What's Best: Plasma Or LCD?
So, in the hope of helping you make the best decision for your customers, let's review the pros and cons. There are certainly numerous other big-screen technologies vying for attention--DLPs and rear projection LCDs, as well as CRTs--but in the spirit of keeping things simple we'll focus the debate on LCDs vs. plasmas and what works best based on aesthetics, size, placement and image accuracy needs. First off, size always matters. For now at least, more plasmas are available in larger sizes, especially beyond 30 inches. If a large flat panel is a must and you want the freedom to select from multiple vendors, the debate, at least for now, ends here. In areas where the sizes overlap, plasmas are cheaper, but naturally you get what you pay for. The resolution of plasmas is typically lower than most LCDs. If your customer wants to view high-definition video as it continues to emerge over the next few years or needs to view computer interfaces clearly, an LCD is better.
Another consideration, and one LCDs don't suffer from, is burn-in. If a plasma shows a static image for a long time or repeatedly in separate viewings, that image effectively burns into the screen and can be seen as a ghost, haunting the display forever. Unless paused or frozen for a long time on the order of days, normal TV, DVD or VCR watching will not cause burn-in because the images are always changing. But computer interfaces and video games often have screen elements that do not change position or color. If the display is for static imagery, particularly if the customer is hooked on a particular game, an LCD helps avoid burn-in.
Burn-in is also an issue when viewing many 4 x 3 images on a wide screen. The center of the screen is used most, making it appear distinct from the right and left. Wide screens can usually stretch the image, but that leads to aspect ratio distortion or chopped heads. Burn-in also raises issues about longevity. Plasma image quality fades over time. LCDs can lose a pixel or two, but usually that's an out-of-the-box problem and occurs rarely.
Due to technical limitations, plasma displays are also not the top choice for black-and-white source material. Plasmas' blacks tend to appear slightly better than LCDs', but their gray scales are not accurate. This is less of an issue for color sources. Plasma displays have an easier time displaying accurate, rich color than LCDs. But LCDs typically have a higher resolution and can deliver more color information.
Additional considerations include viewing angle and power dissipation. Plasmas win for wide viewing angle by about 30 degrees over the 130- to 140-degree limitation of high-end LCDs. But 130 degrees is more than adequate for all but the widest, shallowest of seating arrangements. Anything beyond that would severely interfere with multichannel audio directionality. With regard to power dissipation, plasmas are power-hungry and generate more heat than LCDs. That mainly increases the stress on an AC system and drives up the electric bill. It also puts additional demands on a pedestal or enclosure.
The bottom line is that LCDs can deliver an even-colored, crisper image for still pictures and low-motion images like computer interfaces, interviews and dramas. On the other hand, plasmas perform better with colors in high-movement scenes like sporting events and action flicks. Remember, though, that advances in speed and efficiencies, panel size and falling prices are likely to make LCDs the degradation-free panel of choice over time.