Are you being faced with the dilemma of choosing between
a Plasma TV and an LCD Television?

Plasma vs LCD TV - a Comparative Guide

Plasma vs LCD TV - surely a much-debated issue and often a dilemma faced by many when buying a flat-panel television.  In this comparative guide, we discuss the pros and cons of both Plasma televisions and LCD HDTVs. This should help you better determine where either of these flat-panel display technologies fit best.

Which is better:
A Plasma Television or an LCD TV?

Are you planning a flat-panel TV purchase? Surely, there is a lot in favor of flat panel televisions.

Flat-panel TV display technology represents one of the biggest television technological achievements ever since the invention of color television in the 50's.

Whether it is a plasma television or an LCD TV, a flat-panel television is slim - typically less than 4 inches deep - and represents an attractive addition to any room.

What's more, you can literally hang a plasma or LCD HDTV on the wall, on the ceiling, or in that case, anywhere else you feel like watching your new television.

The problem many face when it comes to selecting a flat-panel display is whether to opt for a plasma television or an LCD TV.

This is a rather difficult and complicated comparison between two competing technologies. Not only plasma and LCD television sets come in similar slim-style packages, both are also capable of similar picture performance, with bright, colorful, crystal-clear pictures.

To complicate this plasma vs LCD TV selection process further, price and size - two major considerations up the recent past - are becoming less of an issue. LCD televisions are now coming out bigger and at prices that are starting to seriously compete with those of similar-size plasma TVs.

Despite all these similarities, plasma and LCD displays process the image in a completely different manner. More specifically, there is no relation what-so-ever between the technologies driving these displays.

Plasma displays use a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells that are charged by precise electrical voltages to emit light and create the picture image. In other words, each picture element in a plasma TV display acts as a miniature light source. More information on plasma displays is available at How-it-Works: Plasma Display Panel.

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) panels - work by trapping a liquid crystal solution between two sheets of polarized glass. When an electric current passes through the liquid crystals, the crystals rotate causing a change in the polarization of the light passing through them in response to the applied voltage. This results in more or less light passing through the polarized glass to reach the face of the display. LCD panels do not generate light - rather they filter or subtract light produced by a backlight source to create the image on the panel surface. More on this in our guide How-it-Works: Liquid Crystal Displays.

It is not the scope of this plasma vs LCD comparative guide to go into the details of how these different display technologies work. After all, what matters in the end is not what is going behind the screen; more important is how these different display technologies perform as a television screen.

At the same time, one cannot but keep in mind that these same differences give each display technology its strengths and weaknesses, and therefore render one more suitable than the other under a different environment.

Plasma vs LCD TV: Which flat-panel display technology is right for you? 

We approach this plasma vs LCD TV comparative analysis by taking a detailed look at three main areas of concern, namely 'price and size', 'picture related issues', and 'functional' considerations. We believe that this approach should help better bring out the main differences between these two display technologies; it should also make it easier for you to decide where either of these display technologies fit best.

Samsung PN58A650 58" 1080p HDTV An affordable big screen plasma TV

Detailed Comparative Guides:

Plasma vs LCD TV - A Comparative Summary

Don't have the time to go through the detailed plasma vs LCD TV discussions referred to above? No problem! Here is a summary of the most important conclusions. This Plasma vs LCD TV summary list should also serve as an easy-to-follow reference guide when doing comparison-shopping between these two display technologies.

Plasma vs LCD TV: Size and Price

Size ADVANTAGE: None

Both technologies are playing on level ground. However, your available options when it comes to compare plasma vs LCD TV sets, depend on screen size.

You have more choice within the plasma TV domain for screen sizes greater than 50-inch. Partly, the reason is that though production costs and retail prices have come down for both technologies, yet plasma still has an edge as far as production cost and capacity goes.

On the other hand, at anything smaller than 42-inch, LCD is the dominant technology. It is possible to find 37-inch and even 32-inch plasma HDTVs; a case in point is the Insignia NS-PDP32-09, but in general, your choice for a plasma HDTV at these screen sizes is extremely limited.

Furthermore, for anything smaller than 32-inch, your only choice for a flat panel TV is LCD.

Price ADVANTAGE: Plasma but only at 50-inch and above

Here, the playing field is leveling at a fast rate. Up to very recent, plasma was the obvious choice for all screen sizes where collision between these two technologies occurs; this is no longer the case.

In general, plasma still carries a price advantage at the bigger screen sizes - 50 inch and upwards - with the price difference getting more pronounced as one approaches the 58-inch diagonal.

At screen sizes less than 50-inch, the price difference start to become less of an issue - to the point that as one approaches the 40-inch size, the difference in price between the two simply vanished unless...

You buy with an open mind and opt for a 720p plasma HDTV. As pointed out in our plasma television sales article,  a 720p HDTV would yield a better deal at this screen size, yet 40-inch 720p LCD TVs are becoming almost non-existent; your only readily available 720p option at this screen size is a plasma HDTV.

Plasma vs LCD TV: Picture Considerations

Overall Picture Performance ADVANTAGE: Plasma

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

In other words, both plasma and the latest high contrast TFT-LCD flat panel displays are capable of excellent picture quality - with bright, crisp clear images, high contrast levels, and excellent color reproduction. This means that both technologies are suitable as a TV screen, but...

Plasma TVs still have an edge over their LCD counterparts when it comes to displaying deep blacks - thus enjoying better contrast and detail in images when dark and light content is shown simultaneously.

Generally, plasma color richness and naturalness will prevail in rooms with controlled low to normal lighting, while LCDs will be better in brightly lit rooms due to their inherent anti-glare technology.

Plasma vs LCD - Viewing Angle ADVANTAGE: Plasma

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 an issue when comparing plasma vs LCD TVs, especially if the viewing angle is not specified. The tendency - in particular with cheaper LCD TV sets from unknown manufacturers - is that the deterioration in picture quality with off-axis viewing is more accentuated with LCDs than with plasma displays.

Our advice: It is always best to check especially when buying some cheap 'unbranded' LCD TV. If you are buying online, check first the return policy, and opt only for a reputable brand. Buying online is cheaper and safe, but ensure that you follow the recommendations detailed in our Online Buyer's Guide.

Viewing Distance ADVANTAGE: None  

This is a non-issue when it comes to plasma vs LCD TV sets. None carries any advantage as long as you are within normal viewing distance for your screen size and your viewing distance is more than approximately 9 feet away from the TV screen. More on viewing distance can be found in our article TV Viewing Distance guide.

However, the pixel size and shape of an LCD panel yields a smoother picture than an equivalent size plasma display. This means that if you have a too short TV viewing distance, an LCD television may be a better option as its pixel structure is less visible.

Picture Resolution ADVANTAGE: LCD but only at the smaller screen size

Up to very recent, LCD televisions used to deliver more in terms of pixels per screen size. 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, during the last year, things have changed in that now, both plasma televisions and LCD HDTVs are readily available with full 1080p screen resolution at screen sizes down to around 40-inch. The present situation is such that you have a better choice at 1080p - plasma and LCDs - than at the lower 720p resolution.

At screen sizes smaller than 40-inch, the situation is slightly different. LCDs generally deliver more in terms of pixel count and therefore are more suitable where a high resolution image have to be viewed at close distance - e.g. PC applications.

Plasma vs LCD TV: Functional Issues

Image Retention ADVANTAGE: LCD

LCD TVs enjoys a technological advantage; they are not prone to burn-in, and image sticking in LCD TVs is often completely reversible, but...

Burn-in is no longer much of a concern as it used to be with plasma televisions up to the recent past, especially for people with normal TV viewing requirements. Similarly, image sticking with LCD TVs is unlikely to take place under normal home entertainment use.

Computer Use ADVANTAGE: LCD

As pointed out earlier on, LCDs are better suited to display computer images as their higher resolution at smaller screen sizes render LCDs capable of displaying detailed graphics better. In addition, their non-susceptibility to burn-in makes them better suited to display the relatively static images associated with many computer applications.

Plasma vs LCD TV Lifetime ADVANTAGE: None

This is a non-issue with either technology. In fact, both plasma and LCD TV sets come with a quoted half-lifetime of around 60,000hrs. Even if this were just 30,000hrs, it would imply more than 14 years of use at 6 hours a day. And this when the average household in the US replaces their TV set every 7 years!

In other words, both plasma and LCD TV sets are based on extremely stable and reliable display technologies. As such, lifetime is more dependent upon manufacturer quality and associated electronics inside the set that upon the display technology itself.

Bad Pixels ADVANTAGE: Plasma

Plasma TVs have a definite advantage here - because even though some manufactures are offering a zero bad pixel policy with their LCD TVs, yet LCD displays still have a higher tendency of developing bad pixels during use.

Pixel Response Time ADVANTAGE: Plasma

Another advantage in favor of Plasma - because even though LCD technology has improved such that this is becoming less of an issue, yet LCD has still some way to go to achieve the same level of pixel response times as phosphor based displays. More on LCD TV response time can be found here: LCD Response Time.

Power Requirements ADVANTAGE: LCD

Thought power requirements of video displays are highly dependent on the picture settings, yet LCD HDTVs still carry a significant advantage here especially as one moves towards the bigger end of the scale. If you were to compare the power usage of plasma vs LCD TVs, you would soon find that an LCD panel consumes typically 30% to 40% less power than an equivalent size plasma display. The difference gets more pronounced as one exceeds the 50-inch screen size.

At smaller screen sizes - namely 37-inch to 32-inch, the difference in power requirements between the two technologies become almost insignificant.

Plasma vs LCD TV Sets - Making the Choice:

So, who wins the 'Plasma vs LCD TV' battle? In reality, there is no winner - there is a market for both plasma TV sets and LCD HDTVs:

Plasma gives you a bigger screen for your dollar, deeper blacks, and better pixel response times. LCD TVs do not suffer from burn-in, use less power, and at the smaller end of the scale (at under 32-inch), LCD is your only way forward if what you want is something slim and stylish.

Panasonic TC-32LX85 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

It is all a question of knowing what are the advantages and limitations of each with respect to your specific needs.

Last Update:
17^th September, 2008

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