Pros and Cons of Plasma 1080p HDTVs - Essential Information You Need to Know Before You Buy

When searching for a new HDTV you have several different when it comes to the type of display technology that you want for your viewing space. These are plasma, LCD, LED, and OLED. Each of these has their own strengths and weaknesses which might make them attractive to a prospective buyer. However, this article is going to focus on the pros and cons of plasma 1080p HDTV family of displays.

Plasma 1080p HDTV Advantages

First I will go over the positive aspects of owning a plasma 1080p HDTV. If I were asked to choose a feature that a plasma HDTV outperformed all other technologies with I would have to say that it would in the area of contrast ratio. The contrast ratio is a figure that is derived from comparing the darkest blacks and the brightest whites that the display can output on the screen. Plasma technology is able to do this because of the nature in which the display is manufactured. Each pixel in a plasma HDTV has its own self contained backlight. This allows each individual pixel to output light and color independently. Each of the other technologies uses shared fluorescent or LED backlighting for rows of multiple pixels. This backlight sharing causes a certain amount of bleed-over from neighboring pixels can cause some dark scenes to look gray rather than dark.

The next area where plasma HDTV excels is in the area of motion rendering. There are several reasons for this. The first is related to the advantage mentioned previously. The fact that each individual pixel is able to use its own light source cuts down on light bleed-over which also causes slight blurring in other technologies. The next reason that plasma 1080p HDTVs are able to provide superior motion rendering is that they utilize a feature called 600Hz Sub Field technology. Each manufacturer has a different name for this technology, but it is essentially the same. It works by allowing each pixel to "fire" up to 600 times in a single second. This allows plasma HDTVs to provide much sharper video than most of their counterparts using different display technology.

While this is not always the hard and fast rule anymore, plasmas on the whole are better in rendering more vivid and vibrant color than the other display technologies. There are a combination of factors that contribute to this advantage. These are the contrast ratio, the backlighting factor, and the fact that each pixel is a self contained color producing unit. All of these factors come together to produce an excellent image on the screen.

Plasma 1080p HDTV Disadvantages

Plasma 1080p HDTVs do have their disadvantages as well. Probably the scariest complaint that has been logged about plasma is their supposed propensity for burn in. Burn in is a phenomenon that occurs when an image is displayed for too long on a plasma screen, permanently burning the image into it. The good news is that the risk of burn in is almost non-existent in plasma HDTV's manufactured within the last few years. It is still possible to burn an image into the screen, but it is something that you would actually have to work at by manipulating the screen settings to accomplish. Even after doing this you would have to leave a static image on the screen for hours for it to really burn in. Burn in is often confused with image retention, which is similar to burn in but is only temporary. Image retention will usually disappear after 10-20 minutes after turning the unit off.

Another common criticism of Plasma is that their screens are very reflective and are not good for medium to high light viewing scenarios. This is because the outer screen of the display is a pane of glass. Plasma HDTV manufacturers have gotten wise to this complaint and have since started adding anti-glare coatings to their plasma 1080p HDTV offerings. If you do decide to purchase a plasma HDTV, be sure to check and make sure that in the specifications that it has one of these anti-glare coatings on the screen if you are going to be placing the display in a medium to high light viewing room.

Some people also are critical of how bulky and heavy a plasma HDTV is. This complaint is a well founded one because these things cannot compete when compared to the ultra slim and light profiles of other competing technologies. It is confusing why this is such a common complaint because how often does a person go about moving their television after they have gotten it into the area of the house that it is going to be used in.

Plasma 1080P HDTVs have their advantages and disadvantages of ownership, but it is quite clear that for someone who values quality video output an HDTV using plasma technology is the best choice when shopping for a new HDTV.

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TV Wall Mount - Top 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a TV Wall Mount

So you have finally decided it is time for you to purchase a TV wall mount for your new LCD or plasma television. A wall mount can give your home theater a nice and clean look, and also provide you with the best possible viewing experience.

Here are the 5 most important things you should consider when purchasing a TV wall mount:

1. What is the VESA requirements for your display? VESA is the standard used by television manufacturers for the mounting hole pattern on the back of your TV. The most common VESA mounting hole patterns include 75x75mm, 100x100mm, 200x100mm, and 200x200mm. This measurement is from left to right, and from top to bottom.You can refer to the user manual for your television, or simply measure these distances yourself. Each wall mount bracket you look at will list their VESA requirements. Some mounts can even fit VESA mounting patterns up to 750x450mm.

It is also important to look at the size and weight of your TV. Quality mounts are contructed with heavy gauge steel plates,arms, and hardware. As a result, some can support as much as 200lbs!

2. What type of TV Wall Mount are you looking for? There are a few different types of mounting brackets you can choose from. 

Low profile - This type of mount sits on the wall like a picture frame would. It is unable to move around and usually has a small amount of space between the back of your television and the wall. Ultra slim low profile mounts can sit even closer to the wall, giving you the sleekest look possible. 

Tilting - A tilting mount has the capabilility to change the viewing direction up or down, usually anywhere from 5-15 degrees. If you would like the ability to change the viewing angle up or down, this mount is for you. 

Tilt and Swivel - Like the tilting mount, this mount has the ability to tilt up or down, as well as swivel left to right. These are also referred to as corner friendly mounts because they are great if you need to mount your display in the corner of a room. These mounts can hang out much more than other mounts, and can also be pushed back against the wall.

3. What are you going to do with all those cables? Some people prefer to hide their cables from viewing for the cleanest look. Hiding the cables is actually very easy to do. There are mounts out there that come with sleeves you can run the cables through. You can also purchase a few wall plates that have HDMI, component, and audio inputs. Luckily for you, an HDMI cable provides both audio and video through a single cable. However, it is a good idea to go ahead and install wall plates for component and other common connections in case you might need them in the future. 

4. What type of wall are you mounting your TV on? The most common type of wall has wooden studs for you to secure the mount to. You can use a stud finder to find out where the studs are located and lightly mark them with a pencil. If you have a concrete wall, there are concrete mounting anchors available for you to use. Some mounts may also include this type of hardware. 

5. Where are you going to mount your TV? Finally, you need to decide where exactly you want to mount the television. For the best viewing experience, you will want to place the mount about eye level from the position you will be viewing from. You will also want to consider leaving space for surround sound speakers.

A flat panel tv wall mount is a great way to enjoy your new LCD or Plasma TV to the fullest. 

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LCD TVs - What To Look Out For Before Purchasing a New TV

Every house has a television however not every house has a good one. For this article I am going to tell you about what you need to look out for when making a big investment in an LCD Television. If you don't know what an LCD TV is then let me explain below.

An LCD Television is short for liquid crystal display and what this means is that for you to see a picture on your screen light has to shine through these tiny crystals to create an image. LCD TVs are now everywhere you look and you may already have one and you're looking to replace it, if this sounds like your situation then carry on reading.

You can expect sharp, clear and crisp images when you invest in a flat screen LCD TV. However some of these televisions experience problems with delivering images quick enough for the viewer to see. This problem is called ghosting and if you pick the wrong TV you will receive this problem. To find out how not to pick a television with this ghosting effect then carry on reading.

Ghosting occurs when the light from behind the TV can't shine through the pixels quick enough. This problem then causes the image on the screen to look blurred and this is something you don't want when you're purchasing a high definition television. If you're a fan of sports then ghosting will totally ruin your viewing experience, however do not worry there is a solution.

The main manufacturers have now caught onto this problem and one brand in particular called Toshiba have something called Active Vision which speeds up the time it takes the light to go from the back of the screen through the pixels to the final image. From personal tests I can clearly see the difference.

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