If youre thinking of acquiring a new TV for your den or living room, it probably goes without saying that youd like to have a high-resolution television with a great picture. But which set to buy, and more, importantly, which type of television should you consider buying?

Today, in the high def arena, there are a number of choices available to the consumer: LCD flat panels, High definition tube televisions, high definition projection televisions, DLP projection sets, and, of course, plasma televisions. However, since tube sets and standard projection systems are, for the most part, on their way out, and since LCD flat panels are still rapidly evolving (they seem to get bigger and pricier with each passing month), well narrow this discussion to two high definition television types: plasma sets and DLP projection sets.

Plasma TV's use hundreds of thousands of tiny cells containing natural gasses that have phosphors to get their color. DLP (DLP stands for digital light processing) TV's, on the other hand, use a system of over 1.5 million micro mirrors used to project light on or off of a single bulb which is filtered through a color wheel.

How can you distinguish between the two formats to decide which is best for you? As with any type of television the first and foremost consideration is picture quality. Plasma sets, according to most reviewers, do look better, though the actual picture quality of a plasma TV is not markedly higher than the picture quality of a DLP set. In either case, however, a plasma or a DLP television will represent a major upgrade for anyone who currently owns a large tube set. And since the resolution on either format is, a thousand times better by comparison, any prospective buyer who spends the occasional Saturday or sunday haunting electronics stores, would surely be satisfied to own either type.

Size is another consideration to ponder when it comes to choosing between a plasma or DLP set. DLP projection sets have come quite a long way from their forebears (those huge box frames that double as wall units) and now have a depth of only seven to eight inches. However, DLP televisions still need to fall a bit further from their family treewhen it comes to size considerations, plasma sets that are only three and a half inches deep and can be hung on walls are the clear winner.

So far, you may think the plasma sounds a little better; it's smaller so it can hang on the wall and it's picture quality is slightly better. However, there are other things to consider, aside from size and relative picture quality, such as maintenance and lifespan.

While a plasma television does sound better at this point, it does have a limited lifespan. In fact, at 60,000 hours most plasmas are dead. At 30,000 hours, the gasses are only half as bright, therefore your picture is half as bright as when you bought this expensive object of adulation. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can really be done about this since all plasma sets are known to progressively leak gas. By contrast, DLP projection TV's leak no gas, simply because they have no gas to leak. DLP technology, instead, uses, a bulb, and therefore a DLP TV can be repaired relatively easily. How easily, of course, may be up to you. Some DLP sets are user friendly enough that you can replace the bulb yourself; on the other hand, there are models for which a technician will be required to accomplish this. And technicians, as a general rule, are not cheap. Nor are the replacement bulbs for a DLP TV, as these can cost up to 200 dollars, or more. The solution to the technician problem, of course, is to find a model that allows the average layman to do the work.

When it comes to maintenance and lifespan considerations with regard to either of these high definition formats, consumers can choose a TV that, at some point, may require costly maintenance, or a TV that, basically, like people, will be in slow decline from the day of its birth.

Price, of course, will probably be the deciding factor in most consumers decision-making process. DLP TV's usually cost much less than plasma televisions, sometimes only half as much. But, regardless of the choice made by a consumer considering a DLP projection television or Plasma television, either decision will represent a major leap forward from a old fashioned tube tv.