Flat Panel TV Buying Guide: Plasma Vs LCD

What is Plasma and LCD?

Simply put Plasma and LCD are two technologies used to produce a flat panel screen or television. Plasma and LCD Tv's may look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end.

Plasma flat screen technology consists of hundreds of thousands of individual pixel cells, which allow electric pulses (stemming from electrodes) to excite rare natural gases-usually xenon and neon-causing them to glow and produce light. This light illuminates the proper balance of red, green, or blue phosphors contained in each cell to display the proper color sequence from the light. Each pixel cell is essentially an individual microscopic florescent light bulb, receiving instruction from software contained on the rear electrostatic silicon board. Look very closely at a plasma TV and you can actually see the individual pixel cell coloration of red, green, and blue bars. You can also see the black ribs which separate each.

LCD or Liquid Crystal Display screens are in layman's terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. A matrix of thin-film transistors (TFTs) supplies voltage to liquid-crystal-filled cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. When hit with an electrical charge, the crystals untwist to an exact degree to filter white light generated by a lamp behind the screen (for flat-panel TVs) or one projecting through a small LCD chip (for projection TVs). LCD monitors reproduce colors through a process of subtraction: They block out particular color wavelengths from the spectrum of white light until they're left with just the right color. And, it's the intensity of light permitted to pass through this liquid-crystal matrix that enables LCD televisions to display images chock-full of colors-or gradations of them.

Plasma Vs LCD: Picture Quality

While most of us are not bothered with what happens behind the screen...we're definitely interested in how the screen performs as a television and that's Picture Quality.

There are 5 things that define Picture Quality: Contrast & Black Levels, Color Accuracy, Viewing Angle, Depth Perception and Brightness.


1) Contrast & Black Levels: Contrast is basically a measure of the blackest black compared to the whitest white. The Higher the contrast the better. Plasma's tend to have a higher contrast ratio than LCD's especially when viewing from different angles.In a dark room environment the user will notice the hazy effect present in blacks on LCD TVs unlike Plasma's. The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means it's hard for it to achieve true blacks because there's always some light leakage from between pixels.
Which is Better? Plasma

2) Color Accuracy This determines which shows the truest color. In plasma displays, each pixel contains red, green, and blue elements, which work in conjunction to create billions of colors. Whereas, LCD displays reproduce colors by manipulating light waves and subtracting colors from white light. If you look closely at a plasma you will notice each pixel is either red, blue, green or yellow whereas on an LCD you cannot distinguish between the basic colors. This makes an LCD's picture a tad brighter showing greener greens and warmer reds. This is better in rooms with bright lighting or the outdoors as the colors shine through brighter and the image is clearer. Though some may not even notice the difference in some cases as plasma's are impoving their color technology everyday.
Which is Better? LCD

3) Viewing Angle: This determines the picture quality when viewed from various angles other that straight and extreme off angles (i.e from extreme sides or above and below). Since in Plasma's each pixel produces its own light, rather than light being spread across the screen from one central source in the case of LCD's, each pixel is more readily visible because its brightness is consistent with every other pixel on the screen. LCDs tend to lose black level intensity more as the angle off axis increases. This usually occurs after around 90 degrees. LCD manufacturers have done much to improve their displays' viewing angles, though they still have some ground to cover before catching up to plasma's. Expect the best LCD displays to have between 120 and 130 degree viewing angles.
Which is Better? Plasma

4) Depth Perception:This determines whether the images seem flatter on screen rather than more 3D like. Due to a deeper pixel cell structure plasma technology triumphs in this category. With an incoming HD signal plasma looks more three dimensional than LCD TVs. LCDs rely more on the effects of lighting for depth characterization and images at times can appear flatter.
Which is Better? Plasma

5) Brightness: With a combination of Contrast, Black levels and Color accuracy you can notice a difference in brightness of picture. There is a difference when viewing a screen in a dark room and in a bright one. Plasma Tv's use more power to create whites whereas LCD screens produce whites naturally so they can achieve extreme levels of brightness.
Which is Better? LCD

Plasma Vs LCD: Power Consumption

I feel strongly that in this day and age we really need to consider how much power and resources we can save in our day to day life. With environmental and green issues becoming increasingly important, it’s reassuring to know that your choice of large screen TV is ecologically sound. In the long run you save on power bills and power.

Because LCDs use florescent back lighting to produce images, they require substantially less power to operate than plasma TVs do. LCD displays consume about half the power that plasma displays consume. The reason: Plasmas use a lot of electricity to light each and every pixel you see on a screen - even the dark ones. Though plasma manufacturers have improved voltage consumption requirements a plasma TV will consume around a third more power for the same size display.

Which is Better? LCD

Plasma Vs LCD: Durability (Screen Burn-in)

Televisions have an issue called Screen Burn-in. It happens when your television shows a still image or an icon for so long that its "ghost" remains on the screen. It is premature aging of pixel cells due to static images. For example, if a stock ticker or a news crawl continuously runs along the bottom of your display, that strip may be burned into your set.

LCD technology is not prone to screen "burn-in" or "ghosting" due to the nature of the technologies "twisting crystals." But with plasma displays, static images will begin to "burn-in," or permanently etch the color being displayed into the glass display element.

The time it takes for this to occur depends greatly on the anti burn-in technology of the manufacturer. Recent improvements by plasma manufacturers have certainly extended the time it takes to burn in a plasma pixel cell they have also included screen savers to prevent static images from ghosting the screen. So while pausing a DVD for 15 mins may not leave a permanent 'ghost' on your screen it can be washed out with grey static, leaving static images for longer periods of time will eventually lead to permanent burn-in. It is said that plasma technology is improving their anti burn-in times really fast and this is not so much a concern as it was a year ago.

Which is Better? LCD

Plasma Vs LCD: Longevity

The Lifespan or Longevity of a television is determined by the number of viewing hours a television provides before dimming to half brightness. This used to be one of the biggest advantages LCD had over plasma.

LCD manufacturers claim that their displays last, on average, 50,000 to 65,000 hours which is approximately about 20 years if used 8 hours per day. In fact, an LCD TV will last as long as its backlight does - and those bulbs can sometimes be replaced.

Plasma, on the other hand, utilizes slight electric currents to excite a combination of noble gases (i.e., argon, neon, xenon), which glow red, blue, and/or green. This is an essentially active phenomenon, so the phosphoric elements in plasma displays fade over time. Many manufacturers state a new half life of 60,000 hours which is as much as LCD's, but, there is no way to replace these gases in a plasma so the display simply continues to grow dimmer with use.

Which is Better? Depends on the manufacturers quality though LCD may have a slight edge

Plasma Vs LCD: Sizes

All television measurements are stated in inches as a diagonal measurement of the display screen from corner to corner.Both LCD and Plasma televisions are becoming more readily available in larger sizes though plasma still leads the size battle by a great margin.

You'll find Plasma's in the market ranging from 42 to 65+ inches. So if your looking for a smaller TV Plasma may not be an option. If your wondering whether larger screens perform the same as smaller ones or whether they have kinks in picture quality the bigger they get...worry not cause the the largest plasma displays are just as reliable as their smaller counter parts.

LCD Screens range from 5 to 52+ inches. The substrate material for LCD TVs has proved difficult to produce it in large sizes without pixel defects owing to faulty transistors. This will change very soon and you will see LCD TV's as big as Plasma's.

Which is Better? Plasma for Bigger Screens, LCD for smaller ones

Plasma Vs LCD: Prices

While neither LCD nor Plasma TVs are a budget bargain, on a price-per-square-inch basis, plasmas currently have a slight edge. The Prices for smaller LCD screens are dropping rapidly. But if it's a big screen TV your looking for then Plasma's offer better value for money. You're likely to get a 42" plasma for about the same price as a 37" LCD. Those extra pixels and the production process of LCDs cost more money to produce. Expect to pay a third as much more for a similar size LCD than a plasma TV.

Which is Better? Plasma (by a slim margin)

A Plasma TV May Be Better For You If:

- You want rich, warm colors and deep blacks
- You'll be sitting off-axis when you watch TV or movies.
- You don't watch a lot of TV shows or play lots of video games with static images on the screen for more than a few hours at a time.
- Your viewing room doesn't have a lot of ambient light, or you can easily reduce the light by closing the blinds or curtains for example.
- Your looking for screen sizes more than 40" for a more home theater feel.

A LCD TV May Be Better for You If:

- If you're looking at screen sizes under 40", LCD is your only flat-panel choice.
- Your TV room is relatively bright, or you do a lot of daytime viewing. LCD looks great in a kitchen or any other room with bright lighting. LCD displays are better at resisting glare from sunlight or room lights, and they're very bright.
- You watch a lot of TV shows or play lots of video games with static images on the screen for extended periods of time, multiple days a week.
- Its total immunity to screen burn-in makes LCD an ideal choice if your viewing includes frequent computer or video game use. And if you leave your TV on for hours at a time tuned to a news or sports channel with a scrolling "ticker," LCD would be a safer TV choice.
- There are many more 1080 pixel LCD models than plasma — that's the highest resolution currently available, so you'll see a very sharp, detailed picture.
- LCD TVs are usually more energy efficient than plasma models of the same size.

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