While Plasma and LCD tv’s may look exactly the same up on the wall in your local store there is a lot of differences. Plasma TVs have gas filled cells which react differently depending on the electrical currents passing through them. All these cells together form the picture you see on your TV. LCD tv’s or Liquid Crystal Display have liquid crystal cells sanwiched between two glass plates. These also react differently to certain electrical currents to produce a picture.

Advantage of Plasma over LCD

Plasma has better blacks because the gas cells switch off completely to show black and will not emit any light. LCD is backlit and this back light stays on even when a particular pixel is black so there is always some bleed through of light. This used to be a huge difference but there have been many advancements with LCD so this is not so apparent now. Particular models of LCD like the samsung series use LED backlighting that can be dimmed in local areas of the screen to greatly reduce this effect. Plasma screens also have superior viewing angles. You can look at them from any angle without problems. On an LCD screen you tend to lose brightness and the color washes over with increasing viewing angles. This too is getting a lot better with advancements in LCD technology.
In earlier models of LCD you would have been likely to experience motion blur on fast moving scenes but there isn’t much difference between LCD and Plasma now. A strange thing about this is that some people seem to notice it and others do not.
Another advatage of plasma is that they are more cost efficient when you get into the 50 inch and larger HDTV’s. LCD tv’s are generally pretty expensive when they are this size.

Advantages of LCD over Plasma

Generally speaking LCD tv’s have higher native resolutions giving clearer pictures. Have a look at a 60 inch LCD tv and you will be blown away at the picture quality. They are much more economical when it comes to your electrical bill. All HDTV’s use a considerable amount of power especially the larger models but an LCD can cut your electrical bill in half Which is a major point when you consider that could be a difference of a few hundred of dollars every year! They are much lighter than plasma tv’s too. LCD tv’s have plastic covering on the panel and plasma use thickpieces of glass. a 42 inch plasma screen might need two people to carry while a 50 inch LCD can be picked up by one person. So if you’re going to be moving the tv often or wall mounting it this needs to be taken into consideration. LCD tv’s generally have a longer life aswell. One thing that has plagued Plasma is the dreaded burn-in. This is when a image that is left static on the screen burns into the screen and leaves a ghost image on the screen no matter what is showing. This used to be a permanent problem but if this happens on newer models then the ghost image will fade over time. Generally speaking this isn’t really a problem at home but may be if the plasma is used in a commerical environment where company logos or such may be on screen most of the time.

Value

Generally speaking on the higher end models Plasma are cheaper than LCD. Plasma tv’s give their best picture quality in dark rooms. So if you’re recreating a cinema experience at home these are best. LCD will work well in both dark and well lit rooms.

Conclusions

Hopefully you have found this information helpful. Different people may notice different qualities on tv’s than others. Some will see motion blur on particular models and others may not. It is always best to look at range of tv’s showing the same picture to get the best idea. Try to get the sales people to put on a fast moving action movie or a sport event to see how the tv’s compare. Or, if you’re looking for colour contrast comparisons maybe an animated movie like Happy Feet.

Good luck with your HDTV purchase!

Youtube video describing the differences of Plasma and LCD

Plasma TV contains different gases such as xenon, helium and neon. These gases are charged electrically when the TV is on. The gases produce different colors which represent the images you see. The main drawbacks of Plasma TV are that they generate tremendous amounts of heat and also they can be affected by screen burn from static images being displayed for too long. These can even be visible in the two black bands you see on the top and bottom of movies. On top of that Plasma TVs are generally much heavier than LCD TVs.

LCD TV on the other hand are lighter, last longer and are much cooler. They also use less power and are better for the environment because of this. A big screen TV such as a 60 inch LCD TV will be heavy but compared to the yesteryears, this TV will be loads lighter and will look cooler as well.
LCD TV requires much less energy since you are not using electrically charged gas to show images. This results in greatly reduced electric bills.

A huge LCD TV is perfect whether you are a bachelor, family man or anything in between. It is perfect especially if you have a lot of people that come over and you can watch a movie, or sports together. These TVs are also perfect for playing video games. It goes without saying that the bigger your TV the better . Imagine watching your favorite movie on such a huge screen with so much clarity. Also, if you are a sports enthusiast, it is the perfect kind of TV to watch your favorite sports team on.

In recent years the price of LCD TVs has gone down considerably. Just few years ago even a small LCD HDTV was a thing of luxury. However, with the advancement of technology, fierce competition, emergence of generic manufacturers, you can find a big LCD TV for a fraction of the price.

Now that you have seen the benefits of buying a 60 inch LCD TV, you should start gathering a list of features that you want on it. Most TVs are very similar and include many of the same features. However, there are subtle differences between each brand of television. You should also think about where you will put the TV and whether you will mount it on a wall or leave it on a TV stand. Good luck in purchasing your new tv. Sure beats going down to the local pub to watch HDTV

A few of the latest LCD TV’s by Philips