LCD vs Plasma: which is right for you?

LCD vs Plasma: which is right for you?

 Both flat and wide screen types have their own advantages and disadvantages. To be sure not to make the wrong choice, ask yourself a simple question: what aspect are you uncompromising? Some tips to help you decide.
Screen Plasma / LCD: two distinct technologiesThe LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen filter light. It is composed of two parallel transparent plates. A thin liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the plates. The crystals are oriented when traversed by electric current to produce subsequent pixels.
The plasma contains a gas (argon and xenon). Excited by the electric current, the gas contained in the cells of the screen (pixels) produces a light beam which is then converted to allow to obtain 16 million colors.Practical considerationsThe screen size and its distance from the eyeThink instead of the home screen.On the small screen (15 to 36 inches) size, only the LCD technology exists. Between 37 and 50 inches, the two technologies are available. Beyond 50 inches, we find that Plasma screens.HD (high definition) technology allows today look the same wide screen closely. Note however that the health of your eyes, allow a distance of 5 times the diagonal of the screen between you and him. This will help you determine the right size for you.Life and power consumptionBetween 50,000 and 60,000 hours LCD. Between 30 000 and 50 000 hours for Plasma. About 6 hours a day for 14 years for both. Plasma technology consumes more power (up to 20% more) in the lighting of pixels on the screen compared to LCD screens (high efficiency lamps). The latest LCD devices are even considered "low consumption".
Here is an article on their life.PriceThe Plasma is still generally more expensive than LCD (for an equivalent size). But the gap is narrowing.Image: qualities and defectsColor / contrast / pixels "death" / FluidityThe structure of the plasma provides deep blacks: contrasts and details stand out better on dark or bright images. On the LCD, the dark colors are rendered less effective (light traces), even if the technology improves. Plasma reproduce colors more naturally (smooth gradation). It also avoids the "dead pixels", which can be displayed in black and white on LCD screens (sometimes very annoying). The sequence of images may appear smoother on the plasma.The angleImportant if you are not facing the screen. Plasma TVs generally offer better viewing angles. A 160 ° or 170 ° (vertical / horizontal) LCDs more distorted the image the plasma screen.Sensitivity to ghosting effect or "burning"This kind of failure is inherent in plasma. When a static image is too long on the screen, the pixels can be altered (especially in the first 200 hours of use). This defect is irreversible and causes loss of light in places. If you use your screen for video games, LCD technology is most appropriate.MirrorPlasma screens reflect external light sources. This defect can affect the quality of viewing.Rendering of movementQuite deficient in early LCD, rendering hectic scenes is now equivalent to that of plasma.