For so long, there has been a growing debate between the advantages and disadvantages of plasma TV compared to LCD TV, and vice versa. I think the heat of the issue comes from the fact that both plasma display panel (PDP) and liquid crystal display (LCD) have revolutionized the way a television looks design-wise and how we see motion picture. The two have made it possible for us to kick our cumbersome, box-like TVs to the curb, with their sleek, wall-mountable profile. Now we don’t have to worry that we’ll accidentally elbow a small TV set into the sink of a kitchen. And of course, they both have drastically improved the quality of image of our favorite shows and movies, as if the colors were ready to jump from the screen (in the shape of Brad Pitt in “Troy” perhaps?) to our living rooms.

If you are still caught in the PDP and LCD conundrum, perhaps it’s best to start where it matters: picture quality. Now we know that watching something on television is a participatory experience: our pulse races, we scream in terror, we laugh out loud. The believability of what we are watching is directly proportional to the life-like quality of the image. The littlest distraction can rudely disrupt the suspense of anything we are watching. We should therefore aim for consistent, crisp and captivating image in our TV.

No longer at its infancy stage, PDP technology has taken strides in delivering a precise, sensational picture. The image is formed when a network of gas plasma cells, sandwiched between two panels of glass, are electrically charged to emit light. At the forefront of the plasma revolution is Panasonic through its Viera line which takes the advantages of PDP over LCD to new heights.

One of Viera’s innovations is the “2,000,000:1 High Contrast” which introduces the “next-generation black reproduction” through the Real Black Drive system, a pre-discharge control system that raises the base illumination. This means that intensities of black are more defined and dramatic, delivering the eerie spectacle of night scenes. As for color, “6,144 Steps of Gradation” accurately produces scenery, capturing the natural progression of colors. A sunset, for example, will not come out simply as a wash of orange, but will reveal the different shades of that orange, among other colors such as the grayish pink on the underbelly of clouds.

Sports fans will tell you the importance of moving-picture resolution. The speed of a ball flying across a field should be rendered in equal speed on the screen, or else something is amiss. Viera improves on moving-picture resolution by generating a frame 1/50th of a second, reproducing the speed of motions in real life. 

This feature, aside from the contrast and gradation, is complemented by the fact that the line features a “Wide Colour Viewing Angle.” No matter what side of the room you are in—this is especially true when you are watching with your family or friends—you will not experience any degradation of the image. This is due to the fact that each of its numerous pixels emits its own light. As an intuitive technology, the screen also adjusts to the brightness of the room, which makes viewing easier on the eyes.

Other features include “Tough Under Force” which means that the screen is resistant from scratches and undue force; a long panel life of up to 100,000 hours (about 30 years of viewing at eight hours a day); and its eco-friendliness because PDP is free from polluting and sickening mercury and lead.

No doubt the PDP technology will still evolve and yet it seems that it has comfortably taken the shape of the future in terms of what we know of television. With its true-to-life and right-on-the-pixel-dot images—and the fact that a PDP TV is a home theater in its own right—transforms mere TV watching into a cinematic experience.