LCD vs Plasma

Remember when you first saw that new, massive Plasma screen at your local technology store? Sure the price was a tidy $15 000, but the weekend game at home would never be the same again.

Three years later and that same TV now sells for around $4000. This is a massive drop in price - we're talking $11,000 in three years.

So how do you ensure you don't pay too much for your new TV or get caught with old technology?

The answer is to spend time understanding technology. For starters, technology is becoming more complex.

Where once we had black and white TV, we now have wall-mounted, high definition, interactive television that puts you right in the thick of the action.

The good news is as more factories make Plasma and LCD televisions, the market is flooding and prices are dropping. We've seen 32" LCD televisions hit Australian shores for less than $2000. Sure, they are no-brand version from Taiwan or Korea, but the reality is that most LCD TV's come from the same 4 or 5 factories.

So, what do you need to look for when buying a new TV? The first issue is to decide whether you want LCD or Plasma.

If your main reason for buying a new TV is to add sophistication to your home, then go for a plasma TV right away. Nothing has the big-screen kudos of a large screen plasma.

But did you know that most low-cost plasma TVs have a resolution 30 per cent lower than your old CRT TV model, or that from the moment you turn your Plasma TV on the brightness begins to permanently decrease?

Most people will tell you that Plasma looks better than CRT, but this is only true if you're buying at the high end of the market. Plasma's tend to look better simply because they are bigger.

Plasma TV also has a limited lifetime and cannot be repaired once the image degrades. Typical plasma TVs have a life span of 30,000 to 40,000 hours, which equates to at least three years of 24/7 usage, before the TV fades to half the original brightness.

On the other hand, LCD, (Liquid Crystal Displays), a competing large-screen technology, has been around for over 20 years, but has only recently become a reality in the TV market.

This is because early LCD technology could not handle the fast movement of high-action live TV. Thankfully, as the technology has developed LCD TV now offers a clear reproduction of high action scenes.

Why then are LCD TV's currently the must-have technology?

Not only are LCD TVs a super slim flat panel, they are much lighter in weight than plasma models, as the LCD itself is made from plastic rather than glass.

Screen resolutions are high definition-friendly on larger screen models and each pixel has a better definition than the glowing phosphor dots of plasma or CRT - creating a very sharp image. LCD TV's are silent in operation and are energy efficient, using little electricity.]

The downside with LCD TV is the low refresh rate of the screen with some brands. Basically, the slower the refresh rate, the more likely you are going to notice screen jitter in high action movies and computer games.

The other thing to be aware of is viewing angle. LCD TV uses pulses of electricity to untwist liquid crystal and hence block light, so anyone not viewing the screen straight-on will see the light escaping between each individual pixel. This can affect contrast and colour. So if you're going for LCD, make sure you choose a model with at least a 170 degree viewing angle.

Now that we have looked at the positive and negatives of each technology, the final question is what to buy? If I was buying a new TV, I would definitely be looking at LCD TV's.

Sure, an LCD TV doesn't sound as exciting as Plasma, but in terms of picture quality and value for money, it can't be beaten. If size is what you're chasing, then go Plasma. Unless, of course, you're happy to wait for 12 months until 50" LCD screens hit our shores in large numbers.