What is the difference between TV screen formats ie plasma /LCD? ?

Question

I wondered what is the difference which is best? I hear about plasma, LCD etc?

So I can make an informed choice when I purchase a tv , cheers

Answer 1

Outward appearances are definitely deceiving when it comes to LCD and Plasma televisions. Although both types of televisions are flat and thin, they employ different technology in an attempt to deliver similar results.

Plasma TV Overview

Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element).

Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.

LCD TV Overview

LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology (see also question #1 for this same explanation).

Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.

Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is need for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself.

Tom Masters

Answer 2

There is tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of stuff about this on the web.  The annoying thing is, people don't agree with each other!

So:  Go to a shop that has both types, and look at the different screens.  Ask for the remote controls so you can adjust the contrast.  I did, and I thought I was missing something.  I wasn't.  It's just that nowadays there's not a huge difference between the good examples of plasma and LCD.

If possible, check the TV using High Def materiel (eg Blu-Ray) and Standard Def material (eg normal TV).

The differences are not necessarily huge - you get good plasma and and bad plasma, good LCD and bad LCD, and there's a lot of overlap between the two.  

LCD production is increasing because they benefit from mass production.

Plasma used to be (years ago) very susceptible to image burn, but that no longer applies.

I have a Panasonic TH42PX70.  Panasonic plasmas generally do very well in reviews, and at a good price....

Answer 3

consider your surroundings.  Plasma screens need a very dimly lit, or dark room to avoid seeing a reflection, or glare in the screen.  Having said that, the picture is near enough to equal to that of an LCD.  You are able to greatly increase your screen size with plasma.  The weight of the TV is very close to that of LCD.  The price is lower, and still dropping.  Now, having said all that, LCD is the technology of choice for the present and near future.  My advice, go with plasma, or even DLP to save even more money.  In 7 years, it will all be obsolete when 3D imagery becomes available.

Answer 4

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) offers a lightweight TV set that is suited to any indoor room. The image quality is renowned for amazingly sharp and bright images that use less electricity and generate less heat than competing TV technology.

Plasma screens can cope with much larger areas, which makes them preferred for above 37"