The technology
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