Choosing Between LCD and Plasma Televisions
Televisions are getting bigger and better every year. The latest technology is also becoming more affordable, but a TV can still be a major investment. It’s easy to drop a significant amount of money when you purchase a TV, so it’s only natural that consumers want to make a smart choice. There is a lot to choose from and it can be a little overwhelming when you start investigating all the possible makes and models.
This post will answer a very popular question to help you make an informed decision: What’s the difference between an LCD screen and a plasma screen television? We’ll start with a few basics then discuss the differences.
LCD Basics
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It’s the same technology found in many cell phones and computer monitors. It’s composed of two layers of rod-shaped polymers. When you apply an electrical current, these crystals act as shutters to block / allow light through forming and image. Then, the entire screen will refresh (see refresh rate) and present the next image. LCD’s require an external light source such as a CCFL or LED’s because they do not create their own light. This is a benefit because these screens require less power. The screens are thin, flat and available in many different sizes.
Plasma Basics
Plasma screens are another type of flat panel display, although they are generally a little thicker (about 6 inches thick). They are created with many tiny cells. Each cell has two panels of glass with an inert gas injected (in plasma form) between. The gas then excites red, green, and blue phosphors to emit light, creating an image. Plasmas require significant power because they still burn phosphors (just like CRT’s), this is especially true for brighter content.
LCD Advantages
These are the advantages the LCD screens have over plasma screens. Determine what you think is most important and select a TV accordingly.
Requires less power- Lighter
- No burn-in susceptibility
- Less screen glare, better for bright rooms
- Longer display life
- Generally have higher resolutions than similarly priced plasmas
- Run cooler, don’t create as much heat
- Performs well at higher altitudes
Plasma Advantages
And here’s the advantages of a plasma screen over an LCD.
- Better prices for larger screen sizes compared to LCD
- Wider viewing angle
- Better contrast ratio, define deep blacks better
- Better color accuracy and saturation
- Better motion tracking
- No pixel burn-out susceptibility
What do you think? What type of TV do you have?
Image courtesy of Johannes Freund
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5 Responses to Choosing Between LCD and Plasma Televisions
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July 2nd, 2009 9:16 am
Definitely LCD! Especially now with LED-LCDs… they are so thin!
LCDs have come a very long way in the last 5 years, I’d even go as far as saying that all of the “Plasma Advantages” are no longer advantages (price may still be depending).
When I was shopping for my LCD TV last year, the Samsung LCDs, to my eye, outperformed all other LCD and plasma TVs.
July 2nd, 2009 12:15 pm
We have been putting off buying an LCD because I wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t burn out right after I bought it. I hate wasting money. But it seems these are here to stay and I haven’t yet seen any complaints. Thanks for the information on these.
July 2nd, 2009 1:31 pm
Definitely LCD. The European Union is proposing (or has adopted; not sure if they’ve passed yet or not) increased efficiency standards for TVs, which would effectively ban larger plasma screens because they’re such energy hogs. I’ve read anywhere from 1.5X to 4X as much as other screens, depending on the size. I seem to remember California was looking at similar standards.
July 2nd, 2009 5:25 pm
At our last trip through Best Buy, I still thought for very large screens the plasmas had a real advantage: wider viewing angle. Contrast levels between the technologies seem to have caught up quite a bit, but you can see a plasma tv from near 85 degrees… haven’t seen an LCD that can do that yet.
That said, energy savings is a big plus on the LCD side, and thin construction (with LED technology) is really nice.
July 7th, 2009 9:09 pm
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