Not so many years ago, homes across the country watched their favorite TV shows on a bulky floor model that took awhile to warm up before you could see the picture, didn’t offer anything in the way of remote control manipulation and offered a washed out image on the TV’s cathode ray tube hosted screen...and folks were thrilled to have such marvelous technology in their midst. Today, all of that’s been changed, with the introduction of plasma TV.

Instead of trekking to the local theater to catch a favorite flick, those who own a plasma TV can get pretty much the same experience in their own homes. If the thought of shelling out the amount of money that one of these sets costs makes you flinch, think of how much you’d be spending to buy movie tickets, and your perspective will change. If you multiply the number of movies that you’ll watch on your plasma set by $8.00 (the average price of a movie ticket these days), you’ll see that the set will quickly pay for itself. Even if your purchase price was $4300 for a 50” widescreen model, you’d see a profit after just about 538 movies were viewed – watching two movies per day, then, would have you realizing a profit after about 9 months. When you factor in the cost of popcorn and a drink, you’ll be seeing a profit a lot quicker than that.

Known for their magnificent color, clarity and brightness, plasma TVs come in a variety of sizes – from 37” to over 60”. Instead of the bulky floor models of yesterday, the plasma TVs of today are as thin as 3.25” – demanding far less accommodation for depth – and can be mounted on the wall. This helps to provide a true theater experience without the need for a lot of bulky hardware cluttering up the room.

Before you run out to make a purchase, there are some things that you’ll need to consider in order to make the best decision regarding a new unit for your home. Take a good look at the size and layout of the room that will house the plasma TV. If the room isn’t overly large – or if you have an apartment dwelling – then a 42” screen should do the trick. For larger rooms, upper range screen sizes (in excess of 60”) would probably work best.

Pricing is determined by the size of the unit, as well as the manufacturer. If, for instance, you purchase a model from Pioneer, Sony or Panasonic, you can expect to see a higher price tag. On the other hand, the quality of these units exceeds that of their competitors, so it’s all relevant. Ranked among the best of the plasma TVs is the Sony 42XBR, offering outstanding visuals and state-of-the-art operating tools.

You’ll probably find lower prices when shopping on the internet, but be sure to look for the Better Business Bureau seal on the website – which is represented by a BBB linked logo – or you can’t be sure that it’s not going to be a fraudulent (or, at least, substandard) transaction.

(c) 2005 Simon Canfield - All Rights Reserved

Simon Canfield is a hi-tech enthusiast and freelance author.

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