A Plasma Television or an LCD TV Set

1>displays are prone to burn-in, or image retention.
Screen burn-in occurs when an image is left for too
A Plasma HDTV or a LCD Television — Is thislong on the screen — resulting in a ghost of the
your dilemma? This is a rather difficult and complicatedimage burned on the screen. Surely, keeping the
comparison between two technologies that processbrightness and contrast levels down will help reduce
the image in a totally different manner.the risk of burn-in.
This article highlights the pros and cons of plasmaWhile some brands of plasma displays are more
versus LCD as applicable to a television display. It alsoprone than others to burn-in, yet in general, plasma
presents a set of guidelines to help you determinescreens are more prone to suffer permanent burn-in
where either of these two flat panel displayduring their first 200 hours of use; the reason being
technologies fit best.that fresh phosphors burn more intensely as they are
Plasma or LCD — Which type of display is rightignited.
for you?Technically speaking, burn-in is the result of a damaged
Though both LCD and plasma displays come in thepixel, whose phosphors has been prematurely aged
form of slim flat panel displays, yet from a technologyand therefore glows less intensely than those of
perspective, these two flat panel displays process thesurrounding pixels. The presence of a static image for
image in a totally different manner.more than half-an-hour is enough to cause temporary
Plasma uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells that areburn-in; temporary burn-in or image ghosting, should not
charged by precise electrical voltages to emit light andbe cause for alarm as normally this will wash out after
hence to create the picture image. Liquid Crystalseveral hours of use.
Displays (LCD) panels - work by trapping a liquidWorst still is the prolonged presentation of static
crystal solution between two sheets of polarized glass.displays, such as the use of black or gray bars to
When an electric current is passed through the liquidview a 4:3 picture in its original format on a wide
crystals, they change the polarization of the lightscreen display; this will result in a permanent burn-in.
passing through them in response to the electricOnce permanent burn-in occurs, the damaged
voltage — as a result of which, more or lessphosphors cannot produce the same levels of light
light is able to pass through the polarized glass on theoutput as the other phosphors around them do.
face of the display.In these circumstances, an LCD display may be a
It is not the scope of this article to go into the actualbetter choice.
details of how these different display technologies
process the image — after all, what reallyViewing distance: It seems that the pixel size and
matters is not what is going behind the screen butshape of an LCD panel renders a smoother picture
rather how these different display technologiesthan an equivalently sized plasma panel for the same
perform as a television screen. At the same time, it ispixel count.
worth taking note that it is these same differencesThis means that even if your viewing distance falls
that gives each of these display technologies, itswithin the recommended distance of approximately
strengths and weaknesses, and that therefore renderstwice the screen width, if this is less than at least nine
one more suitable than the other in certainfeet, most probably you will be better off with an LCD
circumstances.TV.
The list below highlights the most important differencesLife-time: The rare gases used in plasma display
between these two flat panel display technologies:panels have a life and will fade over use. Earlier
Size: For the time being, collision between plasmaplasma TV sets had a quoted half-lifetime of between
television and LCD TV occur in the 40 to 50 inch20,000hrs, following which the image brightness will fall
screen range. In reality, LCD TVs top out at aroundto half its original value. However, the latest plasma
45” — meaning that for bigger screen sizes, adisplays can boost anything between 30,000 and
plasma display is your only real option if what you are60,000 hours. On the other hand, LCD displays have a
after is a direct-view TV system. On the other hand,guaranteed lifetime of between 50,000hrs and 60,000
at the smaller end of spectrum, namely 15” to 36”hours. This degradation in image brightness takes place
TVs, LCD is the way to go if what you want isgradually over time.
something stylish and slim (at under 4-inches in depth).Now, the average household in the US replaces their
Picture Quality, Contrast and Color Saturation: BothTV set every 7 years. Taking a conservative figure of
plasma and the latest TFT-LCD flat panel displays are30,000 hours for either technology, this corresponds to
capable of producing excellent picture quality —well over 6hrs usage a day - every day - for over a
with bright, crisp clear images.period of 14 years! In other words, both plasma and
However, plasma flat panel displays are more suitableLCD displays are extremely stable and reliable devices.
for basic home theater usage than LCD. The gas cellThis means that life-time should not be an issue with
structure within a plasma display is such that there iseither display technology.
no light leaking between adjacent cells (or pixels). ThisAt the same time, keep in mind that there is no way to
renders plasma displays capable of displaying deeperre-generate the gases in a plasma display or to repair
blacks — hence better contrast and detail inany ‘dead’ pixels in an LCD display —
television and movie scenes where lots of dark andthe only option in such circumstances will be to replace
light content is shown simultaneously.the display.
In comparison, the nature of LCD technology —Response: Some LCD panels — especially on
where a backlight shines through the LCD layerolder generation models - had a tendency to blur
— means that it is hard for it to achieve trueimages particularly during fast moving scenes in
blacks (i.e. true absence of light) as there is alwaysmovies and sports. However, recent advancement in
some light leakage from adjacent pixels.LCD technology means that response times are such
This does not mean that LCD panel s are not suitablethat there is no noticeable difference in performance
as TV screens; today’s LCD TV sets makebetween LCD and plasma TV sets in this regard.
use of extreme high contrast panels that are capablePower requirements: The advantage here goes to
of displaying deeper blacks, yet the latest plasma TVLCD panels as these consume less electricity.
sets still have a slight edge over LCD when it comesEstimates show that the use of LCD panels can result
to contrast levels.in some 30% power savings for the same screen size
The situation is somewhat similar when it comes tothan plasma display.
color saturation. Again, it is the different displayPrice: Price is always a big issue when it comes to
structure between LCD and plasma that is the reasonchoosing your TV display. Although prices online vary
behind the difference between the two technologies inconsiderably, yet LCD TV sets tend to be more
this respect, and though both are capable of handlingexpensive than Plasma Televisions. The main reason
color in an exceptional manner, yet plasma displays stillbehind this price gap is that the production process for
lead in this respect - producing more accurate andplasma technology still supports a better yield and thus
vibrant colors.carries a pricing advantage — especially at the
large screen end of the market.
Viewing-angle:Plasma Television sets — like theirThis contrasts heavily with LCD display technology
CRT TV counterpart - typically have better viewingwhere an estimate 30 to 40 per cent of all
angles than LCD. The viewing angle represents howmanufactured panels will have to be discarded as a
far one can sit on either side of the screen away fromresult of defects leading to what are known as
the center, without experiencing significant deterioration'bad-pixels'.
in picture quality — mainly as a result of colorMaking the Choice:
shifts and reduced contrast.There is a market for both plasma and LCD displays -
Though recent developments in LCD technologyPlasma gives you a bigger screen for your dollar,
means that this is less of an issue with some of thedeeper blacks, but then LCD do not suffer from burn-in
latest LCD TV sets boosting a viewing angle of 160 toand at the smaller end of the market (less than 40-inch
170 degrees vertically and horizontally, yet it is alwaysscreen size), LCD is your only way forward if you
best to check. The tendency — especially withwant something slim and stylish.
cheaper sets — is that the deterioration inIt is all a question of knowing what are the advantages
picture quality is more accentuated with LCD than withand limitations of each with respect to your specific
plasma displays.needs.
Burn-In: As with all phosphor-based displays, plasma