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Not so long ago Plasma technology was the only choice for serious flat screen enthusiasts. Plasma screens offered unrivalled picture quality, and LCD couldn't come close when it came to larger screen sizes. But LCD technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past few years, and which technology to go for is not so clear cut – even with larger screen sizes.

Plasma Technology Advantages

1. Black level response
A fundamental part of a Plasma or LCD screens job is to re-produce a whole range of shades right through from the darkest dark to the whitest white. Without a doubt, Plasma is the most effective technology at the moment for achieving this aim. LCDs work on the principle of a 'backlight' which has to be blocked out completely to produce a perfect black pixel – not an easy thing to achieve. Plasmas simply have to stop an electrical current from activating the gas in a plasma cell, which would make it glow.

2. Contrast Range
Its one of those grey areas when you compare Plasma and LCD technologies. Plasma TVs are often quoted with greater contrast ratio figures, and tests often reveal that LCDs score higher in this area. However LCDs with their 'backlight' technology can offer hugely impressive contrast ratio figures purely as a result of the intensity of their whites, while having black levels that are merely average. It's a subjective area, but trust your own eyes, and the majority of people seem to agree that Plasma wins in this area – but don't take our word for it, judge for yourself, but don't rely on claimed contrast ratios from any manufacturer.

3. Colour Tones
Recent test and studies suggest that a Plasma screen can reproduce around 86% of the visible colour spectrum compared to the 75% or so that is available to LCD technology. The more colours that are available, the more natural pictures appear, especially skin tones which is often a benchmark for colour performance.

4. Motion Handling
Place a Plasma screen next to an LCD and watch a football match for a few minutes, and you will quickly understand an aspect of Plasma technology that offers a superior viewing experience - motion handling. With the LCD, the football players will often leave shadowy trails on the screen while the Plasma screen appears much sharper – this is all to do with response time. Response times, i.e. the time it takes for a liquid crystal cell to go from active to inactive and for a plasma cell to refresh, are notably better for the Plasma.

5. Viewing Angle
LCD manufacturers claim that the angle at which you can view the screen is wider than that of a Plasma. This may be true, but the important point here is the quality of the picture at a wide angle. Again, judge for yourself but it is generally recognized that Plasma offers a better picture for wider viewing angles.

6. Screen Size
While prototype Plasma and LCD screens over 100in are available, currently Plasma screens are commercially available up to a size of 65in and LCD up to 46in.

LCD Technology Advantages

LCD technology has been around longer than Plasma. For many of us, the first experience of lcd was the early calculators or digital watches which first appeared in the 70's. For a long time manufacturers only saw lcd as a small screen technology which could never hope to offer the black levels and range of colours that plasma could. However, some years later, with huge research investment from some of the larger manufacturers, LCD has become the flat panel screen of choice for consumers (in terms of outright sales). Manufacturers such as Sony and Toshiba are now producing 40 in plus screens which rival plasma for price and picture quality.

1. Resolution At the time of writing, all Plasma manufacturers would agree that it is simply not possible to fit 1080 lines of detail onto a screen that was less than 50in. The technology around at the moment simply makes it impracticable for plasma cells to be made this small. LCD doesn't have this problem, and its important because High Definition TV operates at this level of detail. Sure, Plasma or any other screen will downscale HD to a lower resolution, but the effect loses something in translation.

2. Brightness LCD technology relies on the panel being backlit, and as such the picture it delivers is more vibrant than Plasma. The advantages of this are that LCD is a far better display medium for your xbox 360 games, your PC or animated films like shrek. It also means that LCD are far easier on the eye to watch in more brightly lit environments.

3. Screen burn Resistance Ironically, although it is generally acknowledged that LCD produces a brighter viewing experience, the technology does not suffer from the inherent bug bare of Plasma – Screen Burn. The phosphors which create the colour on a Plasma screen can become tired with over exposure. This over exposure can happen after only a few hours of bright picture content display, creating degradation in the screen.

4. Size and Weight A small factor maybe, but noticeable when you start shifting your screen around the living room. LCD screens are generally lighter than their Plasma counterparts, which for example makes them a better proposition for hanging from walls.