When it comes to home theater design there are several different types of televisions available for purchase. LED, LCD, and Plasma TVs are the most common types you’ll come across when working on your home theater design. Now this purchase is extremely important, as the television is often the central piece of equipment in any home theater.

To start with you have to understand that there is no correct answer to the question “What type of TV is the best?” Each TV type has its own pros and cons. The best TV for you is the one that best fits what your home theater design is trying to accomplish. What follows lays out the pros and cons of each type allowing you to make a more informed purchasing decision.

LED

Pros: LED TVs are often the thinnest TVs you can buy. So if you want a thin TV for your home theater design LEDs can be the preferable option. LEDs are also brighter and more consistent compared to LCD models. Their images are vivid, and they can display a range of colors that other types of TVs may not be able to match. These vibrant and easy to see pictures make LED TVs ideal for bright rooms with a lot of lighting. LEDs are also energy efficient using a lot less power than the LCD and Plasma TVs.

Cons: While LEDs offers many positives, they come at a price. The best LED models are often the most expensive purchase choice by a wide margin. Also the optimum viewing angle tends to be rather small. Because of this, when viewed from the wrong angle LEDs can appear flat. They also lose in contrast and darker colors when compared to plasma TVs. The backlighting effect can also be uneven in TV and movie scenes that are very dark, although this is improving every year as the technology matures.

LCD

Pros: In home theater design, LCDs have been common for many years. Because of this they are compatible with a wide range of equipment, come in several different sizes, last a long time, and are often the cheapest TVs on the market. When compared to LEDS and plasma TVs LCDs easily come away the winner if price is a factor. LCD TVs can still produce vibrant pictures at a fraction of the price of their more expensive counterparts.

Cons: While offering plenty of versatility, LCDs do have their drawbacks due to their older technology. Fast moving scenes tend to blur and their black levels tend to be not as crisp as a plasma TV. They also fall behind the more advanced LEDs in black levels and overall picture sharpness. LCDs also suffer form bad viewing angles if you’re not right in front of the TV. There also limitations in maximum size compared to LEDs and plasma choices. Plus the larger models' price often scales very high and they tend to be thicker then LED TVs. The LCD TV is rarely an option that you would consider any longer as the better models for a theater type use is going to be LED or plasma.

Plasma

Pros: Where plasma TVs really stand out is in their ability to display darker colors and black levels. Plasma displays have a more even brightness level then LEDs, making darker scenes appear better to the eye. Because of this even display, you can view a plasma TV from most angles without degrading picture quality. They also excel at displaying fast moving scenes without losing any picture quality. 

Cons: While plasmas excel in darker displays their brightness levels are not as high as LED TVs. In too much direct light the image can be washed out and hard to see. Power consumption is also higher then LED models but not as bad when compared to older LCD TVs. 

Summary

If I were making the choice on this day I would get a plasma TV. In fact not only would I, I just did. I don't think there's any real comparison over which picture looks best and most people in the business I've talked with agree with me. The problem is when you want a display larger than 65" you don't have a choice other than LED. The good news is that with the new 4K displays coming out, LED should be able to surpass what we have seen and become used to with plasma.

When looking for a TV, a "general" rule is, the higher the model number the better the picture. Typically the higher model numbers will have better video processors as well as more options. As installers we hate the options and the "special" remotes. All these extra features do is cause problems and get in the way of the "integration". Ideally, manufacturers would make available the most awesome display possible for the money and leave out speakers, remotes, "Smart" features and lots of inputs. Why? Well, good displays in a theater application are going to be used with an upgraded sound system and high quality speakers. Typically, there will also be a custom programmed, remote control system too. You don't need a lot of inputs as the HDMI video and audio are run through the AV receiver and then to the TV. Unfortunately manufacturers feel these other features are necessary to sell the product so they are included and you end up paying for things you don't at the expense of things that would help.

In the future it would be nice to see manufacturers embrace the "custom" installation business with these features. Even if the price remained the same if the display were to be improved it would be a win-win for us and our clients.