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I've been shopping for an HDTV for probably close to two years. It wasn't until around Thanksgiving of 2006 that I got the OK from the treasurer (my wife) to actually buy one. I figured I'd be able find one on Black Friday, but I wasn't up for camping out next to Best Buy in the middle of winter. Then I figured I'd get a great deal over Christmas. Surprisingly, prices on HDTVs remained relatively stable. So I decided I'd wait for the Superbowl sales. Even advertised prices didn't drop that much during the Superbowl sales, but I found an unadvertised sale at CircuitCity.com and went for it.
I ended up buying a 42" LG plasma (model 42PC3D) and I absolutely love it. Ever since I started shopping for an HDTV, I had convinced myself that I would buy a DLP or LCD projection HDTV. These types of HDTVs use different technologies to create the picture, but they are similar in picture quality, cabinet depth (12-16 inches), and price. I was willing to forgo the flatness of a plasma or LCD for the lower price.
There were three things that changed my mind. First, the viewing angles on DLPs and LCD projection HDTVs did not pass the wife test. For her, the limited horizontal and vertical viewing angles of these TVs were unacceptable. The viewing angles are not near as bad as the big CRT projection types, but they couldn't compete with plasma.
Second, the more I read reviews of DLP and LCD projection HDTVs, the less I liked them. These TVs use a very bright bulb to illuminate the screen, much like the bulbs in LCD projectors. These bulbs get very hot, so they require a fan. Many reviewers complained of fan noise. These bulbs also have a limited lifespan. They are designed to last for around 6,000 hours, although I read dozens of reviews from people whose bulbs burned out much earlier than that. The problem is, these bulbs aren't cheap. They start at around $400. The older your TV gets, the scarcer the bulb becomes and they just get more and more expensive. This completely negates the lower costs of these TVs compared to plasmas and LCDs, many of which are rated to last 60,000 hours until they reach half brightness.
Finally, the price of plasmas has dropped significantly. They dropped so far, in fact, for 42" and 50" models that if you find a good deal they are about the same price as quality DLP and LCD projection. Of course, the advantage is that you can hang a plasma on a wall. I might have been able to find a great deal on a DLP, but I know I'd have had buyer's remorse in six months when I wish I could hang a nice, thin TV on the wall.
You may wonder why I didn't go with an LCD. This just came down to personal preference. I think LCD looks great, but I find the picture to be a little too soft and I can sometimes make out the screen door effect of the individual pixels. I think plasmas have the smoothest, most life-like picture and their viewing angles are as good as the old fashioned CRT tube TV. Plus, plasmas no longer suffer from the burn-in issues that were prevelant in early models.
One final note: If you buy a new HDTV, do not buy cables or a mount from a retail store. The markup on these items is astronomical. Get a universal mount online for $30-70. Buy your HDMI cables online for less than $20. A great site to buy all of this stuff is monoprice.com.
If you're wondering why I didn't buy a 1080p (or Full HD) HDTV, check out this article.
