Home Page - Plasma vs. LCD Summary - Plasma vs LCD (2): Picture Issues

Plasma vs LCD TV - Comparative Guide

Choosing between a Plasma TV and an LCD Television
Part 2: Picture Matters

We continue this plasma versus LCD analysis by looking at a number of considerations that relate to the most important deliverable of any HDTV - the picture.

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Sony 52-inch KDL-52Z5100 Sony less expensive version of its popular high-end XBR9 series of 240Hz LCD TVs

Plasma vs LCD: Picture Matters

Intro: Are there any major differences between these two different flat-panel display technologies when it comes to contrast ratio, black level performance, color accuracy, viewing angle, supported picture detail, and general picture quality?

Surely, a different technology is driving the end result. To a certain extent, this has its impact on the resultant picture quality. We look at each of these aspects to discover more.

Picture Quality: Contrast, Black Level, Color Accuracy, and Picture Uniformity

This is one of those areas in this plasma vs LCD TV shoot-out, which is becoming increasingly difficult to determine where to go. This in view that the latest generation plasma and LCD flat panel displays are both capable of producing excellent picture quality – with bright, crisp clear images.

Yet there are still a few significant differences when it comes to plasma vs LCD picture performance that renders one display technology more suitable than the other under certain circumstances.

Black Level Performance:

Plasma TV sets are generally more suitable for home theater use than LCD TVs; their picture quality characteristics render plasma TV sets more suitable for use under controlled lighting.

The main reason is plasma's deeper blacks. The gas cell structure within a plasma display is such that there is no light leaking between adjacent cells (or pixels). This enables a plasma TV to display deeper blacks than its LCD counterpart - with improved shadow detail especially when handling predominantly dark content.

Improved black level performance is a most important picture quality parameter as it helps render better those difficult-to-define quality attributes like picture depth, scene detail - especially in television and movie scenes where lots of dark and light content is shown simultaneously, and color richness - more specifically the perceived color saturation. Indirectly, a better black level also leads to better rendering of picture contrast.

In comparison, the nature of LCD technology – where a backlight shines through the LCD layer – makes it difficult to achieve true blacks, i.e. true absence of light. There is always some light leakage between adjacent picture elements in an LCD panel. And this applies even to the latest LED-backlit LCD TVs using local dimming technology.

In fact, the darkest images on a plasma TV can be as dark as a fraction of a candela. This corresponds to the 'brightness' of the turned-off phosphor. In the case of an LCD television, the 'brightness level' of the darkest picture scenes can be as high as one to two candelas - at times even more, and this when viewed just right in front of the LCD display. View the LCD screen at an angle, and you will find that its black level performance deteriorates significantly.

It is true that the latest improvements in LCD technology are doing a lot here, but plasma still enjoys a technological advantage.

Color Accuracy:

In general, the color accuracy of LCD panels is still not exactly on par with that of the best plasma televisions - but the difference between high-end models for both display technologies is just a hair apart and often noticeable only under a test environment.

The reason for the slight plasma edge in this respect arise out of the way color is produced in LCD displays where white light from the backlit source is filtered through micro color filters build in sub-pixels.

This LCD light transmissive method of controlling color is an inherently difficult process to maintain color accuracy and vibrancy - even though most LCD displays manage to do quite an impressive job. Instead, plasma generates color direct at the light source - thanks to the different phosphors used in the individual sub-pixel elements.

In general, plasma displays continue to exhibit more richness in color information and more natural coloration; on the other hand, LCD display panels would normally tend towards over-saturation. This over-saturation, together with the inherent anti-glare technology employed in LCD panels, and their relatively brighter image, render LCD panels more suitable for use in brightly lit rooms.

This does not mean that LCD panels are not suitable for use in the home theater. Some of the latest generation LCD HDTV sets make use of intelligent backlight units that are capable of delivering even greater color freedom, thus yielding more true to life colors. In particular, the latest developments in LCD panel backlights using LED light are capable of more accurate rendering of color detail.

A case in point is the Sony XBR8 series of LED LCD TVs. Despite that both the 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 and its bigger brother, the 55-inch Sony KDL-55XBR8 have been on the market for almost a year, these LED LCD TVs are still being considered by many professional reviewers as the best LCDs every released so far for their exceptional color accuracy and deep black levels. But as always, top-notch performance does not come cheap; these LED TVs are selling at $2,400 for the 46-inch and $4,500 for the 55-inch.

Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR8 46" 1080p 120Hz Triluminos LED LCD HDTV

The latest energy efficient plasma display panels from Samsung, Panasonic, and LG are also capable of producing relatively very bright images despite their lower power consumption levels. This makes these new 2009 plasma TVs also suitable for use in brightly lit environments. Yet we still recommend using LCDs under bright lighting over plasma as apart from plasma's higher power consumption levels, prolonged use of high brightness levels in plasma displays may eventually reduce the phosphor performance.

Contrast Ratio

And what about contrast ratio? We are seeing some really high contrast ratio ratings for both plasma and LCD TVs - with the latest trend being the popular mega-contrast ratings. The biggest number we have seen so far is a 3,000,000:1 quoted by Samsung for its high-end Series 8 plasma HDTVs.

Yet when it comes to comparing plasma vs LCD contrast performance, the real problem with LCD televisions is not insufficient contrast with respect to plasma TVs. Rather, it is the deterioration in picture quality associated with LCDs due to a noticeable lowering in contrast and black levels with off-axis viewing; this also leads to loss of color saturation. This is not the case with plasma TVs.

A word of caution here about high contrast ratio ratings: Manufactures like to impress with excessive high figures. However, keep in mind that it is not possible for the human eye to perceive any difference in contrast between a ratio of say 4,000:1 and 10,000:1, even in pitch darkness. There is also the issue that static (at times also referred to as on-screen contrast ratio), and dynamic contrast ratings are not one and the same thing. Manufacturers tend to quote the latter as it yields a bigger number.

Furthermore, the perceived contrast level by the eye depends on a number of factors. Apart from the level of ambient light - which may very well render even a rating of 100:1 academic, in the case of direct-view displays like plasma and LCD, contrast ratio performance is also dependent on the effectiveness of the screen anti-glare filter in maintaining black levels under bright lighting. For more information on this issue, please refer to our Contrast Ratio article.

Picture Uniformity

Image uniformity encompasses a number of aspects that range from uniformity of the image brightness across the screen to image smoothness. These are issues that are highly dependent on the display technology but quite a few of these uniformity issues may arise out of problems with the video processing itself and therefore, may vary significantly between brands.

When comparing plasma vs LCD image uniformity performance, plasma enjoys a definite edge over LCD TVs. In particular, plasma seems to be more forgiving when displaying noisy video content. In a similar manner, shadow gradations on plasma looks smoother than on an LCD.

Furthermore, problems related to lack of uniformity in the image brightness across the screen are exclusively LCD related. LCDs often exhibit a sort of a brighter spot - how pronounced varies from make to make, but in general, brightness is not 100% uniform across an LCD TV screen - mainly because of problems with the backlight-diffuser system used to spread light across the full display area. This is not the case with plasma TVs.

Issues such as banding, clouding, and pillaring are all forms of uniformity issues associated with problems in the LCD backlight. These problems may arise with both CCFL-based LCDs and edge-lit LED backlights. Additionally, LED LCDs using local dimming technology such as the highly-rated Sony KDL-XBR8 series may also exhibit a sort of halo effect when displaying bright objects over predominantly dark background.

LCD TV with clouding problem

These brightness uniformity issues in LCDs are often further pronounced with off-angle viewing.

Plasma vs LCD - Picture Quality ADVANTAGE:

Here our thumbs up in this plasma vs LCD analysis goes to plasma televisions, even though both technologies are extremely close in terms of overall picture performance, but...

In general, plasma color richness and naturalness will prevail in rooms with low to normal lighting. Instead, LCDs will perform better in brightly lit rooms due to their inherent anti-glare technology and higher brightness levels.

Plasma vs LCD: Viewing-angle

We continue this plasma vs LCD discussion by looking at how picture quality behaves with a change in viewing angle.

The viewing angle represents how far one can sit on either side of the screen away from the center, without experiencing significant deterioration in picture quality mainly because of color shifts and reduced contrast.

Plasma televisions typically have a better viewing angle than LCD TVs as they hold black levels much better with off-axis viewing than LCDs. This usually occurs at around 100 degrees, i.e. at some 50 degrees on either side of a line drawn normal to the center of the screen.

The main reason for this difference between these two technologies arise out of the fact that each pixel in a plasma display panel produces its own light, rather than light being spread across the screen from one central backlight source and then controlled by active polarized elements in the display panel. Hence, each pixel is more readily visible even when viewing at an angle to the screen surface because its brightness is consistent with every other pixel on the screen.

Recent developments in LCD technology mean that this is less of an issue - rather it is becoming a non-issue especially with the latest generation of LCD televisions. These boost extreme viewing angles. Some of the latest LCD TV sets from major manufactures like Samsung and Sony are making use of S-PVA (Super Patterned Vertical Alignment) liquid crystal solution for a super-wide 178° viewing angle both horizontally and vertically.

Plasma vs LCD - Viewing Angle ADVANTAGE:

What used to be a clear advantage for plasma displays is becoming more and more a non-issue especially with the latest generation of LCD televisions, however...

Do not always assume that viewing angle is no longer important when comparing plasma vs LCD, especially if the viewing angle is not specified. The tendency – in particular with cheaper LCD TV sets from unknown brands - is that the deterioration in picture quality is more accentuated with LCD than with plasma displays.

Plasma vs LCD: TV Viewing distance

The minimum recommended viewing distance for HDTV viewing is approximately twice the screen width. Yet, due to the different pixel structure between plasma and LCDs, if the viewing distance is less than 8 feet, probably you will be better off with an LCD TV. The pixel size and display build up structure of an LCD panel help render a smoother picture than that from equivalent size plasmas for the same pixel count.

For a detailed discussion on TV viewing distance considerations, we advise to check our article here.

Plasma vs LCD - Viewing Distance ADVANTAGE:

None if you are within normal viewing distance for your screen size; this applies as long as your viewing distance is more than approximately 8 feet away from the TV screen.

If you have a too short TV viewing distance, an LCD television may render itself better as its pixel structure is less visible.

Plasma vs LCD: Picture Resolution

Up to not long ago, LCD panels used to deliver more in terms of pixel resolution. LCD manufacturers were also the first to come up with 1080p screens and to a certain extent, this was also used to a great extent by LCD TV retailers as a sales advantage over plasma TVs.

This is no longer the case; for anything greater and including  42-inch screens, plasma TVs are readily available in 1080p full HD resolution. This means that the two display technologies are now on par in this respect.

Rather the situation with both plasma and LCDs is that you have more choice for 1080p HDTVs; additionally, 720p LCD TVs at anything bigger than 37-inch have become almost inexistent.

A word of caution: Do not underestimate the picture quality supported by the less expensive 720p display. Keep in mind that the eye would not be able to perceive the additional picture detail afforded by the 1080p pixel count for screens less than and including 50-inch diagonals. Rather, opting for a 720p instead of a 1080p HDTV for anything between 40-inch and 50-inch would definitely lead to significant savings since the higher pixel count of 1080p plasma or LCD HDTV comes at a price.

Plasma vs LCD - Picture Resolution ADVANTAGE:

Up to very recent, LCD televisions used to deliver more in terms of pixels for screen sizes up to 50-inch. When comparing plasma vs LCD TV sets, it was only at the extreme larger end of the scale that plasma and LCD display resolutions met.

However, things changed. At screen sizes where collision between the two technologies occurs, plasma and LCD TVs are both available in 1080p resolutions. Rather, the real problem for the HDTV buyer is that 720p LCD TVs are no longer available within the 40-inch to 50-inch screen category.

 

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A great calibration disc is the Avia II Home Theater Set-up DVD, an exceptional AV calibration tool for both the novice and the expert.

Another interesting calibration disc is the Digital Video Essentials HD, but this is more suitable for advanced users.

For more information, please check our Guide to HT Set-Up DVDs.

Next: Plasma vs LCD (3) - Functional Considerations

...back to: Plasma vs LCD Comparative Summary

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