Like CRTs (picture tubes), plasmas use phosphors to generate light, which means they can be subject to "burn-in"--or, at least, older plasma sets are susceptible. Burn-in occurs when a static image stays on the screen for a very long time; for example, it could be the health meter in a video game, or an annoying network logo that squats in the corner of your screen.

Fortunately, you can minimize the risk--or in most cases, nearly eliminate it--by keeping the contrast and brightness settings reasonable (almost all TV sets come out of the box with their contrast, brightness, color, and sharpness controls turned up way too high) and by using stretch modes to fill the screen when you're watching 4:3 programming (though that will distort the picture). Plus, most of today's plasma TVs use pixel-shifting strategies that continually move the image on the screen in imperceptibly tiny increments to prevent burn-in. Such technology should help--that is, unless you plan to watch NCAA March Madness nonstop. Then you have bigger issues.

One last thing to bear in mind with plasma sets is the audio. Most now come with speakers either built in or attached to the sides or bottom of the panel, but some remain strictly video displays with neither speakers nor any integrated TV tuner. In such cases you will need to factor those additional costs into your home-theater budget.

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LCD