Plasma vs LCD

Which flatscreen is right for you?

So you're in ther market for a flash new flatscreen television and pondering the differences in Plasma vs LCD technologies? Each technology has its advantages, so consider your options before deciding which is the right fit for you.

• Panasonic VIERA (www.panasonic.co.nz/VIERA)

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Wander around the television section of any electronics or home store and it seems the same question is on everybody’s lips: Plasma vs LCD?

You know you want good picture quality and the latest technology for your entertainment and viewing pleasure, but which flatscreen is right for you? And for a non-techie comparing Plasma vs LCD, what exactly is the difference?

Plasma vs LCD technology
Plasma and LCD panels may look similar to the untrained eye, but the flatscreen and uber-skinny profiles of these home theatre beauties is pretty much where the similarities end.

Plasma screen uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by electrical voltages to create a picture. LCD (liquid crystal display) screens are, to your everyday Joe, sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount of electrical charge applied to those crystals.

Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, but a little consideration before you rush out and buy the biggest television you can fit in your living room can ensure the perfect fit for your entertainment requirements.

Plasma vs LCD Picture quality
Both plasma and LCD TVs produce excellent pictures, although some home entertainment specialists may argue that for basic home theatre-like usage, plasma screens have a slight edge over LCDs. This is because plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which can mean better contrast and detail in dark scenes.

The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means it can be hard to achieve true blacks due to light leakage from between pixels. Plasmas can also produce a brighter colour, once again due to light leakage on an LCD affecting its colour saturation. The gap in these differences is however steadily closing with every new generation of LCD, and advances like LED backlighting.

There has been great debate surrounding use in bright environments versus dark, cinema-esque conditions. The traditional wisdom is that LCD performs better during the day due to its backlighting system, and that plasma in a dark environment, as it uses a glass front.

Advantages of Plasma vs LCD
Apart from better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks, Plasma TV screens have traditionally offered better viewing angles than LCD. Viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected. While some brightness and colour shift may be apparent when you're on too far of an angle with LCDs, a Plasma screen picture usually remains fairly solid.

Continuing advancements in technology is ensuring more LCDs entering the market offer viewing angles equal to some Plasmas.

Plasma fans will suggest that some LCD screens have a tendency to blur images, particularly during fast-moving scenes in movies or in sports. While that was true for older generation LCD screens, newer models have improved significantly — so much so that the differences in performance between LCDs and Plasmas in this regard is practically non-existent.

Advantages of LCD vs Plasma
There are several key areas where the tables turn, giving LCD screens the edge over Plasmas. Firstly, LCDs tend to have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on a screen.

For the power conscious family or enviro-friendly executives, LCDs also tend to consume less power than plasma screens, with some of the newer ‘eco’ LCD panels able to use half of the power than equivalent plasmas, with the trade-off being lower brightness.

Because LCDs use plastic in their screen make-up whereas Plasmas tend to use glass, LCDs are also generally lighter in bulk than similar-sized plasmas, making them easier to move around or wall mount.

LCD fans also suggest that LCDs have a longer lifespan than Plasma screens, and while this may have been true of earlier Plasma models which were known to lose half of their brightness after more than 20,000 hours of viewing, many plasmas available on the market today quote a lifespan of about 60,000 hours, which is the same as LCD.

For both types of flatscreen technology this equates to quality brand flatscreens lasting for almost seven years if left running 24 hours a day.

LCD has also caught up to the quality of Plasma with the introduction of LED backlighting. Instead of lighting the screen with fluorescent tubes as was the case in the past, LCD flatscreens now employ the power of banks of LED lights.

Plasma vs LCD: The best bang for your buck
If you're in the market for a big screen television of 50 inches and above it’s generally accepted that Plasma screens are a safe bet. Plasmas offer greater value at the larger end of the screen size scale, while LCDs can provide better resolution at the smaller end (17 to 42 inches) for people looking for a slim and tasteful flatscreen.

Ultimately, weighing up the benefits of each technology in relation to your entertainment requirements and environment is the best way to make the choice between a Plasma and a LCD flatscreen television.

For more information on Plasma vs LCD visit the Panasonic Viera website.

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Technology images from Flickr: choosing a tv, Microchip and Cable.