Another thing about LCD vs Plasma.
Plasma TV's work on the same principle as cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. Except that they use electrodes instead of three cathode ray guns and a matrix. Therefore plasmas are subject to the same cons as CRT's.
Plasma TV's are prone to 'burn in' like CRT's. And they generate large amounts of heat and use a lot of electricity like CRT's. Mainly because the plasma technology is based on CRT technology. Also, one or more of the cathode ray guns on a CRT television are likely to fail. This is what makes colors appear "washed out". For example, if the red cathode ray gun fails, you will find the reds in the screen look purple and the blues appear green. Plasma televisions are also prone to the same problems, giving rise to the high rates of service calls and warranty claims. Hence the delay during such claims and the lengthy turnarounds at the manufacturer's service centers.
Unlike plasma, CRT technology has been around for over 60 years. CRT's were used by August Logie Baird, a Scotsman who pioneered broadcast television back in the 1920's.
LCD technology is immune to 'burn in' and other constraints associated with CRT and plasma technology. And because of this, they are ideal for use in public places, especially advertising kiosks at shopping malls.
Consequently, Foxtel in Australia which uses plasma TV's provided by LG in their advertising kiosks have a high replacement rate of TV's which fail from constant use. And so, using LCD TV's in their kiosks would be more economical. Although they cost more money, they would still cost less since the failure rate would reduce significantly as fewer TV's would need to be replaced.
DaveNay said:
- Deeper blacks and richer colors on plasma.
- LCD exhibited color fringing (halo's around regions of color, almost chromatic aberration).
- LCD had poor performance with moving subjects. Objects would leave trails and ghosting.
- The plasma was cheaper.
- I liked the plasma better.
Now, DaveNay. The color fringing and poor performance is due to the quality of the LCD set in question.
The trails and ghosting are due to a slow response time. The higher the response time, the more incidents of trails and ghosting. For example, you will see a great deal of trails and ghosting on an LCD device with a 16ms response time while you will see hardly any trails or ghosting on one with a 5ms response time.
LCD TV's have a native screen resolution unlike plasmas. The color fringing on the other hand is due to a low native resolution. Also you get pixelation from a low resolution as well. You will find there will be much less color fringing on an LCD TV with a higher resolution. The higher the resolution, the less color fringing.
What to look for in an LCD TV is the response time and the resolution. The lower the response time and the higher the resolution, the better in both cases. It is also better to invest in a full HD (1080p) LCD set instead of a 1080i set.
Also, what's on the back of the set is just as important as what's on the front. The more connectivity options, the better.
If you're playing regular DVD's and/or have a Playstation 2, a 1080i set is ideal. If you play Blu Ray discs and/or have a Playstation 3, a 1080p set is the best choice.
The 'i' and 'p' that suffixes 1080 on TV's stand for 'interlaced' and 'progressive' respectively. Footage displayed from an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray disc use progressive scanning to give you the crystal clear picture quality associated with the two formats.
If you consider an LCD set, it would be prudent to watch one in action before you part with your cash. A full HD 1080p set is a good idea if you wish to 'future proof' your entertainment system.
After all, I'm only a computer technician. I have to know these things and keep up with technology in order to give my customers the satisfaction they deserve.
Sounds like I gettin a LCD 
I just might not have heard him right.
