Confused about Plasma vs LCD?
Check Out Our Flat Screens Buying Guide.
Compare LCD To Plasma Screens
To Help You Decide Which Is Better
For You
Are you
looking on purchasing a flat screen television but
getting confused by all the choices out there? There are
several issues you need to look at to simplify your
decision-making process. The big question many people are
asking is:
LCD vs Plasma Which Is Better ?
To help you decide on the display that works best for you, let
me compare LCD to plasma screens:
Viewing Angle:
A plasma tv has a larger viewing angle than an LCD flat
panel television. What that means is that when you have many people
over and they are all sitting around the tv, the people
sitting at either side will have the same clear, sharp view as
the people sitting directly facing the tv. On the other hand,
the picture quality on the LCD tv will begin to deteriorate
slightly when viewing at sharp angles.
Burn-in effect:
Plasma tvs are susceptible to screen burn-in while it's not
an issue with LCDs. A screen burn-in is when you notice
a slight imprint of a static image that was displayed on
a screen for a while and now you can see remnants of it.
Although it's rare, it does occur.
Black Color:
Both flat panel televisions provide excellent
color; however, plasma tvs display blacks more accurately
resulting in a better contrast. So when a movie has dark
scenes in it, let's say for example showing the night sky; on
a plasma, you will see a true rich dark black color. On the
LCD, it will look more like a dark grey color.
Light & Reflection:
An LCD tv emits more light and has less glare than its
plasma counterpart making it a better choice for brightly lit
rooms.
Life Span:
On average, an LCD display will last a little bit
longer than a plasma flat panel (roughly 60,000 hours vs
50,000). Assuming an average viewing time of 8 hours a day,
that's about 20 years versus 17 years. In reality, who really
owns a tv more than say 7 years?
Price:
In general, an LCD screen will cost more compared to the same
size plasma screen.
Power Usage:
LCD uses roughly 30% less power than a Plasma tv.
Motion:
A plasma tv has a faster refresh rate than an LCD
television. What that means is that during fast moving action
scenes, the plasma will render those scenes more smoothly than
an LCD display will.
Altitude:
For some reason, currently, plasma tvs don't work at
higher elevation. No problem with the LCDs.
Bottom Line:
When you're asking yourself LCD vs plasma which
is better especially when it comes to setting up a home
theater system in your house, I would say generally a
plasma television - especially when considering any size
greater than 42". The only exception would be if you're
planning on getting something smaller than say 42” or you
will be placing it in a brightly lit room – then I would
recommend an LCD tv.
Now to help you decide on a particular make and
model make sure to check out our Home Theater Reviews section for
information on the top rated and best reviewed plasma and LCD TVs
on the market today.
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