These days there are a number of types of television to choose from. There are flat panel LCD, Plasma and most recently LED screens, as well as video projectors that can project large images on to the wall or screen.
LCD, LED and Plasma TVs look similar on the outside but work in very different ways. LCD screens contain millions of tiny pixels that are filled with liquid crystals. When placed in front of a light source (backlight) the pixels light up and create the picture. Plasma TVs consists of lots of tiny cells that contain a mixture of gases. The gas in then electrically turned into plasma which excites the phosphors in order to emit light and so produce the television picture. While LED screens are similar to LCDs but use a large number of small lights known as LEDs (Light emitting diodes) to act as a backlight.
As each screen uses contrasting technologies, each has its own advantages over the other screen types. Here's a quick overview, helping you to decide which screen type is best for you:
LCD TV Advantages
- Higher native resolution than plasma screen of same size meaning you will get best viewing experience when working at native resolution
- Consumes less power than a plasma screen of the same size
- Lighter than plasma screen of the same size
- Longer lifespan. LCDs are guaranteed for 60,000 hours use. Plasma screens generally have a shorter lifespan 30,000 - 60,000 hours. 30,000 hours of use equates 10 years of use at 8 hours per day. You are more than likely to replace the set before then.
- LCD does not suffer from screen burn where as Plasma screens are susceptible - but thanks to improved technology and screen savers this has become less of a problem with modern plasma sets.
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LED TV Advantages
- Consumes far less power than LCD and Plasmas
- Incredibly thin screen depth
- Very high contrast ratio
- Far more-accurate reproduction of deep blacks and bright whites
- Faster, clearer images
- Wider colour gamut with vibrant colours
- Wider viewing angle
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Plasma TV Advantages
- Better motion tracking than LCD with little or no motion lag which makes plasma better for fast moving scenes in movies or sports. The response time on top end LCDs is improving all the time but they still suffer from slight motion lag.
- Better colour saturation than LCD meaning richer and more natural colour reproduction
- Higher contrast levels than LCD
- Display blacks more accurately than LCD
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