If you're in the market for a new television, you've undoubtedly looked at many new television reviews and have researched flat screen TVs. You've surely came across LCD and plasma TVs in doing so. However, have you looked into the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the difference between a plasma TV and an LCD TV?

The basic idea is identical. A picture is displayed in hundreds of thousands to millions of pieces called pixels, and flashed twenty to thirty times a second to create the perception of motion. The difference in plasma vs LCD TVs is the mechanisms they use to create their pictures.

In plasma TVs the pictures are created with little bits of gas superheated with electricity. These plasma pixels actively throw off light and so can be brighter than LCDs, making them better for daytime viewing. And because the pixels can be shut off completely, the blacks are much more black, which makes the contrast of the pictures that much greater.

In an LCD display, a light is filtered through blue, red, and green crystals, one of which is in every pixel. These crystals can be activated in response to electricity. Since they don't shine on their own, they're less likely than plasma crystals to experience "burn in," or the permanent displaying of an image that has been shown for a while. (Modern plasma screens only experience burn in after a few weeks or months of showing the same image, though.)

There is no difference in potential resolution between plasma vs LCD TVs, meaning the picture can be just as detailed on either one of them as the other, and both are available in all the high definition resolutions the market has to offer. And prices tend to overlap between the two TV technologies, but for very large and very small screens LCDs are the more cost effective option.

To make the right choice, you have to determine what your requirements are. If you need the television to also function as a computer monitor, you should go with an LCD. On the other hand, if you need a really sharp image and the set will be placed in a room with lots of light, you should get a plasma TV. The LCD is the correct option again if you are looking for the largest possible screen, since they come in rear projection versions. If you are working with videos professionally, you'll find that both can handle the job with equal results.