1. Introduction

Video games have always been on the cutting edge of visual technology, and the shift to high definition is no different. Gamers who opt to remain ahead of the pack want their HDTV, but tread carefully before plunking down the cash for a new set.

Plasma Or LCD?

It’s almost like the world of consoles is meeting PC gaming as far as technical requirements go. To be able to take full advantage of the power of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, you’ll need to comb through TV specifications to find the right model that can run the high-definition content gaming consoles can offer. Within the broad "HD" distinction, though, there are several different options.

The most heated debate among gamers is LCD vs. plasma. It used to be almost as heated as the game console war, but has cooled down as the two camps have each found their respective niche. There are reasons for gamers to love and hate both.

LCD is going to be the only option if you want an HDTV that is less than 40" in size. Plasma technology makes more sense for the big screen market because it’s easier to produce larger displays. LCDs, meanwhile, offer limited size options these days. It also has a tendency to suffer from bad off-angle viewing. In other words, if you’ve got a bunch of friends on a couch and you’re all watching TV, the people sitting to the right or left are going to have a tougher time seeing the picture. What they can see will likely have distorted colors and contrast.

You can, however, forget about what you may have heard about LCD being a bad choice for fast-moving images. This was a problem in the infancy of LCD HDTVs when sluggish frame rates were a major drawback, but this is no longer the case today.

If you want a really big TV, and I’m talking 50" to 100," plasma is probably the best bet. LCD sets have broken the 50" barrier but they’re mainly meant for the smaller half of the HDTV scale. Plasma isn’t exactly riddled with problems, but you may notice more small-scale issues with it compared to LCD. First off, be careful with it during the first month or two. Some sets will have problems with "burn-in." That is, if you’re playing a game and there is one graphic that is permanent (e.g. a health meter or map), there is a chance that the image will burn into the screen.

This monstrous 103" plasma HDTV from Panasonic shows the level to which plasma technology has been taken.

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