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Plasma TV Cheap
by Dr. John Luton |
Can you really buy a Plasma TV cheap? You bet! Read on to see how.
The answer to this question depends primarily on what you mean by the word “cheap.” Generally, Plasma models run a little more than a set with a Liquid Crystal Display or LCD screen. If you’ve got your heart set on an HDTV set with the LCD screen, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $8,500, depending on the size of the screen. The same integrated system with a Plasma screen will run from $4,500 to $15,000. Which figure would you rather pay? Usually, I like to turn loose as little of my hard-earned money as possible. Here’s what not to do.
My own search to buy a Plasma TV cheap – as in way inexpensive!
A year or so ago, when I first started shopping for an HDTV, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted an HDTV with an LCD screen or a Plasma TV. I knew that Liquid Crystal Displays had a brighter image and better contrast than Plasma, and I had heard that Plasma screens were not really lasting very long. The best news was that an LCD model was also quite a bit cheaper. I wanted to pick up a Plasma TV cheap, and I believed I had all I needed to know. So, armed with about half the information I really needed, I set out to make my purchase – big mistake!
What you don’t know can really hurt you, especially if you want to find a Plasma TV cheap!
I now know that many of the Plasma screens are rated from 20,000 to 30,000 hours of viewing life. If you plan to watch a lot of television, say around 17 – 20 hours per week, the Plasma screen will last from 22 to 34 years! So, it’s unlikely that your Plasma set is going to wear out anytime soon. I wish I had known all of this – before I signed on the dotted line!
Was I able to find a Plasma TV cheap? Well, yes and no – but mainly no!
Because of my insistence on buying an HDTV set in my hometown, at one of the local furniture stores, I probably paid too much. The salesmen didn’t have any Plasma sets so he fed me a line about how they would wear out in five years anyway. Well, I bought it. And when I say I bought it, I really mean I fell for his pitch – hook, line and sinker. The bargain the salesman was touting turned out not to be much of a bargain at all. I’m ashamed to admit it – and being a mass communication teacher, I should have known better.
But, I not only paid too much for my HDTV set, I also settled for an LCD screen that just doesn’t have the crystal clarity of a Plasma model.
That’s why I’m writing this article. In spite of my own wounded pride, I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did – paying a Plasma TV price for an LCD screen, all because I trusted the word of a salesman I had known for years. Instead of checking things out for myself, I took his word for it; and he took me to the cleaners!
So, what did I learn? A Couple of very important lessons – expensive ones too!
First, I learned to do my own research instead of relying on a furniture salesman to give me good information about sophisticated electronic devices. If I had known then what I know now, I would have spent just a tiny bit more and I would have had a Plasma set that would probably last as long as I’m going to. And I’m planning on being around for a long time. What’s more -- I’d be watching my Plasma set for that same period of time. After that, we both would probably need a few things replaced!
The other thing I learned is that you can buy a Plasma TV cheap – even if a higher-than-LCD price seems to indicate otherwise. You get what you pay for! To cut the price down to a more manageable size, you don’t have to get the largest screen available. I would rather be watching a 32” Plasma set than a 56” LCD screen. There is a huge difference in the clarity of the picture! Cheap or not – Plasma TVs are well worth the difference!
So, if you want to pick up a Plasma TV cheap, don’t look in a furniture store. Do gather your own research so you won’t be misled by an uninformed sales person. Finally, do check out all the great “Plasma TV Cheap” deals online – another thing I should have done.
There’s no better way to find a Plasma TV cheap!
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