Ask Liz: LCDs vs. Plasmas, National Tree & Coffee Bean Storage

What’s the difference between a plasma screen TV and an LCD screen TV? Consumer Reports helped us distinguish the differences between these TV types:

• There’s no clear winner between plasma TVs and LCD TVs for quality. There are reasons to pick one over the other, though.
• Plasma TVs are generally cheaper than LCDs. They also generally have better contrast, which makes for natural-looking skin tones in your picture.
• Plasma TVs also have an unlimited viewing angle, which means the picture doesn’t lose quality when you aren’t sitting right in front of the TV.
• LCDs, or liquid crystal displays, are generally brighter than plasmas.
• And the screens are less reflective which means they can look better in bright rooms.
• LCD TV’s are also better for playing video games. That's because LCD's don't have the burn-in image problem that plasmas can have. Burn-in images can happen to plasma TVs when fixed images are displayed on a monitor for a long period of time.

What happens to the National Christmas tree after the holiday season?

• Until the 1970s, a tree was transported to DC every year.
• However, now the National Christmas tree is a 40-foot living Colorado Blue Spruce.
• So, the tree is not replaced every year like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York.
• The decorations are normally removed each year on January second.
• Lighting the National Christmas has been a Presidential tradition since 1923.

Where’s the best place to store coffee beans? The National Coffee Association of U.S.A., Inc. says:

• Turns out an airtight jar is best since exposure to oxygen makes coffee beans go stale.
• Anything airtight, whether a jar or the same tightly wrapped container that the beans came in will work.
• Storing coffee beans in a refrigerator or freezer will NOT help to protect or preserve them.

Got a question for "Ask Liz"? Send any consumer questions to askliz@nbcwashington.com.

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