The Technology of LCD and Plasma Systems Part 4

The Advantages of LCD

The major advantage of LCD over plasma is that the system is far more compact and individual cells can be faithfully reproduced at smaller sizes. Another advantage is that LCD screens can make use of plastic where Plasma uses glass.

What does this mean? It means that you can get more pixels into a smaller screen size, which means better resolution the amount of space you have. It also means that the units are less bulky, lighter and produce smaller footprints.

Need to save space? Need a TV for your caravan? Buy LCD.

Fans of LCD will be more than happy to point out that Plasma screens experience something called 'screen burn-in', something unassociated with LCD screens. This phenomenon is caused when a single image is left on screen for a long period which burns a 'ghost' of that image into the plasma cells.

In the past this became such an issue on computer monitors that it gave rise the 'screensaver', which is now more a novelty than a system for actually saving your screen from burn-in. Plasma had made huge advances in reducing this effect, it is now hardly an issue worth worrying about.

Are you an eco-warrior? Do you check that every appliance is turned off at night?

Then LCD may be for you. LCD screens consume far less power than their Plasma cousins and produce less heat. LCD screens also have a longer life span lasting up to three times the number of hours it takes to loose half their brightness than Plasma screens. This not only gives Liquid Crystal the moral high ground in the green debate but also makes LCD screens more economical to run with less power demands and longer periods between renewals.