– LCD screens (liquid crystal display) are in layman's terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount of electrical charge applied to the crystals

The final decision as to what type of flat panel television to purchase (LCD or Plasma) is really up to you here are pros & cons of each for your decision

Pros of Plasma
- Better contrast ratio
- better ability to render deep blacks, more color depth,
- better motion tracking (response time)
- more availability in very large screen sizes.

Cons of Plasma
- more susceptible to burn-in (although this is not as much of a factor now, due to technology improvements in the past few years)
- more heat generation (as well as more power consumption)
- screen glare in brightly lit rooms
- heavier weight, and more delicate to ship.
Good brand that I would recommend for Plasma is Panasonic or Samsung
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Pros of LCD
- LCD television advantages include no burn-in susceptibility
- cooler running
- less screen glare, more functional at high altitudes
- longer display life (although improvements are being made in Plasma screen life)
- looks better in brightly lit rooms
- less power consumption than Plasma.
Cons of LCD
- Lower contrast ratio
- not as good rendering deep blacks
- not as good at tracking motion (although this is improving, especially with the implementation of 120Hz refresh rates (and some now offer 240Hz) on higher-end models).
Good brand for LCD that I would recommend is Samsung or Sony
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almost all manufacturers have discontinued making plasma televisions..

plasma is better for darker viewing areas, as its more prone to glare..
lcd is better for brighter viewing areas, as it is less prone to glare..

the viewing angle is better with plasma… you can see the picture clear from almost any angle from the screen…
viewing an LCD from certain angles may cause the screen/picture to appear black or dark… (newer LCD models to a better job at reducing this, but it is an effect of the technology)

plasma televisions get very hot… and use more electricity than an lcd television…

it depends on viewing preference…

LED is the newest technology, and most expensive, but supposed to be superior to both… and many newer LED televisions come with a 120Hz refresh rate, while most televisions come with a 60Hz refresh rate…