A Closer Look in Buying a Tv: Plasma Vs Lcd

A Closer Look in Buying a TV: Plasma vs LCD

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (28 hours/week or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the television. People are more like birds than they are like humans. Regardless of the never-ending amount of time that a person typically spends watching T.V., when it comes time to purchase, an average customer gets sold on any malarkey T.V. that looks pretty, has a good price, and is fairly new. After setting it down in whichever room of the house, most people immediately encounter such problems like glare, motion blur, unnecessary energy consumption, dark display, overly bright colors, overheating, etc. You would think that people actually put more thought into the T.V. they buy since it will have their attention at home daily for 6 hours and 47 minutes, but most people don't even know the difference between Plasma and LCD screens, which are the two most advanced televisions on the market today. With all the new replacing technology emerging like 1080p High Definition, Blu-ray, PC and HD compatible digital electronics, digital cable, fiber optics, etc, the only two choices of TVs a bird, sorry a person, can go with are plasma and LCD screens (preferably LCD with LED backlights for optimized resolution and color quality on huge big-screens). When deciding on a new T.V., the standards to go by should be its variety of features, picture quality, durability, and price. Simply put, the T.V. is on for 25% of our lives so it's important to be aware of the distinguishing factors between plasma and LCD.

The way a person can easily distinguish between plasma and LCD is that plasma has a glass screen while LCD is a liquid crystal display identical to a flat computer screen. The screen sizes for plasmas range between 42-70+ inches while for LCD it ranges 5-70+ inches. However, the cabinet depth for both is 3+ inches. Basically, an LCD screen can go from a tiny monitor up to a millionaire's gigantic living room theater, while plasma is strictly for big screen TVs. In terms of power consumption, LCD screens are more efficient and will save money on the electric bill. Conversely, plasma TV tends to overheat with the power it consumes, however, this problem is being resolved by technicians through calibration and energy star enhancements.

The reflectivity of a TV screen is also a factor that can affect the viewing experience. Glass screens on plasmas can reflect lots of light, so they may be annoying to watch in very bright rooms. Some models have glare-reducing screens that are more-or-less effective; nonetheless, matte plastic screens in LCD's usually reflect far less light and display sharper images. Surprisingly though, some models have screens that are actually more reflective than plasma, but this could be taken care of if a person is using a Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Lg, or any TV made by the major LCD manufacturers. Moreover, a plasma screen will exhibit an excellent display from all angles when a person is watching from an off-angle. On the other hand, images will fade slightly on an LCD when seen from extreme angles, although this problem can also be resolved by sticking with the major LCD producers (Herr).

There are several different features that each type of TV possesses. Many features are shared between the two and others are exclusive. For example, PC connectivity is less common, but still included on many plasma screen models. Still, it is much more common and far superior in resolution on an LCD screen. Other features vary per model. Some plasma screens come more equipped than LCD screens and visa versa. Briefly put, each of the screens gives and takes more or less of each quality with respect to price which is fairly similar between the two. It really depends on the model and quality of each model. For example, it is known that most plasma screens will out take LCD's when it comes to motion and refresh rates, yet LCD screens can have a more vivid and bright color scheme. Ultimately, it really depends on each customer's specific needs when looking for such features in a TV. Yet, for the sake of universality, it is best to stick with the major T.V. companies like Sony.

Picture Quality is another factor to consider among TVs. Motion blur caused by display is negligible on plasma TV's. On LCD's, however, it may be difficult to discern on most models, although they are subject to more blurring than plasma. LCD models that have 120Hz, a feature that allows 60 more frames per second than the average TV, are far less-subject to motion blur. With this feature, an LCD can be very close in presentation to a plasma screen.

Black-level performance (depth of