If you’re in the market for a new television and you’d love a TV that fits inconspicuously into your living room, but provides state-of the-art technological entertainment when its up and running, you’re probably asking yourself – LCD screen or Plasma? Which to choose? They are both flat and shiny and hang on the wall, and the fact the screen-inches are increasing and the price tags are drifting in the opposite direction is not going to make choosing one over the other any easier.
Some people have already firm views on which they prefer. Years ago, when flat paneled displays were first in store, the ups and downs of each could plainly be seen, but by nature of the fact technology brings continuous advance, most of the technological wrinkles have been ironed out and if you really are considering making a purchase, you’d be wise to take a second look.
The facts are, both Plasmas and LCDs encompass very different technology, and though both complementary, understanding the basics of this technology is the only way you can choose what’s right for you. So here’s the skinny…
Plasma pointers
The basic premise of a plasma screen is that electricity illuminates a gas stored in a matrix of miniature cells coated with phosphor. Each subpixel within a plasma display is a microscopic fluorescent lamp that emits one of the primary colours (red, green or blue). Plasma flat-paneled displays consist of hundreds of thousands of these small cells and a multitude of tints are produced by varying the intensity of the light through these three subpixels. The image is revealed when a controlled electric current flows through, causes the plasma to give off ultra violet rays which then make the phosphor coating glow the appropriate colour.
Lessons on LCD
LCD technology, in brief, means liquid crystals are pushed between two transparent plates with a special polymer holding individually controllable liquid crystals. Current is then passed between the crystals and the crystals pass or block light to make the image. An external fluorescent light source is needed for the image to be visible to the viewer. The LCD pixels are also made up of three sub-pixels in primary colours and the backlighting passes through the liquid crystals and is coloured by a filter with more or less light being allowed through to change the hue of each pixel, lining up to compose a final image on screen.
Size matters
Until very recently the whole LCD vs Plasma issue wasn’t that hard to figure out, because collision between the two only really occurred between 40” and 50” screen size. If you wanted something really high quality and really big you’d get a plasma as the LCD technology wasn’t really there, or affordable, in the larger sizes and for a smaller TV say 15” to 32” , LCD was what you’d get because plasma technology simply couldn’t get a high enough resolution at a smaller screen size.
But ongoing technological advances are changing all that and it won’t be long before both technologies are competing more across the same screen-size market. LCDs are coming out, available in much larger sizes, this year Sharp for one, will launch a 65” television and with a new manufacturing plant opening in the UK and claims manufacturing costs will be greatly reduced for a price on that we’ll just have to wait and see.
Life of the panel
Here’s where things have changed. LCD screens, it is still genuinely agreed have a slightly longer life span than plasmas but there may not be much in it. It used to be that the gases in plasma technology could start to fade after about 20,0000 hours but things have well moved on from then. The new plasmas should work in top condition anywhere up 60,000 hours as, likewise, the LCD screen life is around 60,000 hours.
And considering most people change their TVs at least every seven to 10 years – just think what else could be around then – screen life is unlikely to be an issue.
Latency issues
Some say Plasma has a definite edge over LCD when it comes to watching sports events or faced paced action scenes as plasma technology offers better motion tracking with no lag. Realistically though LCDs have come a long way from the early models and it’s difficult to spot differences in performance in late model editions.
Screenburn spectre
Particularly with a brand new set, Plasmas can be prone to burn in. Because the technology still requires the burning of phosphors to produce an image, if that image remains static on screen for a period of time you can be left with the ghost of that image burnt into your screen.
Fresh phosphors burn more intensely when ignited so especially when your plasma is new, ensure no static image is left on your screen.
LCDs do not suffer from screen burn but individual pixels can in time burn out causing tiny but visible black or white dots on your screen.
Colour contrast
Plasma wins the colour contrast stakes by a whisker because a plasma screen is able to render true blacks with no light leaking through the gas cell structures, and the choice of scintillators for plasmas allow richer colours in a wider range.
LCDs because of backlighting still struggle to procure detail in really dark shades. Huge improvements though and the use of high contrast panels mean there’s not much in it, and LCDs do seem to produce a brighter image.
In terms of image quality both premium plasmas and the latest TFT –LCD panel displays show off a bright, crisp, clear image.
Viewing angle
Plasma also wins out when viewing your TV from anywhere but directly in front of it, as long as there is a good distance between you and the TV. Traditionally, when viewing a plasma from any angle there isn’t much difference in picture quality – the picture is just as good wherever you sit. With earlier and some cheaper LCDs, the further from the centre of the screen you get and some colour shifts or distortions can occur – though recently LCD manufacturers have worked on this and many now claim 170degree viewing horizontally and vertically.
Slim is good
LCDs are the slimmer of the two and lighter as well – with no need for gas filled chambers or glass panels as with plasma screens. LCDs are from around 3” thick – just an inch between that and the slimmest plasma. A 32” LCD weighs 321kg compared to the same size CRT version at 60kg.
Power consumption
LCD sets also use up to 30% less electricity than Plasma screens of the same size, as no phosphors need lighting up, and they generate less heat than plasmas of the same screen size. For example a 42” LCD display uses 150W while a Plasma of the same screen measurement consumes 250W.
Viewing distance
If you’re watching TV in a cramped space and need to sit up close and personal LCD TVs are probably the one for you, as the size and shape of individual pixel gives a smoother picture at close range (within about 9ft).
Consider rear projection
To complicate things just a little, there is emerging a third choice aside from LCDs and Plasmas in television technology. JVC will this year launch a 56” and a 70” HD-ILA rear projection television with what they call fourth generation technologies that may redefine microdisplay standards. HD-ILAs use basically bulb technology based on digital microchips driven by light projection, not CRT based technology.
D-ILA (Direct-drive Image Light Amplifier) uses 3-chip, vertical liquid crystal on silicon, offers excellent viewing angles and 100,000 hours of screen life at which point only the bulb will need changing. The result is a really bright image with high resolution, greyscaling and colour reproduction.
Decisions, decisions
So it’s still a tough call, because there are pluses and minuses to each of the developing technologies and price at some point is going to come into it too. At the really large end of the sale, though LCDs are being made big now too, plasma would probably offer the best value for money. Watching on a 50” screen the depth of colour, better detail in dark scenes and better movement tracking is going to make a difference if you pay good attention to detail, but plasmas are more expensive to run and may not last in top condition as long as their LCD counterparts.
The introduction of High Definition television may change all that though, so stay tuned. Not all plasma displays can produce the full resolution of HDTV and some plasma TVs are considered EDTVs (enhanced-definition TVs), with a resolution of 852 x 480.
Because the native resolution of LCDs is already high the arrival of High Definition, will mean the pixel interpolation problems LCD manufacturers are struggling with will no longer exist and LCD TVs may as predicted leap ahead.
Top tips for buying a new TV
- Always watch a new TV in the showroom, using your own material. Take in a selection of familiar DVDs and try to match the lighting in the showroom with yours at home if possible.
- If you can afford it, go for a HD-Ready TV, as these can connect to future high definition services. You may not want HD now but remember most TVs are used for a decade.
- If you are hoping to hang your new TV on a wall, check its weight and mounting requirements. Many large TVs require professional installations and your wall may not be strong enough.
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