Which TV is Best for You?

LCD TV

Advantages:

• LCD screens do not reflect light like a plasma screen might. LCD TVs are backlit which means they naturally block out any outside light which make them fantastic for natural light viewing scenarios.

• You can buy LCD Tvs in a wide range of sizes, usually in between 22-50”. Plasma screens tend to be larger because of the technology involved in the screens, so you can have more versatility when choosing a size. You can buy LCD TVs in over 100 sizes.

• LCD TVs use less electricity to function than other types of TV, so if you’re trying to cut down on your electricity usage an LCD screen might be for you.

Disadvantages:

• Screen refreshing rates on LCD TVs aren’t as frequent as those on plasma. This means that motion blur may become apparent when watching fast movements on the screen. This tends to be on larger screens though, so you may not notice it if you have a screen which is 35” or less.

• The contrast and brightness of LCD TVs tend to be duller than other types of TV. LCD’s have trouble showing black because of the LCD panel. This may mean that images may be less crisp than they could be.

• LCD TVs could potentially have pixel failure, meaning that you could have areas of the screen which don’t work. This is very unlikely in high quality LCD TV models, but it’s worth taking into consideration when choosing a TV type for yourself.

Plasma TV

Advantages:

• Plasma’s have fantastic contrast ratio, meaning that you will get deeper blacks and brighter whites. Plasma TVs tend to be brighter than LCDs, because other screens tend to have ‘hotspots’, or areas on the screen which are less bright than others. The transistors in a plasma screen manage to illuminate all screen pixels equally, resulting in a consistently bright screen.

• They tend to have less visible motion blur because of their high speed refresh rates and much higher response times.

• Plasmas tend to have wider viewing angles than their counterparts, meaning that all viewers of the screen should be able to have a perfect view of screen even if they’re watching it from an angle. This means plasma may be easier to place in a room so all viewers can see it.

Disadvantages:

• Power. Plasma TVs generally use more electricity than an LCD, so if you’re looking to cut down on your electricity usage you may want to consider a LCD TV.

• Plasma’s are heavier than LCD televisions and may need more care when mounting on a wall.

• Older models of Plasma TV’s were susceptible to screen burn-in if you leave a picture on the TV for long periods, for example, when you pause a DVD. Newer plasma’s have orbit their pixels, which makes it less obvious to the human eye, but this can still occur if you leave one picture on for a considerable amount of time.

3D TV

Advantages:

• 3D movies have become vastly popular over the past few years, so having a 3D enabled TV at home means you can have the cinema experience in the comfort of your own home.

• With auto stereoscopic technology you won’t need to buy 3D glasses or wear them when you’re watching your 3D TV. 3D TVs are also a lot easier to set up than projection based 3D.

Disadvantages:

• At the moment, 3D TVs can come with a hefty price tag. They’re still a very new edition to the TV market so will be more expensive than a plasma or LCD for some time until their popularity rises.

• Currently, there isn’t much content to justify having a 3D TV at home for some people. Because the home 3D TV market is relatively new there aren’t many TV channels 3D ready, nor are there many games or DVDs that can utilise the technology. However, because 3D is tipped to be the next big thing, more and more TV channels and game developers are preparing for the boom and there is set to be a big increase in products available for 3D TVs in the near future.

About the Author: Written by Rachael from the LCD TVs team at MoneySupermarket.com

No related posts.