LCD panels (or, as they are also called, LSD) have the following device: many transparent electrodes are applied to two transparent plates. And between the plates are liquid crystals, horizontal and vertical polarizers, as well as an RGB color filter. The crystals themselves do not shine in any way - behind one of the plates for this is a backlight. Polarizers and crystals are arranged so that they transmit this light. When a voltage is applied to the cell, the plane of polarization changes and light will no longer be transmitted. A change of voltage leads to a change of light.
Plasma panels (PDP) also consist of a pair of transparent plates and the same electrodes, however, here each cell is filled with a phosphor from a mixture of inert gases (argon, neon or xenon). These cells are isolated from each other by a partition characterized by opacity. It turns out that the glow of one of them does not affect the glow of the neighboring one. Obviously, an additional highlight object is not required here.
Now let's talk about the differences between these two panels of TVs.
What is the difference between plasma and LCD: on-screen image refresh time
In plasma, this value is much smaller, that is, the image changes almost instantly. LCD panels in this regard are lagging behind - there is a loop effect. For a long time this was a problem, but recent developments have reduced the value to 8 ms, which is almost invisible to human vision.
What is the difference between plasma and LCD: viewing angle
The LCD for this indicator lagged behind the plasma panel for a long time, but recent technologies have made it possible to smooth out the difference in viewing angle between the LCD and plasma. True, at a large viewing angle, the LCD still exhibits a slight decrease in contrast, and plasmas with this problem do not exist at all thanks to their technology.
What is the difference between plasma and LCD: in screen play
For LCD panels, this figure is 80 thousand hours, and in plasma - half as much. Although if you think about it, then 40 thousand hours is quite enough to actively use the TV for eight or ten years. Over such a period of time, the panel will still become morally obsolete and somehow it will make sense to change it to a new one. By the way, some plasma manufacturers give even a larger screen resource than the above figure.
What is the difference between plasma and LCD: heat dissipation and power consumption
In LCD, both indicators are much lower. It is worth noting another big plus of liquid crystal panels in front of plasmas - this is passive cooling and, as a result, the lack of cooler humming, which can be a problem for some users when using a plasma panel.
How plasma differs from LCD: uniformity of lighting and contrast
In plasma, the image is more contrasting, in LCD - more “soft”. Neither one nor the other is a drawback in fact - there really is someone who likes to watch. Since each cell independently glows in the plasma, there are no and cannot be problems with the uniformity of lighting on such a panel. LCD had similar problems, however, the introduction of new standard backlights into the technology reduced the problem of uneven lighting. It can also be noted that on plasma the depth of black is much higher. On the LCD, black may also look dark gray, since light rays slightly, but still break through the layer of crystals.
What to choose: plasma or LCD
We examined the main differences between the two popular TV panels today. Now let’s summarize, which will clearly tell each of you which product in the electronics store is better to look at.
Screen update time: the leader is plasma.
Viewing angle: the leader is plasma.
Burnout: the leader is LCD.
Heat dissipation and power consumption: the leader is LCD.
Lighting uniformity and contrast: plasma is the leader.
Pay attention to those characteristics that are priority for you. Have a good shopping!