Are you looking to replace your tired old television? Do you still have an old cathode ray tube (CRT) television, that may have served you well over the years, but is now on its last legs? Everywhere you go, and even on the TV now, there are adverts for the latest types of television, and the choice of manufacturers is huge. Perhaps one of the most important questions though, is LCD or Plasma?
Both televisions are at the forefront of television technology, and both are of exceptional quality, and unlike the old CRT televisions, they are both very thin avple. This is because they don't have the CRT that made the old televisions bulky.
Plasma televisions contain 3 types of gas that is contained in tiny cells. These cells are packed between 2 large glass panels, and the 3 gases are xenon, neon and helium. When these gases get charged with electricity, the red, green and blue phosphors contained within produce the colour that you see on the screen as a picture.
LCD or liquid crystal display televisions produce a picture in a different way. In their construction, LCD televisions have panels within them that are made of a polarized material. As the television is switched on, the electricity passes through these panels, which contain crystals, and depending on the signal either hold the light or block it. It is this process that makes up the picture you see on your screen.
Which one you ultimately choose depends on a number of factors. Plasma screens are generally larger in size then LCD televisions and weigh more than their LCD counterparts, so consider where you are going to site the television when you choose which one to go for.
A plasma television also requires a considerable amount of power to work. It has been estimated that LCD televisions can use about half of what a plasma screen may require.
You should also consider what the television will be used for, as the colour quality on a plasma screen is widely regarded as better than an LCD television, you will get more contrast and the blacks are far better, but if you play a lot of computer games or watch shows with a static image a lot, then plasma screens do have the potential to get screen burn. This is where the image leaves a shadow on the screen, although this will take a long time to happen. LCD televisions are also slightly slower at producing fast moving pictures, but this would be fairly hard to spot, unless you are very critical of the TV's display.
The quality of high definition pictures in the smaller LCD televisions is second to none, and I can vouch for this, as I have a 27inch LCD television, with HD input, and the picture really is amazing.
The viewing life of the television should also be considered. Most plasma televisions have a minimum viewing life of around 30,000 hours, which is plenty. LCD televisions can have the light source changed, so can last longer than their plasma equivalents.
