Menlo Park, CA--There are clear differences in how consumers perceive the popular alternatives for large-screen TV, according to a new survey by Pacific Media Associates (PMA), the Menlo Park market research firm.

Since it is these perceptions, not the measurements by technology experts, that determine what consumers will buy, understanding them is the key to predicting the trends in the TV market, PMA stated.

According to the survey participants, the five most important reasons why they would choose, or not choose, a particular technology were price, reliability, picture quality, screen size, and set size.

--Looking at their reasons for not choosing shows that plasma is strongly perceived as being too expensive, LCD as being pricey too, and RPTVs a relative bargain.

--Conventional wisdom in the industry has it that plasma suffers from burn-in and burn-out (short life) as compared with other technologies, and the survey quantified this in terms of users views.

--Conversely, the speed and colors, and thus picture quality, of plasma are usually regarded as strengths as compared with LCDs.

--Since LCD TVs span a considerable range of sizes, some answers no doubt depended on which size was under consideration, and because LCD TVs of 30 inches and larger are still quite high priced, it is likely that users considered the set they could afford as being smaller than they would like.

--The appeal of thinness is clear, with almost no objections to the overall sizes of plasma and LCD TVs, but a sizable number of objections to RPTVs.

These findings are part of a survey with 169 questions that was administered via the Web to over 1,200 respondents in the United States. The survey, in turn, is an integral part of PMAs Industry Service family of continuing information services, or it can be purchased separately. The consumer portion consisted of 78 questions, and is available for $3,000 separately. For more information, visit www.pacificmediaassociates.com.