Plasma TV Features
Many new plasma TVs have the capability to access the Internet directly, through a broadband connection, without using a computer. Most do not function as full browsers: Web access is limited to specific content, which varies by model and brand. Some of these Internet-enabled televisions offer only simple RSS news feeds but others will bring you streaming movies and TV episodes from Blockbuster, Netflix, Amazon on Demand, Vudu, and Hulu, and some music services such as Pandora, and access to popular sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Flickr photos, eBay, Facebook, and more. (Some Blu-ray players and gaming consoles also offer this feature, so you can get Internet connectivity and streaming video without buying a new TV.)
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A small number of growing plasma TVs now have the ability to connect to a home network wirelessly, so you don't need a nearby Ethernet jack. Some models come with built-in Wi-Fi, while others come with, or offer as an option, a Wi-Fi dongle that connects to the TV's USB port.
Most widescreen (16:9) sets have stretch and zoom modes that expand or compress an image to fill the screen better. That helps to reduce or eliminate the dark bands that can appear on the sides or top and bottom of images if you watch content that isn't formatted for a wide screen, including most standard-definition TV programs and even some HD content. The tradeoff is that the picture is distorted or cut off a bit in the process of being stretched or zoomed. A mode called "native," or 1:1, which is found on many but not all TVs, presents the full image, without cutting off the edges. This is especially helpful when using the TV as a computer display.
All TVs have menus with settings that enable you to adjust the picture, sound, and more. We suggest adjusting the TV's settings once you get home to get the best viewing experience. Newer sets have a menu option that allows you to choose between a "home" or "retail" ("store") setting) when the TV is first connected. The home mode adjusts the TVs picture controls to settings appropriate for viewing in a home environment. You can also choose from other pre-set picture modes that are optimized for certain types of content (such as movies, sports, or games), and make adjustments to individual attributes, such as brightness, color, and so forth. (With some sets, you can adjust attributes individually only in a custom or user mode.) With more sources for video available all the time, it's handy to have a feature that allows you to customize settings for each input, such as the one you routinely use for your cable box or the DVD player. For example, you might want sharpness set to its lowest level when watching high-quality DVDs or Blu-ray movies routed through the HDMI input, but a higher sharpness setting to improve the softer appearance of standard-definition programs coming in by cable through the component-video input. (For more information, see Fine-tuning your HDTV.)
Picture-in-picture (PIP): This lets you watch two channels at once--one in a small window, the other as a full-screen image. It's useful if you want to browse the onscreen guide while keeping an eye on the program you're watching or keep track of a sports event while another program is playing. A single-tuner TV requires another device, such as a DVD recorder, DVR or cable box, to display two programs at once; dual-tuner TV models are able to display two programs simultaneously on their own. On some TVs, PIP is disabled when the HDMI input is used.
On most TVs, speakers are built-in at the bottom of a TV, along the sides, or occasionally on the rear of the set. Some models have detachable speakers, allowing you to remove them and place them elsewhere. The location of the speakers can affect the width of the set and could determine whether it will fit into a niche in an entertainment center. A recent trend with flat-panel TVs has been toward "invisible" speakers that are integrated within the screen bezel and barely visible to the eye. Some TVs have audio outputs that will allow you to connect external speakers or a powered subwoofer. Monitors, which don't include an ATSC tuner, may not have speakers. Front projectors generally don't include speakers.
Anti-burn-in features (plasma): Many plasma TVs now come with features to prevent burn-in, such as screensavers and motion-adaptive (also called pixel-shifting) technology, which shifts the picture almost imperceptibly every few seconds. This helps prevent static images such as a station logo or the bars on the sides of an image from permanently etching into the TV's phosphor coating, leaving faint but persistent, ghostlike images on the screen. Burn-in might have been more of a problem with earlier plasma sets. We haven't seen any evidence of burn-in when testing TVs in our labs over the course of a few months, and we have heard no anecdotal reports of permanent burn-in from staffers or readers who have used plasma TVs long-term at home. Temporary image sticking is more likely to occur. In this case, static images that remain on the screen for a matter of hours--or on a few sets we've seen, in minutes--may leave a subtle impression that's noticeable on a dark screen, though hard to detect with typical video. These impressions disappear when you play random video scenes. Some models include a feature that essentially blasts the screen with a white image for a period of time to remove lingering images.
As new technologies take over, they present consumers with a number of evolving television choices. There are now many more choices than just the picture-tube sets of your childhood. Whether you want a small set for the kitchen counter or a large one for watching the big game, we can help you to compare TVs in a variety of sizes and price ranges.