnesium oxide (MgO), giving off red, green, and blue lights that interact to create an image.

Plasma Pros and Cons

Plasma Pros		Plasma Cons
Available in massive screen sizes		Can weigh 100 pounds or more, so you’ll need to hire a professional if you want to mount it to a wall. (LCDs typically weigh 30–60 pounds.)
Produce accurate and rich black tones		Static images, such as logos, can burn into the screen (especially in high-altitude locales) if the set doesn’t feature a screen-saving capability.
Provide intense color; many new sets can display 68 billion colors		Generate more heat than any other type of TV.
Have excellent motion tracking, meaning that moving images never blur		Have a shorter life span than any other type of TV.

Cost of LCD vs. Plasma TVs

It used to be that LCDs cost about a third more than similarly sized plasmas, but this price difference has begun to level off. Prices are constantly getting lower, but here are some ballpark estimates of what you can currently expect to spend:

For $1,000–1,500: You can get an LCD up to 46" or a plasma up to 50".
For $1,500–3,000: You can get an LCD up to 52" or a plasma up to 60".
For $3,000 or more: You can get an LCD up to 70" or a plasma up to 103".

Warranty Costs

Flat-panel TVs typically come with a manufacturer’s warranty and an option to buy an extended warranty.

Manufacturer’s warranty: A standard warranty typically covers either labor for 90 days and parts for 1 year or both parts and labor for 1–2 years from the date that you bought the TV. Specifics may vary depending on the manufacturer. Generally, the more high-end the TV, the better the warranty.
Extended warranty: An optional extended warranty typically lasts from 2–5 years and costs $200–600. It usually overlaps to some degree with the manufacturer’s warranty but also covers extras such as preventive maintenance and free replacement. There’s a lot of debate about whether extended warranties are worthwhile or simply overpriced insurance policies. When thinking about a warranty, weigh your view of the risk of damage to the TV, the length and cost of the warranty, and your personal preference.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer