Will the television be viewed in a room with uncontrolled ambient light such as living room with lots of windows or will it be in a dedicated home theater with fully controlled lighting?
If the room has a lot of uncontrolled ambient light, an LCD TV will probably make a better choice. Many people object to the reflections and screen glare that abundant ambient light generates from plasma’s glass panel screens, although many plasma TVs feature anti-glare coatings which help to mitigate this problem. In addition, if the room suffers from excessive daylight, the greater brightness of an LCD panel may aid with daytime viewing.
On the other hand, if the HDTV will be placed in a room with fully controlled lighting such as a basement game room or dedicated home theater, either plasma or LCD will work well in this environment. The more natural look and generally better black levels found on plasma TVs usually give them the nod in this situation.
As a general rule, measure the distance you will be sitting from the television in inches and divide this number by 2.5. This figure is the approximate diagonal screen size in inches you should purchase.
If you are trying to decide between two different screen sizes and your budget can handle it, error on the larger side. One of the most common regrets among HDTV buyers is that they did not buy a larger screen. In most situations, particularly for a home theater system, go with the largest screen your room, seating distance, and budget will allow.
With the dramatic drop in TV prices over the past couple of years, there is an HDTV in virtually any size that will probably fit most budgets. The only real budget limitations will be the number of features the TV boasts, with prices increasing for sets adorned with the latest technology improvements. Beware though, some of this technology may be a waste of money, as we'll show you next.
Next: LCD vs Plasma - Which is Better?
