plasma vs lcd screen price

If you"re in the market for a flat-screen television, then you probably have one big question you want answered: plasma vs. LCD; which one is right for you?

The two different camps of flat-panel display standards will, of course, gladly spruik the advantages of their own standard and the deficiencies of the other. But what type of display — plasma or LCD — is actually better? And which will give you more bang for your buck?

Plasma and LCD panels may look similar, but the flat screen and the thin profile are where the similarities end. Plasma screens, as the name suggests, use a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. LCD (liquid crystal display) screens are in layman"s terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount of electrical charge applied to the crystals. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, as you"ll read below.

It"s not what"s happening behind the screen that"s important — it"s how the screen performs as a television that matters the most. In that regard, both plasma and LCD TV sets produce excellent pictures, and the differences between them aren"t as pronounced as they used to be. While the latest plasmas are particularly good, LCD sets are quickly catching up in terms of quality, with advances like LED backlighting.

For basic home cinema-like usage, plasma screens have a slight edge over LCDs. This is because plasma screens can still display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which means better contrast and detail in dark scenes. The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means that it"s hard for it to achieve true blacks because there"s always some light leakage from between pixels. As LCD/LED technologies such as polarising filters and dynamic backlights improve, the quality gap between the technologies grows narrower.

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 much of an angle with LCDs, while a plasma"s picture remains fairly solid. Plasmas can also produce richer, more natural colours, due to both light leakage and to a limit on the hues that LCD can reproduce.

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 sport. 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. (While the pixel response time, measured in milliseconds (ms), can give you some indication of an LCD"s performance with fast-moving scenes, it"s not always reliable.)

Traditionally, the biggest advantage that plasmas have had over their LCD cousins is price, particularly in the large screen end of the market. Depending on the resolution, plasma is still able to beat most equivalently priced LCD screens. Plasmas currently sold in Australia generally run between 42 and 65 inches wide, with the cheapest 1024x768 standard-definition 42-inch selling for under AU$1000.

At present, the mainstream plasma size is 50 inches, but sizes of 60 inches and above are becoming more common. At these sizes, plasmas tend to be two thirds or less than the price of the equivalent LCD, due to the high manufacturing cost of LCD panels.

Apart from becoming increasingly price-competitive, LCD has the edge over plasma in several other key areas. LCDs tend to have a higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on the screen.

LCDs also tend to consume less power than plasma screens, with some of the newer "Eco" LCD panels able to use half of the power than equivalent plasmas, with the trade-off being lower brightness.

In terms of bulk, LCDs are also generally lighter than similar-sized plasmas, making it easier to move around or wall-mount. This is because LCDs use plastic in their screen make-up, whereas plasmas tend to use glass.

LCD pundits point to the belief that LCDs have a longer lifespan than plasma screens. While this may have been true of earlier plasma models — which dropped to half-brightness at 20,000 hours — many modern plasmas have the same 60,000-hour lifespan as LCDs. This means that both types of TVs will last for almost seven years if left on 24 hours a day.

You might have also heard that plasmas suffer from screen burn-in, an affliction not commonly associated with LCDs. Screen burn-in occurs when an image is left too long on a screen, resulting in a ghost of that image "burned in". Newer plasmas are less susceptible to this, thanks to improved technology and features such as screensavers, but burn-in can still be a problem. However, after a few days most burnt-in images will fade — they are no longer permanent.

If you"re in the market for a big-screen television — and we"re talking 50 inches and above — then we"d suggest plasma as a safe bet. Plasmas give you more bang for your buck at the big end of town, and while LCDs can give you better resolution, plasma still has the edge in terms of picture quality.

At the smaller end of things (17- to 42-inch TVs), LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time.

There has also been a lot of debate surrounding use in bright environments versus dark, cinema-like conditions. The traditional wisdom is that LCD performs better during the day due to its backlighting system, and that plasma works best in a dark environment, as it uses a glass front. Nonetheless, products like the non-reflective glass plasmas and LED-backlit LCD panels with their better blacks completely turn this logic on its head.

In the past couple of years, several new features have cropped up, but the most pertinent to this discussion is 3D. While it"s possible to manufacture a 3D screen with both LCD technology and plasma, based on our extensive testing, a plasma screen is the best at producing 3D images and reducing the artefact known as crosstalk, or ghosted imaging. Be aware that there is still very little content available in 3D, and that the technology is still evolving. Buy a set for its 2D abilities first, and then consider 3D.

While most screens are now full high-definition (1080p), resolution is a consideration when you"re looking at budget screens. Budget LCDs and plasmas feature either 1366x768 or 1024x768 (720p) resolutions. If you"re buying a screen that"s 42 inches or larger, though, there"s now no reason to get anything less than 1080p.

It isn"t all about the resolution, however; it"s not the pixels, it"s what you do with them. Most modern TVs, and even budget ones, will accept a 1080p input, and it depends on the quality of the scaler on-board as to how good a picture you"ll get. The big names — Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and LG — usually have very good image processors that can resize the source content — whether it"s DVD, Blu-ray or

Contrast ratio is a measure to compare the darkest black with the whitest white. Plasma TVs score well on this parameter with a contrast ratio of up to 3000:1. LCD TVs have a contrast ratio of up to 1000:1; however, this metric is calculated differently for LCDs so it"s not an apples-to-apples comparison. Plasma TVs, in general, offer a better contrast than LCDs.

Older models of Plasma TVs can suffer from burn-in produced by static images. After extended periods, stationary images "burn in" the screen and produce an after-image ghost which remains permanently on the screen. This no longer affects new Plasma displays, as they continually shift the image around to prevent the image from being stationary.

LCD TVs do not suffer from burn-in. However, it is possible for individual pixels on an LCD screen to burn out. This causes small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen.

Plasma TVs are capable of displaying deeper blacks. Improved black levels help render better those difficult-to-define quality attributes like picture depth, scene detail - especially in television and movie scenes where lots of dark and light content is shown simultaneously, and color richness. Indirectly, a better black level also leads to better rendering of picture contrast.

In comparison, the nature of LCD technology – where a backlight shines through the LCD layer – makes it hard for it to achieve true blacks, i.e. true absence of light. There is always some light leakage from adjacent picture elements in an LCD panel.

LCD TV displays reproduce colours by manipulating light waves and subtracting colours from white light. This makes it more difficult for maintaining colour accuracy and vibrancy. But, LCD TVs have colour information benefits from the higher-than-average number of pixels per square inch found in their displays.

In plasma TVs, each pixel contains red, green, and blue elements, which work in conjunction to create 16.77 million colours. Colour information is more accurately reproduced with plasma TV technology than it is with any other display technology, including LCD TVs.

Plasma TV displays refresh and handle rapid movements in video about as well as normal CRT TVs. LCD TVs were originally designed for computer data displays, and not video. Refresh rates are therefore not as good, but LCD TVs are fast catching up.

LCD TVs life span is typically 50,000-60,000 hours, which equates to about 6 years of 24/7 use. However, LCD TVs will actually last as long as its backlight does, and those bulbs can be replaced - so in essence there"s nothing which can wear out.

The life span for Plasma TVs is 25,000 to 30,000 hours, which equates to about 3 years of 24/7 usage before the TV fades to half the original brightness.

Plasma TVs do not use Mercury while LCD TVs do in their CCFL backlight. However, this issue is a red herring. Most common high-efficieny phosphorescent lamps use mercury and it is not a big deal. The amount of mercury used in LCD TVs is very small and besides, the user never comes in contact with it.

Most electronics retailers carry both LCD and Plasma TVs, including Best Buy, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Dell, Target, P.C. Richard & Son, Sears, Costco and hhgregg.com.

LED HDTVs (properly known as LED-backlit LCD TVs) use light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a backlight for the LCD. Some of this light is blocked by vertical or horizontal liquid crystals, creating an image. These should not be confused with actual LED or OLED TVs.

Plasma HDTVs create images using phosphors, tiny plasma containers placed between two sheets of glass. These emit ultraviolet light at colored spots of phosphor on the screen, which then glow to create the picture.

Plasma TVs tend to have deeper blacks, and stabler color over the screen"s breadth from a variety of angles, leading to smoother, more natural images than seen on LED-lit LCD screens. Plasma screens also show crisp, fast motion without blur or ghosting.

According to CNET, LED-lit LCD TVs are the brightest available. They are capable of 100 footlamberts, although this is bright enough to cause eye fatigue in a dark room. Plasmas are less bright, so they might be more difficult to see in a bright room, and will dim over time.

Plasma screens normally range from 42 inches to approximately 65 inches. Panasonic also offer some larger models, including a 152 inch TV. Plasma screens also weigh more than LED-lit LCD screens.

Plasma TVs are less energy efficient than LED-lit LCD TVs. According to Which magazine, a 42 inch screen LED-lit LCD TV will use an average of 64 watts, while an average 42 inch Plasma TV uses 195 watts.

HDTVs are generally highly reliable. LED-lit LCD TVs are considered to have a lifespan of 100,000 hours, although they have not been in use long enough to have extensive information on their long-term reliability.

According to PC World, users of Panasonic’s plasma TVs rate them highly reliable, with very few serious problems. In 2010, just 1 in 20 Panasonic users reported a major problem with their TVs. Older plasma TVs have a lifespan of 20,000 hours, although some newer TVs have up to 60,000 hours.

LED-lit LCD TVs are typically more expensive than Plasma TVs. For example, on Amazon.com a Panasonic LED-lit LCD 42 inch TV was listed for $900 while a Panasonic Plasma 42 inch TV costs $600.

LCD screen TVs are the most popular, followed by LED-backlit screens (which are also LCD screens, by the way). Plasma screens are less popular and more commonly available in larger sizes.1,274 LCD TVs

All major TV manufacturers sell LED-lit LCD TVs. Panasonic focuses its TV range on the Plasma TV, while other brands, such as LG and Samsung, only produce a few models, and some, such as Sony and Toshiba, no longer produce Plasma TVs at all.

Plasma TVs contain tiny pockets of gas, and when a voltage is applied to them, they turn into a plasma state. The voltage then strikes the mercury within the plasma to emit ultraviolet (UV) rays, which pass through phosphor cells to produce an image. Each pixel in the TV contains three phosphor cells: red, green, and blue, and these three colors combine to produce a color. Essentially, plasma TVs don"t require a backlight, and each pixel is self-emissive as it produces its own light.

Unlike plasma TVs, LCD TVs use a backlight. Initially, LCD TVs used Cold-Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) as their backlight. These are long tubes that are placed horizontally across the screen behind the LCD panel. When the light is turned on, it applies a voltage to the pixels, which makes them rotate a certain way to allow light through and produce an image. When it wants to display black, the pixels are rotated to create an opaque screen so that light doesn"t get through. This is what makes them different from plasma TVs because each pixel isn"t self-emitting.

Light-Emitting Diode (LED) TVs are the same as traditional LCD TVs, but instead of using CCFL backlights, they use many smaller LED lights. It produces an image the same way as a regular LCD TV because it still uses an LCD panel, but it has more control over the backlighting. The LEDs can be placed along the edges, which is called edge-lit LED, or all over the back panel, which is either called direct LED or full-array backlighting. You can see the differences between LCD and LED TVs below.

It"s also important to note LED is simply a marketing term used by manufacturers to describe their backlight. They"re still technically LCD TVs, but since calling them LED is so common now, we even label them as LED, and we"ll continue to do so throughout this article.

Plasma and LED TVs each present their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of picture quality, price, build, and availability. It"s generally thought that plasma produces a better picture quality due to their superior contrast ratio, but LED TVs became more popular because of other factors, like a lower cost and greater availability.

Below you can see the differences in picture quality between two older TVs from 2013. It"s clear the plasma was better at the time, but LED TVs have also gotten better since then, so picture quality has greatly improved.

Contrast ratio was one of the main advantages and selling points of plasma TVs. Since each pixel emitted its own light, it simply turned itself off when it wanted to display a black image. This allowed the TV to display very deep blacks, but because there was always a bit of charge left in the plasma, it still wasn"t a perfect black level.

On the other hand, LED TVs can"t achieve a perfect black level because the backlight is always on. However, technology has evolved to greatly improved the contrast of LED TVs, even to the point where it"s also as good as what plasma once was. There are two main types of LCD panels in TVs: Vertical Alignment (VA) and In-Plane Switching (IPS). VA panels produce a better contrast than IPS, and high-end TVs also have local dimming features that turn off certain zones of the LED backlights. Still, you won"t get a perfect black level, but most modern LED TVs produce such deep blacks that even in a dark environment it looks like perfect black levels. For reference, plasma TVs had a max contrast of about 4,000:1, according to DisplayMate.com, but some recent LED TVs can reach a contrast of over 20,000:1 with local dimming enabled, like the Samsung QN90A QLED.

LED TVs are a clear winner here, and it"s one of the reasons why they surpassed plasmas in terms of popularity. LED TVs get significantly brighter, so they can fight glare from light sources easier. Additionally, plasma TVs had to use glass on their front panel, which caused intense glare if you had any lamps or windows around the TV. LED TVs can use a coating on their glass panel to help reflect and diffuse light, making it a better choice for well-lit rooms.

Plasmas were designed for dark-room viewing, but since most people don"t have dedicated home theater setups and often watch with a few light sources around, they weren"t that useful. As you can see below, the plasma TV had pronounced reflections, to the point where it"s even hard to see the image, and instead you"re watching yourself watch TV. Reflections are still noticeable on an LED TV, but at least you can see the image.

Pixels on plasma TVs emitted light in all directions, creating extremely wide viewing angles, much better than most LED TVs. This means that the image remained accurate when viewing from the side, which was great for watching sports or a show with a few people. Out of the two main panel types for LED TVs, IPS has wider viewing angles than VA panels, but it"s still not as good as plasma.

TV manufacturers have tried different technologies to improve viewing angles on VA panels. Samsung has an "Ultra Viewing Angle" layer, and Sony uses their "X-Wide Angle" technology to increase the viewing angles, both at the cost of a lower contrast ratio. It"s still not as good as plasma, but they"re wide enough for watching TV in a fairly large seating area.

Below you can see the differences in viewing angles between a plasma and a VA panel. These TVs were tested on different test benches, so you shouldn"t directly compare the videos, but we included them to give you an idea of how each technology affects the viewing angle.

Plasma TVs were great for motion handling, like with sports and video games due to their quick response time. Since each pixel had to retain a certain charge at any given moment, it was ready to display an image almost instantly. This meant fast-moving scenes looked crisp and smooth, with no motion blur behind them. However, for LED TVs, it can be a toss-up; some lower-end models have a slow response time that causes motion blur, while other high-end TVs have a really fast response time.

Some LED TVs also use Pulse Width Modulation to dim their backlight, and this causes the backlight to flicker, which may create image duplication in fast-moving scenes. This can be particularly annoying, especially if you"re watching sports with fast-moving content.

In terms of refresh rate, plasma TVs had a higher internal refresh rate, up to 600Hz, while LED TVs tend to be 60 or 120Hz. However, the refresh rate depends on the content, and since most content doesn"t go past 120 frames per second, having a higher refresh rate TV isn"t very useful.

Screen uniformity is another area where plasma TVs win. Since they didn"t have a backlight, they could evenly control each pixel. LED TVs can suffer from uniformity issues, like darker edges or Dirty Screen Effect in the center, because the backlight output may not be even across the panel. However, this is only really noticeable when watching content with large areas of uniform color, like a hockey or basketball broadcast, or if you"re going to use the TV as a PC monitor. It shouldn"t be noticeable with other types of content, and since uniformity can vary between units, you shouldn"t worry about it too much.

One of the reasons plasma TVs didn"t last too long at the top of the TV world is because of their risk of temporary image retention and permanent burn-in. Plasmas lose their brightness over the years, and in the worst case, would have permanent burn-in with certain colors staying on the screen, as you can see here. Even after watching content with static elements, like the news, for an extended period, the outline of the static elements would stay on the screen for a few minutes after changing the channel.

These problems are particularly annoying, especially if you watch a lot of TV. There was no way to help reduce this issue, and after a few years, depending on how much you used the TV, your plasma would need replacing. LEDs don"t suffer from this same permanent burn-in, so you won"t have to worry about replacing your LED TV down the line because of burn-in.

Due to their different technologies, LED and plasma TVs are built differently. Plasma TVs tended to be heavier and thicker because the panel itself was larger. Although plasmas were the first flat-screen TVs available at a consumer level at the end of the 20th century, LCD TVs quickly became even thinner, easier to package, and lighter to carry from the store to your house. These days, LED TVs are as thin as 1", like the Samsung QN85A QLED.

Plasma TVs also required a lot of power to work and tended to get very hot. With the growth of environment-friendly consumer practices, it became clear LED TVs would win out since they required a lot less electricity, and in a way were better for the environment.

Both plasma and LED TVs were made with larger sizes, but LED had a slight advantage because they were also made in displays smaller than 32 inches, like with monitors. Although small TVs are rare now, you can still find a basic 28 or 32 inch TV for a kitchen or bedroom with an LED panel. Plasma TVs weren"t made that small. LED TVs also cost less to produce and are cheaper on the market, so at the end of the day, the lower cost drove LED sales.

When 4k TVs started to become the norm over 1080p and 720p TVs in the mid-2010s, manufacturers started to produce 4k LED TVs, while plasma TVs were stuck at 1080p. This presented a major advantage for LED TVs, as a higher resolution helps create a crisper image, and this essentially was the nail in the coffin for plasma TVs. Since manufacturers were focused on making 4k LED TVs, plasma TVs became less available, and by 2014, Panasonic, LG, and Samsung all stopped their plasma production. LED TVs surpassed plasma sales in 2007, and they haven"t looked back since.

There were a few other problems that contributed to the decline of plasma TVs. First of all, plasma TVs didn"t work at high altitudes because of the change in air pressure with the gasses inside. They would create a buzzing noise, and the image wouldn"t look the same, so this could have been problematic if you lived at a high altitude. LED TVs can be used at any altitude; you shouldn"t use them in extreme cold or extreme heat, but this is standard practice for any electronic, and temperature is easier to control than your altitude. Also, plasma TVs emitted a radio frequency that could have interfered with other devices around, like if you had a radio in the same room. Each of these issues are simply inconvenient for most people.

The simple answer is yes, but it doesn"t mean you should go out tomorrow and buy a new TV just because you read this article. If you aren"t experiencing any issues with your plasma, then you probably don"t need to replace it right away. However, if you notice your plasma is starting to show some signs of permanent burn-in, it"s probably a good idea to get a new TV before the burn-in becomes worse.

There could be other advantages if you upgrade your TV, like technological advancements and a higher 4k resolution. Modern TVs come with a built-in smart system, which isn"t something that most plasmas had, and this allows you to directly stream your favorite content without the need for an external streaming device. As mentioned, LED TVs aren"t very costly, and you can easily find the best 4k TVs for under $500.

At the same time that plasma TVs met their end, OLEDs grew from the ashes of their predecessor. After LG released the first commercially available 55 inch OLED in 2012, it soon competed with LED TVs. OLED, which stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, is different from plasma, but shares many of the same characteristics, while also avoiding some of plasma"s downfalls.

OLEDs use self-emissive pixels, but what sets them apart is how the pixels completely shut off, creating an infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity. This is an improvement from plasma because it was never able to reach those perfect blacks. OLEDs also have wide viewing angles and a near-instant response time like plasmas. Sadly, they don"t get extremely bright, but they"re still better for well-lit rooms than plasma because they get a bit brighter and have much better reflection handling. Also, OLEDs have the same burn-in risk as plasma, but this only happens with constant exposure to the same static elements, and we don"t expect it to be a problem for people who watch varied content.

Another advantage for OLED is how thin they are, especially compared to plasma, and they aren"t as heavy. For example, the LG GX OLED is a TV designed to sit flush against the wall and it"s only 0.94" thick!

Compared to LED competitors, OLEDs are much more costly, and even though they offer superior picture quality, LEDs are still the favorite. Also, LED TVs are available in smaller sizes, while the smallest OLED TV we"ve tested is 48 inches. LEDs are generally the better choice for well-lit rooms since they still get much brighter, but OLEDs are a fantastic choice for dark room viewing.

Although plasma TVs once dominated the TV market for a short time at the turn of the 21st century, their disadvantages outweighed their advantages, and LED-backlit LCD TVs soon held the market share of sales. There were a few reasons for this, like burn-in issues, low peak brightness, and a thick and heavy design compared to LED TVs. Despite plasma TVs" superior overall picture quality, improved contrast, and very quick response time, it wasn"t enough to convince consumers to keep buying them once 4k LED TVs became readily available. If you still have a plasma, it"s likely you"ll need to replace it within the next few years, and you"ll probably buy a new LED TV.

Plasma TV production ended in 2015. However, they are still being used and sold in the secondary market. As a result, it"s helpful to understand how a Plasma TV works and how it compares to an LCD TV.

Within each cell, a narrow gap that contains an insulating layer, address electrode, and display electrode, separates two glass panels. In this process, neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process.

When a Plasma TV is in use, the gas is electrically charged at specific intervals. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, creating an image on the screen.

Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element — the individual red, green, and blue phosphors are called sub-pixels). Since Plasma TV pixels generate their light, they are referred to as "emissive" displays.

Plasma TVs can be made thin. However, even though the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of those older CRT TVs is not required, Plasma TVs still employ burning phosphors to generate an image. As a result, Plasma TVs suffer from some of the drawbacks of CRT TVs, such as heat generation and possible screen burn-in of static images.

LCD crystals do not produce light, so they need an external source, such as fluorescent (CCFL/​HCFL) or LEDs, for the picture created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.

Unlike a Plasma TV, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is needed for operation, and the light source in an LCD TV generates less heat than a Plasma TV. There is no radiation emitted from the screen.

Plasma TVs are more vulnerable to burn-in of static images. However, this problem diminished over the years due to "pixel orbiting" and related technologies.

Potentially shorter display lifespan. Early models had 30,000 hours or 8 hours of viewing a day for nine years, which was less than LCD. However, screen lifespan improved and 60,000-hour lifespan rating became the standard, with some sets rated as high as 100,000 hours, due to technology improvements.

Not as good at tracking motion (fast-moving objects may exhibit lag artifacts). However, this has with the implementation of 120Hz screen refresh rates and 240Hz processing in most LCD sets, but that can result in the "Soap Opera Effect," in which film-based content sources look more like a videotape than film.

Narrower effective side-to-side viewing angle than Plasma. On LCD TVs, it is common to notice color fading or color shifting as you move your viewing position further to either side of the center point.

Although LCD TVs do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, single pixels can burn out, causing small but visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels are not fixable. Replacing the whole screen is the sole option if the pixel burnout becomes unbearable.

An LCD TV was typically more expensive than an equivalent-sized (and equivalent featured) Plasma TV. However, that is no longer a factor, since companies have ceased manufacturing Plasma TVs.

Manufacturers chose to incorporate 4K resolution only in LCD TVs, using LED back and edge-lighting, and, in the case of LG and Sony, incorporating 4K into TVs using OLED technology.

Although it was possible to incorporate 4K resolution display capability into a Plasma TV, it was prohibitively expensive. When the sales of Plasma TVs started declining, TV makers decided against bringing consumer-based 4K Ultra HD Plasma TVs to market, which was another factor in their demise. The only 4K Ultra HD Plasma TVs manufactured were for commercial application use.

OLED and plasma displays output their own light, which allows them to produce true blacks, whereas LCDs rely on their backlight which makes blacks look grayish in comparison unless there’s local dimming.

Plasmas were quite popular due to their incredible picture quality with true blacks, as well as a rapid response time speed. However, they also suffered from having a too reflective screen, which washed out the colors in very bright rooms.

Although LCD TVs can’t produce deep blacks like plasma TVs, they slowly replaced them as they were a lot cheaper to make and had a much thinner design.

Similar to plasmas, OLED TVs and monitors are capable of producing true blacks for life-like picture quality. Besides, they have impeccable viewing angles, meaning that the picture doesn’t shift in color and contrast when the display is viewed at skewed angles.

Modern OLED TVs have various software, such as screen savers and pixel refreshers, to deal with image retention and burn-in, while a dedicated Game Mode provides responsive gameplay with minimal input lag.

The older models were backlit by cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), but nowadays, all modern LCDs have a mini LED or LED backlight, which requires less power and also allows for the display to be even thinner.

QLED TVs, popularized by Samsung, are based on quantum dot technology, which further enhances the image quality of the display. Though the term ‘QLED’ may sound misleading, these TVs aren’t OLED, but rather regular LED TVs with a quantum-dot enhanced film layer.

While QLED displays can be brighter than OLED, many prefer the infinite contrast of the latter, and since both types of these high-end TVs cost roughly the same, OLED is usually more favorable at this time.

Some LED displays feature local dimming as the means to compensate for the limited contrast and grayish blacks. This feature basically dims parts of the screen that are supposed to be dark, without affecting bright areas.

In some high-end LCDs, this can do wonders for the image quality, but if the local dimming is poorly implemented, it can also cause undesired defects, such as halo and bloom.

Finally, modern OLED and LED-backlit LCD TVs offer a high screen resolution. 4K or Ultra HD makes the picture incredibly crisp and sharp in comparison to the standard 1080p HDTVs.

Generally, OLED and QD-OLED displays are better for viewing in a dark room due to their infinite contrast ratio, while mini LED LCDs are preferred for bright room viewing thanks to their stellar peak brightness.

For gaming, there are a lot of additional things to consider, such as screen size, refresh rate, resolution, panel type and variable refresh rate technology.

This is a complicated topic: when choosing between LCD and plasma TVs, you"re actually selecting between two competing technologies, both of which achieve similar features (i.e., bright, crystal-clear images, super color saturated pictures) and come in similar packages (i.e., 3.5 to 5 inch depth flat screen casing). To complicate the decision-making process further, price and size are two previous considerations that are rapidly becoming non-issues as LCDs are now being made in larger sizes and at competing prices with plasma TVs.

Plasma flat screen technology consists of hundreds of thousands of individual pixel cells, which allow electric pulses (stemming from electrodes) to excite rare natural gases-usually xenon and neon-causing them to glow and produce light. This light illuminates the proper balance of red, green, or blue phosphors contained in each cell to display the proper color sequence from the light. Each pixel cell is essentially an individual microscopic florescent light bulb, receiving instruction from software contained on the rear electrostatic silicon board. Look very closely at a plasma TV and you can actually see the individual pixel cell coloration of red, green, and blue bars. You can also see the black ribs which separate each.

Whether spread across a flat-panel screen or placed in the heart of a projector, all LCD displays come from the same technological background. A matrix of thin-film transistors (TFTs) supplies voltage to liquid-crystal-filled cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. When hit with an electrical charge, the crystals untwist to an exact degree to filter white light generated by a lamp behind the screen (for flat-panel TVs) or one projecting through a small LCD chip (for projection TVs). LCD monitors reproduce colors through a process of subtraction: They block out particular color wavelengths from the spectrum of white light until they"re left with just the right color. And, it"s the intensity of light permitted to pass through this liquid-crystal matrix that enables LCD televisions to display images chock-full of colors-or gradations of them. LED TVs are a new form of LCD Television.

As the advantages show, plasma technology has the better picture quality in normal to low room lighting conditions and are better in 4 out of 5 picture quality categories. Plasma technology will almost without exception triumph during night time viewing. LCD televisions are great for sunroom/breakfast room type environments. Also, LCD monitors are generally better for public display such as airport signage and retail store signage due to the bright room light environment. See full article on plasma vs. LCD picture quality.

LCD monitors display static images from computer or VGA sources extremely well, with full color detail, no flicker, and no screen burn-in. Moreover, the number of pixels per square inch on an LCD display is typically higher than other display technologies, so LCD monitors are especially good at displaying large amounts of data - like you would find on an Excel spreadsheet for example - with exceptional clarity and precision. LCDs are also available in many more sizes, especially the smaller sizes most often used for a computer display.

Plasma technology has increased anti burn in tactics as well as computer and static signal handling. There are still issues with each depending very much on the model and manufacturer. For example, 720p plasma televisions do not handle a computer input well and product a very jaggy image on plasma"s larger sizes.

Plasma displays get 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 dragging from brights to darks.

While the "response time" of LCD TVs has markedly improved in the last couple of years, especially with the advent of 120/240Hz displays they still suffer from a motion blur effect, where the individual pixels are just slightly out of step with the image on the screen. The high refrash rate LCD televisions can also have some undesireable effects on the picture. During fast moving sports scenes, the most discerning eyes can detect this slight motion response lag.

There is a reason LCD panels are the preferred visual display units for use on airplanes: LCDs aren"t affected by increases or decreases in air pressure. Their performance is consistent regardless of the altitude at which they"re utilized.

This is not the case for a plasma TV. The display element in plasma TVs is actually a glass substrate envelope with rare natural gases compressed therein. So, at high altitudes (6,500 feet and above), an air-pressure differential emerges, which causes plasma displays to emit a buzzing sound due to the lower air pressure. This noise can sound rather like the humming of an old neon sign. NEC has been effective in producing several plasma models that are rated to 9,500 feet.

LCD manufacturers claim that their displays last, on average, 100,000 hours. In fact, an LCD TV will last as long as its backlight does - and those bulbs can sometimes be replaced! Since this is nothing more than light passing through a prismatic substrate, there is essentially nothing to wear out in an LCD monitor. However, one nasty little known fact about LCD technology is that as the backlight ages it can change colors slightly (think of florescent office lighting). When this occurs the white balance of the entire LCD will be thrown for a loop and the user will need to re-calibrate, or worse, try to replace the backlighting or ditch the unit altogether. Some of the early purchasers of larger LCD screens will be learning this tidbit in a couple of years. One thing that I’ve found in this industry, it is not easy to find out whether the backlighting on LCDs can be replaced. Manufacturers are either hesitant to discuss the topic, or they just don’t know.

Plasma, on the other hand, utilizes slight electric currents to excite a combination of noble gases (i.e., argon, neon, xenon), which glow red, blue, and/or green. This is an essentially active phenomenon, so the phosphoric elements in plasma displays fade over time. Many manufacturers state a new half life of 100,000 hours, that"s just over 68 years if the TV is on 4 hours every day. While I am skeptical of this spec, I do believe strides have been made to nearly even the playing field with LCD. At half life, the phosphors in a plasma screen will glow half as brightly as they did when the set was new. There is no way to replace these gases; the display simply continues to grow dimmer with use.

LCD technology is not prone to screen "burn-in" or "ghosting" (premature aging of pixel cells) due to the nature of the technologies "twisting crystals."

With plasma displays, static images will begin to "burn-in," or permanently etch the color being displayed into the glass display element. The time it takes for this to occur depends greatly on the anti burn-in technology of the manufacturer. Recent improvements by plasma manufacturers have certainly extended the time it takes to burn in a plasma pixel cell. In the past I was concerned to place a DVD on pause 15 minutes. Now, many of the enhancements such as better green phosphor material, and motion adaptive anti burn-in technology are greatly reducing the risk of burn in. It’s gotten so much better that I don’t even worry about it anymore. In a new model plasma from any top tier manufacturer I would put "ghosting" estimates at an hour or more now (Ghosting can be "washed" out by displaying static gray material). Permanent burn-in I would put at more than 10 hours.

Both LCD and Plasma televisions are becoming more readily available in larger sizes though plasma still leads the size battle by a great margin. Pioneer and LG produce 61" plasma sizes while Panasonic has a readily available 65" model. Though it is not being imported into the U.S. yet, PanasonicSamsung has produced a gigantic plasma television of 150 inches. Though such mammoth monitors are expensive, they exhibit none of the "kinks" one might expect with such large displays. In other words, even the largest plasma displays are reliable. Large plasma displays will consume power – try 675 watts for a 65" display compared to around 330 watts for a 42" plasma although plasma manufacturers have reduced power intake and made the product more efficient, some even qualify for an energy star rating now.

ADVANTAGE: Plasma. Even though production costs and retail prices have come down for both technologies, plasma still has the edge as far as production cost and capacity go.

Not a very important issue but worth noting. Because LCDs use florescent backlighting to produce images, they require substantially less power to operate than plasma TVs do. LCD displays consume about half the power that plasma displays consume. The reason: Plasmas use a lot of electricity to light each and every pixel you see on a screen - even the dark ones. Though plasma manufacturers have improved voltage consumption requirements a plasma TV will consume around a third more power for the same size display.

Our value ratings continue to be reason that plasma TVs generally receive higher marks in our overall TV ratings. See the full Comparison Ratings Chart here.

One of the greatest confusions in the television market today comes from the two major types of newer television display technologies competing against each other, plasma and LCD. While, on the surface, it may not look like there is much of a difference between plasma and LCD, looks can be deceiving. Each has its own technology and its own pros and cons.

The main difference between plasma and LCD monitors and televisions is how the pixels are lighted up. In plasma screens, plasma gas is used to excite visible light photons, which produce color on the screen through the lighting of the pixels into different colors. Thus, it is actually a gas that is responsible for the images one sees on a plasma televisions.

The technology for LCD screens is somewhat different. Each pixel has three colors: red, green and blue. LCD televisions require a backlight. However, the liquid crystals, when energized, block certain colors in the pixels from showing, or at least showing as much. This produces the desired color. The main difference with LCD televisions is the backlight is always on.

The decision between plasma and LCD comes down to a matter of personal preference. LCD, which was never meant for video displays, has a slower refresh rate than plasma. Thus, the criticism is that fast-moving images can sometimes show what are referred to as ghosts, images that have not cleared themselves completely from vision. However, the technology has improved over the years to refresh rates that are very comparable to plasma.

Some prefer LCD televisions because they weigh less and use less energy than do plasma screens. However, both types of display technologies weigh less than conventional televisions, so there is always a net gain when going from traditional to the newer technology. However, for wall mounting, LCDs are usually much simpler.

Plasma televisions, because there is no competing backlight for distorting any of the colors, produce much truer colors. For those who are truly interested in getting the most lifelike colors possible, the plasma technology is nearly comparable to the old CRT technology. Plus, there is an additional benefit of having a sharp, clean picture to view, much more so than a traditional television display can deliver.

For those living at higher altitudes, there are also considerations when considering plasma and LCD. The gas in a plasma set acts somewhat differently at higher altitudes and could produce a distorted view. The LCD television does not have this problem. Therefore, LCD sets may be preferred in mountainous areas.

In the end, for most viewers, the differences between plasma and LCD are a matter of academic debate. Most will find the difference between traditional displays and these newer displays to be so much greater that the differences between plasma and LCD pale in comparison. However, doing a little research before buying will help ensure the consumer gets the best product they can afford, and one especially suited to their purposes.

1. Plasma Panel Display : Plasma panel is a type of display which consists of two parallel glass plates which are separated by a thin gap. The gap between the glass plates is filled with gases which include neon. As the other name of the plasma panel is gas discharge display, because of the gases which are filled in between the parallel plates of the plasma panel. Plasma panel are available both the colors black and white and also color type which is in great demand today. 2. LCD : LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It is a display which is non-emissive device and it uses light source for the display; the light source is blacklight and convert it to graphical image. LCD for the display uses two major components which are as follows:Polarized light

Difference between Plasma Panel and LCD :Sr. No.BasisPlasma DisplayLCD1.Technology UsedIt is the display which depends upon the light bulb and also mixture of gases which are present in between the two plates of the plasma display.It is the concept which based on the liquid crystal material that is used to block or transmit polarized light which is used to display.

3.Burn-inPlasma panel suffers from burn-in problem; i.e., plasma panels are easily to burn-in of static images.LCDs does not suffer from such kind of problem.

6.Viewing angleIt shows the same view from the every angle.It also shows the same view but upto 165 degrees, picture in the LCD suffers from the side view.

Plasma technology consists of hundreds of thousands of individual pixel cells, which allow electric pulses (stemming from electrodes) to excite rare natural gases-usually xenon and neon-causing them to glow and produce light. This light illuminates the proper balance of red, green, or blue phosphors contained in each cell to display the proper color sequence from the light. Each pixel cell is essentially an individual microscopic florescent light bulb, receiving instruction from software contained on the rear electrostatic silicon board. Look very closely at a plasma TV and you can actually see the individual pixel cell coloration of red, green, and blue bars. You can also see the black ribs which separate each.

Plasma technology has certainly achieved quite high contrast ratios, a measure of the blackest black compared to the whitest white. Many plasma display manufacturers boast a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 these days though our tests using a standardized ANSI checkerboard pattern have not proven these numbers out. Plasma TVs achieve such impressive black levels by using internal algorithms to block the power to particular pixels in order to render a pixel "dark" or black. While this can limit a plasma television"s gray scaling, it does produce exceptionally black blacks - depending on the manufactured plasma display element (i.e. glass). A plasma TV uses maximum power when it is producing full white. As a result, some 2nd tier manufactured brands of plasma TVs have an audible buzz or whining sound when displaying white or very light images.

LCD (liquid crystal diode) displays, by contrast, utilize electric charges to twist and untwist liquid crystals, which causes them to block light and, hence, emit blacks. The higher the voltage passing through the liquid crystals in a given pixel, the more fully those crystals untwist and effectively block light - all of which makes these pixels darker. As opposed to plasma, LCD TVs (and LED) use the most power when displaying a very dark or black image. This is a difficult process, and despite recent improvements in LCD black levels, only the best LED LCD televisions have managed to match plasma technology in contrast ratio. The one continual drawback here for LCD is off axis viewing, when black levels and contrast consistently drop. We call it contrast degradation in our reviews. We have noted some improvement from LCD manufacturers lately in off axis viewing contrast, especially with the higher end LED backlit LCD TVs.

ADVANTAGE: Closer than a year ago, but still Plasma. By better utilizing the LED backlit technology, LCD TV manufacturers have made great improvements in black levels and in many cases have nearly managed to match the contrast ratio of plasma TVs. However, Plasma displays still maintain an advantage on average in this category due to fading blacks when viewing LCD TVs from side angles. For scenes with a lot of dark and light images shown simultaneously - as with content originating from DVDs, video games, and NTSC TV signals - plasmas still consistently outperform LCD TVs.

In plasma displays, each pixel contains red, green, and blue elements, which work in conjunction to create 16.77 million colors. Insofar as each pixel contains all the elements needed to produce every color in the spectrum, color information was more accurately reproduced with plasma technology than it was with other display technologies. The chromaticity coordinates were more accurate on most plasma displays. Though the color saturation resulting from the pixel design of plasma displays is remarkable, LCD technology has nearly caught plasma in gray scaling color accuracy. Plasma continues to exhibit more richness in color information and more natural coloration. Today, SMPTE color coordinates in top plasma displays still normally outperform those in LCDs, which tend toward oversaturation.

ADVANTAGE: Preference to plasma but depends upon room light, manufacturer and model. Plasma TV color richness and naturalness will prevail in rooms with lower to normal lighting - yielding a more realistic picture. LED LCD TVs perform better in very brightly lit rooms due to their inherent anti glare technology and brightness.

Plasma manufacturers have made much of their near perfect 180 degree viewing angles, which is about as good as horizontal and vertical viewing angles get. This owes to the fact that each pixel produces its own light, rather than light being spread across the screen from one central source. Hence, each pixel is more readily visible because its brightness is consistent with every other pixel on the screen. One consistent area of superiority of plasma viewing angles is demonstrated when viewing dark material content, especially DVDs. A Plasma display holds the black levels from off axis, while LCD TVs lose black level intensity/contrast more as the angle off axis increases. This usually occurs after around 45 degrees off center.

LCD TV manufacturers have done much to improve their displays" viewing angles. The substrate material on newer-generation LCD models by Sharp and Sony has helped to expand those units" viewing angles, though they still have some ground to cover before catching plasma. Expect the best LCD HDTVs to have around 120 degree viewing angles.

Generally the performance should be about the same in terms of displaying the video image provided that the resolution of the plasma or LCD TV is 1080p or higher. Some plasma TVs still have 720p resolution and this would be a drawback to a defined static image.

ADVANTAGE: LCD and LED LCD, although I would rather look at the more pleasant light of a plasma display. The LED in an LCD TV could give me a headache.

Plasma technology gets the easy nod here because of their excellent performance with fast-moving images and high contrast levels. It"s an inherent quality of the technology. Plasma manufacturers have recently started publishing a specification of 600Hz with relation to the equivalent refresh rate speed of a plasma compared to an LED or LCD TV. It"s really just for comparisons sake as each individual pixel in the plasma displays its color. There is no motion lag, drag, or blur in plasma TVs nor side to side judder when panning.

LED LCD TV manufaacturers have worked hard to overcome the motion lag/judder issue. Last years models saw the introduction of true 240Hz refresh rate (up from 120 which was up from 60). This year few models were introduced with a "manipulated" 240Hz refresh rate that is stated as 480Hz. The 120Hz change drastically improved the response time and the subsequent increases helped a little more. However, it also introduces unwanted video information by sharpening the picture background information and taking out necessary blur. This may seem like a positive, but with 90% of your viewing material, it is not. Depending upon the manufacturer, we advise turning off the 120Hz or 240Hz feature with all but live sports programming. See our full article about 120Hz/240Hz refresh rate here.

There is a reason LCD flat panels are the preferred visual display units for use on airplanes: LCD TVs aren"t affected by increases or decreases in air pressure. Their performance is consistent regardless of the altitude at which they"re utilized.

This is not the case for a plasma. The display element in plasma TVs is actually a glass substrate envelope with rare natural gases compressed therein. So, at high altitudes (6,500 feet and above), an air-pressure differential emerges, which causes plasma displays to emit a buzzing sound due to the lower air pressure. This noise can sound rather like the humming of an old neon sign.

LED LCD television manufacturers claim that their displays last, on average, 100,000 hours. LED lighting technology has indeed changed the picture life for LCD TVs. The reason is that LED lighting does not change color over time, while the older CFL flourescent syle backlighting does. When this happens in an LCD TV the white balance of the TV will be compromised. Current LCD TVs will probably last the same length of time as the LED LCD TVs, though your color quality will likely degrade. In theory an LCD TV will last as long as its backlight does. Since it involves nothing more than light passing through a prismatic substrate, there is little to wear out in an LCD TV except the backlighting. Pixels may become stuck over time. From our research, flourescent bulb backlighting in LCDs cannot be replaced cost effectively - contrary to opinion. LED backlit LCDs provide a longer lasting stability, with little to no degradation in white balance over time. One question we have with LED LCDs is how they will actually perform over time. We have not had enough time to know for sure.

Plasma TVs, on the other hand, utilize slight electric currents to excite a combination of noble gases (i.e., argon, neon, xenon), which glow red, blue, and/or green. This is an essentially active phenomenon, so the phosphoric elements in plasma displays fade over time. Many manufacturers state a new half life of 60,000 hours. While I am skeptical of this spec, I do believe strides have been made to nearly even the playing field with LCD and LED LCD. At half life, the phosphors in a plasma screen will glow half as brightly as they did when the set was new. There is no way to replace these gases; the TV simply continues to grow dimmer with use.

ADVANTAGE: LED, then Plasma, then LCD. Some manufacturers of both plasma and LED LCD state up to 100,000 hours use. At 4 hours use per day that"s 68 years of employment. Where do they get these specs??

LCD technology is not prone to screen "burn-in" or "ghosting" (premature aging of pixel cells) due to the nature of the technologies "twisting crystals."

With plasma, static images will begin to "burn-in," or permanently etch the color being displayed into the glass display element. The time it takes for this to occur depends greatly on the anti burn-in technology of the manufacturer. Recent improvements by plasma manufacturers have certainly extended the time it takes to burn in a plasma pixel cell. In the past I was concerned to place a DVD on pause 15 minutes. Now, many of the enhancements such as improved green phosphor material, oscillating pixels, and motion adaptive anti burn-in technology are greatly reducing the risk of burn in. It"s gotten so much better that I don"t even worry about it anymore. In a new model plasma from any top tier manufacturer I would put "ghosting" estimates at hours of use (Ghosting can be "washed" out by displaying static gray material or full screen images). Permanent burn-in I would put at more than 10 hours.

Both plasma and LCD TVs are becoming more readily available in larger sizes though plasma still leads the size battle by a great margin. Pioneer and LG produce 61" plasma sizes while Panasonic has a readily available 65" model. Though it is not being imported into the U.S. yet, Samsung has produced a gigantic plasma of 100 inches. Though such mammoth monitors are expensive, they exhibit none of the "kinks" one might expect with such large displays. In other words, even the largest plasma displays are reliable. Large plasma displays will consume power - try 675 watts for a 65 "display compared to around 330 watts for a 42" plasma.

ADVANTAGE: Plasma, though the playing field is leveling. Even though production costs and retail prices have come down for both technologies, plasma still has the edge as far as production cost and capacity go..

I just ran across an article on DigtalHome.ca [viaEngadget HD] singing the praises of Plasma over LCD. Although I agree with most of the points, there are a couple with which I completely disagree. In fact, both of the posts seem to be overly-biased toward plasma, to the point that it is almost misinformation. Here are the points with which I disagree, which are probably major enough to push most people to pick LCD over Plasma.

LCD superior in brighter rooms – simply speaking plasma is glass with white phosphors behind it. The result is that a mirror effect can take place when extremely bright light shines on plasma. This mirror effect can make it more difficult to see the images on the screen under extremely bright situations. This situation often occurs inside a big box retailer’s showroom which can be as much as five times brighter than a typical living room! In your average living room where the ambient light level is much lower there is little need for a “brighter” panel.

In general, plasmas have better pictures than LCD, as long as your viewing environment doesn’t make the picture unwatchable. If you windows in your room or light on in your room, the glossy glass front surface of a plasma screen will produce mirror-like reflections that compete with the image being displayed. For birght scenes with a lot of colors, it is distracting. For dark scenes with not so much contrast, it makes a plasma unwatchable.

Lower cost – this one is self explanatory. Visit your local big box retailer and compare the price of a 50” LCD flat panel or 50” plasma from a major manufacturer and you will find that plasma is less expensive. Why pay more when you don’t need to!

A search of BestBuy.com 50″-59″ 1080p panels showed the lowest priced Plasma and LCD being the same at $2999. Of the 6 lowest priced panels, 3 were plasma and 3 were LCD. At 40″-49″, there were 34 LCDs on only 1 Plasma, and it wasn’t the least expensive. At 58″, however, Plasma was less expensive.

Better viewing angles – when buying LCD televisions’, buyers often encounter the term viewing angle. With LCD televisions, as you move off centre, the contrast levels fall. At a 45 degree angle, contast ratios for an LCD televisions drop 80%. To witness this phenomenon, simply stand in front of an LCD television and slowly move to the side of the room. As you move away from the center the image will appear more washed out because more light is spilling through the plastic shutters. With plasma, the contrast ratio is constant regardless of the viewing angles so the picture looks great regardless of where you are sitting in the room.

This is true for older LCDs, but not with newer panels. I just looked at my Mitsubishi LT-46131 straight-on and at 85 degrees off axis. There was a very slight drop in color accuracy and no noticeable drop in contrast ratio. I fail to see how plasma are greatly superior in this area. If you care about picture quality, sit in front of the screen. But if you do have to sit off-axis, you probably will not notice much, if any, difference for either plasma or LCD.

The recommendations from my previous post stand. If you have windows or a lot of lights in your room, an LCD (almost all have a matte screen finish) is much better than a plasma. Plus, LCDs are generally brighter, giving even more advantage in bright situations. An LCD will give a better picture in bright rooms.

Exceptions to this rule: the newest Samsung 71/81 Series LCDs have a glossy glass finish to enhance contrast ratios. Just as with Plasma, this is great for dark rooms and terrible for bright rooms.

Buying a TV and wondering what type of display tech is better? We’ve got the lowdown for you in this LCD vs Plasma buying guide. These two technologies produce images through vastly different processes, and each comes with a different set of pros and cons. So before we dive head first into which type of screen is better and why, it’s helpful to understand the technology behind each type of screen. Don’t worry, it’s not as complex as you might think.

Plasma displays work in an entirely different way. Instead of using a backlight and a set of filters to illuminate pixe