'LCD or Plasma what should one choose?' -- This is a question we have been used to answering in the past. But what users most often ask us these days are -- what is HDTV, HD Ready or Full HD? Here is one example
Q) I want to buy a HDTV - within the 37- to 42-inch category. Which is the best brand and model in the Rs 60,000 price range? Should I wait for any new technology or is HDTV good enough? What is Full HD Ready? Also, what is the difference between Plasma and LCD TV?
by parthiv165
Plasmas and LCD TVs have been around in the market for a long time now. Yet when it comes to buying a television, rather let us put it as upgrading from an old CRT TV, one is confused about what to opt for. Both plasma and LCD televisions look similar in design and have slim-sleek profiles. Barring these similarities, technologies used in both the type of televisions differ in how they process and display incoming video signals or in creation of images. Because of the difference in the technology used, they inherit some characteristics, which make them better over the other in some aspects.
Technology
Plasma screens use a matrix of small gas filled with plasma cells that are charged by electrical current running through it to create a picture. Here each cell is a sort of bulb acting upon instructions sent by the software to create an image. LCDs are made up of liquid crystals that placed in the space between two glass panels. Here images are created by varying the amount of electrical charge applied to the crystals from backlight. In simple words, a crystal either allows light to pass through or blocks the light to create a desired image. The pattern of transparent and dark crystals forms the image with the help of a colour filter layer consisting of three elementary colours such as Red, Green and Blue. Each technology has its advantages and drawbacks as well.
Suitability
Since LCD TV works on the principle of blocking light from backlight, they are best suited in rooms with ambient light, as is the case in most of our homes. Plasma TVs, on the other hand, are best for homes that have dedicated home theater rooms with controlled lighting or night-time viewing, as they produce the best contrast required to show detailed dark scenes.
Picture quality
Picture quality is what everybody is concerned about while choosing their TV set. Both plasma and LCD sets produce excellent pictures though it is often argued that these technologies cannot match the overall picture quality displayed by CRT TVs. Here again, it depends upon the application -- if you are going to use your TV mainly for movie watching purpose then a plasma is definitely a good choice.
Resolution
LCD TVs enjoy an upper hand over plasma TVs when it comes to picture resolution in models of various sizes. As our user says, he wants a 37- or 42-inch TV set. Here, both 37- or 42-inch HD Ready LCD TV has a minimum native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels while a 42-inch Plasma has a resolution of 852 x 480 pixels or 1024 X 768 pixels at entry level. Here LCD enjoys size to resolution advantage, because of the LCD TV having the ability to display 720p/1080p signals or HD content. This also makes LCD TVs preferable over plasmas when it comes to connecting it with a PC. An LCD TV displays better static images when connected to your PC or VGA sources, with full color detail and without flicker. So for the budget our user has mentioned, LCD TVs are best choices as they offer more bang for the bucks spent.
Fast moving scenes
Plasma TVs score over LCDs because of their excellent performance with fast-moving images and high contrast levels. With LCD TVs also, this problem is largely a non-issue as the latest LCD TVs show judder free images and only seasoned eyes can notice any trailer effect if there
