LCD's the way to go

GIZMO GALLERY: Plasma and DLP's are a lot more pricey, but these are a much better value proposition.

If money's not a constraint, you have a large house (the two often go together), and are shopping for a new TV to hang on your wall, most would recommend a plasma TV or Samsung's proprietary digital light processing (DLP) TV "" entry level models for both cost around Rs 1.5 lakh apiece, and are available only in sizes over 40 inches, going all the way to 67 inches.

A better bet, though, is a liquid crystal display (LCD) as it offers similar, if not better, viewing properties and a much better price proposition. And, since prices of LCD TVs are today around 30 per cent less than they were last year, expect a further fall "" in the next few years might be as affordable as the flat TV.

LCD consumes virtually half the amount of power compared to a plasma TV, and the same amount as a DLP set. In terms of image resolution, it is far better than a plasma TV, quite similar to that of a DLP. The other added advantage an LCD has that it has a depth of only 4 to 5 inches "" that makes it like a plasma, ready to be mounted on a wall.

Compared to that, a DLP TV has a depth of over 14 inches. Even its contrast ratio (that ensures sharpness and quality of the picture) at 5000:1 is much better than DLP TV. Of course, a plasma gives you a contrast ratio of 10,000, and that's why consumers who don't bother about money or space can go for it.

While Samsung offers entry-level LCDs at Rs 41,990 for a 20-inch, and a host of others going up to Rs 1 lakh for a 32-inch screen, if you're looking at a 40-inch plus screen, then your choice will depend on a variety of things.

In case you have Rs 1.5 lakh, for instance, you could get a 40 inch LCD, a 50 inch DLP and a 42 inch plasma TV. If it's contrast you want, go for the plasma; a larger screen, then go for DLP; a TV which is considered the future technology, provides savings in electricity, is lightweight and can be hung on the wall and promises good resolution, then go in for a LCD.

Samsung which has a 42 per cent market share has a new M Series range that's around 30 per cent more expensive than the previous premium range, the R Series. The M Series, unfortunately, is available only in 32, 40 and 46 inches and not in the entry-level 20 and 27 inches.

Pay for the view But for the extra price, you get some special goodies which are not available in the R Series "" the colour resolution is virtually double of the older series, and it gives you a feeling of being where the action is. You can view the screen from wide angles of as much as 178 degrees (it's 170 degrees in the R Series), and the contrast of the pictures is far superior "" nearly ten times sharper than the entry level 20 inch model for instance, and nearly double of that of the R series.

The entry-level model from Samsung is not the cheapest, since LG, for instance, offers a 20 inch for under Rs 40,000 and if you look around there might be others also who offer attractive entry price points.

But my recommendation to consumers who are in any case spending so much money is: do not go for the smaller screen. It's no fun, and many of the special features are not available on this model "" like the directional acoustic chamber system(DAC) horn-shaped speakers which evenly distribute the sound around the room and enhance sounds which are in low frequency to give you that great clarity in sound quality. Even the contrast of the pictures is much lower than in the larger models. More importantly it does not look like a quantum jump from your flat TV at home.

If you really want to enjoy the pleasures of LCD, go in for the 26-27 inch model. Sure, you fork out nearly Rs 25,000 more, but the clarity of the picture, the sound quality, the overall colour image quality and resolution is something else. Plus the size is perfect for most middle class homes living in flats "" a bigger size might require much larger flats.

At that price you get everything that you need "" contrast ratios ranging from 3000:1 to 2000:1, wide-viewing screens up to 170 degrees, DAC sound and brightness which is similar to the premium M series. And it can be easily hung anywhere on the wall "" and looks pretty aesthetic with its rounded looks and slick depth and speakers which are hidden below so that you can hardly see them.