LCD Television vs Plasma Television

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LCD TV or Plasma?

I bet this is not the first time you hear about this question.

As a matter of fact, such question often popped up to me - regardless it's on a family dinner gathering or happy hour with my colleagues. LCD and Plasma - these two very different TV manufacturing technologies are definitely creating a huge dilemma for shoppers who are looking for television.
Yes, that's right! Besides being flat and thin, plasma TV and LCD TV utilize different technology in an attempt to deliver similar results: Better TV viewing experience. In this lens, we will find out every pros and cons of both of them.

"LVD TV or Plasma TV? Let's check out which technology provides the best TV viewing experience."

About LCD TV 

A brief on Liquid Crystal Display Television

Liquid Crystal Display Televisions (LCD TV) are televisions that use LCD technology for visual output (producing an image).

Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.

About Plasma TV 

A brief on Plasma Television

A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display now commonly used for large TV displays.

Many tiny cells located between two panels of glass hold an inert mixture of noble gases (neon and xenon). The gas in the cells is electrically turned into a plasma which then excites phosphors to emit light.

In other words, plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.

LCD TV vs Plasma TV: Viewing angles 

Plasma TV viewing angle: 160° vs LCD TV viewing angle: 175°

Plasma TV once has the wider viewing angle over LCD TV but not now anymore. As technology advanced, advantange, the substrate material on newer-generation LCD models by Sharp and Sony has helped to expand those units' viewing angles.

LCD TV vs Plasma TV: Gaming and computer usage 

Generally, plasma TV cannot handle computer image input as well as LCD TV.

Plasma TV images are normally very jaggy. LCD TVs, on the other hand, are able to displays static images from VGA sources in full color detail without image flickering or screen burn-in. On top of this, the dot per inch (DPI) of LCD display is typically higher than any other display technologies (yes, this include plasma).

Thus, LCD TV are better in displaying large amount of data, for example gaming or other computer application (like MS Excel), when compare to plasma TV.

LCD TV vs Plasma TV: Fast moving play back 

Plasma gets the nod here because of their excellent performance with fast-moving images and high contrast levels. There are still some 2nd tier manufacturers whose plasma product displays some phosphor lag, a drag time in scenes changing from bright to dark.

While the "response time" of LCD TVs has markedly improved in the last couple of years, they still suffer from a slight "trailer" effect, where the individual pixels are just slightly out of step with the image on the screen. During fast moving sports scenes, the most discerning eyes can detect this slight motion response lag.

LCD TV vs Plasma TV: Product screen size 

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of plasma TV when compare to LCD TV is the size of the TV screen.

Both plasma and LCD TVs are becoming more readily available in larger sizes however plasma TV still leads the size battle.

From what we can see in the TV market, Samsung has currently the largest plasma TV ever produced - which is as huge as 102"!

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LCD Television is better than plasma 

More comparison between LCD and Plasma TV features

LCD TV is better than plasma TV in term of...

1. No burn-in of static images.

2. Much lower running temperature and radiation free.

3. Brighter TV image.

4. Longer product life span - LCD TV are expected to sustain up to 60,000 hours TV viewing compare to plasma TV's 40,000 hours.

5. Lower product weight as LCD TVs are consists of ligter electonic parts.

Plasma Television is better than LCD 

More comparison between LCD and Plasma TV features

1. Larger screen size availability.

2. Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.

3. Better color accuracy and saturation.

4. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images).

Most popular LCD TV: Samsung LN-T4061F - 40" LCD 1080p HDTV 

Best LCD TV selection - Rated based on Buy.com customer

Samsung LCD TVCompare price online.

Samsungs 40" LN-T4061F LCD delivers the full brilliance of HDTV with dcor-enhancing style and industry-leading value. Enjoy the incredible detail of 1080p resolution, the endless color range of 16-bit processing,the finely nuanced tones of a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and the quick motion of an 8ms response time. With the amazing SRS TruSurround XT system, full-bodied sound comes from two bottom speakers.

Three HDMI ports, USB 2.0 and full connectivity lets you add DVDs, camcorders, PCs and a range of other digital devices; HDMI-CEC capability lets you control all CEC-compatible devices with one remote.

Samsung LN-T4061F - 40" LCD 1080p HDTV
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Most popular plasma TV: Panasonic TH-42PH10UKA - 42" 

Best plasma TV selection - rated based on Buy.com customer

Panasonic Plasma HDTVCompare price online

A stunning 42" high definition professional plasma display that delivers the elegance and superb image quality for any installation, while providing full integration in an automated environment.

With an up to 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 3,072 shades of gradation and industry-leading 16-bit processing, the TH-42PH10UKA delivers significant image quality improvements to produce an unforgettable visual experience. With Panasonic's multi-function input slot system, this 42" flat panel display offers seamless integration in virtually any AV, PC or interactive environment, so it can be used in the widest range of vertical or horizontal display applications. This 42" panel is more light weight (15% lighter than prior models) and more energy efficient, and its ultra-stylish design looks ultra sleek even when the panel's turned off. Panasonic combines the very best in image quality, customization and size selection in its new Professional Series plasma family.

The TH-42PH10UKA comes standard with PC Input, Audio Input (for PC), Serial Control (RS-232C) Input, BNC Component Video/RGB Input and Audio Input, BNC Composite Video Input, S-Video Input, and Audio Input (for Video). There is an available slot for an optional terminal board. Or, you can remove the standard boards and mount up to three optional boards.

Panasonic TH-42PH10UKA - 42 Widescreen Plasma HDTV - 10,000:1 Contrast Ratio - Black
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Plasma TV vs LCD TV 

Plasma TV or LCD TV - Which is better? Let us know what's your pick between these two types of television.

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Plasma TV vs LCD TV debates 

Watch LCD TV versus plasma TV on YouTube. Informative TV shopping guides.

Plasma versus LCD TV Debate

Suave Kajko of CANADA HiFi helps Pat Foran answer questions about the Plasma vs. LCD TV debate

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hearthealth wrote...

Hi, even the ofic monitor in our office are starting to resemble the screens you showed here. 5*! Hope to saee you in my folk art lens.

ReplyPosted July 02, 2008