I am confused, what is a Media Centre and do I need one?

The thing to remember is that both technologies are capable of producing very high quality images. Until recently, it was the case that smaller screens (32” and below) were predominately LCD and larger screens (42” and above) were usually plasma. Now LCD has caught up and it is possible to get 40, 42 and 47” LCD screens.

When choosing a large screen I would not advise against either technology, as both have positives and negatives.

For example, in an area with a lot of natural sunlight an LCD may be better as they have a matte screen which will reflect less light. On the other hand, plasma is the more established technology. It is often the case that prices have stabilised and you will pay less than a LCD for a similar sized screen.

I would recommend that you take into consideration other requirements such as overall picture quality, resolution of the screen (standard/high definition), warranty, mounting options, necessary inputs/outputs and of course the “B word” - budget.