Plasma vs LCD: Deciding Which To Get?

This "Plasma vs LCD" debate has been going on for a while now, but this could be a good time to revisit the topic. With high definition the new television format, and with a load of new High definition televisions available, you may be wondering which to go for. This article will explore both sides of the debate, so that we can better understand the advantages of both. and then take a look at LCD's benefits. After that, we will then look at how plasma works, and also take a look at plasma's benefits. This will then be rounded off with a conclusion where I summarize the main points, which will give you a good idea of which type of TV is right for you.



How LCD Works



LCD means Liquid Crystal Display. These "liquid crystals" are not actually liquid at all, but they do behave more like a liquid than a solid, and this is how they got their name. They are kind of somewhere between a solid and liquid. They can stay in one place the way a solid can, but they can also change shape and move, just like a liquid can.



To generate a picture, Liquid crystal display screens use the same technology as used in polarising sunglasses. At the back of the display there is a bright light. A horizontal polarizing filter sits in front of this and blocks all non-horizontal light waves, meaning that only the horizontal light waves are able to pass through the filter.



The pixels of the screen are made up of lots of tiny liquid crystals. Sitting behind every one of these pixels is a transistor which controls the flow of electricity through the crystal. Every crystal is twisted, and in front of this is a vertical polarizing filter that only lets vertical light waves pass through. When electricity passes through the liquid crystal, it straightens out, blocking all light, but when this electrical current is turned off, the crystal twists and lets the light out vertically.



Benefits of LCD

- Ideal for displaying static pictures.

- Full color detail.

- Doesn't suffer from burn-in or flicker.

- Comes in a wide range of sizes.

- Long life - LCD televisions can last as long as 100,000 hours!

- Incredibly energy efficient.



Disadvantages of LCD

- Not as good as plasma for fast action.

- When the backlight gets older, this can cause the white balance to go slightly wrong.



How Plasma Works



A plasma screen has many tiny glass chambers that contain "plasma", which is made out of xenon and neon. Every one of these tiny chambers has a set of colored phosphors behind it: one green, one blue, and one red. When energized, these plasma chambers give off a type of invisible light when hits the different colored phosphors, causing them to produce visible light.



Plasma's Benefits

- Great for truly digital image sources.

- Great for fast moving action.

- Amazing contrast.

- Comes in bigger sizes than LCD.

- Less expensive, particularly with larger models.



Plasma: the Bad

- Tends to get burn-in (not great for still images)

- Brightness of display slowly fades with time (although this takes place very slowly, over a long time).

- Uses more electricity than LCD.



LCD or Plasma: Which Should You Buy?



So, which do you choose? LCD or Plasma? The best way to decide is to consider what you will most likely be using the TV for. If you want a screen that is very big, and is great for displaying very smooth fast action scenes at extremely high contrast, then Plasma is the one for you. This is particularly true if you enjoy watching fast action movies or if you’re an avid .



However, if you're more concerned with longevity, rich colors, and energy efficiency, and you're not really into the fast action films or the games, then LCD is a better choice. If you wanted to use your TV for displaying still images then this is definately true, for instance if you wanted to plug in your digital camera and browse through your photos, or if you wanted to also use your TV for browsing the internet (some LCD sets have internet TV built in).



So, what now? If you have decided on which type of TV to go for out of Plasma or LCD, but you're still not sure which exact model to buy, this is what I recommend:

· For a great LCD TV, take a look at the Samsung LN46C630.

· For Plasma, the LG 42PJ350 is definitely worth checking out.