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This is the perennial question for all TV shoppers. Both types of flat panels have their pros and cons, so you must decide which pros and cons are important to you.

Plasma TVs have inherently sharper motion detail, though 120Hz and 240Hz LCDs narrow this gap, albeit at the expense of creating a "soap-opera effect," which makes movies look like they were shot on video. Also, plasmas have been traditionally cited as having deeper blacks, though LED-illuminated LCDs—especially LED-backlit models—often do much better in this regard than conventional CCFL (cold-cathode fluorescent) backlights. The one advantage of plasmas that LCDs can't match is viewing angle. If you move away from the center of an LCD, the picture quality suffers from color shifts and reduced contrast (as seen in the bottom two images above), while plasmas look pretty much the same (as seen in the top two images above).

LCDs have the upper hand when it comes to sheer light output, which makes them better in a well-lit room. Also, many LCDs have a matte screen, which reduces the appearance of reflections compared with a plasma's shiny screen. (Some LCDs, such as those from Samsung, have shiny screens, negating this advantage.) Finally, LCDs tend to consume less power overall, and their power consumption is more constant over time than a plasma's.

So which do you prefer: plasma with its sharper motion detail, often better blacks, and superior off-axis performance, or LCD with its brighter image, often less-reflective screen, and more economical power consumption?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.