LCD Vs. Plasma Televisions

Flat screen televisions have gained tremendous popularity in recent years. Their sleek looks, crystal-clear and sharp images, advanced viewing features, competitive prices and space saving properties have made them a hot selling product of late. Flat screen televisions are mainly of two types:

1. LCD (liquid crystal display) televisions
2. plasma televisions.

Consequently, you will find that 'LCD vs plasma televisions' is a topic that is highly researched and discussed upon these days. For the benefit of those who are alien to both these types of flat screen TVs, let us take a look at LCD vs plasma TVs and decide as to which one is better.

Comparison Between LCD and Plasma Televisions

Without going into unnecessary technological details regarding how these televisions work, we will do a simple LCD vs plasma TV comparison taking into consideration various factors that are important from the point of view of a typical consumer.

• Color Accuracy: If you ask me to rate or compare LCD vs plasma televisions on the basis of color accuracy, my vote would go to plasma televisions, but only by a small margin. The reason is, plasma TVs fare slightly better in terms of accurate color production over a consistent period of time. LCD TVs on the other hand, do manage to outperform plasma TVs in case of brightly lit rooms, but do not work as well in case of dim lit surroundings.
• Contrast Ratios: Contrast ratios are basically an indication of the amount and the depth of black and white that the television screen can produce and display. When it comes to LCD vs plasma screens, plasma screens once again have an advantage over LCD screens. Due to their fundamental technology, plasma screens are able to achieve an impressive contrast ratio of around 1500:1 whereas this figure in case of LCD screens happens to reach a maximum of 1100:1. What this actually means for an end user is that in comparison with an LCD screen, a plasma screen can simultaneously display both dark and light colors much more effectively and without distortion. This makes them better suited for playing DVD movies or for home theater systems.
• Screen Burn-in: This problem usually occurs in case of plasma televisions, when a particular image remains frozen on screen for a prolonged period of time. Usually, LCD screens are not prone to this sort of problem.
• Viewing Angles: Though LCD televisions boast of viewing angles of up to 160°, in reality proper viewing is not possible beyond an angle of 125°. Plasma TVs on the other hand, have a practical viewing angle of about 150-160°.
• Response Times: Plasma TVs fare slightly better when it comes to screen refresh rates and response time. This is rather noticeable if you view the same piece of fast-moving action simultaneously on both LCD and plasma screens.
• Power Consumption: Typically, an LCD TV consumes around 50% less power than a plasma TV of the same screen size. Also, due to higher power consumption, plasma TVs tend to generate more heat as compared to LCD TVs.
• Screen Resolution: For same-sized screens, LCD TVs happen to have a higher screen resolution than plasma TVs. However, this comes at a price in the sense that the cost of an LCD TV increases with an increase in its screen resolution.
• Altitude Problems: LCD TVs do not suffer from any altitude-related problems. This makes them ideal for use in high altitude places as well as in airplanes. Plasma TVs on the other hand, experience a few problems at altitudes above 6500 meters. This is because the rare gases present inside plasma screens tend to behave differently at high altitudes which results in certain functional issues.
• Durability: Both plasma as well as LCD screens are more or less equal, when it comes to durability and longevity. Normally, manufacturers claim of a life of 40,000 to 50,000 working hours for both types of screens.

So, the next time that you or a friend of yours is in a dilemma about choosing either LCD or plasma televisions, you could use the above points of comparison to help you decide what flat screen television to purchase.