LCD vs PLASMA??

LCD vs PLASMA

Yes quite possibly the most difficult question to answer in High Definition history, but which type of TV is really the best?

Well I've spent the last two years reading every review, visiting every store, testing every TV and yet still I cannot give you a definite answer.

What I can do is tell you which type is best for your needs.

So lets begin by listing the workings of both:

LCD:

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) panels - work by trapping a liquid crystal solution between two sheets of polarized glass. When an electric current passes through the liquid crystals, they rotate causing a change in the polarization of the light passing through them in response to the applied voltage. This results in more or less light passing through the polarized glass to reach the face of the display. LCD panels do not generate light - rather they filter or subtract light produced by a backlight source to create the image on the panel surface.

PLASMA:

Plasma displays uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells that are charged by precise electrical voltages to emit light and create the picture image. In other words, each picture element in a plasma TV display acts as a miniature light source.

But what does that mean?

Well lets get some opinions in:

LCD :

LCD television advantages include no burn-in susceptibility, cooler running, less screen glare, more functional at high altitudes, longer display life (although improvements are being made in Plasma screen life), looks better in brightly lit rooms.

Also, LCD televisions have made great strides in upping-the-ante in native pixel resolution, with a growing number of sets offering a full 1080p (1920x1080) display capability at affordable price levels in screen sizes ranging from 37-inches and up.

One factor to consider in favor of LCD over Plasma (at least for the near future) is that if you are planning to purchase a Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD, or Upscaling DVD Player, LCD may be a more cost-effective option as you can get a 1080p LCD set from 37-to-42-inches at a lower price than and 42-inch size Plasma set that has 1080p resolution.

One other factor to consider is that LCD televisions are typically lighter (when comparing same screen sizes) than their Plasma counterparts, making wall installation easier.

LCD disadvantages:

LCD televisions do have drawbacks in several areas vs Plasma televisions: Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks, not as good at tracking motion (although this is improving), and not as common in large screen sizes above 42-inches (although the number is growing).
Also, although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you. Finally, LCD televisions are more expensive than an equivalent-sized Plasma television, although the price gap is closing.

PLASMA advantages:

Apart from better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks, plasma screens typically have better viewing angles than LCD. Viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected. You tend to see some brightness and colour shift when you're on too far of an angle with LCDs, while a plasma's picture remains fairly solid. This is steadily changing, however, with more and more LCDs entering the market with viewing angles equal to or greater than some plasmas. Plasmas can also produce a brighter colour, once again due to light leakage on an LCD affecting its colour saturation.
Plasma pundits will also tell you that some LCD screens have a tendency to blur images, particularly during fast moving scenes in movies or in sports. While that was true for older generation LCD screens, newer models have improved significantly -- so much so that the differences in performance between LCDs and plasmas in this regard is almost negligible (here's a tip -- if you're shopping for LCDs, check the pixel response time, measured in ms. The lower it is, the better the image quality in fast moving scenes.

PLASMA disadvantages:

-Potential Burn-In: Because of the phosphor technology in Plasma TVs it is possible for traces of an image to be 'burned-in' to the display. This is generally only a concern in commercial uses, where images are displayed for long-periods of time. Those that watch stations that offer news tickers may also need to be careful. Burn-in can generally be avoided by making sure that you do not keep a constant image on the screen for extended periods (sometimes as little as 20 minutes), either by turning the television off, or changing the channel.

Lower Brightness: Although still considerably brighter than rear-projection TVs, direct view and LCD TVs often are able to provide a brighter picture. This is generally only readily noticeable if watching in a very brightly lit room. Latest generation Plasma TVs have improved on the brightness issue considerably, and our only real warning would be to those that plan to do the majority of their viewing in a room exposed to afternoon sun.

Fragility: Plasma TVs are a very fragile technology, and the units are quite easy to damage. Extreme care must be used when moving them, as even laying the Plasma display on it's side can have adverse effects, possibly damaging the unit irreparably.



Well there you have it the low downs of both formats!

Still cant decide??

I'm sure your not the only one :)

So after years of researching the types of HDTV I came to my conclusion that PLASMA and LCD is wholly down to personal choice and the conditions where you will place your new HDTV.

This then led to make a simple question and answer to help you decide exactly which one you should buy.

Questions:

1. Are you looking to watch movies in the living room (large room) with the family surround sound and all, perhaps play the occasional video game and want a big (40" or above) screen?
A. PLASMA

2. So you want a cool new TV not amazingly big but big enough to enjoy your video games, hook up the XBOX 360 and watch the animated movies with the kids in your bright living room?
A. LCD

3. Your not sure really, you want to watch sports, play video games and watch movies on a reasonably big screen but dont have all that much space as such.
A. PLASMA (trust me you'l want high quality fast moving images if your sitting close.)

Now let me give you my reasons for this:

Plasma displays in my opinion are beautiful when watching fast moving images such as sports or action movies. They have a crisper image that seems natural and clean on a big screen.

• LCD technology is improving all the time and anything under 40" there is no competition LCD wins every time (apart from slight judder in panning scenes in movies)


• In brightly lit rooms an LCD television is best suited as the image you see can be much more appreciated than a shiny Plasma.


• If all you love is movies and surround sound and want to watch it BIG say 40" or above PLASMA is considerably more enjoyable to watch. You simply cannot beat it when the screen is this large as all kinds of issues such as ghosting, judder and black levels on LCD tv's will stand out like a Irish forward in the English dressing room.

Thats my opinion guys, I hope I've helped you to decide which HDTV is best for you.