When you want to buy a flat panel TV, probably the first question that pops in your head is “plasma or LCD?”. After all, they both look similar and from what you’ve heard, they even seem to offer pretty much the same advantages over the old tubes. So the plasma vs LCD TV battle that just started in your head, needs a winner. However, the situation is not that clear, both types of displays offering advantages and disadvantages, but without clearly rising above each other. Imagine if one type of display would be better than the other in every way. Then the looser would just disappear from the market because everybody would go for the winning technology.
There are many plasma vs LCD TV guides on the Internet, each with a relatively unique approach to this subject. Some go into great depth explaining technological differences, while others focus more on the practical differences. Some of the guides are OUTDATED and because of that parts of them do not apply anymore these days. Some of the most often encountered misguides have to do with plasma TV burn-in and price.
Plasma TV burn-in used to be a serious problem long time ago, but now, the top plasma TV manufacturers reduced the risk of burn-in so much, that it is almost impossible to be affected by it if you have a quality model. It is important to note that the top manufacturers have addressed the burn-in problem better than the ones considered to offer low-end models.
Regarding the price, it was a bigger gap between plasma and LCD TVs a few years ago than it is now. At that time, large plasma TVs used to cost less than similarly sized LCD TVs. Now this gap is much smaller, large LCDs being also affordable.
Selected Plasma versus LCD Guides
TheBestPlasmaTV.com has a relatively fresh guide, pointing very precisely the practical differences between the two types of flat panel displays and stressing the fact that choosing a winner is a matter of how you intend to use your TV.
Both plasma and LCD TVs are very similar in aspect, features and to some extent in picture quality. The technology behind them is very different and comes in both cases with pros and cons. The answer to plasma vs. LCD TV question is not a straightforward one but more than anything it is subjective and has to do a lot with what your particular expectations are and how you intend to use your HDTV.
Read their full plasma vs LCD TV guide.
cNet.com has also a good guide on plasma TV vs LCD TV. To the point, without a lot of technicalities, being useful especially for those in a hurry or preferring a very easy reading. It is however part of a bigger guide split into parts, so you can learn about all types of displays, including tube and projectors.
The picture quality of LCD TVs has historically suffered from poor black levels, but the latest versions are often much-improved. The best plasmas still surpass the best LCD in terms of delivering a deep black, however, and in general LCD still lags behind. That’s because LCDs use a backlight to provide illumination, and there’s almost always some light leaking through the pixels. Color saturation is also generally inferior to plasma’s, again as a result of the inability to completely blacken (turn off) the pixels.
Read the full cNet guide.
LCDTVBuyingGuide.com has a more direct approach, picking winners for various tasks. If you’re not into technical descriptions of the technologies, you can safely skip the intro.
Plasma manufacturers have made much of their 160° viewing angles, which is about as good as horizontal and vertical viewing angles get. This owes to the fact that each pixel produces its own light, rather than light being spread across the screen from one central source. Hence, each pixel is more readily visible because its brightness is consistent with every other pixel on the screen. One consistent area of superiority of plasma viewing angles is demonstrated when viewing dark material content, especially DVDs. A Plasma display holds the black levels from off axis, while LCD TVs lose black level intensity more as the angle off axis increases. This usually occurs after around 90 degrees.
Practical-Home-Theater-Guide.com has an in-depth guide. Prepare yourself for a long read.
And what about contrast ratios? We are seeing some really high contrast LCD panels that can display very deep blacks. Most LCD TV sets come with a contrast ratio of around 10000 to 20000:1, yet some manufactures have started to quote ratios as high as 50,000. Samsung is even quoting a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 for its LED backlit LCDs. These figures are in line with that of the latest plasma TV sets.
Still, plasma televisions have a slight edge over LCD displays in this respect. Why?
When it comes to comparing plasma vs LCD TV for contrast ratios figures, the real problem with LCD televisions is not insufficient contrast with respect to plasma TVs. Rather, their real problem is the deterioration in picture quality due to a noticeable lowering in contrast and black levels with off-axis viewing, which in itself also leads to loss of color saturation. This is not the case with plasma TVs.
Read the complete plasma vs LCD guide.
And if you’re the lazy kind, cNet Australia has it all summed up in a nice video. They also have it explained in writing but briefly, compared to the sites above.
Plasma and LCD panels may look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end. Plasma screens, as its name suggests, uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. LCD screens (liquid crystal display) are in layman’s terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount electrical charge applied to the crystals. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, as you’ll read below.
Watch the plasma vs LCD movie.
There are a bunch of other guides on this subject, but if the above don’t satisfy your needs I’m not sure which one will. You can always try Google, of course.
Thanks for post. Nice to see such good ideas.