Plasma Televisions versus LCD Televisions: A Comparison
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Flat televisions displays are all the rage these days. Big and bulky CRTs are out, while widescreen, high-definition flat panels are redefining the home theater experience. But can you tell if what you're buying is a Plasma Television or an LCD Television? What's the difference anyway? Let's find out.
LCD Televisions
The word LCD, which stands for liquid crystal display, describes the material used to render an image on the screen. Liquid crystal placed in between two glass plates is manipulated via an electrical charge. The charge alters the position and pattern of the crystals to form the desired image on screen, as the light that shines through is polarized.
Plasma Televisions
Plasma televisions, on the other hand, produces light when phosphors, found between glass panels, are electrically charged and excited. (For more information, read up on Plasma Technology.)
The Pros and Cons
Sometimes people simply love the idea of a flat panel television, whether it's a plasma television or an LCD television. On other occasions, it is worth the trouble to inspect how they differ and how they are advantageous over one another.
Variety of Sizes.
In the flat panel television business, we want the screens to be as huge as possible—primarily because everyone wants to bring home the movie theater experience. In this criterion, Plasma Televisions have the advantage: you can get better deals for bigger plasma TVs than LCD TVs, and often, plasma televisions are usually much larger than LCD TVs. (This can serve as a hint when you can't figure out if the flat panel you're eyeing is an LCD or a Plasma.)
But if you want not-so-big screens, then LCDs have the advantage: screens under 30-something inches are unheard of.
Picture Quality.
Plasma televisions can easily come out as the winner in this category. First, LCD televisions are prone to displaying images after a short delay — you will notices blocky trails or a phenomenon called artifacting. You can minimize this (not to a complete "zero") by buying screens larger than 30 inches, but you may still notice and start to get annoyed by it.
Second, Plasma televisions score once more when displaying dark colors, especially black, not to mention the high-definition, high-end formats. The concept of "you get what you see" is better applied to Plasma televisions than LCD televisions.
Next, LCDs fare poorly at high viewing angles; that is, you are watching somewhere near the (vertical) edges of the screen (which is beyond a 90-degree viewing angle) and you can no longer make out what the image is. It is advised not to believe claims about a 170-degree viewing angle, because yes, you'll be able to see some image perhaps, but you probably won't understand what it is.
In addition, if you're seriously shopping for a television to play movies with, Plasma televisions are more likely to support widescreen formats than the LCD televisions.
Life, Care, Maintenance.
You'll get 30,000 to 60,000 hours worth of watching, and depending on the time you spend in front of the television, that'll amount to no less than a decade, which should be a good-enough investment considering how rapid the technologies have advanced over the years. Contrary to some beliefs out there, you don't need to recharge any gases. You don't have any lamps to replace, either.
Plasma televisions are prone to burn-in caused by leaving static images on for too long. This does not apply to LCDs, however, so this is also an important factor related to the uses you'll have for the flat panel you're buying, in case you're not just about watching TV on it.
Versatility.
As mentioned, if you want to go beyond watching TV with these televisions and use them as computer displays or video game screens, LCD is often recommended over Plasma since it avoids screen burn-in. (Find out what you need for a Computer Monitor Display here.)
Value for Money.
People often argue that you'll get a better deal for plasma, but this may be because majority buy for the high-definition images you can bring to your home, and not for other viewing purposes. However, people also say that LCD television prices skyrocket once they go past the 30-inch mark, possibly making Plasma Television worth the buck.
In any case, expect to shell out no less than a thousand dollars for a decent thirtysomething-inch television. Also, enhanced definition picture quality will always be cheaper than a high-definition one, whether the televisions is a Plasma or an LCD.
Remember that deciding which one between Plasma or LCD is cheaper should be better characterized by the requirements you have in mind first, and don't simply be swayed by a pretty-looking price tag. Related to this is: "if it's too good to be true (the price tag), then it probably is." You'll want to go for reputable brands, or ones with brands at least! Otherwise, if you don't take such things into consideration, you might not get your money's worth after all.
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