Large screen displays (30” diagonal or larger) are dominated by two major technologies – Plasma and LCD (also known as TFT).
- Plasma has the following advantages
- Saturation / Grey scale response / Contrast –
More detail in the dark areas of the picture, greater subtlety of image displayed.In Plasma screens pixels are turned off when they’re not needed, so the contrast between lit/unlit pixels is much greater making the images appear sharper and more saturated.
LCDs use a backlight which tends to bleed through the LCD slightly. This stray light can reduce the contrast and percieved saturation of the image.
Note: LCDs can look slightly brighter in some situations becasue of the reflective properties of the glass used on most Plasma screens.
- Response Times –
ie the length of time, measured in milliseconds, for a pixel to switch from inactive to active and back again.Plasma is considerably faster than LCD, although great improvemets have been made in LCDs lately.
Slow response times will cause motion artifacts such as smear or blurring.
- Size –
For screens larger than 42″ Plasma is generally cheaper for manufacturers. LCD is catching up however. Below 32″ Plasma is an expensive option.- LCD has the following advantages
- Viewing Angle -
Plasma screens have a viewing angle of around 160 degrees and generally outperform previous generation LCDs, however new generation LCDs can provide viewing angles of 175 degrees before image quality deteriorates.- No screen burn -
Plasma screens are susceptible to screen burn, which occurs when a bright static image is displayed on screen for an extended period of time (eg games, computer displays & channel logos). Newer plasmas are much better in this respect, but can still suffer from it.LCDs are largely immune from screen burn, although they can develop “retained pixel charge” that can produce a ghosting effect.
- Thickness & Weight-
LCDs are much lighter than an equivalent sized plasma, because they do not have gas filled or heavy glass screens.- Brightness-
LCDs can produce brighter images, but if that is used to compensate for a poorer contrast ratio, then the benefit is lost.- Power consumption -
LCDs use less power than an equivalent sized plasma. Plasmas have to power hundreds of electrodes to stimulate phosphors, hence the extra power consumption.- Durability-
LCDs are much less fragile than plasmas, therefore easier to ship and install. Much better suited to being moved around.
Useful link on flat screen comparisons
