I won’t go as far as explaining how LCDs and Plasma technologies work, but I will give you an idea of what you need to know in order to make a choice of a particular TV technology. Generally television sets are expensive but most people are often confused by the TV terminology used by retailers. To guide you on the features to consider when buying a TV set, check the following five factors; viewing angle, brightness, black level, contrast ratio and energy consumption.
If you like brightness or light output, depending on how good your vision is, LCD TV is a good option. LCDs come in different flavours; LCDs and LED LCDs, the other flavour simply means the LED is turned off. Plasmas aren’t that bright. For me I was watching on an old school CRT tube TV at some place in African Mall, so I had to be very close to the TV set because they are the worst when it comes to brightness. Most of these games start in the afternoon, when it is still bright, so LCDs are a good option. In a bright room or daylight plasma will be hard to see. Another aspect to consider is any antireflective or antiglare material on each screen. A plasma with a really good antireflective coating may be better to watch with room lighting than a glossy-screen LCD with no such coating (and vice versa).
When it comes to black level and contrast ratio, Plasma TVs are a good option, LCDs aren’t that good. Contrast ration is the difference between the darkest a TV can be and the brightest.
Viewing angle matters if you have a big family, or you want to watch TV with some friends. Plasma is a winner and it offers a good image quality even when watching from an angle, so you don’t need to chase your kids to the side sofas if you watching on TV plasma.
Energy consumption is another factor you may consider. If I were the marketing officer for Botswana Power Corporation, I would advise people to buy LCDs because they have the lowest energy consumption, especially when you turn off the backlight. Plasmas, especially when you turn up the contrast control (which you need to for them to look their best), just aren't as energy efficient. They are, however, far better than they were a few years ago.
So now you can go to River Walk or Game City to buy according to your needs and enjoy the game.
