[quote=sd_matt]I understand that Plasma is falling by the wayside.

One thing that still draws me to it is that you can view a plasma from wider angles than LCD and LED.

So if I didn’t care about power consumption, heat generation or weight is plasma the way to go?

Does the life expectancy of a new plasma compare to that of a LCD?[/quote]

LCD outsells plasma by a wide margin, but I have not heard that plasma is “falling by the wayside”.

From a pure picture quality point of view, up to now at least, the plasma technology produces a better picture than the LCD technology, and the evidence to date does not suggest any substantial difference in useful life. However, neither has been around long enough to be certain about useful life.

Plasma televisions have two attributes that can be significant problems.

Plasma screens are typically shiny surfaces, LCD screens are typically more of a matte finish. If you have a dark room, like a movie theater, you will like the plasma better. But for a typical living room or family room, light coming in from various directions can result in irritating glare, which the the matte finish of the LCD breaks up. For most rooms not dedicated to theater-style viewing, LCD has been the better choice. Some plasma manufacturers are attempting to give their products anti-glare treatments. I have not seen any of these to judge the effectiveness.

Plasma screens are also known for burning images into the screen if the same image is displayed for extended periods.