When you're shopping for a new HDTV, the question that almost everyone faces is which is better, plasma television or LCD televisions? Unfortunately the answer is "it depends". LCD flat panel televisions work better in some locations (i.e. bright rooms), while flat plasma televisions have a number of advantages- for example clearer picture with fast moving action. Here are the top eight reasons to choose plasma:

1. Contrast (deeper blacks) - The ability to completely turn off a pixel as opposed to blocking light allows for deeper blacks on plasma. This makes colors appear more vivid and lifelike.
2. Viewing Angle - LCD televisions look best from directly in front. The picture can degrade as you move to the side; plasma televisions have a wider viewing angle, and make a better choice when there are several members in the family who watch together.
3. Fast moving scenes don't blur with the faster response time of plasma televisions, so if you're a sports fan and don't want to miss the details, plasma televisions are the best choice.
4. Some manufacturers offer zero bad pixel guarantees- read the fine print. If you shop carefully you can find a plasma TV with zero dead pixels.
5. Pixel response times are faster, and manufacturers have virtually eliminated phosphor lag (color remnant left by the varying decay time of the different chemical properties of the phosphor coating in plasma cells).
6. Color saturation - Plasma televisions can display millions of colors, and their finer controls on color saturation allows for a finer picture free from washout.
7. Price in larger units - Although they're getting less expensive, large screen LCDs are still more expensive than plasma.
8. Bigger Screens - Finally, if you're buying the truly large televisions, you have a better selection in plasma. For the biggest screens on the market, plasma is the only choice.

With a little careful analysis on your size requirements, viewing plans and budget, you can now confidently buy a plasma TV based on its strengths against LCD TV.