plasma vs lcd screen free sample

We live in a world of choice. In each moment, we are presented with the opportunity to choose from an array of options. The truth is, though, that we do not always make our choices consciously. Sometimes, instead of choosing what is best for our personal requirements, we fall in the trap of commercial tricks and purchase a product we do not need. When we want to make a choice based on facts and objective reasoning exclusively, we need to methodically analyze and compare each product based on the criteria we value. In this essay, I will try to do that when choosing between the two most popular types of TVs: LCD and plasma. When entering the technical department of any supermarket or a high-tech store, many people ask themselves whether a LCD TV is better than a plasma TV, or vice versa. To answer this question, we need to compare the two products based on several relevant technical criteria.

As a result of such technical differences, a conclusion can be drawn that plasma TV sets are better in comparison to LCD TV sets when it comes to lighting (Howard, TV Comparisons: Modern). Also, many users have noted that plasma screens give an enhanced black color display as compared to LCD screens. In addition, a plasma TV affords better viewing angles.

Another crucial criterion to consider whenever we compare two products of everyday use is the pricing range. The price of any TV set depends on the display diameter and the stylistic configuration of the device. One may spend up to a million dollars on a TV set that was designed and custom made exclusively for their interior, and may even be inlaid with precious stones or a designer label. However, when we aim to compare two products based on their cost, we need to select two equally-sized, factory-made for mass consumption products of one or two popular brands, and compare their prices. An average plasma TV is cheaper than an LCD TV.This is largely due to the fact that a plasma TV costs less to assemble, thus translating into a lower price (Fields, Price Comparisons of Viewing). The price criterion once again speaks in favor of the plasma TV. At the same time, when taking the price factor into account, we have to understand its changeability. Since LCD TVs are a much more current technological invention than the plasma TV, there is a high possibility that the price of LCD products will decrease palpably in the near future, as technological progress offers us new alternatives.

At the same time, it is logical to assume that the LCD TV will also have some considerable advantages that help it successfully compete with the plasma TV on store shelves and in consumers’ households. One such important advantage of the LCD TV would be its lifespan. LCD TVs have a longer lifespan as opposed to the plasma TV (Franz, TV Statistics). It also has superior screen resolution. This would be a decisive factor to choose LCD over plasma for those consumers who enjoy playing high-resolution video games on their TVs. However, this would not greatly matter to an average TV viewer, since a plasma TV perfectly copes with the other tasks of a regular TV set without any resolution imperfections for the viewer.

Ultimately, technology matters less when it comes to obtaining such a popular domestic device as a TV set. After all, it is about the reliability and safety of the device that every member of your family will use practically every day. Having compared the two most popular types of TV sets, I came to the conclusion that there should be no controversy between LCD TVs and plasma TVs. It is not about which TV set is more worth its cost, or which is better-selling, but about the purpose for which the TV set is being used. Notwithstanding the similarities between plasma and LCD TV sets, their understated differences might be crucial when taking into consideration the TV’s use, the environment, and location.

Buying the largest, most costly TV set that will occupy no less than a whole wall in your living room might not be one of the smartest decisions for a household with children and pets, while it would perfectly suit a hi-tech apartment of a young business person. Consumers should remember a couple of basic tips when choosing one type of TV over the other. For instance, if you want to fit a TV set into a huge space, then a plasma TV will do better due to the wider viewing angle and the lower price of big sizes. The debate about which TV set is better is far from over. In the end, the question lies more in the hands of the consumer. Next time you buy a plasma or LCD TV set, do not be surprised if your neighbor criticizes your choice.

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.

Editor’s Note:TV manufacturers stopped making plasma TVs in 2014. To learn about current TV technologies, please read our TV buying guide or our OLED vs LED article. Thanks for visiting Crutchfield.com.

Considering a flat-panel TV? The latest LED-LCD and plasma TVs deliver outstanding picture quality, and both display technologies get a little better every year. Each type has a different set of strengths that make it more suitable for certain viewing situations.

Some people mistakenly believe that so-called "LED TVs" use a new display technology. The term is frequently used by TV manufacturers and many retailers, but LED TVs are just LCD TVs that use an LED backlight instead of a fluorescent one. LED-LCD TVs generally have better contrast and more accurate colors than fluorescent-backlit models, and the LEDs are also very energy efficient.

At this point (9/13), nearly all LCD TVs from major brands use LED backlights, except for very basic models and TVs designed for outdoor use. For more information, see our video on LCD backlighting.

If you poke around the Internet you"ll find a ton of information (and some misinformation) about today"s flat-panel TVs. The chart below provides a quick comparison of plasma and LED LCD. Display

Plasma Pros: excellent contrast and black levels; effortless motion; uniform illumination over the entire screen area, good picture depth; often priced lower than LED-LCD models with similar screen size and features

Cons: limited screen sizes: 42"-65"; some models not as bright as most LED-LCD TVs; not as energy-efficient as LED-LCDs and typically generate more heat; a plasma panel is usually a bit heavier and thicker than an LED-LCD panel

LED-LCD Pros: models with advanced local dimming backlights can have black levels rivaling plasma; LED-LCD panels are thin and lightweight — especially models with edge-lit backlights; this is the most energy-efficient display technology

The center example illustrates how good picture contrast combines deep black levels and natural shadow detail. The screen at left lacks deep blacks, while the right screen is too dark, obscuring details.

There are two basic ways to increase a TV"s picture contrast: either make whites look brighter, or blacks look blacker. LED-LCD TVs are typically brighter than plasmas, while plasmas are known for producing deeper black levels. And for that reason we have tended to recommend LED-LCD TVs for use in rooms where the TV is competing with lots of other light sources in the room, like windows or lamps. Plasma"s blacker blacks can be best appreciated in a room with the lights dimmed or darkened.

The reason plasmas excel at picture contrast is that each pixel — actually each subpixel — is self-illuminated, allowing very precise, controlled lighting. On the LED-LCD side, higher-performing models use sophisticated LED backlighting that can switch clusters of LEDs on and off based on the picture content. The general name for this ability is "local dimming." Originally, local dimming only referred to expensive high-end models that used a full-array backlight — a grid of LEDs that covered the back of the screen. Only a couple LED-LCD TVs still employ that technology, and local dimming is used to describe edge-lit displays that have a less precise but still effective form of dimming.

All flat-panel TVs have a great picture when you"re sitting directly in front of the screen. But if your eyes aren"t centered on the screen — you"re viewing from off to one side, standing up, or lying on the floor — you may notice that the picture looks less bright and vivid, and you might see slight changes in color.

Viewing angle limitations are more of an issue for LED-LCD TVs than for plasmas. All LCDs use a backlight, and the LCD pixels act like shutters, opening and closing to let light through or block it. This shutter effect causes increasing variations in picture brightness as viewers move further off axis.

All 1080p HDTVs have the same screen resolution — 1920 x 1080 pixels — but they don"t always deliver equal picture clarity. Most sets can display flawless still images, but moving objects on screen are more difficult to display cleanly. This can be especially apparent if you watch lots of things with fast action, like video games or sports.

What you should know about motion handling: Motion handling has always been a strong point for plasma TVs. Because of the way plasma TVs create the picture, there"s no lag or ghosting, and motion looks very natural and crisp. So if clear, true-to-life on-screen motion is a high priority for you, you should definitely consider a plasma.

For LED-LCD TVs, motion handling has been more of a challenge because of the way they create the picture. But many of today"s LCD TVs are better equipped to display fast motion without blur. If you want smoother motion with an LCD, look for a model with a 120Hz or 240Hz refresh rate. These sets include sophisticated processing that can virtually eliminate motion blur.

To watch 3D TV, you"ll need a TV with a screen capable of displaying 3D video — it can be a plasma or LED-LCD. You"ll also need compatible 3D glasses, either "active" or "passive" to match the type of 3D TV you have. For the most theater-like 3D experience, you"ll need a source of 3D video, like a 3D Blu-ray player or 3D channels from your cable or satellite TV provider. But if you don"t have a source of 3D content, you can still get a taste of 3D because nearly all current 3D TVs include built-in 2D-to-3D conversion. The feature adds a bit of 3D-like depth to regular 2D material. For more info, see our intro to 3D, watch our video about 3D TV, or check out our in-depth 3D TV FAQ.

TV makers don"t mention longevity much anymore, but the last time we checked, both plasma and LED-LCD TVs from major brands have a rated lifespan of 100,000 hours. And that doesn"t mean that if your TV reaches the 100,000-hour mark it will simply stop working. That number represents the estimated time when the TV"s display panel will produce a picture that"s only half as bright as when it was new. After the "half brightness" point the TV will still be usable, just somewhat dimmer.

But logging 100,000 hours of use takes a longtime. If you were to watch for 6 hours a day, every day, it would take over 45 years! There are other parts in a TV other than the illumination component that could fail over time, but over the years the TV manufacturing process has grown more precise and consistent. The bottom line is that a new LCD or plasma TV should last at least as long as a typical tube TV.

You do a lot of daytime viewing in a room with windows lacking blinds, curtains or drapes. An LED-LCD"s bright picture will still look crisp and colorful in bright light; some LCD screens also resist glare.

An LCD TV is sometimes referred to as a "transmissive" display. Light isn"t created by the liquid crystals themselves; instead, a light source behind the LCD panel shines through the display. A diffusion panel behind the LCD redirects and scatters the light evenly to ensure a uniform image.

The display consists of two polarizing transparent panels and a liquid crystal solution sandwiched in between. The screen"s front layer of glass is etched on the inside surface in a grid pattern to form a template for the layer of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals are rod-shaped molecules that twist when an electric current is applied to them. Each crystal acts like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light. The pattern of transparent and dark crystals forms the image.

The multi-layered structure of a typical LCD panel. Because they use red, green and blue color filters in place of phosphor dots, LCD TVs are completely immune to screen burn-in.

LCD TVs use the most advanced type of LCD, known as an "active-matrix" LCD. This design is based on thin film transistors (TFT) — basically, tiny switching transistors and capacitors that are arranged in a matrix on a glass substrate. Their job is to rapidly switch the LCD"s pixels on and off. In an HDTV"s LCD, each color pixel is created by three sub-pixels with red, green and blue color filters.

An important difference between plasma and LCD technology is that an LCD screen doesn"t have a coating of phosphor dots (colors are created through the use of filters). That means you"ll never have to worry about screen burn-in, which is great news, especially for anyone planning to connect a PC or video game system.

A plasma TV is sometimes called an "emissive" display — the panel is actually self-lighting. The display consists of two transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels sandwiched in between. Each pixel is composed of three gas-filled cells or sub-pixels (one each for red, green and blue). A grid of tiny electrodes applies an electric current to the individual cells, causing the gas (a mix of neon and xenon) in the cells to ionize. This ionized gas (plasma) emits high-frequency UV rays, which stimulate the cells" phosphors, causing them to glow the desired color.

Because a plasma panel is illuminated at the sub-pixel level, light output is very consistent across the entire screen area. Plasmas produce the widest horizontal and vertical viewing angles available — pictures look crisp and bright from virtually anywhere in the room.

Because plasma TV screens use a phosphor coating like CRT-based TVs, the possibility of screen burn-in exists, though it"s unlikely to happen with current models. To reduce the chance of burn-in, be sure to follow the manufacturer"s recommendations on setup and use.

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 pixels on the screen, images on a plasma TVs are created by ionized gas (plasma) that lights up when you run an electrical current through it. The easiest way to undertand it is by thinking of each individual subpixel on the TV as a tiny neon light, or perhaps a miniature version of the florescent tubes you might be sitting under right now. The pixels that make up a plasma display are almost exactly the same technology, just on a much smaller scale.

For those of you who care to understand the science behind it all, here’s how the magic happens: An electrode applies an electrical current to a small cell filled with a noble gas mixture (usually neon and xenon). This excites the gas, ionizing it and transforming it into a plasma. This plasma emits ultraviolet light – which we can’t see – but when the UV light hits a phosphor coating that lines each cell, it causes the phosphor to glow and put out light that we can see. Depending on which particular phosphor the cell is coated with, it will create a red, green, or blue glow. Just like with LCD displays, each cluster of red green and blue subpixels makes up one pixel on the screen (see header image).

Due to the fact that plasma displays have the ability to completely turn off individual pixels, they boast far better black levels than LCD displays. Although LCD tech has improved over the years, the panels still aren’t that great at blocking out light completely, which makes it really hard for them to achieve true blackness on dark scenes. This is especially true of CCFL-backlit LCD screens. Some LED-backlit LCD TVs with local dimming can achieve black levels comparable to those of plasma TVs, but they’re generally much more expensive.

Because of the way they’re designed, plasma TV’s are also better at controlling the relative level of brightness of each red, blue, or green subpixel, so they typically produce greater contrast, more realistically textured images, and richer colors than their LCD counterparts.

Plasma displays also tend to have much better viewing angles than LCD TVs, mostly because the polarizing filters on LCD panels tend to cut out light that isn’t traveling straight forward. Since plasma displays don’t rely on filters to manage the light you see, their pictures can be enjoyed from a relatively wide angle without losing any integrity. Some higher end LCD TV’s incorporate technology to improve viewing angle, but most still aren’t on par with plasma displays.

When images move quickly across a screen, sometimes the pixels on an LCD panel can’t turn on and off fast enough, which results in what we call motion blur. Plasma screens generally don’t have this problem because the florescent phosphor coating in each subpixel stops glowing just a few nanoseconds after the electrode turns off, but LCD screens take a bit longer. This is because the crystals that control the flow of light (ie, shutters) take some extra time to open and close. That being said, however, many newer LCD screens feature refresh rates of 12oHz or faster, which effectively cuts out the problem of motion blur. Lower-end models might still have this drawback though, so be sure to check refresh rates before you buy anything.

If you’ve done even a small amount of research on plasma screens, there’s a good chance you’ve come across a thing called burn-in. This refers to an image that persists on the screen even after the image that created it is long gone  – kinda like when somebody shines a flashlight in your face and you can still see streaks when you close your eyes. Burn-in works in the same way, but on your TV. If something bright stays on a plasma screen for too long (like CNN’s ticker or the Discovery Channel logo) it can sometimes leave a visible ghost behind after the image has gone away. This was a big problem in early plasma displays, but burn-in has largely been eradicated now that manufacturers have devised ways to cycle power to the phosphors and keep them from staying lit for too long. Still, it’s probably not a good idea to leave a static image on your screen for days on end.

Plasma TV’s are much more power-hungry than their LCD counterparts. Generally speaking, a CCFL-backlit LCD screen consumes about half the power of a plasma screen of the same size, and an LED-backlit LCD screen uses even less power than that. Depending on the cost of electricity where you live, you might want to factor in power costs if you’re thinking about buying a plasma TV.

Despite all the advances plasma technology has seen over the years, it still can’t match the brightness enjoyed by LED or CCFL-backlit LCD screens. This makes LCD TVs a better option for rooms with lots of light – especially since plasma TVs almost always have glossy, reflective screens.

So which type of TV should you go with? It depends on a few different factors, but if you’re looking for the best picture at the lowest price, definitely go with a plasma TV. Plasma sets cost roughly as much as your typical CCFL-backlit LCD TV, but offer a picture that’s on par with or better than some of the best, most expensive LED TV’s on the market.

However, if your home theater setup is in a room that’s got a lot of windows and ambient light pouring in, or you just have to have the thinnest TV on your block, you might want to opt for an LCD TV. So long as it’s within your budget, we recommend buying an LED-backlit or edgelit LCD TV – they’re thinner, prettier, and more energy-efficient than their CCFL cousins, but also more expensive. CCFL-backlit LCD TVs should only be a last resort – avoid them if at all possible.

Lcd tv screen isolated on white background black television panel realistic 3d blank led smart hdtv display with mat texture surface top front side view of monitor tv mockup model vector

And it concerns even the simplest from the first sight issues like the choice of TV set. If you find yourself in the group of people that stand in front of long row of TV’s, trying to placate a highly important argument in their heads – LCD or Plasma, then you’re one of the thousands customers who are definitely doing the same thing at the same time.

LCDs are known to have an “image delay” problem which is mainly connected with the nature of LCD technology and as a result, image “artifacting” is caused.

Another problem is the “pixel issue”, which understands the process when individual pixels burn-out causing black dots all over the screen, which makes watching TV highly uncomfortable. Moreover, troubled pixels cannot be repaired so the best way out is buying a new TV.

So-called “Mercury issue” has been a strong reason of preferring Plasma over LCD TVs which contain although small, but still a proportion of Mercury which is famous for causing health problems.

In general, the advantages and disadvantages of Plasma and LCD TVs depend only on personal expectations and customer’s budget. Typically, Plasma TVs cost more, while the choice of small-sized Plasma screens is not wide; moreover, the choice can fall on the device with the most pleasing image, for example. Nowadays both Plasma and LCD technologies are highly evaluated among customers…

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.

Today"s market is filled with different sizes, models and manufactures to fulfill any movie watcher needs in today"s world, there are so many choices that most people are confused. There is a wide range of sizes, manufactures, models and screen choices available which would fulfill the movie bug needs these days, that is why we are so confused about what is the best tv to purchase. If you are one of those people that loves to watch DVD"s you need to make sure you look at the ratio of a plasma television screen, this is very important to consider.

The war between plasma and LCD continues with many people, it is almost like the war between PC and Apple users. The new LCD televisions are High Definition Television ready and digital television ready which will make these types of TV last much longer down the line as the HDTV signal becomes more widespread in homes. LCD televisions are now available at increasingly lower prices, and the smaller units are available for as low as two hundred dollars with several retailers. Many of the large manufacturers of electronics have created technology such as LCD screens, some of these companies are Sony, Samsung, Phillips, Toshiba and Panasonic, even computer system manufactures are getting into the TV market, Dell has created TVs that compete with other electronic giants.

Watching a show on HDTV explains why so many people are switching to this type of technology, you realize how the older type of TV picture clarity is not what you thought it was. HDTV has brought a new way of watching TV, plasma screens are crisp, sharp images and when the HDTV signals becomes more prevalent more and more channels and households will be able to enjoy it. The large size and high definition capability are just a few of those great features HDTV televisions.

The viewing angle in DLP is big. The plasma screen is a streamlined picture-frame screen that has a 160 degree viewing angle, the screen is evenly illuminated across the screen and it has no curvature. These types of televisions provide a much clearer image which will make your investment of this new type of tv a sound one. Bigger is not always better, and a certain distance must be maintained between the plasma TV and the viewing area for optimal viewing experience.

The plasma display is unsurpassed because of the aspect ratio of 16:9 and the incredible resolution of 1366 x 768. They have great resolution and incredible color definition. Using the display resolution of 1024x768 gives the TV a picture that is sharp and crisp and an almost 3D effect. Plasma TV allows you to experience high resolution HDTV and DTV signals with exceptional color accuracy.

As time goes on and the manufacturing costs diminish the prices will start to drop on plasma TVs and the cheap plasmas will be introduced which will cost in the $800 - $1200 range, and as technology get better the screen size will start to grow and the screen will get larger for less. You want the model with the right size and weight to look and fit right into your space. While quality is important size and color are equally important.

In setting up the environment for your plasma TV, a primary consideration is to determine the screen size to match the floor plan or available space where the plasma will be displayed.

As things stand now, you have a choice of three technologies when deciding on your next TV. You could buy an LCD TV - often, somewhat erroneously called LED TVs. If you have loads of money, OLED TVs are an option, but only LG and Samsung are really offering even vaguely affordable OLED TVs right now. The last option is plasma, a darling of TV reviewers, but what makes it special, and how does it cope with modern technologies, such as 3D and 4K along with the must-have smart and catch-up TV functionality?

Most of us have heard of the various different technologies that make up the TV market in the UK. Right now, as you might expect, LCD TVs are going great-guns, and make up the largest proportion of sales, while plasma TVs are slowly losing ground and OLED TVs are really just getting started. Ultimately, most of the TVs on sale now have the same smart functionality, such as access to Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and BBC iPlayer right from the TV’s menu system, the differences are about how the image is displayed.

Before 3D, plasma and LCD, there was really just one display technology, and it remained largely unchanged from when TV broadcasts started until the mid-2000s when we started to see the first LCDs and plasma TVs. This technology was called CRT, or Cathode Ray Tube. Simply put, a glass screen was blown, like any glass is, and turned into a tube, which was vacuum sealed. A coating of phosphors on the front in red, green and blue would then glow when a scanning electron beam struck them from behind. Electronics, and your eyes’ persistence of vision would turn this into a solid, stable picture (see our History of TV feature for the full story).

The fundamentals of TV haven"t changed much since. LCD TVs and plasma screens do things differently to each other, but those red, green and blue points of light remain the same but how they are made to "glow" is different.

Plasma TVs are actually very similar to CRTs. Instead of having a beam that scans, a plasma produces light from its pixels when an electric charge is applied to a cell containing a noble gas, or "plasma". These plasma chambers are sealed units, the gas will never escape, so any rumours you"ve heard about plasmas needing re-gassing is just an urban myth.

It"s also fascinating to note that plasma display technology was first considered in the late 1930s by Hungarian engineer Kálmán Tihanyi. By the 70s, there were actual monochrome displays in use based on technology invented at the University of Illinois for the PLATO computer system. While this technology is very different to modern colour displays, the University of Illinois would later work with Japanese broadcaster NHK to turn the system into one suitable for colour TV reception.

The first proper plasma TVs, as we know them today, were manufactured around 1995 by Fujitsu and Philips. They weren"t HD sets, and they cost more than £10,000. In 1997 Pioneer began selling TVs to the public, and thus began a new era.

During the early years of flat panel TVs, much was made of which technology was better. These days the differences are much smaller. Plasma has improved its weak areas, and LCD has done the same. Picking a TV now is really more about features than picture quality, because these two technologies are so close.

For many, the big advantage of plasma was that it was able to produce better black levels. To understand why, we need to look at the technology and how it produces an image. In a plasma TV, the cell in which the gas is contained creates its own light. This means that when an image is made up of contrasting light and dark areas, the TV can produce nearly perfect black where it needs to. The control is accurate to the pixel.

On an LCD TV there are two types of backlight. The first is called CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp), and has mostly disappeared now. But in the early days, it was this that caused LCDs to have such problem producing deep, rich blacks. This is because the light would shine constantly, and while dimmable if the scene as a whole was dark, if there was a mix of light and dark at the same time, you would see very washed out blacks.

LED backlights then appeared, and these came in a further two variants. Either edge LED or “full” LED backlights. Edge LED was similar to the CCFL system, it meant TVs got very thin very quickly, but it didn’t really produce better black levels. Full LED, as it became known, was a large number of very small LEDs mounted directly behind the LCD screen, grouped into zones. These zones could be individually “locally dimmed”, which allowed for scenes of mixed light and dark to be reproduced with better black levels.

As a rule, cheaper LCDs would have edge LED lighting, while more expensive models would have the “full” LED backlight. This was all developed as a way to compete with the plasma displays, which did the same thing simply by virtue of their emissive cells.

While plasma was a great deal better with blacks, in a fully darkened room many plasmas would have noticeable glowing, or if you were very close to the screen you would be able to see blue speckles. As the technology evolved, this artefact went away, but even at its worst, it still was never as bad as the crushed blacks from LCD TVs.

As with any technology, nothing is perfect, and plasma’s had its share of problems. For many years plasma TVs were horrendous power hogs. The bigger 50- and 60in TVs would consume hundreds of Watts of power, and cost loads of money every year.

Plasmas also get hot, and because of that they need to be cooled by fans. Mostly, these fans were well-designed, but sometimes they would be loud and intrusive. The heat issue on some large TVs was borderline comical, but in winter it would help keep your house warm.

Much was also made of image retention. This was a problem on CRT TVs too, where if you left a high-contrast static image on screen for an extended period - say 30 minutes - you would still be able to see it after the image was changed. This would usually clear itself after a while though, although in early plasmas permanent screen burn was a real concern.

It"s worth remembering that a plasma TV is most susceptible to burn during its first 100 hours of use, so be a bit more careful when your TV is new, then you can relax a little after a few weeks.

Plasma TVs can"t do passive 3D. This method of displaying 3D is nicer to use, although it has a disadvantage in that it"s half full HD resolution. For plasma sets, you must have active shutter 3D, which uses a set of powered glasses to produce a 3D image.

Active is very good at producing 3D, especially on modern TVs. The glasses are light now too, and usually rechargeable with hours and hours of battery life. You also get a 1080p 3D image, which gives crisp, detailed pictures. Because of the very quick response time of plasma screens, you also get no 3D ghosting - where the image for left and right eyes collide, giving you a double image - which is a real advantage.

The worst part of 3D on a plasma TV is that it reduces the brightness of the picture. Modern plasmas are quite bright, but you"ll still notice that your movie looks a lot darker than it does in 2D. That said, if you’re serious about your movies, you’re not going to be watching in a very bright room, and will probably have invested in blackout blinds so you can comfortably watch during the day.

Here"s where plasma"s future started to come undone. While there were only minor problems in creating 3D-capable plasma TVs, 4K is much harder. You need to find a way to fit a lot more pixels on the screen, and to do that with plasma would require a significant amount of research.

We spoke to Panasonic about 4K on plasmas when it demoed its final run of plasma TVs to us. The firm told us that 4K was impractical on plasmas for a few reasons, but power-draw was something of a hurdle that would require a lot of work to overcome. It"s worth remembering that environmental legislation has changed a lot since plasma TVs were first sold: if you tried to develop a tech that power-hungry now, you"d never be allowed to sell it in most of the world.

The second, and more critical, issue comes down to the miniaturisation of the plasma cells. It’s possible to create a plasma TV with a 4K resolution screen - we know this because Panasonic sells a 152in 4K plasma screen. Sadly, it’s the miniaturisation of plasma cells that creates a very real issue for practical 4K screens. Most domestic 4K TVs will be 50 to 85in in size, it’s possible you could make plasma cells small enough to produce 4K on 85in, but that would be a challenge. Also, even if the plasma cells could be shrunk significantly enough to fit 4K resolution on a practical-size screen, the level of brightness would be severely compromised.

The gradual move to 4K has meant that companies like Samsung, Panasonic and LG are all looking at their options. While they all sold plasmas, Panasonic and Samsung have announced that they will no longer manufacture plasma TVs. As of now, LG is the only company that has hinted plasma has any future at all. But however you look at it, in a 4K world, plasma’s time is limited.

Despite the fact that plasma production is winding down, the technology remains incredible. People who care about picture quality will generally prefer the way plasma TVs look on 1080p material. Get a good plasma TV, and you"ll have a picture that has beautiful black levels, amazing colour and a cinematic look that makes movies feel like a real cinema experience.

There are plenty of plasmas with 3D capabilities, indeed virtually all of them will have 3D along with smart functionality to stream video and other media to your TV. Those smart functions will also give you access to apps, games and selected Internet content, like YouTube and video podcasts.

There is no reason to worry, and plenty of reasons to get excited about buying a new plasma TV, especially since you might be able to negotiate quite a bargain while the masses opt for LED screens instead.

A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display that uses small cells containing plasma: ionized gas that responds to electric fields. Plasma televisions were the first large (over 32 inches diagonal) flat panel displays to be released to the public.

Until about 2007, plasma displays were commonly used in large televisions (30 inches (76 cm) and larger). By 2013, they had lost nearly all market share due to competition from low-cost LCDs and more expensive but high-contrast OLED flat-panel displays. Manufacturing of plasma displays for the United States retail market ended in 2014,

Plasma displays are bright (1,000 lux or higher for the display module), have a wide color gamut, and can be produced in fairly large sizes—up to 3.8 metres (150 in) diagonally. They had a very low luminance "dark-room" black level compared with the lighter grey of the unilluminated parts of an LCD screen. (As plasma panels are locally lit and do not require a back light, blacks are blacker on plasma and grayer on LCD"s.)LED-backlit LCD televisions have been developed to reduce this distinction. The display panel itself is about 6 cm (2.4 in) thick, generally allowing the device"s total thickness (including electronics) to be less than 10 cm (3.9 in). Power consumption varies greatly with picture content, with bright scenes drawing significantly more power than darker ones – this is also true for CRTs as well as modern LCDs where LED backlight brightness is adjusted dynamically. The plasma that illuminates the screen can reach a temperature of at least 1,200 °C (2,190 °F). Typical power consumption is 400 watts for a 127 cm (50 in) screen. Most screens are set to "vivid" mode by default in the factory (which maximizes the brightness and raises the contrast so the image on the screen looks good under the extremely bright lights that are common in big box stores), which draws at least twice the power (around 500–700 watts) of a "home" setting of less extreme brightness.

Plasma screens are made out of glass, which may result in glare on the screen from nearby light sources. Plasma display panels cannot be economically manufactured in screen sizes smaller than 82 centimetres (32 in).enhanced-definition televisions (EDTV) this small, even fewer have made 32 inch plasma HDTVs. With the trend toward large-screen television technology, the 32 inch screen size is rapidly disappearing. Though considered bulky and thick compared with their LCD counterparts, some sets such as Panasonic"s Z1 and Samsung"s B860 series are as slim as 2.5 cm (1 in) thick making them comparable to LCDs in this respect.

Wider viewing angles than those of LCD; images do not suffer from degradation at less than straight ahead angles like LCDs. LCDs using IPS technology have the widest angles, but they do not equal the range of plasma primarily due to "IPS glow", a generally whitish haze that appears due to the nature of the IPS pixel design.

Superior uniformity. LCD panel backlights nearly always produce uneven brightness levels, although this is not always noticeable. High-end computer monitors have technologies to try to compensate for the uniformity problem.

Earlier generation displays were more susceptible to screen burn-in and image retention. Recent models have a pixel orbiter that moves the entire picture slower than is noticeable to the human eye, which reduces the effect of burn-in but does not prevent it.

Due to the bistable nature of the color and intensity generating method, some people will notice that plasma displays have a shimmering or flickering effect with a number of hues, intensities and dither patterns.

Uses more electrical power, on average, than an LCD TV using a LED backlight. Older CCFL backlights for LCD panels used quite a bit more power, and older plasma TVs used quite a bit more power than recent models.

Fixed-pixel displays such as plasma TVs scale the video image of each incoming signal to the native resolution of the display panel. The most common native resolutions for plasma display panels are 852×480 (EDTV), 1,366×768 and 1920×1080 (HDTV). As a result, picture quality varies depending on the performance of the video scaling processor and the upscaling and downscaling algorithms used by each display manufacturer.

Early plasma televisions were enhanced-definition (ED) with a native resolution of 840×480 (discontinued) or 852×480 and down-scaled their incoming high-definition video signals to match their native display resolutions.

The following ED resolutions were common prior to the introduction of HD displays, but have long been phased out in favor of HD displays, as well as because the overall pixel count in ED displays is lower than the pixel count on SD PAL displays (852×480 vs 720×576, respectively).

Early high-definition (HD) plasma displays had a resolution of 1024x1024 and were alternate lighting of surfaces (ALiS) panels made by Fujitsu and Hitachi.

Later HDTV plasma televisions usually have a resolution of 1,024×768 found on many 42 inch plasma screens, 1280×768 and 1,366×768 found on 50 in, 60 in, and 65 in plasma screens, or 1920×1080 found on plasma screen sizes from 42 inch to 103 inch. These displays are usually progressive displays, with non-square pixels, and will up-scale and de-interlace their incoming standard-definition signals to match their native display resolutions. 1024×768 resolution requires that 720p content be downscaled in one direction and upscaled in the other.

Ionized gases such as the ones shown here are confined to millions of tiny individual compartments across the face of a plasma display, to collectively form a visual image.

A panel of a plasma display typically comprises millions of tiny compartments in between two panels of glass. These compartments, or "bulbs" or "cells", hold a mixture of noble gases and a minuscule amount of another gas (e.g., mercury vapor). Just as in the fluorescent lamps over an office desk, when a high voltage is applied across the cell, the gas in the cells forms a plasma. With flow of electricity (electrons), some of the electrons strike mercury particles as the electrons move through the plasma, momentarily increasing the energy level of the atom until the excess energy is shed. Mercury sheds the energy as ultraviolet (UV) photons. The UV photons then strike phosphor that is painted on the inside of the cell. When the UV photon strikes a phosphor molecule, it momentarily raises the energy level of an outer orbit electron in the phosphor molecule, moving the electron from a stable to an unstable state; the electron then sheds the excess energy as a photon at a lower energy level than UV light; the lower energy photons are mostly in the infrared range but about 40% are in the visible light range. Thus the input energy is converted to mostly infrared but also as visible light. The screen heats up to between 30 and 41 °C (86 and 106 °F) during operation. Depending on the phosphors used, different colors of visible light can be achieved. Each pixel in a plasma display is made up of three cells comprising the primary colors of visible light. Varying the voltage of the signals to the cells thus allows different perceived colors.

Control circuitry charges the electrodes that cross paths at a cell, creating a voltage difference between front and back. Some of the atoms in the gas of a cell then lose electrons and become ionized, which creates an electrically conducting plasma of atoms, free electrons, and ions. The collisions of the flowing electrons in the plasma with the inert gas atoms leads to light emission; such light-emitting plasmas are known as glow discharges.

Relative spectral power of red, green and blue phosphors of a common plasma display. The units of spectral power are simply raw sensor values (with a linear response at specific wavelengths).

In a monochrome plasma panel, the gas is mostly neon, and the color is the characteristic orange of a neon-filled lamp (or sign). Once a glow discharge has been initiated in a cell, it can be maintained by applying a low-level voltage between all the horizontal and vertical electrodes–even after the ionizing voltage is removed. To erase a cell all voltage is removed from a pair of electrodes. This type of panel has inherent memory. A small amount of nitrogen is added to the neon to increase hysteresis.phosphor. The ultraviolet photons emitted by the plasma excite these phosphors, which give off visible light with colors determined by the phosphor materials. This aspect is comparable to fluorescent lamps and to the neon signs that use colored phosphors.

Every pixel is made up of three separate subpixel cells, each with different colored phosphors. One subpixel has a red light phosphor, one subpixel has a green light phosphor and one subpixel has a blue light phosphor. These colors blend together to create the overall color of the pixel, the same as a triad of a shadow mask CRT or color LCD. Plasma panels use pulse-width modulation (PWM) to control brightness: by varying the pulses of current flowing through the different cells thousands of times per second, the control system can increase or decrease the intensity of each subpixel color to create billions of different combinations of red, green and blue. In this way, the control system can produce most of the visible colors. Plasma displays use the same phosphors as CRTs, which accounts for the extremely accurate color reproduction when viewing television or computer video images (which use an RGB color system designed for CRT displays).

Plasma displays are different from liquid crystal displays (LCDs), another lightweight flat-screen display using very different technology. LCDs may use one or two large fluorescent lamps as a backlight source, but the dif