Flat televisions have signaled the death of the bulky analog TV’s. LCD’s and Plasma’s are in; the big boxes are on the way out. In five years time I expect analog TV’s to be nearly wiped out of living halls. While in third world countries they may last for the next decade or so the richer countries will migrate to the sleek and superior flat TV’s.

So you have decided to switch to a sleek wall hanging TV, but which technology will you embrace? Will you go for: An LCD or a plasma TV? Which one is superior over all? Which one gives more bang for the buck? Which one is a better technology? The truth is there is no definite answer. Your choice would depend on various factors like budget, screen size, resolution., conditions of your living room etc.

A LCD TV as the name implies is made of liquid crystals (sandwiched between 2 sheets of glass) while a plasma TV is made of inert gases like Xeon and Neon. They are completely different technologies; both capable of giving superior picture compared to an analog TV and can work as HDTV’s (though all plasma and LCD TV’s are not necessarily HDTV’s).

Let’s briefly look at the two technologies and which is better.

Contrast Ratio:
How black can the black become and how white can the white get? This is called contrast. Plasmas’ have an inherent advantage in this area. Generally plasma’s can achieve superior blacks. LCD TV being a backlit technology struggles to achieve superior blacks. This does not mean that all LCD TV’s are inferior in contrast. For example Samsung LCD TV’s have an excellent contrast ratio of 8000:1. Very few have this kind of contrast though and the average plasma is better in achieving blacks than the average LCD. Advantage: Plasma.

Color Reproduction:
Plasma’s have and edge. The best plasma’s like the Panasonic Viera range produce stunning and natural color. This is because in plasma technology every single pixel contains all the color elements. Plasma is capable of providing a more consistent picture quality. An LCD TV displays picture by blocking certain colors and giving access to some colors. LCD relies on backlight technology. Generally speaking it is said that LCD’s can’t rival plasma’s when it comes to color accuracy and color saturation. A plasma TV can display the various hues and mood of a scene better than an LCD – A more truer picture. However a quality LCD TV can give an equally good picture.

Fast Moving or Sports Scenes:
Plasma’s are perfectly suited for this. Plasma’s do not suffer from what is called as ghosting or trailer effect. The previous scene is not completely wiped off the screen when certain fast moving scenes are displayed. This is called as ghosting. It is for this reason that when buying an LCD TV one needs to see the screen refresh rate. The faster it is the better. Slightly inferior LCD’s can leave a trailer like effect when it comes to action scenes or sports scenes like football for example. On the other hand plasma’s are not very suitable for very static images since they suffer from what is called burn in (see next factor).

Screen Burn-In:
Burn-in as already mentioned is a bit of a problem with plasma’s but this has been over exaggerated by LCD supporters. It is true hat plasma TV’s face the risk of certain areas of the display getting kind of burnt out which can later not give a picture. Once burn in sets it can be a permanent problem with no remedy. But this has been addressed to a great extent by rotating pixels, screen savers and other new technologies. Moreover burn in occurs after several hours of continuous use like for example 8 hours of non stop TV viewing. Also the potential for burn in is maximum only in the first 100 hours so a plasma TV’ life after which the risk is greatly reduced. LCD TV’s don’t have this problem. It is for this reason that plasma’s are not suitable as computer monitors. In case of a static image; like for example a logo of a video game; that particular spot can get burnt. LCD is perfectly suited for computer monitors and that’s why they are so widely used.

Viewing Angles:
A plasma TV does not have viewing angle problems. LCD TV’s do have a problem in that when you go to one end of the hall the picture appears tends to blur. If you have an LCD monitor for your PC just try viewing it from one side and you will see the screen go dull. So when buying an LCD TV; make sure that the manufacturer provides you a decent viewing angle of about 150 to 160 degrees. This is not an issue with the top LCD manufactures but can be a problem with the average LCD TV.

Display Resolution:
Display resolution is the total number of pixels that can be displayed (length and breadth multiplied by number of lines). Usually LCD TV’s come with higher resolution for about the same price of a plasma TV. The lowest HDTV LCD TV’s come with 1366×768 scan lines so these are 50% HDTV’s. Plasma’s usually come with 1027×768. These are also 50% HDTV’s no doubt (50% HDTV because they can handle only 720p transmission and not 1080 transmissions). But very few manufacturers produce plasma’s that can handle 1080p transmissions. The recent Hitachi plasma can handle 1080p signals and is so termed a full or a 100% HDTV.

Altitude Problems:
Plasma’s are supposed to have picture problems in high altitude places like for example over 6000 meters above sea levels. So if you live in a hill station place you would do well to go for a LCD TV. It is for this reason that only LCD TV’s are used on airplanes, not plasma’s.

Longevity of the Display:
This is stated in terms of number of hours. A couple of years ago LCD had an advantage since LCD TV’s have 60,000 hours of picture life. But plasma manufacturers have quickly improved on this and now they also offer 60,000 hours. Currently both are equally good in this regard.

Screen Size Considerations:
Generally if you are going for a flat TV under 32” then LCD is a better option. Plasma’s make sense for sizes of 40” or higher. Moreover plasma’s are not marketed and manufactured in smaller sizes.

Power Consumption:
LCD’s usually consume less electricity than a plasma TV. Expect to pay at least 25% more if you have a plasma TV. It’s advantage LCD when it comes to power consumption.

Price Consideration:
Plasma’s have the advantage of being more economical especially when it comes to larger screens of 40 inches and above. A top LCD 50 inch TV is usually costlier than a top 50 inch plasma TV. Plasma’s are cheaper as of now. But do note that LCD TV prices are falling by the day and they are getting more competitive in pricing. So this advantage of plasma may not last for long. Expect to pay 25% higher for a LCD TV.

So that’s about it. It’s not an easy choice obviously. I’ve compared the most common and important parameters.

Personally I believe that plasma is a more suitable technology for TV viewing. It is perfectly suited to a living room condition with less natural light. An average LCD might perform better in a brightly lit room with lot of natural light.

Both are vastly superior technologies and can give a superior picture. I don’t enjoy a flat TV at the moment. If you are asking me which TV I’ll buy then I will vote for a Panasonic Viera Plasma set. Panasonic is the king of plasma TV’s and I believe it is the best. However if I were to go for a LCD TV then I will opt for a Samsung or a Sony Bravia. But remember that global sales of LCD’s are higher than plasmas’ at the moment. Many people think that plasma technology is new, but it is in existence since 1964 and is being popularized now.

Which one are you using and which one do you think is the best?

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