Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z (1165A2M) all-in-one PC 
RRP: $999.00
RRP: $999.00
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
Plasma vs LCD? What do the new LED TVs offer? We walk you through the process of picking up a new flat panel LED, LCD or plasma television.
The Sony BRAVIA KDL52EX1 in a 52in LCD television with a picture-frame design.
LCD, LED and plasma televisions may seem identical when you're in the store, but the similarities end once you look past the thin form factor and big screens.
Plasma TVs use a sheet of miniscule individual plasma cells that create a picture when an electrical charge is applied — examples of plasma televisions include the Panasonic TH-50VX100W, LG 50PS80ED and Panasonic TH-P50G10A. LCD televisions, on the other hand, use liquid crystal compressed between two glass plates; an image is created when electricity is applied to these crystals. LCD televisions can range from cheap models like the Changhong LT4268TA to more expensive sets like the Sony Bravia KDL40W5500 and the Toshiba Regza 42RV600A. LED TVs use liquid crystal, but unlike regular LCD televisions they use a backlight made of hundreds of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) instead of a fluorescent lamp. The LEDs can be evenly distributed around the back of the television’s panel or situated in the edges of the screen to create a very thin display chassis. LED televisions include the Sharp LC40LB700X, Samsung Series 7 (UA46B7100) and Sony Bravia KDL55XBR45.
How well an image is displayed on a television panel — whether it is a Blu-ray movie, an HDTV broadcast or a high-definition video game — depends on a television's display technology and its image processing capabilities.
Contrast ratio
A television's contrast ratio represents its ability to show detail in high contrast areas of the screen, in the form of minute gradations of colour and blacks or whites. For example, a panel with a low contrast ratio will struggle to show the higher or lower extremes of an image. In layman's terms, this means detail will be lost in bright areas as well as in dark scenes. In a Blu-ray movie, for example Batman Begins, the loss of detail in dark scenes will quickly become apparent.
Most manufacturers increase the contrast capabilities of their screens by dynamically altering backlight brightness. This allows extra detail to be shown in dark scenes and can be a life-saver for a panel with a low static contrast ratio. Some manufacturers have taken their estimations of this dynamic contrast ratio to excess, rating their screens at contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1 — and even higher. While these figures demonstrate the advantages of dynamic contrast ratio alteration, they don't need to be a big factor in your buying decision.
It is generally accepted that plasma televisions have better contrast ratios than LCD panels, due to the fact that a plasma television can completely deactivate the light source for individual segments of the screen. This means sections of the screen can be completely dark while others are displaying bright colour, unlike a traditional LCD screen which has a single backlight array that can only alter brightness levels for the entire screen.
The latest LED backlight technology allows the television to individually control backlight segments. This technology allows for contrast ratios similar to those produced by plasma television panels. However, edge-lit LED televisions — usually available in an ultra-slim form factor — will have lower dynamic contrast ratios than the backlit LED models so be sure to check this detail before you purchase.
Viewing angle
The narrower a television's quoted viewing angle is, the smaller the range in which it produces a 'perfect' image with no loss of contrast or colour. Many manufacturers quote an unrealistically high viewing angle — close to a full 180 degrees in some instances — but the best way to test this is to test the screens in person.
A wide viewing angle is important if the television will be placed in a large living area or will be regularly watched by multiple people simultaneously — most of us will have family and friends around to watch the TV at some point!
In general, plasmas have better viewing angles than LCD and LED TVs, with their images remaining solid and colourful at wide viewing angles while LCDs suffer from colour shift and loss of brightness. This is not always the case, though, so it is best to compare panels directly against each other if possible. LED televisions have superior viewing angles compared to LCDs due to their decentralised backlight distribution.
References
- LCD TV reviews
- LED TV reviews
- Plasma television reviews
- Panasonic TH-50VX100W plasma panel
- LG 50PS80ED plasma TV
- Panasonic TH-P50G10A plasma TV
- LCD TV reviews
- Celestial LT4268TA LCD television
- Sony Bravia KDL32W5500 LCD television
- Toshiba Regza 42RV600A LCD television
- Sharp LC40LB700X LED television
- Samsung Series 7 (UA46B7100) LED television
- Sony BRAVIA KDL55XBR45
- Buying guide: LCD TVs, plasma screens -- end of year TV bargain round-up
- Pre-Christmas bargains: The best value plasma, LCD and LED TVs
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Comments
If you think about it, plasma
If you think about it, plasma televisions have stayed the same since they have been released. Sure they have added coatings to the glass to reduce glare, and added a pixel orbiter function to reduce burn-in, but for the most part plasma technology has mostly stayed the same since it was introduced. That said, LCD televisions have been revised many times, hence LED technology. LED TELEVISIONS ARE STILL LCD TELEVISIONS. LCD technology is inferior to Plasma technology hands down as far as viewing performance is concerned. Power consumption is a different story. The only time to get an LCD is when altitude issues are present, or if you are worried about saving a minor amount of money per year. In some cases a Plasma uses twice as much energy as a LCD. I am excited for the new organic LED televisions to be introduced. They could blow everything out of the water with their flexibility. OLEDs could wrap around posts and be ultra thin panels, like a piece of thick plastic. The hardware would likely be a separate box for connectivity. I have been in the electronics industry for 15 years, and have seen almost every television out there in almost any configuration.
PS..... Please don't listen to the cable guys. Most are butchers and have almost no clue as to whats going on. Please go back to school, learn how to read and write, and then maybe you can post an intelligent response cable guy. Before you declare yourself an expert on "plazma" or anything else, you may want to check your spelling.
Please consult a trusted professional if you don't know what you are dealing with! If you have questions I will try to answer.
im a cable guy and have seen
im a cable guy and have seen many tv's, old and new. there is so many variables to deturmine picture quality. from the size of the cable, to the fitting on the cable, to the tv itself. i used to be very scepticle on plazma tv's, but having seen plenty of modern ones, im really impressed. i have a lcd tv, and its good enough for me. led is great efficient technology, but i think is over rated for the price. if your a carefull viewer, i say go plazma, they are priced to sell. if your not really picky but dont want to worry about problems, i say go lcd. even though plazma technology has greatly improved, most of the comments on this site are image-burn related concerns. oh, and when you get your big new tv and you have the cable guy come hook up hd for you, not every channel and network is broadcasted in true 1080, so dont be suprised when not every channel looks perfect. ive hooked up FIOS and Comcast services, and this is true for both, in my opinion. like coke and pepsi, what ever looks better to you, go with it
Burn in.
I bought a 42" Panasonic plasma tv about 12 months ago, and I have fallen asleep in front of it for hours at a time, repeatedly, while drunk leaving the XBOX paused or on a menu. No burn in apparent. I have seen this happen to other peoples TV's of other brands, so is it just certain brands who manufacture products with short life spans to make quick profit over a short period of time; with the average household watching 4-6 hours of television per day, or is this just a headf**k of technology to keep us busy until something more evolved comes along?
lCD Vs LED for travel
Still not sure which type I should purchase for my RV. I've looked at several articles, but none of have addressed my concerns. Is there any articles or suggestions were I can get my answer?
Clever Kids
I'm amazed at how long you allow your kids to watch a TV Screen for.... Do they know what fresh air and the good old outdoors is all about?
Get them out of the damn house!! :)
TV Burn in
Burn-in does happen to tvs. For example if you left your ps3 paused for an extended amount of time while keeping your tv on it would most likely burn that picture into your tv permanately! I know this is true i have experienced it with my own tv.
LCD; Plasma; LED TV's
The fact has surfaced that 3D is closer than we realise. So Whatever we choose at the moment we'll be behind bigtime in 1-3 years.
So my calculation tells me buy LCD now but be prepared for LED 3D soon.
Sport will be photographed using 3X the cameras, some software and experimenting, and Bingo. 3D.
Please comment.
plasma burn in
Iv had a panasonic 42" plasma for 3 years now. I have 2 young boys and my self playing the ps3, my boys sometimes play for 8 to 10 hours a day on days off from school and I have no burn in at all! I was really nervous at first about letting them play for more than 30 min at a time. Listening to all these claims of burn in were in my case a total joke! My nephew has a 50" samsung and its used just as much with ps3 and no burn in either. You must have a total garbage defective item and should have demanded a replacement.
don't listen to sony
That is really a dumb advise from sony.
sony
If you pop the front off of your tv you will find 6 nobs. turn knobs to get rid of blue and red spots. its real easy.
My theory
After survying for few months , here is my theory:
Want cheap and good- Plasma
Want cheap but also want play game - LCD
Want Look nice and feel Ego - LED (ultra slim model)
:)
Plasma Burn-In
Burn-in: This occurs when an image such as a network logo or letterbox bars--gets etched permanently onto the screen because it sits in one place too long (In your case, the game you played most probably had the same constant background image and you played it for a long period of time within the first 100 hours of it's lifespan). In our experience, this issue has been greatly exaggerated. The burn-in risk is greatest during the first 100 or so hours of use, during which time you should keep contrast low (less than 50 percent) and avoid showing static images for hours at a time. Many plasmas also have burn-in-reduction features such as screensavers and pixel orbiting, or functions to treat burn-in once it occurs, such as causing the screen to go all white.
Plasma lifespan: Most plasma makers today rate their latest models as having a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours before the display fades to half brightness. On average, that works out to more than 17 years before the set reaches half-brightness.
I think your right led is a
I think your right led is a step backwards in my books the refresh rate is higher on a plasma and still better picture for $500 less
Black Friday Plasma
Well - this is a great article. I am looking at Black Friday sales ADs and am looking to refresh my 50" Sony LCD Projection TV that has developed blue and red spots for the third time (replaced under extended warranty thankfully that would have been $700). After spending about $3000 on the TV only 5 years ago I cannot believe the prices I see now espicially with Plasma TV's. 50" Plasmas bundled with BluRay for around $1000 - heck yeah count me in. And if the thing burns in at least Im not out $3000. My LCD Projection burns in about every 2 years, imager starts to melt and turns the picture blue.. nice feature Sony. And now hearing that the contrast and color is still better on Plasma than LED/LCD - I find it hard to justify the extra expense of LED/LCD even considering the energy efficiency.
Anyway - my 2cents..
Obviously you don't own a
Obviously you don't own a plasma, since you do not have a slightest clue of what burn in is. My Panasonic 46" plasma had burn in after 4 hours of PS3 playtime. Please do not post useless comments.
Re:burn in
wrong. I work a casino our tv's are on 24 hours a day 7 days a week even after 3 years the new new plasmas have no burn in. so basically take your head out your.....
Which one is the best at HD gaming LCD or LED or plasma???
Great article it gives you a general idea about the three systems, but i want a more details and having a table would be nice...
To me on a plasma an analog
To me on a plasma an analog channel looks far superior that on any lcd or led thus making all uses on who ever you subscribe to.
LCD vs LED vs Plasma TV
This article is very informative. I am so impressed that I will recommend it to my friends. Good job.
LED VS LCD
I was in the market for a new TV i was looking at eithet the samsung 55" 6 series B or the samsung 55" 6 series Edgelit LED
They both looked great but the LCD looked 3D and the LED did NOT! i picked the LCD as the image was better it came with eithernet it could connect to the PC for streaming videos, music and photo's and go olnine plus the price was $500 less
For those of you who think LED is allot more power effient both are very close 55:” 60000 Edgelit LED uses an operational power consumption of 220w and the 55:” series 6 B CCFL backlit uses an operational power consumption of 250w for comparison the 52” series 6 A CCFL backlit uses operational power consumption of 290w and a 50” Plasma is at around 350w-500w ( Plasma TV's also double as a heater )
Burn in
All technologies suffer from burn in (from static text/graphics), including lcd. No current technology is exempt from this.
Good One cheers
The article is very good and accurate. It would be better to have a section on Technilogy where you can explain each screen technology with the images if possible. This helps to understand the screens in depth.
LED vs LCD vs Plasma
I agree wholly with previous comment.
Manufacturers are making a mistake pushing edge lit LED TVs with Ultra thin screens. Its just marketing gone stupid - style over substance.
We don't need, nor even want, ultra thin panels.
I'd much prefer a proper LED whole-of-screen backlit (not edge-lit) version of one of the existing LCD models, preferably with a Japanese-made panel even if it is assembled in Malaysia (preferred) or China.
BTW, I have met only met one salesman so far who actually knows where the panels are made, so he will get my business.
Thanks
Thank you for the excellent, clear and to the point article. It has really helped me in making a decision as to what TV to buy.
The only short-coming, in my view, relates to an issue that another commenter raised - what picture quality can I expect when watching non-HD content? A follow-up or perhaps just a comment on that would be greatly appreciated.
Plasma vs. LCD
The reason I give plasma the edge is in the quality of non-HD programming. My regular standard Dish signal looks great on my Panasonic, while it looks horrible on LCD. I have no real desire to pay more for crappy shows, even if they are in HD. I'm perfectly satisfied with SD as long as it looks close to my old tube. You'll only get that with plasma.
Is contrast really that important?
This is a very good review and very accurate. However, it seems that the advantages of LED backlit screens are being held up because of the supposed need to increase contrast ratios.
To dim the LED arrays and increase contrast one needs greater processing power and complexity, but I don't tend to agree that it's all that important - the pictures are very good anyhow unless you're a zealot for perfection. The other push that seems to be made for LED backlighting is to make the units very thin. Again, is that really important?
I'd implore more manufacturers to just get on with it and mass produce LED backlit versions of the CFL (fluoro) units; the power savings and reduction in hazardous materials compared to CFLs are far more important than endless push for contrast and thinness. Get them out there and then concentrate on the refresh rate instead.
The sooner this happens then the sooner LED backlit screens will be far cheaper to the great benefit of the environment. If they don't hurry up then OLED will beat them all anyhow...
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