# Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED

I know there is an enormous amount of information on the Internet regarding this subject, with thousands of Blog Posts taking up space on servers everywhere. Even so, the first thing a customer asks me when they are looking to purchase a new television is:

"What's better, Plasma, LCD, or LED?"
or the infamous:

"What's the difference between LCD and Plasma?"
So, even though there is a plethora of information about the topic, people still ask this (rather annoying) question. This post will offer an answer without a lot of technical information. In other words, I'll spare you the geek talk and give you some practical information for purchasing a new TV.

# General Criteria

First let's set out some general criteria for purchasing any of the current technologies. First get a 1080p television. You may encounter the classic part-time sales person that says,
"You don't need 1080p, you can't really tell the difference between 720p and 1080p unless you are watching a Blu-Ray disc and how often do watch those? Do You even have a Blu-Ray player?"
Ignore this person and walk away. There is a significant mathematical difference between 1080p and 720p. Specifically, 1080p is 1920x1080 pixels, while 720p is 1280x720 pixels. Most over-the-air broadcasts are in 1080i - the i stands for interlaced and the p stands for progressive. Progressive scan technology literally scans the entire picture line by line every sixteenth of a second, while interlaced scanning divides the horizontal lines of the television into odd and even lines and then alternately refreshes them at 30 frames per second. The second number in the pixel aspect ratio indicates the horizontal lines. Thus, a 1080i scan will be 540 odd and 540 even. Now on a 1080p television all 1080 horizontal lines will be there. However, on a 720p television there will only be 720 lines, thus a 360 odd and 360 even split. Whoops, we just lost about 360 lines of resolution! If your following the logic, only a 1080p television set can produce full resolution pictures on all types of scans - interlaced and progressive. So stick with a 1080p set (no matter what the technology). Especially if you are purchasing a TV 40" or larger, do yourself a favor and buy a 1080p set (your eye cannot really tell the difference below 40"). Now, from resolution to speed.

Early LCD televisions had severe problems with what is know as response time. Response time is the amount of time a pixel in an LCD monitor takes to go from one value to another and back again and is measured in milliseconds (ms). The higher the response time, the slower each pixel is to change and thus the higher the lag on your television set. I have an old 26" Sharp Aquos from 2003 (or maybe 2004) with a response tome of 8ms. When I watch a football game on this set all I see are squares and lag lines (artifacts which are a result of its slow response time). The set lags terribly! Response time and refresh rate are different and most LCD/LED screen have ultra fast response times in today's market. Refresh rate is not response time but it is still important.

I suggest that you buy a television which has at least a 120hz refresh rate. Television is recorded in 24hz   (frames per second) and unconverted to 30 frames per second. (fps) This is know as 3:2 pull down. The process is used to transfer film which runs at 24fps to 30fps to match you television's interlaced scan (progressive scan makes a huge improvement on any video). The frames are then combined and interchanged to get 60hz. So why so we need 120hz if the image is actually being presented at 60hz? The answer is that companies have developed advanced algorithms which are able to smooth the picture out better than the standard 60hz, by producing frames in-between frames, which already exist. They are not adding any more detail, but they are making the conversion easier on your eyes. TVs with 120hz or above  (although anything over 120hz does not significantly add to the picture quality and hikes the price up unnecessarily) produce a picture which is substantially more smooth than TVs at 60hz and most people can tell the difference.

These are the two criteria that I think every TV purchase should include. Now let's get to the different technologies.

# Conclusion

All three types of TV sets are viable technologies and you should consider all three when purchasing a TV. They all have pros and cons to look out for. In fact, I own all three types (plus a rear projection LCD which I am not going to bother to talk about because no one sells them anymore, albeit in the largest of the large sizes and even then front projection is better. There was also DLP technology which suffered the same fate as Rear projection LCD). If you have a budget constraint I think Plasma sets give you the most for the money. If you have a huge budget, Full-Array LED TVs are great but so are THX certified Plasma sets. I am not going to crown a winner but I should have given you enough information to make up your own mind. Happy TV Hunting!

1. If I don't want to buy "outdoor tv" because so much more exp, but I want outdoor 60 inch tv on outdoor wall under covered area, what is best to avoid glare?

1. Hi Howard,

You are absolutely right about what manufactures call "outdoor televisions". These products are very expensive and many do not offer the same quality as "indoor televisions". For example take the Skyvue (SKY6020) 60" outdoor LED that costs 4,499. I would bet that a high-end Sony or Samsung LED has a better picture than the Skyvue (maybe not) but the price will definitely be cheaper.

Now of course, outside of water/snow damage, operating temperature is huge consideration. Most outdoor TVs have an operating temperature between -20 degree Fahrenheit and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have tried to operate an LCD display in the cold you know that they become slow to respond and images ghost over each other. Moreover, heat is the number one enemy of all electronics. This is something to think about. If you are planning on operating the set in relatively cold or hot temperatures then you might want to consider a true "outdoor television". Take the Samsung 60" 7500 LED that costs about $2,900, it has an operating temperature between 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. I live in upstate New York and in the winter that operating temperature will be no good for me. But if you live in an area like North Carolina or Florida that TV might be good outside all year round. So let's assume that operating temperature is not an issue and that the TV will not be exposed to water/snow. Your original question was about glare. The answer is LCD or LED, not plasma. All plasmas have a thick glass screen and will produce glare (there were some Panasonic models with an anti-glare protective coating a year or two ago, but even then glare was still somewhat present and the picture quality was compromised). Thus, LCD/LED are the way to go. But beware, some LCD/LED TVs have a clear coated screen that produces just as much glare as any plasma! Especially Samsung models with what they call the "Ultra Clear Panel". My personal recommendation would be a Sony Bravia like the 60" EX645 coming out soon for about$2,000 - great picture quality with the matted screen that heavily reduces glare. However, it can only be operated at temperatures above 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Nevertheless, any LCD or LED TV with a matted screen will do. I hope that helps!

Best,
Nick

2. Thanks Nick! This is a fantastic article and it explaines a lot of stuff that i would never have guessed before. I have to agree that 3D is pointless. But i am going out to find a new flatscreen tv for my churches youth group so it can be hooked up to an ipad and basically be soly used by youth (meaning it will probably get A LOT of use) what would you suggest for something durable that can survive a ton of use by not so gentile people?

3. Hi Brandon,

I am glad you found the article useful.

There are really two things to think about when answering this question: (1) Physical Damage and (2) Image retention.

First, lets's take LCD and LED televisions. The screen on these TVs is very fragile and can easily be cracked. They are made of a very thin panel with two (also very thin) pieces of glass which sandwich the crystals and TFT mechanisms. I have seen many break in the past from things such: as throwing a rubber ball at the screen; knocking the set to the ground accidentally; and simply the desire to press really hard on the screen to see the beautiful rainbow interrupting the LCD crystals produces (you can easily try this by gently running your finger across an LCD screen, you will see how easily it bows and produces the spectrum of colors). In fact, poking an LCD can cause other types of less serious damage as well, such as broken or stuck pixels. of course there are LCD sets with protective coatings which do a better job, but your average LCD is fragile and the more protected sets cost a considerably more money.

Now, let's look at plasma. These TVs have a thick tough glass screen that can really withstand a lot of torture. In the 15 years or so that I have been in the Home theater businesses, I have seen cracked plasma screens only a handful of times and it was usually because of a faulty mounting system where the TV fell 6-feet down to ground. With LCD/LED TVs the frequency of cracked screens in much, much higher. There is no question that plasma screens are the tougher variety.

But, in your case, I must still recommend LCD/LED.

The reason is what you are connecting it to - an iPad. It seems like there is the potential for there to be a static image on the screen for a considerable period of time. Even if people use it to watch movies, there will still be times where they will use apps that have static images that do not move. Plasmas are notorious for what we call image retention or "Burn-In". This occurs when a static image is left on the screen for as little as a few hours. The image will literally ghost into the television and thus can be seen even after the app or image is removed. This is an issue near and dear to my heart because I own several plasma TVs and unfortunately they have various things burned into the screen - such as the A&E logo because I really like that station.

While plasma TV have come a long way in this respect, they still burn in and I would consider your television a "high risk" scenario. Still, the image retention tends to wash out over time and correct itself, but this assumes that the static images (i.e. the app screen) will not be a constant variable.

The solution may be to mount the television in a way where it will not be touched, while still allowing people full access. Maybe mounted on a way 4-6 feet from the ground? Obviously the remote control is a good way keep people from touching the TV itself. But I also recommend Apple TV for the iPad rather than an HDMI tether. Apple TV will allow the iPad to me mirrored on the television without anyone needing to actually touch the TV. This seems like the best case scenario.

So LCD/LED is the way to go to escape the burn-in, which I think is a bigger threat to the television than users. But if you don't care about image retention, then Plasma are the tougher TV.

I hope this helps!Have a great evening!

Best Regards,
Nick

4. Thanks so much for this one! Not everyone can understand the technicality of modern TVs and what happens most is that the buyers are deceived by good word-of-mouth-advertisers with the tendency that they buy the more expensive ones, when all they had to do is read and read and read before buying.

Lance Vartanian

5. Among both led is better than lcd tv. It displays colors brighter than lcd tv. Also,it is eco-friendly and energy efficient.
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LCD

6. That's really interesting . Thanks for sharing

7. Thanks providing for this information about the Best LED Television and LCD TV also..

8. This is a fantastic article and it explaines a lot of stuff that i would never have guessed before. I have to agree that 3D is pointless. Art Lighting

9. Thanks for the post; it is surely an enlightening one. I am surely going to keep the above things in mind before investing in a television set next time.

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