Plasma Television Sizes

Plasma Televisions are available in a range of sizes, most of which have proportions like a cinema screen rather than a regular television. Your new plasma television may measure from 32 inches to an astonishing 63 inches along the diagonal - that's over five feet of screen! If you wanted a CRT television of that size, you'd need a crane to get it into your house. But don't be carried away by the amazing size potential of the plasma display. The best values are in the 42 and 50 inch screens, two popular sizes that have created the most competition among manufacturers.

You may ask, what's the difference between a 42 inch and a 50 inch plasma television? The answer is about $4,000, on average. But the main factor in deciding on a size for your plasma TV is the size of the room in which it will be viewed. For a 32-inch plasma screen you need 6-10 feet of viewing distance. At 42 inches you need 10-14 feet, and that stunning 50-inch plasma TV requires at least 12-16 feet of viewing space to get the best effect. So while it might be impressive to have a giant television in your bathroom, it might not give you the best viewing results.

Popular Plasma Television Brands

Although Philips was the company that first brought plasma television to the attention of the public in 1998, today there are many competing popular brands. Currently Panasonic dominates the plasma market with 4 of the 5 top-selling models, but people all over America are buying flat-screen TVs from Sony Plasma Television, Pioneer Plasma Television, Zenith Plasma Television, Hitachi Plasma Television, Sharp Plasma Television, NEC Plasma Television, and Gateway Plasma Television, among many others.