With two powerful giants fighting out in the open – Sony stands for LCD and Panasonic openly vouching for Plasma – the general public, like me, is all too confused when it comes to buying a TV Panel now. Which one should I buy – LCD or PLASMA…?
After struggling for couple of weeks and talking to numerous sales men – each one vouching for a different product depending on which company has paid him the bigger baksish – I finally settled down for a 42” LCD from LG for AED 7000 (USD 1900).
These days, you can get 42” LG with a built in 80 GB Hard Drive for instant recoding for less than AED 6500 (USD 1770) – a far cry from what they were two years ago, when the prices were in the range of 25,000 Dirhams for models with much lower configuration.
So if you are one of those struggling to make a decision like I was 6 months ago, may be this will help.
LCD and PLASMA - PROS and CONS
Size
Both Plasma and LCD produce panels in varying sizes.
Plasma Screens are available from 32 inches and LCD screens are available from 13inches up.
Panasonic has launched a 103” plasma screen while LG has come out with 100 inch LCD screen. Both are prohibitively expensive for general consumers.
If you are looking for small space viewing – LCD is most definitely the only choice.
Life Span
Lifespan, the number of viewing hours a television provides before dimming to half brightness, used to be one of the biggest advantages LCD has over plasma.
On earlier models of Plasma the lifespan used to 20,000 – 30,000 hours while LCD gives a guaranteed 60,000 hours.
However, the newer versions of Plasma – although the numbers vary among the different brands - generally last up to around 60,000 hours.
At an average rate of 5 hours of viewing a day – 20,000 hours translates to 10 years of use. At the pace technology is developing, in 10 years we would be ready for holographic televisions (Televisions capable of displaying 3D pictures)
Burn -In
One of plasma technology's known issues is something called burn-in. It happens when your television shows a still image or an icon for so long that its "ghost" remains on the screen. For example, if a logo of the television channel sticks on the top side of your display, that area will be burned into your set.
Many newer versions of Plasmas have built in technology to overcome this inherent problem with Plasma screens.
LCD screens do not suffer from burn-in. They are also best suited if you live in mountainous regions.
Plasma’s are not particularly suitable for viewing in low pressure areas as the pressure difference between the tiny gas tubes that are packed into the screen and the atmospheric pressure create problems.
Picture Quality
When it comes to picture sharpness, Plasma screens have a slight edge over LCDs. This is because plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which means better contrast and detail in dark-coloured television or movie scenes.
With LCD technology, on the other hand, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, it is hard to achieve true blacks because there's always some light leakage through the layers. This is steadily improving with every new generation of LCD.
LCD screens have a tendency to blur images, particularly during fast moving scenes in movies or in sports. However, newer models have improved significantly and have as good a refresh-rate as Plasmas.
LCD screens tend to have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on a screen. This means, that in your living room, the LCD may look much better than Plasma.
Power Consumption
LCDs also tend to consume less power than plasma screens with some estimates indicting a saving of up to 30 per cent less than plasma. LCDs are also generally lighter and thinner than similar sized plasmas.
Price
The biggest advantage plasmas have now over LCD is price. Plasmas are a good 30% cheaper than LCD, particularly in the large screen end of the market.
Computers & Game Consoles
Most plasma and LCD TVs can double as computer monitors. They'll also hook up to a game console without any problems. From a performance standpoint, it's hard to pick a winner, but because of plasma's burn-in risk, LCD is the safer choice for computer work and gaming.
So...which is better value for me right now: Plasma or LCD?
If you are looking for a big screen television - 42-inches and above - then plasma is a safe bet economically. You get more for your money with Plasma screens. While LCDs can give you better resolution, the price difference is currently too wide.
However, if money's not an issue and you want the sharpest image in town, then I recommend that you go for a large LCD. If you are looking for screens between15" to 36", LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time.
The question is how long you are prepared to wait.
