LCD vs Plasma vs LED TVs 2012
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LCD vs PLASMA vs LED - Buying Guide
How do you choose between LCD, Plasma and LED TV ?
If you are not familiar with the current TV technologies, it can be a little scary in choosing and understanding all the choices out there.
Large, flat-screen televisions are a major upgrade from existing cathode-ray tube TVs, making new high-definition sets one of the hottest-selling items in consumer electronics.
LCD vs Plasma vs LED TV? Which is better?
LCD, LED and Plasma televisions may seem identical when you're in the store, but the similarities end once you look past the thin form factor and big screens.
How well an image is displayed on a television panel, whether it is a Blu-Ray movie, an HDTV broadcast or a high-definition video game, depends on a television's display technology and its image processing capabilities.
LCD vs PLASMA vs LED
Looking for a new TV can be an pleasant experience, but overwhelming if you're the kind of person who researches products and weighs their pros and cons before making a purchase decision.
Technology explained:
Plasma TVs use a sheet of miniscule individual plasma cells that create a picture when an electrical charge is applied. You can find more information on Wikipedia about plasma display.
LCD TVs use liquid crystal compressed between two glass plates - an image is created when electricity is applied to these crystals. You can find more information on Wikipedia about LCD television.
LED TVs use liquid crystal, but unlike regular LCD televisions they use a backlight made of hundreds of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) instead of a fluorescent lamp. The LEDs can be evenly distributed around the back of the television's panel or situated in the edges of the screen to create a very thin display chassis. You can find more information on Wikipedia about LED-backlit LCD display.
A little poll before reading further...
LG 55 Inch LCD HDTV
LG 55LK520 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
LG 55LK520 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
If you want sports and fast action to be as crisp as they are exciting, TruMotion 120Hz virtually loses the blur and keeps the sizzle. The LK520 1080p LCD TV brings you both, along with the other great features that make LG TVs something better. LG's ISFccc Ready HDTVs contain the detailed standards necessary for professional calibration of brightness, contrast, tint, sharpness, color levels and much more to meet local lighting conditions for both daytime and nighttime viewing. Settings are added to preset modes for easy access from your LG remote.
Samsung 37 Inch LCD HDTV
Samsung LN37D550 37-Inch 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV
Samsung LN37D550 37-Inch 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
Compromise on price but not on features. Samsungs affordable 550 LCD HDTV series delivers Full HD resolution, playback of files from USB drives or over your home network from DLNA Certified devices, a wealth of HDMI inputs, and plenty more, all wrapped up in Samsungs eye-catching "Touch of Color" design.
Panasonic 32 Inch LCD HDTV
Panasonic VIERA TC-L32C3 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV
Panasonic VIERA TC-L32C3 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Equipped with an SD card slot, VIERA makes it easy to view full-HD photos and motion images that you shot yourself. With VIERA's big screen and superb image quality, family and friends will love sharing your memories. Enjoy realistic starlit skies right in your living room. Improvements in panel contrast and scene-adaptive contrast gamma correction have achieved a high contrast. The backlight tuning area is also expanded to achieve deeper blacks.
LG 42 Inch LCD HDTV
LG 42LK520 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
LG 42LK520 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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- Full HD 1080p gives it superior picture quality over standard HDTV. You'll see details and colors like never before.
- TruMotion 120Hz technology lets you see sports, video games and high-speed action with virtually no motion blur
- Energy Star qualified so your entertainment experiene uses less energy
- Picture Wizard II allows for self-calibration with on-screen reference points to ensure terrifc black, color, tint, sharpness and backlight levels
- An incredible contrast ratio of 150,000:1 delivers incredibly vibrant colors and deeper and darker blacks.
Tips For Purchasing A New Television
No matter if it's a LCD, Plasma or LED TV
Buying a TV it is quite important because this will offer ways of entertaining for you and others. Studies in the tech industry showed that it's an easy way to reach to the consumer in a more personal way by the television. But behind these progressively powerful televisions are a series of attributes, factors and technologies that make our decision to be hard to take. If you wanna know what fits to you, read on and will find out.
Planning
Don't hurry when buying a TV, plan before leaving house and you'll see that a simple action will help you save money, will bring you the exact television that you need and you won't have any remorse later on. When I advise you to plan I mean to take into consideration aspects like: space, viewing distance, connections, content sources, and energy usage. Beyond these, there are some things that you should know even before start searching a television.
Room dimensions are very important before buying a TV because depending on it you would know what screen size to buy to fully enjoy all the details that your TV can offer. Knowing that, you won't make the mistake of buying a 60-inch television for a small area or a 26-inch television for a large one. You also must have in mind where it will be sitting (the physical space that it requires) and what you need to place it there.
Also depending on the amount of space you have in the room, you must be careful at the viewing distance because this important aspect will make the difference between a good image and a perfect one. If the viewing distance is not appropriate, you might think that you spent money for nothing.
For example if you're sitting too close to your television, a 60-inch display would look ugly, and the opposite situation is also true. Depending on what you'll watch on you television, you'll need some extra facilities. For example, if you want to see a 1080p Blu-Ray video, then you'll need HDMI support, or if you want to listen some superior audio quality, you wanna be sure before buying it that you can connect an audio system. You should also have in mind what you already have at home (e.g. an older device that needs specific connections) and be sure that what you are buying fits with those devices. Even if you can always buy some conversion cables, sometimes they won't do the job perfectly or might put you on roads for nothing. It's preferable to plan ahead.
Before that, you must think what extra features you want for your TV. Maybe you'll want some useful widgets and video-on-demand services built right in. If it's like that, you must keep that in mind when shopping. In the end, the ultimate thing you must be aware of is 3D. Even if I'm not such a fan of 3D content yet, and I think it's just a trick and what you might find in stores doesn't impressed me, it's not my opinion that should matter, it's what you desire. You should buy it if you want, even if you won't be able to use it all time. It's better than to desire one and not having it. Taking all that into consideration, you might start the process of choosing the right television for you and using the internet as your friend.
Research
You shouldn't walk into a store and buy the first thing you like. You should be more methodical and take into consideration some aspects or a combination of them such as: the price, the specs and the features. If you have lots of money and the price isn't a problem for you, the features become a priority into your decision, and when we are saying features, we refer to 3D support, display technology, refresh rate, inputs, widget support, and more. Beyond these you should think also to the fact that many mid-level televisions are beginning to offer Yahoo Widgets, Google TV (from Sony), and other Internet-supported features that bring video-on-demand services right to your TV. Referring to 3D television you must know that sometimes you have to buy separately the glasses while other displays include them in the box. You also must be careful to pixel resolution (720p or 1080p support).
If you are sure of what you want, or if you want to have the best on market, or you are incredible passionate of audio and video, after you'll consult the internet you should consider the display technology (LCD, Plasma, LED, OLED); backlighting technology (especially with LED televisions) like edge-lit and backlight arrays; refresh rates; contrast ratios; resolutions; and the various display settings that could affect your experience. In case you won't find a television that respects all those criteria, a mix of those aspects would please you enough.
Accessories, Warranties, and Deals
You finally took the decision to buy a particular television so it's time to study the possibility of getting some accessories and possible warranty for it before you pay the money. Sometimes exist the possibility of negotiating with sellers for the accessories and taking them free, especially if you're buying an expensive television. Another important aspect is the warranty. If your home-owner's insurance doesn't cover damage to a television, you definitely need a warranty. Though you are a lucky person and you don't usually had problems, read the final print of the warranty to be sure that it's correct.
In conclusion, if the need exist, you've done the research and you found the deals, it's definitely the time to buy the television that fits best to you.
Samsung 64 Inch Plasma HDTV
Samsung PN64D8000 64-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma 8000 Series Smart TV
Samsung PN64D8000 64-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma 8000 Series Smart TVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
- Samsung Smart TV - An exclusive service that turns your TV into an entertainment gateway where you can interact, watch, play and sharewith friends.
- 3D picture performance - See how 3D HD movies and sports come alive with a true sense of depth and action that leaps from the screen.
- Narrow bezel with 1 larger screen - A bigger picture and a narrower outer frame - all in virtually the same space as previous generation models
- Crystal Full HD Engine - Images of incredible clarity are achieved by the Samsung Crystal Full HD Engine chip.
- Cinema Smooth - Cinema Smooth lets you enjoy the unbelievably smooth, realistic action in every frame.
Panasonic 46 Inch Plasma HDTV
Panasonic VIERA TC-P46ST30 46-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV
Panasonic VIERA TC-P46ST30 46-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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In new VIERA models, contrast in brightly lit locations has been significantly improved. Enhancements to the panel and cells help reproduce images with smooth, natural gradation and deep, rich blacks even when viewed in bright surroundings. In movies, the true, deep blacks faithfully convey the intent of the filmmakers, adding power and realism to the viewing experience.
LG 60 Inch Plasma HDTV
LG 60PM9700 60-Inch 1080p 600 Hz Active 3D Plasma HDTV
Samsung PN64D8000 64-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma 8000 Series Smart TVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
- Full HD 1080p gives it superior picture quality over standard HDTV. You?ll see details and colors like never before.
- The TruBlack Filter helps block glare while boosting images on the screen to improve picture quality and contrast ratio.
- Bring your content to life with 3D technology! The astonishing effects will immediately grab your attention and bring your entertainment experience to the next dimension.
- Easily access thousands of movies, customizable apps, videos and browse the web right at the click of the Magic Remote.
- Tired of streaky action or unclear plays during the game? See sports, fast action and video games like never before. The 600Hz refresh rate virtually eliminates motion blur.
How to choose between LCD, Plasma and LED HDTVs

As other high tech sections, TV development is actually a invariably modifying world. LCD television technology is actually slowly but surely inching out plasma, the grandfather of flat-screen TV sets. LED televisions, rather than a unique technology, are back-lit LCDs using light emitting diodes instead of the conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamps, or CCFLs. Each model of high definition television has pros or drawbacks; you just have to find the one that is perfect for you.
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Viewing Environment
Select an LCD high definition television if your set will be in a shining room. Whether back-lit or edge-lit LED, LCD TV sets generally create a brighter picture that stands up to substantial ambient light. Display screen reflection acts right down to this also--a matte display screen on practically any TV set will go much better held in a shiny room. In case that your television watching space is dim, a plasma screen capabilities to deliver darker blacks will serve you very well.
Map the place where the majority of people can be seated prior to heading out to buy a high definition television. Liquid crystal display TV sets have narrower viewing angles than Plasma TVs, thus spectators who aren't going to face directly on the television will likely not have a good display picture as folks who do. Plasma images will not suffer when watched from the side, and Plasma TVs work better held in a room that really has a few seats directly ahead of the TV. Regard what display screen size is better for your own cinema room, generally, the further the seats are from the display, the bigger TV you will need to purchase.
Make a decision how significant is the fashion to you. Because if your room has a modern, sleek aesthetic, you certainly want to pick out a LED-based LCD TV, in particular one that has edge lighting rather than backlights spanning the full display. These TVs are the thinnest you can buy. -
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Performance
Consider the kind of programming you are seeing most frequently. LCD TVs suffer more from movement fuzz than Plasmas do. A lot of viewers would not detect, but an advanced viewer who is very strict regarding the TV image, this might be enough to rock you to a plasma display.
Select a plasma high definition television if you are probable to discover minor differences in image uniformity. Plasma technology does not depend on back-lighting and it ain't vulnerable to light bleeding from one pixel to the next. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology is getting better, but some light will likely leak out from vivid areas of the image to dark areas.
Purchase a Plasma, or a top LED TV, if contrast is really important to you personally. Plasma TVs generally create deeper blacks and vivid whites. Top LED (Light Emitting Diode) TVs and LCD display screens have narrowed down the gap in this region, but generally Plasma televisions are more probable to present theater quality images that show all the details in the picture. Color saturation also is in general better in Plasma high definition televisions. -
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Budget
Select just how much you wish to spend on a new HD television. LED TV sets are the most expensive types of televisions. When comparing big TVs with similar size, Plasma TVs generally have a smaller selling price since they are cheaper to manufacture.
Think just how much energy the television will use in case that your amount of money is tight or green living is extremely important to you. Plasma TVs will use more energy by far, up to 3 times as much as LCD TVs. LED televisions are the most energy-efficient from all of them. Don't rely just on the type to ensure energy efficiency, nevertheless, look at the label of the particular TV you are buying, basically because single models do differ in their power usage.
Samsung 46 Inch LED HDTV
Samsung UN46D8000 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED HDTV
Samsung UN46D8000 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED HDTVAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
For the ultimate TV enthusiasts, incredible picture quality and advanced connectivity are just the first step; the Samsung UN46D8000 LED TV goes a step beyond, adding elegant design to the formula. The Samsung "One Design" bezel is only 0.2 inches--as slender as they come--for a picture that's, well, all picture. On that commanding 46-inch screen you can enjoy Samsung' Smart TV, which puts the web, a wide range of apps, Skype video calling, and plenty more at your fingertips. Or connect a Blu-ray 3D player to get immersed in cinema-quality 3D programming--two pairs of active glasses are included.
Sony 55 Inch LED HDTV
Sony BRAVIA XBR55HX929 55-Inch 1080p 3D Local-Dimming LED HDTV with Built-In Wi-Fi
Sony BRAVIA XBR55HX929 55-Inch 1080p 3D Local-Dimming LED HDTV with Built-In Wi-FiAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
- Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality for 2D & 3D
- 55-inch display with full HD (1080p) 2D/3D picture and sleek "monolithic" OptiContrast panel with Corning Gorilla Glass
- Intelligent Peak LED backlighting with full-array local dimming for Sony's most precise contrast
- Experience smooth and precise motion detail during fast-action video with Motionflow XR 960 technology
- Wireless BRAVIA Internet TV and Widgets for a wide variety of streaming media and other Internet content
LG 65 Inch LED HDTV
LG Infinia 65LW6500 65-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 120 Hz LED-LCD HDTV with Smart TV and Four Pairs of 3D Glasses
LG Infinia 65LW6500 65-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 120 Hz LED-LCD HDTV with Smart TV and Four Pairs of 3D GlassesAmazon Price: Too low to display

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Product Description
- LG's Cinema 3D technology delivers flicker free, wide angle viewing through use of lightweight, inexpensive, battery free glasses (included: four pairs of glasses).
- Smart TV allows you to access limitless content, thousands of movies, downloadable apps, videos and the best of the web all organized in a simple to use interface.
- Enjoy your favorite 2D movies and shows in immersive 3D with LG's 2D to 3D conversion feature.
- TruMotion 120Hz technology lets you see sports, video games and high-speed action with virtually no motion blur. Full HD 1080p gives it superior picture quality over standard HDTV.
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Comments and opinions
Share your thoughts about LCD, Plasma or LED TVs
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mumsgather Feb 20, 2012 @ 6:41 pm | delete
- I've always wanted to know the difference. Thanks.
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JohnnyX87
Feb 20, 2012 @ 6:43 pm | delete
- You welcome. And thanks for your blessing!
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RinchenChodron
Feb 13, 2012 @ 8:09 pm | delete
- Wow there is a lot to know! I'm sure I'll own one someday. Thanks for all these great guidelines.
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JohnnyX87
Feb 14, 2012 @ 2:49 am | delete
- You welcome... and yes.. there is a lot to know...
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latestigitalcamera
Feb 3, 2012 @ 3:16 pm | delete
- I have the Samsung LCD and I am satisfied with the quality of the picture.
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Jb
Jan 10, 2012 @ 11:00 am | delete
- I wish i had money for a tv
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markets
Jan 4, 2012 @ 6:06 pm | delete
- I save money for a big 42 inch led tv... LG seems to be the best option...
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Inkhand
Jan 2, 2012 @ 6:48 pm | delete
- I have a LED TV.
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