Wilson Marks asked:

Nowadays we heard a lot about LCD TV and Plasma TV. So which one is better, LCD TV or plasma?

Technically, LCD and Plasma TVs take different approaches to similar result. Although they create images using completely different technologies, both types of TVs are thin enough to be placed virtually anywhere, and produce a picture that is startlingly clear, sharp, and bright. The major difference between the two is the screen size. Most of LCD TVs have a screen that measures 30″ and smaller, while plasma TVs have a screen of 32″ and larger.

Now let’s compare these two types of popular TVs:

COLOR ACCURACY

Plasma color accuracy will prevail in rooms with low to normal lighting, while LCDs will be better in brighter rooms due to their inherent anti-glare technology.

Winner: Plasma

VIEWING ANGLES

Plasma usually has up to 160° viewing angles, which is about as good as horizontal and vertical viewing angles get. However, LCD TVs lose black level intensity more as the angle off axis increases. This usually occurs after around 90 degrees.

Winner: Plasma

LONGEVITY

LCDs last as long as its backlight does. Plasma, on the other hand, utilizes slight electric currents to excite a combination of noble gases, which is an essentially active phenomenon. So the phosphoric elements in plasma displays fade over time.

Winner: LCD

COMPUTER USE

LCDs display static images from computer or VGA sources extremely well, while Plasma have some issues with each source varying on different models and manufacturers.

Winner: LCD

ENERGY SAVING

LCDs require substantially less power to operate than plasmas do because of the different technologies they use. Usually LCDs consume about half the power that plasma displays consume.

Winner: LCD

RESOLUTION

LCD HDTV displays will have a higher resolution than plasma of the same size comparison. For instance, the lowest resolution of a 40 inch LCD will be 1366 X 768 – easily full HD resolution in 1080i or 720p. A 42 inch HD plasma has a resolution of 1024 X 768.

Winner: LCD

So if you decide to go with LCD, here a list of Top 10 LCD TVs as of April 2008.

1 Sony KDL-40XBR4

2 Sharp LC-32D43U

3 Olevia 532H

4 Sony KDL-46XBR4

5 Samsung LN-T4665F

6 Samsung LN-T3753H

7 Vizio GV47LF

8 Sony KDL-40S3000

9 Samsung LN-T4061F

10 Sony KDL-26S3000

Where to buy LCD TV?

There are still many ways to buy a LCD TV. If you go with a traditional retailer, remember to shop around-not just for the best prices but also for the best equipment. Be aware that many of the chain stores tend to push one manufacturer’s products over another’s based on issues totally unrelated to the merits of the products themselves, such as sales incentives.

Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Plasma and LCD panels may look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end. There are a number of significant differences between the two.

Let us understand the meaning of Plasma and LCD Televisions in order to better understand the differences between them.

LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY TELEVISION (LCD TV).

LCD TV uses LCD technology for its visual output. Liquid Crystal Display or LCD is a thin, flat display device made up of a number of color or monochrome pixels arrayed infront of a light source or reflector. In color LCDs each individual pixel is divided into three cells or subpixels which are colored red, green and blue. Each cell or subpixel can be controlled independently to yield thousands or millions of possible colors for each pixel. LCD TVs can make for excellent High Definition TV viewing.

LCD TVs – The Good

1. Excellent Color Reproduction – LCDs can display millions of colors accurately.

2. Multi-functional – LCD TVs have a plethora of connectivity options. They typically include inputs for composite video, S-video, High Definition Multimedia Interface(HDMI) and PC In.

3. No Burn In – With LCDs there is no problem of Burn In. Some TVs that rely on phosphors such as Plasmas and CRTs can experience Burn In where ghost images are permanently burned into the screen.

4. Inherently Progressive – LCDs use millions of tiny transistors that can be individually controlled by the “brains” inside the display. So LCDs can easily handle progressive-scan sources.

5. High Resolution – LCDs can display High Definition content with resolutions of 1366×768. The highest resolution achieved in a LCD is 1920×1080. 1080p is also called Full High Definition whereas 720p is called High Definition.

LCD TVs – The Bad

1. Expensive – LCD TVs are great but they are not cheap. LCD TVs cost more per inch than plasmas.

2. Poor Reproduction of Blacks – LCD TVs tend to produce grays, not blacks.

3. Limited Viewing Angle – LCDs have typically poor viewing angle. However, there has been a drastic improvement on this front with latest LCDs achieving a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees.

4. Slow Response Time – LCDs have longer response times than Plasmas.For example, when moving the mouse too fast on an LCD, multiple cursors can sometimes be seen. This is also known as Ghosting Effect. But this problem seems to have been addressed with the latest LCD TVs with response times as low as 8ms.

5. Low Contrast Ratio – Contrast Ratio is the ratio of the intensity of the brightest bright to the darkest dark. LCDs comparitively have lower Contrast Ratios than Plasmas.

PLASMA TELEVISION

A plasma screen contains literally millions of gas-filled cells (each one acting as a single image pixel) trapped between two pieces of glass. An electrical grid zaps these cells and causes the gases to ionize (and ionized gas is plasma – hence the name). The ionized gases, in turn, cause a layer of phosphor on the viewer’s side layer of glass to light up. Plasma TVs combine a thin, compact chassis with a truly large screen size. Despite their compact dimensions Plasmas are available in 42+, 50+ and even 60+ inch sizes.

Plasma TVs – The Good

1. Excellent Brightness – Plasma TVs don’t rely on a light bulb shining through or reflecting off of something (as an LCD or DLP system does). Plasma brightness is even better than CRT’s in some ways because the picture is evenly bright across the entire screen.

2. High Resolution – The finest plasma TVs have such high resolutions (and such smooth images) that they look life like.

3. Progressive in nature – All the pixels on the screen light up simultaneously. You can have progressive HDTV sources (such as 720p) and non-HDTV sources (such as progressive-scan DVD players) displayed to full advantage on a plasma HDTV.

4. Wide Viewing Angle – Plasmas have a wider viewing angle as compared to LCDs. Plasma displays have a good picture even when you’re sitting “off axis” (not perpendicular to the screen surface). This is a huge benefit for smaller rooms, where viewers may sit relatively far off to the sides of the screen, at wider angles.

Plasma TVs – The Bad

1. Burn-In – Plasmas rely on phosphor to display video. This can cause Burn-In where ghost images are permanently burned into the screen.

2. Short Lifespan – Another phenomenon of any phosphor-based display system is that eventually the phosphors “wear out” or lose their brightness. This is a subtle and slow process, but it inevitably happens.

3. Less-than-perfect color reproduction – Although plasma displays can produce a breathtaking array of colors, a lot of sets have the unfortunate tendency to make red colors look more orange than true red.

4. Poor reproduction of black – Plasma TVs fall short in the realm of reproducing black images. Most plasmas do slightly better job than LCD TVs at black reproduction, but they fall short of CRTs and some projection systems.

Other factors such as pricing, weight, power usage, high altitude performance and transportation are other considerations that apply on a person to person basis. So I will briefly just state the overall differences in these areas.

Pricing: Plasma TVs are still significantly less expensive than LCD in sizes over 32″.

Weight: LCD TVs are considerably lighter and as such easier to mount and install. So

By Arthur

Edward Joseph asked:

Though various models of televisions based on technology are available for a consumer in the market today , the toughest competition exists between Plasma Vs LCD TV . So for the most informed and intelligent decision on the pick of the most suitable television for you, a detailed study on  the advantages and disadvantages of Plasma and LCD TV is a must.

Plasma Vs LCD

One of the most important factors to be considered while deciding on a television is the color accuracy. In Plasma displays, each pixel contains the three primary colors( red, green, and blue) which works in tandem and this feature results in creating 16.77 million colors. In most of the Plasma displays the chromaticity coordinates are more accurate and they have an excellent color saturation. Though all these features exists, LCD TVs with their gray scaling color accuracy rules over Plasma displays.

When it comes to Plasma Vs LCD TV another important factor to be considered is the viewing angle. With Plasma TVs, the viewing angles are the best you can get. The LCD television manufacturers, even though have put in lot of efforts to improve their displays for better viewing angles, Plasma TV’s score easily over LCD TV’s on this count.

Longevity is the next most important factor to be considered when it comes to the competition of Plasma Vs LCD TV’s. This is the deciding factor of the life of your television.. The LCD television manufacturer boasts of an average of 50,000-65,000 hours of lasting display on the screen. However, there are shortcomings in this technology. In LCD technology, the aging of backlight can cause the colors to change slightly resulting in loss of white balance. This will affect the display performance of the TV  forcing the user to replace the backlighting .Sometimes the whole unit has to be replaced .

The points mentioned above are important factors in the competition of Plasma vs LCD TV. Consideration of these factors can help you take the right decision while choosing the television set suiting your needs. Discussing the matter with a representative at an electronics store may also be considered. This representative with his experience and knowledge on the subject can give you valuable inputs which will help you to choose the best model that suits your needs and budget.

Comment by Dan Lee

Shruti Singh asked:

LCD TV has turned out to be one of the most remarkable outcome of the quest for the most effective entertainment alternatives. What is more surprising is the amount of success that this concept has enjoyed in a very limited span of time since its arrival on the global scene. Although, an expensive price tag has somewhat affected its popularity by restricting its target audience. But even then, a LCD TV continues to hog the limelight from other available entertainment alternatives.

Today, the television market is flooded with numerous brands offering LCD TVs at the most competitive prices. With big names such as Hitachi, LG, Philips, Sony, Panasonic, Onida and many more, the competition just gets tougher. But the question remains, is that enough? Since, from time to time, questions have been raised by the television viewers with regard to the quality of these LCD TVs from the aforesaid brands.

However, one brand that has always come out with all its guns blazing, is Samsung. Yes, Samsung LCD TVs today are rated as the finest entertainment gadgets on the Earth. Offering an array of sound and budget-friendly alternatives in terms of LCD TVs, Samsung clearly emerges as a true winner. The shapes and size may vary but what is the best thing about these Samsung LCD TVs is that despite coming at such a cheap price, the manufacturer has not compromised with the quality at all. This clearly indicates why Samsung is a global leader when it comes to quality consumer durables.

Going into technical details, the USP of the Samsung products is their low-profiled sophisticated outlook that appeals to most of the prospective buyers. The very next thing is the performance. Yes, in case of Samsung LCD TVs, performance is one parameter that Samsung’s LCD TVs qualify with utmost ease. The picture clarity quotient is another parameter that leaves the prospective buyers speechless once they come in front of them. While as far as the models from the brand goes then each one of them is just too good. The only thing that the buyer has to do is question himself, ‘Which one for me’?.’

Right now, the best Samsung LCD TV model available today is the Samsung LN-T4661F. The elegant looking entertainment gadget lets its buyer to access an array of program formats and a user-friendly on-screen menu. The space conscious TV fits well into any kind of home geographical surroundings. Then, there is the Samsung LNT4061FX, that again is a complete show-stopper when it comes to delivering performance with perfection. Speaking about all models of Samsung LCD TVs won’t be possible especially when there is so much to write about them. However, as a prospective television buyer, the Samsung LCD TVs are something that will offer you a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping complete entertainment dose in just one go.

Posted by Nikhil Gupta

You have a new LCD TV that you want to mount on the wall. But how do you know what is the best mount for your purposes? Following are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a LCD TV wall mount.

At one time, each TV and mount manufacture used their own set ups, so it was much more difficult to figure out what mount went with what TV. Today, however, everybody has agreed on a basic setup and this allows the purchase of universal TV mounts. This not only saves time and money, but the holes that are predrilled in the back of the TV make instillation far less tricky than it used to be.

When you open the box for your run of the mill universal TV wall mount kit, you will find a wall plate that attaches to the wall and brackets that go on the back of the TV. The brackets are made to fit the holes that have been pre drilled into the back of the TV display.

Now, even though the kit is universal in its hardware, there are options available that you are going to want to look at before you buy one. For instance, if you are looking for the cleanest overall look, go with the standard wall mount. This will keep the TV within one inch of the wall. However, with this type, you cannot tilt the TV at all so you will have to be careful of where it is mounted, taking into account where you want the prime viewing area to be.

If you are thinking you may want to change the angle of the TV, then you are going to want a tilt mount. The style is close to the other model, but the TV is held further from the wall. This extra space allows the display to be tilted. The degree of tilt varies, depending on the model and manufacture of the mount.

If you opt for the tilt design you will need to consider how the mount moves. Some will move with just your hand power because it moves on a ratchet system. Other models require a tool to be used to move the angle of the TV. If you think you will be moving the display often, it may be worth the extra expense to guy the ratchet system for ease and convince of the movement.

If you prefer to be able to move around the room and not sit on the same spot of the couch all the time, you may want to opt for a wall mount that allows the TV to be pulled away from the all and tilted and swiveled for almost unlimited positions. These are called articulating wall mounts.

So, when you are looking at TV wall brackets, be sure you consider all the areas the TV will be viewed from so you can get the one that works best for you.

Posted by John Matts