Compare LCD And Plasma TVs
There are many differences when you compare LCD and plasma TVs, and you should consider them carefully before you purchase. Those differences include brightness, contrast ratio, color, screen size, angle, burn in, and more.
We'll start with the brightness. The brightness ratings of LCD and plasma screens is usually expressed in terms of candelas per square meter (cd/m2). Plasmas are usually listed around 500-700 cd/m2. However, some reviewers have stated that the plasma brightness is near 100 cd/m2. An LCD television gets a brightness or 450 cd/m2. In other words, you can get a brighter picture on a plasma, which becomes more important if your set is going to be in a room with a lot of light.
The contrast of a television is measured by the whiteness displayed against the black the television creates. The higher the contrast is on the television, the more detailed the picture is. When you compare LCD and plasma TV’s contrast ratio, the plasmas have contrast ratios of 3000:1 while the LCD televisions have a contrast ratio of 350-450:1. Clearly the plasma screen has a much better contrast ratio than the LCD television.
Color is another consideration when you compare LCD and plasma TVs. The saturation is the amount of grey in a color. The more grey appearing on the screen then the lower the saturation. Plasma televisions use a method of light blocking which give them a better color saturation then LCD televisions. Plasma televisions can turn off pixels when they are not in use. This allows for no stray lights to dilute the colors on the screen. An LCD screen has some stray light and it is more difficult to obtain true color.
The screen size is different also when you compare LCD and plasma TVs. Today you can find a plasma television as big as 60 inches but you cannot find one lower than 32 inches. The ranges of LCD televisions are from 13 to 46 inches. Larger models are becoming available and LCD televisions will eventually catch up to the size of plasmas, but they are not there yet.
The viewing angles have changed on televisions today. The plasma screen used to surpass the LCD with a 160 degree viewing angle so people didn’t have to sit facing the television directly. Now the LCD has passed the plasma screen with a 175 degree viewing angle.
Burn in is when a picture stays on a screen for an extended period of time. This feature happens on plasma screens and plasmas are trying to find ways to fight the burn in issues people have with these televisions. They are getting better, but even the so called anti-burn plasmas can develope ghosting if a picture stays on for an extended period of time. The LCD screens do not have burn in problems at all.
A plasma television will also last for about 20,000- 30,000 hours while an LCD television will last much longer than a plasma at 50,000 – 60,000 hours. The lifespan of the plasma is about 20 years of usage while the LCD will last about 40 years, with each of these running at approximately 4 hours each day.
There are many differences when you compare LCD and plasma TVs. You should consider each of these differences and see which issues are more important to you prior to purchasing a new television for your home. You might make your decision based on the size, the contrast ratio, the life expectancy and more.
If you decide that true picture quality is more important to you, then check out our store for a great deal on the plasma TV of your choice