Plasma verses LCD TV

With each offering its advantages and disadvantages navigating the Plasma verses LCD TV differences can be time consuming. We aim to help. This page is structured to provide some background in each technology, advantages and disadvantages to each then conclude with a decision tree diagram to provide a little more decision making guidance.

Note, this page focuses exclusively on Plasma verses LCD TV differences; if you are interested in some of the other technologies or comparisons with them, check out the links below.

Plasma Television Guide
DLP vs LCD
1080P vs 720P
Flat Screen TV Frame
DLP vs Plasma

OK, on with the Plasma verses LCD TV comparison.

Plasma Background
Plasma televisions were the first to really change the landscape of modern televisions. Providing large screens at depths fewer than 5 inches, they are easily hung on walls. The technology is achieved by placing gases between two sheets of glass and then exciting the gases with electric pulses. These gases glow producing different color light that is seen by the viewer.

Plasma Advantages
When comparing Plasma TVs vs LCD TVs we see two advantages that Plasma TVs have over LCD.

The biggest advantage a Plasma has over LCD is the size of the television. Plasma televisions can be well over 50 inches, currently as large as 103 inches. LCD TVs are normally less than 50 inches.

If you have a wide room that requires viewing the television from areas that are not centered in front of the TV, either of these options will work. However Plasma should provide a slightly better viewing angle of about 90 degrees compared to the an LCD of about 60 degrees.

Plasma Disadvantages
When comparing Plasma verses LCD TVs we see two disadvantages that Plasma TVs have over LCD.

One disadvantage of a Plasma television is called the Screen Door effect. This effect makes the television appear as if it were on the other side of a window or sliding glass door screen. The closer to the TV you are the more visible this effect will be. Manufactures are working to remove this and it is getting better. But definitely something you will want to consider if you plan on sitting close to the television or planning on getting a large size (over 60 inches). This becomes less noticeable with the higher resolution televisions because they provide more pixels.

Plasmas are also susceptible to the Burn in effect. The Burn in effect is what happens when an outline of an image remains on the screen even after the image is gone. This can happen when you have the same shape on a screen for long periods of time. Screens that display the same thing often like stock tickers can cause this. In most cases this will not impact users. And some of the new Plasma televisions have what is called white wash to clear the Burn in, but using this will decrease the life of the Plasma.

LCD Background
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions operate by placing a bulb in the TV that generates light. The light is then passed through millions of red, green or blue liquid crystals where an electric current is applied to turn the colors on and off providing the correct color on the screen.

LCD Advantages
LCD televisions are bright making them an excellent choice for the room in your house that has several windows or an area where you cannot limit the lighting.

Most LCD televisions are less then 4 inches in depth allowing them to be hung on the wall unlike DLP televisions, which are usually more, then 6 inches in depth.

LCD televisions provide a greater viewing angle then DLP. A LCD television should provide reasonable viewing up to a 60% angle. Therefore if you have a wide room the requires viewing the television from areas that are not centered in front of the tv, this should prove to be a better option then DLP.

LCD Disadvantages
When comparing Plasma verses LCD TVs we see two disadvantages that LCD TVs have over Plasma.

If you are looking for a television at 50 inches or larger Plasma will be the answer as LCD televisions are smaller in size and not available in the larger sizes.This is the area where many people are not satisfied with LCD TVs. Manufactures have really improved this area and the more expensive LCD televisions now have very good response times that are comparable to the other technologies. However the lower end LCD televisions do not. Look for response times below 12 milliseconds with the better TVs around 6-8 milliseconds. Anything higher then 12 milliseconds, you may want to think twice if you are going to watch action video. For more detail on response times see LCD TV Selection.

Plasma verses LCD TV Conclusions
While reading our Plasma verses LCD review, some of you with a little more television experience, may be wondering why we did not mentioned the standard television features such as contrast (Difference between the darkest dark and lightest white), clarity (clean lines, not jagged, around images), etc. Reason for this omission is that the difference in these areas depends on the price and manufacturer of the television, not either of these technologies. Both technologies perform well in these areas. Bottom line is that both technologies make for excellent televisions. There are some differences, which may lead you to one or the other, and the Plasma verses LCD decision diagram below should help with those differences. If you get to the bottom of the Plasma verses LCD diagram and still have not chosen one or the other then consider which looks best in your room, as either should work just fine.

Plasma verses LCD TV Decision Diagram