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5 myths vs. reality in the LCD and plasma HDTV debate


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Posted by axxxr
You've heard the hype. You've heard the sale pitches. Now learn what is myth and what is reality when it comes to the plasma vs LCD HDTV debate.

Reality: Plasma will lose it's brightness over time. Because of the phosphor in the plasma over time the screen brightness will diminish; LCD technology does not have this problem.

Myth: However, the time in which this happens is often over-stated. You will most likely be long gone before you notice it. Refer to the graph below from Fujitsu:



Reality: Plasma shows better contrast ratios/darker black levels than LCD. This is due to the LCD technology and how it displays pixels.

Myth: While Plasma may boast much higher contrast ratios than LCD, these tests are typically done in pitch-black rooms and when their is outside light pollution this high contrast ratio is much lower. Also, it is believed that most human eyes can only discern a much smaller contrast ratio than either Plasma or LCD manufacturers state.

Reality:Plasma, because of the phosphor, will display burn-in. You can see this often at airports that leave up flight times for hours at a time. This is not an issue for LCD technology.

Myth: Although Plasma does show burn-in, most new Plasma sets have built-in software to counteract the burn-in and manufactuers recommend not to display 4:3 images on a 16:9 display to further reduce the problem.

Reality: Plasma can show better color range than LCD. This is due to the way that Plasma emits pixels versus LCD use of sub-pixels.

Myth: LCD technology has better color accuracy in gray scaling and some color accuracy is actually better than Plasma because of this.

Reality: LCD image response times are more than Plasma which can cause a picture lag. This is due to the LCD pixels needing time to brighten and darken again.

Myth: Now that LCD displays have sub 8ms response times they are comparable to Plasma displays.

Plasma's claim of higher contrast ratios and darker black levels are lost to real world use. While Plasma does have better color accuracy and faster response time, LCD has now caught up if not passed Plasma in these categories. Plasma does still suffer from burn-in but with newer displays it is easily avoided. Not taking into price and screen size, Plasma still has a slight advantage over LCD.

Winner: Plasma

Posted by masseur
panasonic sell both types but on their site they say "We're not saying Plasma TV is better - You are."

and also

Forget L.C.D.; Go for Plasma, Says Maker of Both

unfortunately I'm still swinging towards LCD and though it is lagging behind in available sizes, IMHO I prefer the look of LCD screens now that their response is so fast

Posted by axxxr
I don't know?I'm still divided,specially after reading all these different views and opinions.

Personally i do think LCD have a better picture quality (sharper Clearer images) but this research above suggests otherwise so im more confused than ever.

On the cost side Plasma's do have an advantage as these they are much cheaper than LCD's, i've seen 42" ones going for as cheap as £600.

Here is another good link: www.plasma-lcd-facts.co.uk


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