which is better the LCD or plasma screen televisions?

Question

i was thinking of buying one and i've heard that plasma screens can go wrong quite easily and don't last very well any info would be most welcome

Answer 1

Both types of sets will give you a good picture. There is a lot of misinformation going around, mostly based on old data. I have summarized the differences between the two technologies, but you should look at the sets themselves, because a lot is just a matter of taste.

Picture quality of plasma is brighter, better color, better blacks than LCD.
But LCD pictures can look quite good; we’re not talking huge differences.

Sharpness is the same for equivalent pixel counts. Some newer LCDs have 1080 x 1920 resolution, most plasmas still in the 768 x 1024 range.

Plasma is heavier and uses more power than flat panel LCD.

There are reports that plasmas are not as reliable or they don't last as long, but that is no longer true with the latest models. (Both LCD and plasmas have 60,00hr expected lifetime.) Plasma phosphors dim slowly over time (but not as fast as CRT phosphors); but direct view LCDs use flourescent lamps which also dim and eventually burn out (some are replaceable).

Plasmas are subject to burn-in. A stationary image left on the screen for a long time could produce a permanent ghost image. The most risk is when viewing a lot of 4:3 ratio pictures (non-HD), which are displayed with vertical dark areas on the left and right to fill in the wide screen. Newer plasma designs have minimized this problem and here are ways to avoid it: many sets have a "stretch" mode which widens the picture to fill the whole screen, or will use gray bars instead of black bars. Burn-in also be a problem with extended playing of video games if there is a background image that remains stationary.

Plasmas come in larger sizes, although large flat panel LCDs are coming out, but they are expensive. LCD projectors can be 70".

LCD contrast and brightness can be reduced when viewing from off-center (both flat and projector, but sets will vary). At present, plasmas have very reflective front surfaces which could be a problem in room with lamps and windows that can be reflected by the screen. LCDs look better in bright environments, while plasmas look better in darker rooms.

Answer 2

It really depends on what size you want, you wont find a plasma less thay 40inches in size, then its a matter of what technology YOU like the look of.

Here's some notes I'm about to add to my site:

What are the advantages of LCDs?

They are available in a wide variety of sizes
LCDs are less prone to screen burn, where the display remembers the same image if it is displayed for a long time
They tend to be lighter and thinner compared with plasmas

What are the disadvantages of Liquid Crystal Displays?

The principle disadvantage to LCDs is that they tend to have a reduced viewing angle compared to a tube television, meaning the image may be less visible or clear when viewed from the side.

What are the advantages of Plasma Displays?

Plasmas are generally available in larger sizes compared to LCD
Because they emit light rather than blocking a backlight, plasmas can usually produce darker blacks resulting in an improved colour range and potentially a better picture.
Equivalently size plasma screens are typically cheaper than the equivalent LCD.
Plasma televisions thed to have a better viewing angle

What are the disadvantages of Plasma?

Older plasma screens could suffer from screen burn whereby a continuously displayed image would become burnt in to screen, on older displays this may be worth checking but for newer displays this should be less of an issue
Due to being typically available in larger sizes than LCDs plasmas are more expensive than LCDs on average.

Answer 3

Plasma TV's are better for watching TV ect. However, LCD TV's are much better at holding stationary images as they do not burn. The difference in picture and pixel quality is not much different unless one has a High Def tuner. Really you are much better off with an LCD, as no images will burn onto the screen. However, they are not mcuh diferences apart from this and the fact LCD will be cheaper!

Go for the LCD!

Answer 4

LCD Is the choice, life expectancy of plasma 5 yrs, Fast moving objects on plasma stutters across the screen, side view of plasma crap. check out the gadget show web site.

Answer 5

Iam no expert but Im told LCD are better. Plasma dont last as long.
The advantage they have is you can get them bigger than LCD.
But LCD is catching them up and you can get a fairly big one now, plus the price id coming down all the time.
Id go for LCD

Answer 6

There is a new smaller CRT technology out, from a 27" widescreen TV there is a very shallow back - go check out your local TV showroom to see if they have one in (I saw one in Comet and was amazed at it's size); they're less than half the price of LCD and will give a better picture (not sure if they can do HD).

Answer 7

many TV manufacturer are focusing their new product development on LCD.

Plasma are just too expensive to make and the technology has it's limitation like maximum resolution, electricity comsumption, burn in effect etc.

the main problem of LCD is the ghost (or shadow) issue and the black level. But with newer TV with 3ms response time and improve contrast ratio, these won't be a problem anymore.

Answer 8

LCD are better,they have higher resolution and more reliable.

Answer 9

lcd