CHENNAI: Being a couch potato these days is hard work. Which television are you going to stretch out in front of for the rest of the day?

You could settle for a 29" CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) in your cosy little flat on your even littler salary.

Or, is that work-of-the-art plasma TV you've been dreaming of hanging on the wall really worth saving up for?

Ramkumar from the Spencer Plaza Super Store says that earlier people used to walk into the shop and say, "Oh look, that's a plasma television."

But now, they are actually buying them due to a drop in prices generated by the increasing competition in the market.

At the Super Store, they have sold 25 LCDs and 7 plasma TVs since the beginning of this year, a 50 percent increase from last year's figures.

All about quality

So what's the fuss about these televisions?

Besides the chic, picture-perfect exterior that respects your space and adorns your walls, the plasma is all about quality.

It has a close rival in the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) television.

The advantage of both over the CRT, RPT (Rear Projection TV) and DLP (Digital Light Processing) is picture quality and product life.

The ordinary television has a lifetime of 10,000 hours whereas a plasma or LCD has about 60,000 hours.

Price check

The plasma TVs start at 42" with prices from Rs.1.7 lakh, says Mr. Ramkumar. The LCD starts from 15".

Both technologies offer an attractive, slim package. However, with plasma, you get the full effect of the picture only when you sit 20 feet away, so this one is great for a big hall.

LCD TVs are popular with corporates, as they can be connected to the PCs and are easier on the eye. The image is not grainy at closer distances, so it is the preferred choice for bedrooms.

The market is obliging as always. The wonderful world of plasma television extends to most brands, but according to retailers, Samsung, Philip and LG are popular.

Panasonic introduced `Viera - The Magnum Opus', a model that will be aggressively marketed from April, says Sathyan Sundara Rajan from Panasonic. Sharp is ruling the LCD market, according to Mr. Ramkumar from the Super Store.

If you've set your heart on one of these, there's good news for you.

Most of the stores offer finance schemes or combo offers where you could get the home theatre system (worth Rs.10,000) free.

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