For those seeking to buy their first flat panel TV display device, it is easy to be confused with conflicting and counter claims by different interest parties. So what is the truth in the competition between LCD and Plasma TV? Here’s are some pointers before you rush out and buy your flat panel TV on impulse. Just consider and keep them in mind when choosing.

Actually, both types of technologies have their pros and cons.

Let’s start with various factors.

Picture Quality

Plasma TVs have better contrast ratios and show better blacks than an LCD TV. That means in a dark scene, you are able to see images more clearly defined. This is because in LCD technology, liquid crystals are unable to shut off all the light completely due to the presence of the backlight resulting in light leakage and therefore it is impossible to get absolute black. Because of this, plasma TVs are able to produce better color saturation than LCD TVs.

Screen Size

If you looking for a really big screen, then you have to go for plasma TV as they are available in sizes up to 103 inches! LCD TVs on the other hand come in maximum sizes of up to 65 inches. If you compare prices on both technologies for the same screen size, you will also realize LCD TVs are more expensive especially in larger screen sizes.

Life span

You may also want to factor in how long your new display device can last. Currently, both LCD TVs and plasma TVs have life expectancies of around 100,000 hours for the better made models from reputable manufacturers.

Power consumption

Again LCD TVs have this advantage over plasma TV. Power consumption for LCD TV is 30% less than plasma TV. With rising oil prices, maybe it is better to get an LCD TV. Further more, plasma TV generate more heat and if you live in an air conditioned home, the air conditioning usage will definitely rise too.

Viewing Angle

If you are going to invite many guests to your home, a plasma screen will do better. It has a wider viewing angle than LCD TV. Guests can easily view on either left or right side of the Plasma screen without fear of the loss of image which is inherent in LCD TVs.

Response Time

If you enjoy action movies or sport programs, plasma TV offer a better deal as it can handle fast moving images better than LCD TVs. Traditionally, most viewers can see blurring of moving images with the LCD format. However, this problem has been reduced compared to earlier generations of the technology as the response times for LCD TVs have come down to as low as 4 milliseconds on high performance models. With the advent of refresh rates of 120 Hz and even 240 Hz for the latest LCD TVs, there has been significant improvement in LCD technology’s handling of fast motion.

Burn in effect

Plasma TV suffers from this particular effect called burn in. You get a permanent ghost like image stuck on your screen. This is the result of having static display of the same image over long periods of time. LCD TVs do not suffer from this potential problem and, as such, are the preferred technology to choose if you regularly use your TV for certain types of sources (e.g. Business and news channels, NASCAR races, Computer images). Later generation, higher performance Plasma TVs have special circuits built into them that can virtually eliminate this problem.

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