which is better and what's the diffrence between lcd and plasma tvs?

Answer 1

I responded to a similar ? a little while ago and i view it like this: People will tell you all the downfalls of Plasma, but there are tons of downfalls to LCD as well. For me, it came down to this question:

Where are you planning to put the TV?
If it is anywhere near reflective light (sunlight, bright overhead light, etc) Go with LCD. PLasma TV's have a very reflective surface that picks up all light. LCD is NON REFLECTIVE, so you can point a flashlight on it, and it wont reflect.. Hope that helps. That is what made me make my descision. My TV room has a huge long window, and the room is very bright. Either way, you will enjoy!

Answer 2

Really, both formats are excellent, and depending on how much you spend, you can get excellent results from both. It was mentioned that the old style projection tv's don't have lamps. Actually they have three, each of which really need to be replaced if any one of them fail and that can be pricy. But, even they offer excellent performance and are generally quite reliable. But the issue with them is that they are excessively large and unless you have a great deal of room to devote to them or you don't mind the large box, then you can save some money.
You will typically find that the Plasma TV has a sharper image with a much higher contrast ratio, the difference between the darkest darks and the brightest whites. They have extremely vivid colors and under the right conditions offer an amazing picture with a quality HD signal. The downsides to Plasma are that they are generally very expensive, but prices have come down, and as one person mentioned, they do have a great deal of glare issues. The glass panel on the front is just that, a glass panel, and like a window it reflects all light from its surroundings. So for a bright living room during the day it could be an issue. Additionally, the brightness of a plasma TV fades over time and cannot be corrected. I don't recall how long a set will last, and frankly they are still new enough that I am not sure it is known for sure. But over time the picture will begin to fade and the set has to be replaced entirely. On the plus side again, the Plasma is very thin and is easily placed onto walls and out of the way areas, that is if you spring for having your electrical and cable to be wired into the area you plan to install it, ie, 5 feet up a wall.

The LCD is another option. They typically are thinner as well, and depending on the set also offer excellent picture quality. You need to view the sets to decide for yourself. But there can be differences, especially in contrast ratio. Unfortunately, most manufacturers rate the sets themselves and use different means of determining their own "ratios", so that is not necessarily going to help you. But, for example, if you compare a top of the line Sony Wega LCD, to say an Alevia or other similar entry type model, you will see significant differences in picture quality, clarity, depth of colors, ect. You can pay $800 or $4000. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder however. You may not personally see much difference. Many LCD's can also be wall mounted, but its easier to just put it on a stand. And they do work better, to a degree, in brigher environments. The LCD is only so bright and the picture does get washed out in bright rooms. The Plasma, while having more glare, will retain more of its picture depth in bright rooms. Its a toss up. The LCD does have a lamp that will need replacing every two years or so at a cost of $250 to $400. And that is a downfall, but, once you replace the lamp, most you can replace yourself, you have a brand new looking picture.

Other things to remember; plasma TV's can be subject to burn in, meaning that if you leave a static image on the screen too long, as with a video game, it could leave a burned in image on the screen permanently. This isn't true for the LCD.

In any case, remember this one point when comparing sets in the store; once you get it home and you don't have 50 other sets to compare it to, you will realize that it does have a great picture. If you had the $4000 set right next to it you could see the difference, but its hard to go wrong unless you are really hard core.

I hope this helps. For more info and reviews try looking at CNET.com.

Answer 3

This is going to be short and sweet so here goes. Look at the warranties. The Plasma goes by the hours of usage. They haven't perfected them yet. And the slightest bump could break the tubes in them. I love the LCD. Right now though if you are just looking for a huge screen for a lower amount of money, the rear projection is definately the way to go and not a bad picture either. Although most of them that I have had to move in the store I used to work in weighed around 180 lbs! ! ! The 60 inch LCD only weighed in at 80 lbs. MUUUUUUUCH better. The plasma has a much better picture and the LCD isn't to bad itself.

Answer 4

I decided to forget both of them and have less problems and better picture and a bigger screen. After my own research, I went with the Rear Projection, ( DLP ), and got a 62 in Toshiba for 2000.00 It is an experience ever time I watch TV. Even the standard pictures are incredibly clear, meaning not all channel ls come in HD when you buy the package from your cable or satellite, etc. This one is top rated from consumer reports, we love this TV. The samsungs have a nice picture as well. Never go with the picture at the store, they have them all hooked up to the same line so no independent feed. They save that for the expensive plasmas and LCDs. Forget it. No plasma burn, no gass leakage in the house, and a better picture than a LCD. works for us. Less green to spend, and more screen to watch, and beautifully too!!! Plasmas have a piticular gas that gives that picture, and one out of every 10 leak that gas. Good Luck on your decision.

Answer 5

LCD is more INDUSTRIAL than Plasma....The only reason I would buy Plasma is.....IF IT absolutely needs to be wall mounted with no other options due to space limitations!!!

They're nifty eye-candy and gives the owner bragging rights...but that's about it....

As for me....I still SELECT a Projection TV with CRTs rather than LCD or DLP or Plasma....THEY ARE THE MOST RELIABLE and require very little money to maintain them...NO LAMPS!!

My Mitsubishi Projo just died AFTER 18 years of service....I selected the NEW Hitachi 51F59 PTV because it's a good reliable product.