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Palak Agarwal is a research analyst at Admanya.com which is India's leading internet consumer portal. Visit http://consumer.admanya.com for latest consumer reviews on all kinds of products and services based on real experiences

Selecting Between Lcd And Plasma

The leisure of watching a movie or a sport has become even greater with the high end technology’s introduction of TVs like Plasmas, LCDs, Flat TVs, Ultra Slim Fit and the likes. But, the latest hype is about Plasmas and LCDs in particular. Now, the next step is selecting or choosing between the wide ranges of models getting launched everyday.

First of all, you need to set a budget for your purchase; this will curtail half the burden. After the budget, you have to consider the different features which you are looking for. But, for this aspect, you need to have some knowledge about the type of the product that you are looking for.

Measure the space where you will put the TV before going to the store, most of us tend to ignore this, but some TV weigh over 45 kgs and thus can be difficult to move. Warranties are important because they fix defects at little or no cost to the consumer. Retail stores are the best option for buying a TV because you can see your model physically before taking it home and you meet face to face with the ales person.

CRT tvs are the traditional tube televisions which still now offer the best pictures available in the HDTV world, although its losing its shine under the dominance of plasmas and others. However, it has superb picture quality, low cost, excellent with ambient light, have great viewing angle and are easy to maintain. But, its disadvantage like bulky weight, image size and old technology has given way to other latest improvements.

Here are some of the main points of differences between LCD and Plasma TV sets:

Plasma TV Overview

Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma TV still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional TVs, such a heat generation and screen burn of static images.

LCD TV Overview

LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology. Basically, their panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are ‘glued’ together. Unlike standard CRT and Plasma TVs, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is needed for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional TV. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself.

Comparison

- Lcd tvs are best suited in rooms with ambient light as in the case in most of our homes. Plasma tvs, on the other hand are bet for homes that have dedicated home theatre with controlled lighting or night-time viewing, as they produce the best contrast required to how detailed dark scenes.
- Another aspect is picture quality that everyone is concerned about. Both of these tvs produce excellent pictures.
- Lcds score more than plasmas when it comes to picture resolution in models of various sizes.
- Plasmas have an advantage over lcds with regard to fast moving scenes and contrast levels.
- Lcd televisions are typically more expensive than equivalent-sized plasma tvs over 32 inches, although this is changing and prices have dropped for both.
- Lcds are lighter compared to plasmas which require a professional installer.
- With regard to power consumption, lcds use on average half of the power from plasma tvs.
- Plasma tvs are more susceptible to burn in technology, whereas lcds are not.
- Plasmas generate more heat than lcds due to the need of light of phosphors to create the images.
- Lcds run better in higher altitudes unlike plamas.
- Lcds run about twice as long as plasma tvs and are thus preferred for long usage applications like shops and households that operate it for more longer time.

The price ranges anywhere from 25-30,000 and run into lakhs depending on the size and other features, and in these to sets, lcds are more expensive in bigger sizes.

Thus, after considering the various features of the two sets, you need to decide which aspect are your first concerns and accordingly go for the right one, thereby enjoying every aspect of it and avoiding any discrepancy.

Mobile Phones and Health Hazards

There has been a huge controversy regarding the health risks that mobile phones pose to humans through their usage. Innumerable studies have been conducted in order to find out whether such a problem actually exist or it is just rumours? However the studies have not been able to provide a clear picture of the existing controversy.

Mobile phones emit radiations that according to some scientists is hazardous to health and might cause brain tumour and other related ailments.But there is no solid evidence to evaluate the risks among long-term, heavy users and for potentially long induction periods.It is commonly seen as a result of many studies that it may take at least 10 years of mobile phone exposure before researchers are able to detect any significant increase in related concerns.

So, after scrutinizing the entire situation, it is advisable to follow some safety tips to help reduce your microwave exposure:

- use an ear piece or Bluetooth as it will help directing the microwave exposure away from your head where the vulnerable areas of the brains have been shown to have the risk factors

- try to avoid giving kids cell phones as much as possible

- always receive a call from the left ear, because if you use the right one, it may affect brain directly.

However, these days mobile phones are created with highly advanced technology using the best materials and components. No brand can sustain in the market if its products are not safe and secure for the consumers

Ironically, and to our benefit, not all studies have shown negative results. So, at the end of the day, until this controversy settles down, it is advisable to be a little cautious while using your phones to be on the safer side as no one can do without them.