Plasma Vs LCD vs LED TV

Plasma vs LCD vs LED TV

Many people are thinking of either upgrading their current TV or buying their first High-definition television. The various technologies for HDTV’s can be confusing so we’ve put together this handy HDTV Buying Guide to explain the differences between Plasma vs LCD vs LED TV types.

Black level is how dark and true to the color black your TV renders it on screen. Black level is very important for displaying detail, but if the picture is too dark detail can be lost in dark scenes. The black level of a good TV interprets the TV signal in a way that looks true black for excellent depth. Poor display quality of black levels can result in a picture that is a bit green or blue.
Contrast is the brightness of the white parts of the picture and the picture as a whole . This is the “white level” or sometimes referred to as the “picture”. Contrast settings that are too high make the picture too bright and too low won’t make them sharp and crisp. So the term Contrast Ratio determines how good your picture looks and how easy you can make out onscreen details in a room with the lights on. A Contrast Ratio of 3000:1 means the white levels are 3000 times brighter than the black levels and would be better than a Contrast Ration of 800:1. The larger the difference between the numbers the better.
Color saturation is how vibrant the colors are on screen. An over-saturated picture looks unnatural and gaudy. Too little saturation usually results in a faded or washed out appearance.

Your home setup can also affect which TV is best for you. Read how each TV technology “picture” rates in regard to what is necessary to render a great picture in different environments.

table of contents

————————————————

Why Some Models Look Better in Stores

When you are shopping for HDTV models in a retail store you may notice that certain TV’s such as LED backlight models look better than Plasma. LED TV’s create extremely bright images that are actually more intense than what is required in a normally lit home environment. Retail stores use lighting 5x to 10x brighter than any typical home which creates the perception that the higher priced LED TV’s produce better images than the more inexpensive Plasma.

LED TV’s do create great picture quality however unless you are viewing the TV in an extremely bright room you will be viewing the TV in your home under normal light conditions and it will not appear as it did in the store.

Your home setup can also affect which TV is best for you. Read how each TV technology “picture” rates in regard to what is necessary to render a great picture in different environments.

table of contents

————————————————

HDTV Buying Guide

Plasma vs LCD vs LED (at-a-Glance)

BE SOCIAL: Share this Post

Plasma Technology	LCD Technology	LED Technology

Strengths • Great black levels • Produce exceptional color (up to 16.77 million) • Good for dark rooms • Great for videogames • Cheapest of 3 TV types • Great for 3D	Strengths • Great in bright rooms • High native resolution • More energy efficient than Plasma • Gaming mode for videogames	Strengths • Produce blacks similar to Plasma • Amazingly thin • Energy efficient • Good for 3D
Weaknesses • Lower brightness than LCD/LED • Glass screens reflect light • Not slim or light as LCD/LED	Weaknesses • Do not produce true black • Narrower viewing angle than Plasma • Handles fast motion less efficient than Plasma • More expensive than Plasma	Weaknesses • Models with glass screens reflect light • Narrower viewing angle than Plasma • Not ideal for videogames • Most expensive TV technology

View Best Plasma TVs	View Best LCD TVs	View Best LED TVs

table of contents

————————————————

Plasma TV Technology

Plasma TV’s are typically the most affordable in regards to providing the best black levels, smooth motion, and wide viewing angles. A plasma TV is ideal for movie buffs, but newer plasmas are changing that standard. Plasma TV’s have a better contrast ratios than LCD TV’s due to the fact that a plasma television can completely deactivate the light source for individual segments of the screen. What this means in simple terms is that sections of the screen can be completely dark while others are displaying bright color while a traditional LCD screen will have a single backlight array that can only alter brightness levels for the entire screen at once. The downside to plasma technology is that they have a lower ‘native resolution’, which offers less picture detail than LCD or LED. Plasma TV’s have shiny, reflective screens which potentially can cause ‘burn in’ of images being permanently visible on the screen however most modern plasma’s have improved upon this tremendously. Since a reflective glass screen can cause glare in bright environments with direct light if you decide to purchase a plasma look for models with antiglare coating.

To avoid this simply read the owner’s manual on how to run it to minimize burn-in. Most newer models have an automatic process to do so.

Because of it’s excellent black levels and rich color contrast, plasma is an ideal technology for 3D capability and has made for some of the best 3D HDTVs available on the market

Plasma TV UPSIDES

Plasmas have great black levels
Plasmas display exceptional color (up to 16.77 million colors)
Plasmas are cheaper than LCD and LED TVs
Plasmas have a perfect uniform screen brightness so there are no ‘dull spots’ where the picture is fuzzy or not as bright
Plasmas have magnetic field immunity and do not suffer distortion when speakers are placed on or near them
Plasmas are good for darker rooms
Plasmas are great for movies and videogames such as X-Box 360, PS3 or Wii
Plasmas have good computer compatibility since they receive VGA and SVGA signals from computers
Better Plasma models display IPS (In-Plane Switching), Super IPS and Alpha IPS. This means you do not have to stand directly in front of the TV to see the picture clearly thus widening the optimum viewing angle.

Plasma TV DOWNSIDES

Lower Brightness than LCD (newer models have improved)
Glass screen reflects light in brightly lit rooms
Not as slim or light as LCD
Older Plasma models would often suffer from image retention or “burn in” where images that were left on the screen for a significant period of time would remain onscreen permanently. Newer Plasma TV’s have virtually eliminated this phenomenon. Newer models also have extremely high refresh rates to handle fast paced sports and video games at maximum efficiency.

*Special Note

Use our HDTV Buying Guide to determine the best TV technology for your own unique home environment and then view the best TV’s within that category to make the best purchase for your home. In the debate between Plasma Vs LCD vs LED TV, regardless of which TV technology you decide to buy, ensure that you have quality HDMI cables, high-definition set-top boxes and recorders, and a programmable remote control that you are comfortable with.Since most sports are now broadcast in HD with 5.1 surround sound feeds ensure you have a high-definition digital cable box with a home theater equipped with 5.1 capable amplifier and matching speakers. If you are viewing outdoors then you will need full weatherproof 5.1 outdoor speakers.

See the Best Plasma TV’s

See the Best Gaming Plasma TV’s

table of contents | Plasma vs LCD vs LED (at-a-Glance)

————————————————

LCD TV Technology

A Liquid Crystal Display HDTV is known for being thin, light, and energy efficient. Contrary to older models, newer LCD TV’s usually come with 100Hz or 200Hz processing engines which enable them to handle fast motion very well. The more powerful the processing engine the more information that makes it onto the screen from frame to frame. This prevents grass from blurring or blurred motion when a camera pans to follow game action. LCD’s have plastic screens and are better suited for bright rooms, work well in high-altitudes, and is not prone to screen “burn-in” and “ghosting”.

LCD TV UPSIDES

LCD TV screens have no risk of image ‘burn in’
LCD TV’s are great in bright environments
LCD TV’s have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on a screen
LCD TV’s require less power to operate than plasma
LCD TV’s with “Gaming Mode” are ideal for gaming with an X-Box 360, PS3 or Wii

LCD TV DOWNSIDES

LCD TV screens do not produce ‘true black’
LCD TV’s have a narrower viewing angle than plasmas.
LCD TV’s are still a step below plasmas in handling fast moving images during action movies and sports broadcasts.

*Special Note

See the Best LCD TV’s

See the Best Gaming LCD TV’s

table of contents | Plasma vs LCD vs LED (at-a-Glance)

————————————————

LED TV Technology

Light-Emitting Diode TV technology uses backlighting rather than cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs) used in traditional LCD’s. This results in a thin panel, low power consumption and the ability to dim specific areas of the screen while keeping others bright to simulate truer blacks and whites for high contrast ratios (much like a plasma). LED TV’s are a newer technology and although they tend to be more expensive they are more energy efficient than the previous two while somewhat combining the strengths of plasma and LCD. LED technology is very well-rounded and is essentially a type of LCD panel that comes in the two forms of ‘Backlit’ or ‘Edgelit’. These screens are known to be ultra slim and produce plasma-like blacks but with the resolution of LCD with approximately 40% more efficiency than the conventional LCD.

LED TV UPSIDES

‘Backlit’ LED screens produce the best black levels similar to plasma and high contrast ratios. Great for movie viewing.
‘Edgelit’ LED screens use less energy containing less diodes emitting less heat in a thinner screen
Ultra-thin screens

LED TV DOWNSIDES

LED TV’s have a narrower viewing angle
LED TV’s are limited to 40′ and above
LED TV’s are not ideal for videogames due to uneven backlighting issues during gaming
LED TV’s are newer technology which results in a higher price tag

Due to LED’s ability to produce high resolution images it also makes for an excellent technology in 3D capability and has made for some of the best 3D HDTVs available today next to plasma.

*Special Note

See the Best LED TV’s

See the Best Gaming LED TV’s

table of contents | Plasma vs LCD vs LED (at-a-Glance)

————————————————

» Plasma vs LCD vs LED TV: HDTV Buying Guide