| |
Plasma |
LCD |
| General |
| Screen sizes |
42-65+ inches |
5-65+ inches |
| Cabinet depth |
3+ inches |
3+ inches |
| Power consumption |
Slightly less-efficient per
square inch |
Slightly more-efficient per
square inch |
| Off-angle viewing |
Excellent from all angles |
Image fades slightly when seen
from extreme angles from sides
or from above or below |
| Reflectivity of screen |
Glass screens can reflect lots
of light, so may be an issue in
very bright rooms. Some models
have glare-reducing screens that
are more- or less-effective |
Matte plastic screens usually
reflect less light. Some models
have screens that are actually
more reflective than plasma |
| Features |
| PC connectivity |
Less common but still included
on many models |
More common than with plasma |
| Other features |
Varies per model |
Varies per model |
| Picture quality |
| Motion blur caused by display |
Negligible |
Difficult to discern on most
models, although subject to more
blurring than plasma. 120Hz
models less-subject to motion
blur |
| Black-level performance (depth
of "black" displayed) |
Varies, although excellent on
many models. |
Varies, although generally worse
than plasma on many models, and
better than plasma on best
models |
| Color saturation |
Varies, although generally a bit
better than LCD due to black
level and off-angle advantages |
Varies, although the best models
can equal the best plasmas |
| Resolution |
Typically 720p, up to 1080p on
high-end models. The benefits of
1080p are not obvious at screen
sizes below 50 inches to the
majority of viewers. |
Typically 720p, but 1080p is
more common than plasma at more
price and size points. The
benefits of 1080p are not
obvious at screen sizes below 50
inches to the majority of
viewers |
| Durability |
| Burn-in (faint after-images left
on-screen) |
Possible with still images left
on-screen with very bright
settings for hours, although new
models much less susceptible,
and most burn-in is temporary
and goes away after watching
moving images |
May occur in extreme situations
(very bright still images left
on-screen for days) but much
less likely than with plasma or
even standard tube TVs. |
| Lifespan (hours until fades to
half-brightness) |
Typically 60,000 hours, or about
20 years if used 8 hours per
day. |
Typically 60,000 hours, or about
20 years if used 8 hours per
day. |
| Program type |
| HDTV |
Excellent |
Excellent for HDTV-compatible
models. |
| Standard-definition TV |
Dependent mostly on screen size.
The smaller the screen, the
better standard-def usually
looks |
Dependent mostly on screen size.
The smaller the screen, the
better standard-def usually
looks |
| DVD Movies |
Excellent given a model with
good black-level performance |
Very good, although models with
worse black-level performance
are less desirable |
| Games |
Excellent for most users,
although burn-in might deter
gamers who leave screens paused
for hours or overnight |
Excellent, although motion blur
might deter the most sensitive
gamers |
