|
Flat Screen
TV Comparison: Plasma vs LCD
By Mitchell
Medford
Flat screen TV is one of the most
popular and exciting TV technologies today. At only a few inches
thick, flat screen TVs offer unparalleled flexibility and
convenience. Older conventional TV's, in fairness to them, did offer
crisp and vibrant images. However, these TV's, which operate through
a cathode ray tube (CRT), suffered from one major drawback, they
were bulky. As screen size increased, so did the bulk and weight.
However, the TV of old has reached its twilight years. New
television technologies have enabled TV manufacturers to create TVs
with wider screen size yet still only a few inches thick. Thus, flat
screen TVs usher home entertainment into the 21st century.
Flat Screen TV basically refers to
two technologies: Plasma and LCD. The advances in these two
technologies have enabled TV makers to build thin, lightweight TV
screens with a large picture area. Plasma and LCD both offer
similarly large, lightweight, flat screen TV's but the similarities
are skin deep for their inner workings are different.
Plasma or LCD?
Plasma and LCD TVs generally look
similar however they use very different technologies. Plasma
utilizes a grid of tiny cells of gas plasma that light up and create
a picture when charged by precise electrical voltages. LCD (liquid
crystal display) screens on the other hand are made of liquid
crystals sandwiched between two glass plates and create images by
varying the amount of electrical charge applied to the crystals.
Both Plasma and LCD offer excellent picture quality. The following
are their strengths and weaknesses and edge over the other.
1. Plasma screens can display
blacks more accurately compared to LCD. Thus, pictures in a Plasma
TV have richer contrast and better detail especially in dark TV
and movie scenes. LCD TV's are catching up however.
2. Plasma TV has better viewing angles than LCD TV. How far you
can sit on either side of the screen before the qualities of the
pictures are affected is what the "viewing angle" is. In
LCD TVs, brightness and color tend to shift when angled too far
while that of Plasma TVs remain solid.
3. Plasma TV can produce brighter color while light leakages in
LCD screens affect the color saturation.
4. Plasma TVs are priced relatively less than their LCD
counterparts especially in the large screen segment. Plasma TVs
offer much larger sizes than LCDs, yet are still priced lower.
5. LCD has a higher native resolution than plasma TVs of the same
size. This results to sharper images and makes LCD TV the better
choice for HDTV.
6. LCD TVs consume almost 30% less power than Plasma TVs.
7. LCD TVs are generally lighter than similar sized Plasmas.
8. Among the two, LCD screens have a longer life span than plasma
screens. LCDs can last up to 60,000 hours compared to Plasma that
average from 30,000 to 60,000 hours.
9. Plasma TVs are more prone to screen burn-ins compared to LCDs
although newer plasma technology are less susceptible to these.
If you are looking for a large flat
screen TV, Plasma TV is recommended. Plasma TVs can give you better
value for your money. The price difference between Plasma TVs and
LCD TVs is big. However, if you have money to burn, then LCD TV is
the better choice especially if you want the sharpest images. For
smaller flat screen TVs at the range of 15” to 36”, LCD is the
way to go. Ultimately, both technologies are still evolving and new
innovations and improvements are definitely in the works.
Mitchell Medford is an author and
product consultant for several consumer electronics manufacturers.
Visit his website for more information on home
theater, LCD TVs, and plasma televisions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mitchell_Medford
|