If it is time to buy a new television you may find it more difficult than you might imagine. Trying to figure out which type of flat panel HDTV is best for you can seem like a mountainous task especially if you do not know the difference between LCD TV’s and Plasma TV’s. In order to make your job a little easier, we will now compare the 2 main types of flat panel televisions – Plasma and LED.
Is LED Different From LCD?
One thing in particular that causes much confusion with customers is the difference between LCD and LED TV’s . The truth is that LED TV’s are actually a newer form of LCD TV, and not a completely new type of flat panel. Normally LCD TV’s are backlit using CCFL florescent lights, whereas LED LCD TV’s (as they may be listed) use the same liquid crystal display but are backlit by light emitting diodes.
The Price of Plasma over the Price of LED TV’s
As Plasma TV’s have been around for much longer than LCD TV’s and are considered an older form, the price has lowered dramatically. In fact the models that are most expensive to purchase at the moment are the LED-lit LCD TV’s. However, does this mean that you should save the money and go plasma? Not exactly – while the initial cost of a Plasma TV may seem attractively lower than that of an LED, overtime the actual running cost of Plasma is higher than an LED as they use more electricity. Also, Plasma TV’s tend to take up more space and therefore it may cost you more in purchasing a unit or mount to hold Plasma.
The Positive and Negatives about Plasma TV’s
There was a time when Plasma televisions outclassed all other types of TV in terms of picture quality and contrast. Although you still get a sharp image with vivid colours, LED TV has improved and is continuing to do so. There is also the small issue of your Plasma TV being “burned in” which although is less likely nowadays it can still happens So in addition to their bulky size and weight, the fact the use more energy, they don’t off the best quality anymore.
The Positives and Negatives of LED TV’s
Compared to the earlier CCFL back lit LCD TV’s, LED’s are much more energy efficient, slimmer and have a better contrast ratio. Back-lit can be seen as an umbrella term as LED’s can be lit from the back and the side. In standard models, the LEDs are placed behind the screen, which means that the brightness is adjusted individually making the black much blacker and vivid. Whereas the edge lit LED’s have the diodes along the edge of the screen. This enables TV’s to have a thinner build. However, this is at the expense of the actual angle and overall contrast over the back lit models and Plasma TV models.
Which is best overall?
In summary, it would seem like there is positives and negatives with both types of flat panel televisions. However, most experts reckon that Plasma televisions have had their time and that as LED’s continue to improve and advance, there will be a more expansive price range for LED’s. This means that more and more people will be able to afford LED TV’s.