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What is the difference between a LED or Plasma TV?

What is the difference between a flat plasma tv and a LED flat tv?

  • I am considering purchasing a flat screen tv and would like to know any flaws in the two and would like to know how each works. PLEASE NO sales pitches or buyers guides, just info on their flaws, benifits, and quality.

  • Answer:

    Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)  • HD resolution from 1280x720 pixels through 1920x1080 pixels in a variety of panel sizes.  • LCD panel fabrication is a mature technology - now in 7th and 8th generation motherglass production for major fabs.  • LCDs are transmissive in operation, i.e. liquid-crystals emit no light themselves they simply "modulate" the amount of light passing through them. Essentially liquid-crystals act as shutters to control the amount of light from a (cold cathode fluorescent) backlight. The source of illumination is independent of individual liquid crystal pixels.  • Randomly-arranged liquid crystals pass light in their normally “off” state and block light in “on” state.  • Color is produced in direct view, flat-panel LCDs using RGB micro filters and on projectors using a dichroic prism or spinning color wheel (the latter has rapidly fallen into disfavor among manufacturers.)  • Brightness is 3 to 5 times higher than comparably sized plasma displays; LCD can achieve brightness exceeding 400 nits at full white.  • Contrast ratio is approximately 1/4 to 1/2 that of plasma displays. Average ANSI contrast ratios measure between 147:1 and 170:1.  • Typical black level is undesirably high at 1.7 nits (eight times higher than conventional CRTs!) Dimmable backlights help to provide lower black levels and better contrast numbers.  • Predicted life of backlight is approximately 60,000 hours at 200 nits (not at full power mode)  • Improved backlight and color performance can be obtained using triluminous LED backlight technology; achievable brightness up to 450 nits and lifespan estimated up to 100,000 hours.  • LCDs consume less power than similarly sized plasma displays.  • LCDs weigh less than similarly sized plasma displays.  • Liquid-crystal response or switching time (LC twist times) is slow for video - between 8 ms and 16 ms; this can cause ghosting or smearing in video images containing fast motion.  • LCDs have trouble with low-level shadow detail resulting in "crushed" grayscales.  • Color saturation is inferior to emissive displays though LED backlighting can help.  • LCDs have higher pixel density than plasma panels.  • No image burn-in. ____________________________________ Plasma Display Panel (PDP)  • Plasma display panels (aka, PDPs) - monitors and TVs - are emissive devices, i.e., each individual pixel emits light. Image brightness is directly proportional to the intensity at which individual pixels are driven.  • Power consumption is 15-20% more than LCD for a given size.  • Weight is 20-25% higher than LCD for a given size.  • Mature technology since early 1960s.  • Each cell uses mixture of noble gases (neon, argon, etc.)  • AC discharge in each cell stimulates ultraviolet radiation causing color phosphors to glow and form picture elements; similar in principle to fluorescent tube operation.  • PDP TVs produce roughly 72 to 299 nits (21 to 87.4 foot-Lamberts) of luminance.  • Average ANSI contrast ratios measure approximately between 596:1 and 772:1.  • Typical black level is 0.21 nits (roughly the same as a typical CRT.)  • Waffle-like Deep Cell pixel structure and improved filters enhance contrast, black level, and luminous efficiency.  • Predicted life of phosphors is approximately 60,000 hours at 80 nits (not in full power mode.)  • Image burn-in is a serious concern; therefore PDPs are not an ideal choice for console gaming or computer use. (Note: some models utilize 'picture orbiting' and low power modes to combat image burn-in.)  • Plasma displays have trouble with high- and low-level shadow detail resulting in false contours.  • No problems with video containing fast motion; PDPs possess faster pixel switching times (full motion at 60 Hz) - progressive video sources are the best.  • PDPs consume more power and generate more heat than LCDs; PDPs get noticeably warm.  • Pixel pitch is rarely less than 0.8mm which requires a larger, more expensive panel to achieve true 1080p.  • PDPs have wide viewing angles (160 degrees H and V.)  • PDPs possess greater color saturation and are capable of achieving lower levels of gray. ____________________________________ Alternatives to LCD and plasma display technology: Organic Light-emitting Diodes (OLEDs)  • Self emissive  • Low voltage  • Super thin displays  • Saturated, bright colors  • High contrast  • Ultra fast response times for video  • Very wide viewing angles Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Displays (SEDs)  • Super-flat version of a CRT  • Wide color gamut and bright colors  • Black level and grayscale performance equivalent to modern CRT  • High brightness ~300 nits (~87.7 ft-L)  • Very high contrast ratios  • Fast response times for video  • Very wide viewing angles  • Low power consumption - uses about 30% less power than PDPs.  

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Plasma has burn-in, so if you watch the news for hours, and change to something else, you'll see a ghost image from watching the news. Had that happen at a house I went to today. Turned the TV on for a couple minutes, switched inputs, but there was a completely black screen up and no signal. You could see the outline of "CNBC Alerts" Nasdaq, Dow, and the like. Also, if you're at a very high altitude, like the mountains here, where Bill Gates has a house up in the Yellowstone Club, there are possibilities of your television messing up due to the lack of air pressure. The screen has pink flashes in various areas. Plasma has two pieces of glass with the substance between the two, and little pockets where the plasma is electrified. The glass is presurized so there isn't too much or too little space between the two. LCD TVs are little lights and shutters for each pixel. If you have a flat panel computer monitor, that's what it is. DLP, rear projection, is just a projector displaying on the inside of a TV. The only thing that can happen to these is problems with electronics or the bulb going out. Bulbs can be replaced. Have a problem with a dead pixel on your LCD, and you're stuck with it. Have something happen to your plasma, you're stuck with it. Have a bulb on your DLP go out, you replace the bulb for a couple hundred. They're also usually less expensive. Go to a GOOD television store like where I work. One that has around 50 TVs of varying quality, and pick one in the price range you're looking for. Samsung is our best seller. Wal-Mart has cheaper TVs, because the quality is poorer. Same name, different model number. Just check it out. Crutchfield is a good website to do comparisons for features and cost. But if you want to know picture quality, just go and play with the TV you want. It also depends on where you have your TV for what you get. DLP isn't the best for a bright room. Plasma can have a glare from the glass. LCD has the same type of finish as DLP, which is like an eggshell. It's smooth, but not glossy like plasma. Also, the closer you are to the TV, the smaller you want. My uncle has a 42" Toshiba REGZA, and sitting 10' away, the picture is great. Smaller wouldn't be as nice, and bigger is just overdoing it. Where you have it located as far as sitting down is important on what you choose. If you want to mount it to the wall, don't get DLP. A DLP is like a thinner, lighter version of a tube TV. Don't forget what you're hooking up to your TV. If you get an HD TV, you want HD picture. You're going to want HDMI or at least component video running to it (RGB "picture" + W/R "audio"). HDMI can pass 1080p for your best picture and sound on one cable. Standard definition will look horrible, and you won't be able to stand it. What you could stand on your old TV, you won't be able to on your new. So don't forget to get an HD cable box or satellite receiver/dish.

hah2001

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