The holidays are over and a tax return may be on its way. If you are contemplating a splurge for yourself or your office, take a gander at plasma-display monitors. Plasmas are the latest and greatest in flat-panel display technology. They boast superb image quality and large screen sizes, which can be viewed practically in any environment and from any angle. Their price tags are steep (generally $3000 to $5000), but the payoff can be well worth it.

Like their CRT predecessors, plasma monitors produce images by making tiny, phosphor-covered, gas-filled glass chambers glow. The result is a picture with a distinctly different look and feel from other types of displays-one with more depth, texture, and warmth. Images are sharp and bright; colors are lifelike and vivid. Ambient light washes the image out to a much lesser degree. Pictures on a conventional monitor that may have looked just fine a minute before will look downright hazy in comparison.

Viewing Angle
Although LCD monitors do boast higher-resolution pictures, they become unviewable when looking from an oblique angle. In contrast, you can almost stand sideways next to a plasma screen and still see clearly. Plasmas boast a wide viewing angle of 160 degrees, both horizontally and vertically. This is a great plus when using the monitor for presentations at meetings or trade-shows since more people can see well.

Design features
Other plusses include the fact that plasma monitors take up very little space: they are typically three to five inches deep. They are also quite lightweight compared to conventional monitors, thus making it cheaper and easier to mount on a wall - all the more desirable for use in a conference room or a trade-show booth. Plasma monitors also boast a long lifetime. Most manufacturers claim that their new plasmas have an expected lifetime of at least 30,000 hours. That's about 15 years, at 40 hours a week. This means that plasmas can potentially offer a nice return on investment, and a slow depreciation rate. As a result, used plasmas may be a solid investment as well. Also, for those watching movies on their computer, plasma screens' 16:9 aspect ratio is tailored for wide-screen formats.

That said, plasma monitors are not good matches for those folks looking for a compact screen. Plasmas range in size from 32" to the outrageously expensive and indulgent 60"-plus.

Options
Some notable options on the smaller end include Sony's compact 32" PFM32C1 and Hitachi's 37" 307HU. Moving up a notch, Electrograph offers a remarkably low-cost but high-performance 42" diagonal in its DTS42W model. Panasonic's 42" 42PHD5U also offers a truly remarkable image. For those seeking the truly big boys, the 60" NEC 61MP is downright formidable.


For those pragmatists looking to improve their monitor experience but desire to spend, say, 10% of what a plasma costs, flat-screen LCD monitors are a great option. LCD monitors (liquid-crystal displays, also called flat-panels) tend to range from 15" to 18". They offer a crisp visual experience while freeing up considerable desktop real estate. Even better, their prices have steadily fallen over the last couple years and can be found starting around the mid-$200s. A popular and critical favorite is the Samsung SyncMaster 151S. For the Mac users, the Apple Studio Display 17" LCD has similarly won industry accolades.