Plasma vs. LCD Which one is right for you?

LCD Technology
Most people are familiar with LCD geputer displays, and the LCD television is simply a larger version of the same. The display works by using tiny "liquid crystals" that rotate to block the light at each pixel (dot) on the screen. Each point is actually three dots, one red, one green and one blue. These can be gebined to create the color at each point on the screen. Traditional LCD screens use a fluorescent light behind the pixel grid, which generates all of the light for the display. The newest models may use LEDs to light each pixel separately, allowing for higher contrast displays and better energy savings.
LCD Myths
Older LCD panels would streak and smear the image if it moved quickly. This was due to the speed that the crystals could spin. Todays displays are rated about 8 milliseconds or faster. That speed generally eliminates the ghosting effect of fast motion images on the display. Sometimes, bright white credits scrolling on a black background can still appear to streak, but most people can live with that effect. Also, some LCDs are better than others when connected to a laptop geputer or PC. If this feature is important to you, look for explicit PC support.
Plasma Technology
Plasma displays use phosphors much like a standard (CRT) television. The main difference is the plasma screen uses an electrically charged, sealed gas chamber to light each dot individually on the display. Tube TVs use magnetic deflection of a single "energy beam" to scan the phosphors from top to bottom. Otherwise, the performance of plasma displays will offer results much like a traditional set, though in a flatter package.
Plasma Myths
There is a fear that plasmas will "burn-in" an image left on the screen. This is possible if you leave a very bright image in place for a long time, but most modern plasma screens counter the effect with a sweep or refresh of the display. For the first few months, take care not to leave the set on CNN all day, and you should never see a problem. The life of the modern plasma screen is rated for over 60,000 hours, so you can watch it 8 hours per day for 20 years before it dims to half the original brightness. Also, plasmas are sealed units and never need to be refilled with gas.
Your Room Lighting
Because of these fundamental differences in how the TVs work, the best choice may depend on placement of the display. The biggest factor is often room light: if you have a darker room, either will work, but plasmas are more visible in a brighter room. Two factors account for this: the contrast ratio and the brightness. Contrast is the difference between the brightest and darkest colors the TV can produce (white vs black). Brightness is a measure of how powerful the light is in general (like a higher wattage light bulb: 100w vs 25w). For both numbers, the higher the value, the better. Plasma contrast is typically 10,000 to 1 (10000:1) or better, while LCD is about 1/10th as good at 1200:1. Many LCD displays use a dynamic method to improve contrast up to 5000:1. This helps by adapting the range based on the overall brightness of the scene being watched. However, because plasmas are brighter and have more contrast, the picture looks better in a brighter room. One issue, though, is that the plasma panel is glass, which can easily reflect room lights and windows. Neither screen will work well in direct sunlight, but you may have better luck placing an LCD to avoid reflections from many windows. A better solution is a set of window curtains to remove the problem altogether.
Resolution
HDTV is broadcast is different resolutions than the old standard NTSC. You'll see terms like 720p and 1080i used to describe the hi-def signal being shown. The number describes the lines shown from top to bottom on the screen -- the old standard was only 480 lines. The more lines in the signal, the more detail in the picture. But, not all HDTVs can show all of the lines in the signal. Most plasma displays only can show the 720 standard fully. They have to shrink the 1080 picture to fit on the display. The newest LCD displays can show the whole 1080 picture without shrinking or scaling the image, and they cost about the same as the equivalent size plasma. For reference, standard DVD players only have the 480 lines from NTSC, so all HDTVs have to scale the image up to fit the screen. Some do this better than others. Also, some older plasma displays only have 480 lines of resolution and are considered EDTV. These low resolution displays are only good for watching standard TV or DVDs, and are not HDTVs. Look for a resolution of "1024 x 768" or higher, up to "1920 x 1080".
Formats: i vs p
The HDTV broadcasts are marked with "i" for interlaced or "p" for progressive. The letter distinguishes whether each frame of video is sent partially (i) or all at once (p). Typically, "p" signals look better than "i" signals, but the full-frame, progressive standards have to carry a lot more information in the transmission. Standard TV is always interlaced (480i), but standard DVD players are interlaced on the regular connectors, and progressive on the "geponent" connectors. HD-DVD and BluRay DVD output true HD signals that are usually connected via the hi-def digital connector (HDMI).
What you plan to watch on your TV will affect the type of display you require. If you have (or plan to buy) a new hi-def DVD format, you'll want 1080p (the highest resolution display) to show all of the detail provided in the video format. If you mostly plan to watch HDTV from broadcast (ATSC/over-the-air), HD cable or satellite, you'll find that any 720p or better display will do justice to the signal.
How Big?
The best way to determine the size HDTV you need is to gepare it to your current television. Unfortunately, you can't just gepare the diagonal size because HDTV sets are wide-screen, and the measurement doesn't match standard TVs.
Because most TV shows are still broadcast in standard size (4:3), you want to make sure the standard picture isn't smaller than your old TV. If you currently have a 27" TV, look for a 32" HDTV or larger. If you have a 35" TV, you'll want a 42" HDTV or larger. Also, don't assume that bigger is always better. If you sit too close to a very large screen, you'll see the lines and not the image. For example, only get a 50" display if you'll be sitting over 10ft from the screen.
So Which one is right for me?
- Size ADVANTAGE:
Both technologies are playing on level ground. However, the available options when it gees to gepare plasma vs LCD TV sets, depends on the screen size.
You have more choice within the plasma TV domain for screen sizes greater than 50-inch. Partly, the reason is that though production costs and retail prices have gee down for both technologies, yet plasma still has an edge as far as production cost and capacity goes.
On the other hand, at the smaller screen size, i.e. at 37-inch, LCD is the dominant technology, while anything smaller implies LCD if what you are after is something stylish and slim (less than 4 inches in depth).
- Price ADVANTAGE:
Here, the playing field is leveling at a fast rate. Up to very recent, plasma was the obvious choice for all screen sizes where collision between these two technologies occurs; this is no longer the case.
In general, plasma still leads by a good margin only at the bigger screen sizes - 50 inch and upwards - with this pricing advantage getting more pronounced as one approaches the 60-inch diagonal. Against this higher price tag however, LCD HDTVs generally gee with more pixels per display panel.
At the smaller end (37-inch up to 44-inch), the price advantage when it gees to plasma vs LCD TV sets, starts to shift more towards LCD TVs. Even though plasmas and LCDs are practically selling at the same price tag, LCD TVs deliver more pixels for the same screen size.
- Overall Picture Performance ADVANTAGE:
Here our thumbs up in this plasma vs LCD TV geparative analysis go to plasma televisions even though both technologies are extremely close in terms of overall picture performance.
In other words, both plasma and the latest high contrast TFT-LCD flat panel displays are capable of excellent picture quality - with bright, crisp clear images, high contrast levels, and excellent color reproduction. This means that both technologies are suitable as a TV screen, but...
Plasma TVs still have an edge over their LCD counterparts when it gees to displaying deep blacks - thus enjoying better contrast and detail in images when dark and light content is shown simultaneously.
Generally, plasma color richness and naturalness will prevail in rooms with controlled lower to normal lighting, while LCDs will be better in brightly lit rooms due to their inherent anti-glare technology.
- Plasma vs LCD TV Viewing Angle ADVANTAGE:
What used to be a clear advantage for plasma displays is begeing more and more a non-issue especially with the latest generation of LCD televisions, however...
Do not always assume that viewing angle is no longer an issue when geparing plasma vs lcd TVs, especially if the viewing angle is not specified. The tendency in particular with the cheaper LCD TV sets from unknown manufacturers - is that the deterioration in picture quality with off-axis viewing is more accentuated with LCD than with plasma displays.
Our advice: It is always best to check especially when buying some cheap 'unbranded' LCD TV. If you are buying online, check first the return policy, and opt only for a reputable brand.
- Viewing Distance ADVANTAGE:
This is a non-issue when it gees to plasma vs LCD TV sets. None carries any advantage as long as you are within normal viewing distance for your screen size and your viewing distance is more than approximately 9 feet away from the TV screen.
However, the pixel size and shape of an LCD panel yields a smoother picture than an equivalent size plasma display. This means that if you have a too short TV viewing distance, an LCD television may be a better option as its pixel structure is less visible.
- Picture Resolution ADVANTAGE:
Up to very recent, LCD televisions used to deliver more in terms of pixels per screen size. When geparing plasma vs LCD TV sets, it was only at the extreme larger end of the scale that plasma and LCD display resolutions met.
However, thinks are starting to change. A case in point is a 50-inch model supporting full 1080p HDTV resolution from Panasonic.
- Image Retention ADVANTAGE:
LCD TVs enjoys a technological advantage; they are not prone to burn-in, and image sticking in LCD TVs is often gepletely reversible, but...
Burn-in is no longer much of a concern as it used to be with plasma televisions up to the recent past, especially for people with normal TV viewing requirements. Similarly, image sticking with LCD TVs is unlikely to take place under normal home entertainment use.
- geputer Use ADVANTAGE:
LCD, both as a result of their non-susceptibility to burn-in, and because of their ability to display detailed graphics better.
- Plasma vs LCD TV Lifetime ADVANTAGE:
This is a non-issue with either technology. In fact, both plasma and LCD TV sets gee with a quoted half-lifetime of around 60,000hrs. Even if this were just 30,000hrs, it would imply more than 14 years of use at 6 hours a day. And this when the average household in the US replaces their TV set every 7 years!
In other words, both plasma and LCD TV sets make use of extremely stable and reliable display technologies. As such, lifetime is more dependent upon manufacturer quality rather than upon display technology.
- Bad Pixels ADVANTAGE:
Plasma - because even though some manufactures are offering a zero bad pixel policy, yet LCD displays still have a higher tendency of developing bad pixels during use.
- Pixel Response Time ADVANTAGE:
Plasma - because even though LCD technology has improved such that this is begeing less of an issue, yet LCD has still some way to go to achieve the same level of pixel response times as phosphor based displays.
- Power Requirements ADVANTAGE:
LCD TV Sets consume less electricity. geparing the power requirements of plasma vs LCD TVs would soon show that an LCD panel consumes typically 30% to 40% less power than an equivalent size plasma display.
So, who wins the 'Plasma vs LCD TV' battle?
In reality, there is no winner - there is a market for both plasma TV sets and LCD HDTVs:
Plasma gives you a bigger screen for your dollar, deeper blacks, and better pixel response times. LCD TVs do not suffer from burn-in, use less power, and at the smaller end of the scale (at under 37-inch), LCD is your only way forward if what you want is something slim and stylish.
It is all a question of knowing what are the advantages and limitations of each with respect to your specific needs.