Flat Screen Picture Qualities: Plasma, LCD, LED

There are a lot of questions and factors that could arise when purchasing a new television.   The main question that comes up is which one is the best one.  Well, that is again as with all technology that has variety and so many choices, a matter of opinion and what suits you the best.  Whether you are a hardcore gamer or you just like to have the latest, there is a T.V. for you.

First and foremost,  I'd like to start with the Plasma...

Let's start with the negatives.  I know.  Way to be unbiased.  But I'm getting at something here.  There are a lot of complaints about burn ins on this particular type of T.V.  Yes.  It does get burn ins but that is only if there is a portion of any picture on the screen that is left stationary.  For example.  If you leave it on the same channel especially if the logo rarely leaves the screen.  It will burn in.  The first 100 hours of a Plasma are fairly critical and it has to be broken in.  You break it in by making sure you do things like watching movies in full screen and wide screen due to the black bars.  Also with modern Plasma TV's there are tests' you can run that scroll a bar across the screen.  Another way is to put a screen saver on your Plasma your DVD/BluRay player, or your cable box.  Set it for less than 30 minutes because that's when the burn in usually begins.  That's if you are one of those who falls asleep in front of the TV or if you have a habit of leaving the TV on when you leave the house.  The last one is really awesome and the super easy.  Just turn it off when you will be away from it or not turning the channel for extended periods of time.

Another complaint is the glare off the screen of a Plasma.  Unfortunately there is no setting to solve this issue. It does do well in well lit rooms but not with the sun shining through your windows.  So indoor lighting is okay but sunlight coming in from a window can mess up the whole experience.  It also uses more energy than the other two Now with that out of the way...

Plasma has the best performance, the deepest blacks, and the purest colors.  If you are a gamer then plasma is the way to go if you have one of 120+ Hz that is anything less is not recommended for a gamer.  The Hz is how many times the TV will refresh an image per second.  Plasma has been said to be the quickest with refreshing.  Plasma TV's are also great for sports.  Think Super Bowl or World Cup.  Don't let the burn in or screen glare deter you from buying a  Plasma, because it is the best performing television out of the LCD and LED in my opinion.  

How it works...

Instead of one back light like the LCD or the Local Back light displays or Side light, like the LED, the Plasma are made up of highly compressed gasses and with each pixel lighting up individually.  There is no back light.  It also has the highest refresh rates available.  Up to 600 Hz.  Also I don't recommend a resolution less that 720p or 1080p for any reason.

Now to the LCD Tv

LCD Tv's offer the brightest viewing experience due to the way the image is created.  The pixels create the color and the light behind it or back light if you will, behind the liquid crystals makes the color.  The open curtains will not be an issue with the LCD, as the picture quality is best in a well lit room with a lot of daylight.  Glare is almost non existent due to the front pane of the TV being plastic. This also makes it more durable.  It is especially great having that sense security if you have children swinging and throwing things around.  LCD's color quality suffers in consistency due to having one large back-light serving up an image and true blacks are almost impossible to achieve. Which brings me to...

LED TV's

The first thing you'll notice about an LED TV is how thin and light it is.  LED TV's are based on the same type of technology as LCD only with a different kind of back-light, called local back-light.  They have grids of back-light set behind the screen, so image quality in darker portions of the screen isn't compromised, just because there is a higher level of contrast in a particular scene.  Even still they struggle with consistency.  On the bright side, it uses 50% less energy that a Plasma.  The picture quality is greatly enhanced and you get a brighter display. Also, they can be instantly be switched on or off, unlike the Plasma TV, in which glowing gasses, that are turned into plasma to provided that great picture quality have to turn back into gas to stop the glow.

As far as pricing goes, Plasma would be the cheapest of the three, keeping in mind the resolution, hertz, and size of course.  The LCD comes in second in that department, and the LED third.  Though Plasma may be the cheapest it uses the most energy so it could end up being more costly in the long run.  The verdict...

When it comes to consistency, Plasma is the way to go, but you run the chance of having a higher light bill and it requires maintenance.  In my opinion, the LED would be the way to go.  It has about the same consistency as a Plasma, it takes up less space, and it uses less energy.  It could also be more durable with its plastic panel.  So with that said my vote goes to the LED.  How about you?