by: Henry Tate

One of the most common debates that comes up whenever someone decides to buy a new TV, is whether they should buy an LCD TV or a different type of TV, such as Plasma.

Many people are unsure about the pros and cons of each different type of technology, so today I’m going to tell you the differences between these two modern technologies.

The first thing you need to know is how the two technologies are different. A plasma TV uses two gases (neon and xenon) which is trapped between two layers of glass. The gases are manipulated to show the images on your screen.

An LCD TV is made out of two transparent layers which are glued together. One side has a kind of polymer that holds the liquid crystals in place. The crystals are then manipulated to display the images you see.

Okay… that’s enough of the science. What’s the pros and cons of each type of TV?
Firstly, plasma TV’s main feature is their size. You can have a very large plasma TV, that would be much cheaper compared to the same size screen in LCD form. Another key feature is the contrast ratios. They are very good with plasma TV’s. They are especially good for rendering dark, night time scenes in movies.

However, the plasma TV technology isn’t without it’s faults. Some people may experience something called “burn in”. This is when you have a static image on your screen too long. It can cause the image to burn into the TV for some time. There are methods of removing this, however. But that’s beyond the scope of this article.

Plasma TV’s also have a lower “lifetime” than a LCD TV. They won’t last as long as an LCD TV, which can last an astonishing 60,000 hours.

So what about LCD TV’s? What are the pros and cons?
With LCD TV’s there’s no burn-in problem. They also produce less heat and run at cooler temperatures compared to the plasma TVs.

One of the disadvantages of LCD TV technology is the problem of “ghosting”, which is when fast moving images leave a trail on your screen (although admittedly, this is becoming less of a problem with the newer low response time TVs).

Another disadvantage is the possibility of “dead pixels”. This is when you have a little black spec on your screen, where the pixel has died… and therefore cannot display any color. Most retailers won’t accept a return unless there’s over 6 or more dead pixels. So if you only have one or two, you are stuck with it (although some people don’t even notice them, because they are very small).

So in conclusion, both technologies have their individual pros and cons. If you want a very large TV, then you may prefer a plasma. Personally, I think LCD is the way to go if you want a TV under 37”. LCD TV’s last much longer, and the quality of picture has improved dramatically over the last few years. They really are a good investment.