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Plasma vs LCD TV - Comparative Guide

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

This plasma versus LCD TV is surely a much-debated issue and often a dilemma faced by many when buying a flat-panel TV.  And as to complicate matters, choice is not just plasma vs LCD but plasma versus either CCFL-based LCDs or LED LCDs.

In this comparative guide, we discuss the pros and cons of both Plasma televisions and LCD HDTVs to help you better determine where either of these flat-panel display technologies fit best.

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50-inch PN50B650 Samsung's best-selling 50" premium plasma TV

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

This plasma vs LCD TV debate has been raging on since these two technologies first appeared on the market quite a few years back.

Yet for the HDTV buyer, things started to get complicated just over three years ago when 40 to 50-inch plasma and LCDs became readily available at relatively affordable prices.

This technological dilemma arises out of the fact that both plasma TVs and LCD HDTVs represent a most compelling option for home entertainment. Both come with a slim profile - no more than 4-inches deep while the latest ultra-slim plasmas and LED LCD TVs are just an inch thick.

And 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!

Yet there is more to help further complicate this plasma vs LCD TV selection process than just a similar slim-style package. Both plasma televisions and LCD TVs are capable of similar picture performance, with bright, colorful, crystal-clear pictures. In addition, with the latest energy-efficient 600Hz plasma display panels and superior 120Hz and 240Hz CCFL and LED LCDs, the difference in performance between plasma and LCD TVs is becoming more product dependent than display technology dependent.

Despite all these similarities, plasma and LCD display panels 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 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. This affects the amount of light passing through the polarized glass to reach the face of the display. Unlike plasma panels, LCDs do not generate light - rather they filter or subtract light produced by a CCFL or an LED backlight source - to create the image. [More on this in our guide How-it-Works: Liquid Crystal Displays.]

It is not the scope of this plasma vs LCD TV article to go into 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 be remark that it is these same differences that 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 debate by looking at the 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 to decide where either of these display technologies fit best.

Panasonic 50-inch TC-P50G10 with THX display certification Most affordable top-performing 50" 1080p Panasonic plasma HDTV

Detailed Comparative Guides

To access each of these plasma vs LCD TV discussions, click on the respective link below:

Plasma vs LCD TV - a Comparative Summary

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

Plasma vs LCD TV - Part 1: Size and Price

Size ADVANTAGE: None

Both technologies are playing on level ground. Still, available plasma vs LCD TV options are highly dependent on screen size.

You have more choice within the plasma TV domain for screen sizes greater than 55-inch. Though production costs and retail prices have come down for both technologies, plasma still has an edge as far as production cost goes. On the other hand, at anything smaller than and including 40-inch, LCD is the dominant technology - rather, LCD is your only option.

Price ADVANTAGE: Plasma but...

Up to not long ago, plasma was the obvious choice for all screen sizes where collision between the two technologies occurred; this is no longer the case.

In general, plasma still carries a price advantage - which becomes significant at the bigger screen sizes - 54 inches and upwards. At screen sizes less than and including 50-inch, the price difference starts to become less of an issue - to the point that it almost vanishes as one approaches the 42-inch unless...

You opt for a 720p HDTV. As pointed out elsewhere on this site, a 720p HDTV would yield a better deal at the 40 to 50-inch domain but at these screen sizes, 720p LCD TVs are becoming almost non-existent; your only readily available 720p option is a plasma HDTV.

Plasma vs LCD TV - Part 2: Picture Considerations

Overall Picture Performance ADVANTAGE: Plasma

Both technologies are extremely close in this respect in that both plasma and LCDs are capable of excellent picture quality - with bright, crisp clear images, high contrast levels, and excellent color reproduction. Yet our thumbs up in this plasma vs LCD TV analysis go to plasma televisions. 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.

Still... While plasma color richness and naturalness will generally prevail in rooms with controlled low to normal lighting, LCDs will perform better in brightly lit rooms mainly 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 less of an issue with the latest generation of CCFL-based LCD televisions. Edge-lit LED TVs tends to exhibit a poorer viewing angle than their CCFL counterparts though they still support a wide enough angle of view.

However, when comparing plasma vs LCD TVs, plasmas still have an edge in this respect. The tendency in particular with cheaper flat-panel TVs from unknown manufacturers is that the deterioration in picture quality with off-axis viewing  - mainly in the form of a lowering in contrast and color saturation - is more accentuated with LCDs than with plasma displays.

Viewing Distance ADVANTAGE: None  

When it comes to viewing distance, none carries any advantage as long as you are within normal viewing distance for your screen size. [More on viewing distance can be found in our article TV Viewing Distance guide.]

Yet... When comparing plasma vs LCD TVs, the overall pixel structure in an LCD TV set tends to be less visible than the gas-cell structure in a plasma display panel. This helps LCDs render a smoother picture than an equivalent size plasma display. This makes LCDs more suitable for close viewing - typically less than 8ft away from the TV screen.

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, things changed; both plasma televisions and LCD HDTVs are readily available with full 1080p screen resolution at screen sizes down to around 40-inch. Rather, you have better choice at 1080p than at the lower 720p resolution. In addition, 720p LCD TVs have become almost inexistent for anything above 37-inch.

At the same time... While neither display technology has an advantage when it comes to resolution, yet the pixel structure in an LCD renders LCDs better where high resolution images have to be viewed at close distance - as in the case of PC generated graphics applications.

Plasma vs LCD TV - Part 3: 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 use.

Computer Use ADVANTAGE: LCD

Despite that plasma panels were originally developed way back in 1964 as computer displays, yet as pointed out earlier on, LCDs are better suited to display computer images. The higher resolution of the latter at smaller screen sizes renders 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. Both plasma and LCD TV sets come with a quoted half-lifetime of around 100,000hrs. Even if this were just 40,000hrs, it would imply more than 15 years of use at 7.5 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. Rather, lifetime is more dependent upon product quality and associated electronics inside the set than upon the display technology itself.

Bad Pixels ADVANTAGE: Plasma

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

Image Blurring and Pixel Response Time ADVANTAGE: Plasma

Another advantage in favor of Plasma - because even though LCD technology has improved to the point that is less of an issue, yet LCDs have still some way to go to achieve the same level of pixel response times and complete blur-free images as phosphor-based displays. [More on LCD TV response time can be found here: LCD Response Time.]

Panel Noise Advantage: LCD

A soft buzzing noise is typical of all plasma displays because of the way these operate even though this would be hardly audible even with the sound switched off unless you are with your ears just a few inches away from the panel. In either case, if for whatever reason, you are after is complete quite operation, LCD is the way to go.

Plasma vs LCD TV Power Requirements ADVANTAGE: LCD

Thought power requirements of video displays are highly dependent on picture settings, yet LCD HDTVs still carry an advantage here especially as one moves towards the bigger end of the scale. It is true that the latest energy efficient plasma display panels have brought about significant improvement but if one were to compare even the latest energy efficient plasma vs LCD TVs, LCDs still consume at least 20% to 30% less power than corresponding plasma HDTVs.

Plasma vs LCD TV Sets - Making the Choice:

So, who wins this '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 - even less than the latest energy efficient plasma display panels, and at the smaller end of the scale (less than 42-inch), LCD is your only way forward if you want something slim and stylish.

Samsung LN52B750 52-inch 240Hz LCD with gray 'Touch of Color' Best-rated CCFL-LCD for 2009

In the end, picking up the best display technology is all a question of knowing what are the advantages and limitations of each with respect to your specific needs.

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Visit RefurbDepot.com to see their vast range of plasmas, LCDs, and Projection factory-direct refurbished HDTVs

Would You like to get the best out of your HDTV?

There is no better way to make the most out of your new HDTV then to invest in a set-up DVD.

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 TV (1) - Size and Price

...back to: Plasma vs LCD Comparative Summary

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