What's best LED, LCD or Plasma?

How to choose between LED, LCD & Plasma

When purchasing a new television, you will of course need to take into account the price ranges and the picture quality associated with the different technolgies and screen sizes. One of the major decisions in getting the best out of digital HD viewing is the choice between LCD, LED LCD and Plasma technology TVs. When it comes to buying a new TV, how do you decide which is better?

Plasma screen TVs use plasma gas cells to produce the picture, where electricity is applied to a matrix of cells at different levels, exciting the gas to emit different levels of light in each cell, the combination of which creates the picture in the form of thousands of pixels. LCD TVs in many ways operate along similar matrix lines but instead of exciting a gas to emit light, the act of applying an electrical charge to a crystal cell has a twisting effect which renders the cell transparent - or not - thus allowing the back light through. The main technology in LED LCD screens is precisely the same as with other LCD screens but the fluorescent lamp used as a back light is, instead, replaced with LEDs which are held to offer a more durable and uniform light source.

In general terms, all of the technologies continue to improve. Broadly, the contrast ratio (the difference between the brightest whites and the blackest blacks) on a Plasma screen TV is better than that of a traditional LCD panel. This is because a plasma screen can completely shut off the light source for individual pixels on the screen. Depending on other elements of the technology, a plasma screen thus has a stronger ratio of dark to light available across the screen and creates a bolder brighter picture. However, with the latest LED technology combined with the LCD crystal screen, LCD based televisions can now individually alter and control segments of the back light to rival plasma screen TVs. LED LCD TVs now have a viewing angle very similar to that Plasma screens (which was historically a limitation with LCD) due to the decentralised distribution of the back light.

Theoretically, plasma screens can produce brighter colours and have a better display of motion on-screen because they can refresh individual cells at a faster rate than their LCD counterparts. However, the latest LCD LED screens not only double the refresh rate of the screen image, but also offer a greater breadth in terms of colour ranges with red or white led back lights. LED enhanced screens also save considerable power over traditional LCD and Plasma screens, using significantly less energy than both. Needless to say, the LED back light technology has a far longer life span than the LCD fluorescent equivalent.

It is therefore being widely suggested that LED LCD screens are superior to either of their forerunners, for picture quality, energy saving and longevity. With high definition (HD) TV being one of the main benefits of the digital switch over, the rush is on to purchase a TV which will give you the most from the newly available digital technology. Other than practical issues such as how long the screen will last, the only real advice in terms of a superior image, is simply to compare screens next to one another. Despite what the specifications might imply, viewing the screen itself is always a sure fire way in which to see the difference for yourself and to make a decision as to which you personally prefer. There are so many other factors involved including the quality of the circuitry; the manufacturing process; and the materials used that the final image varies significantly across not only models from different manufacturers but indeed within different ranges from the same manufacturer.

There are a huge range of TV screens available on the market. Taking one example, the Panasonic TX32LZD81 comes with a strong 10,000:1 Contrast Ratio, Intelligent Scene Controller, a 178° wide viewing angle with an IPS Alpha Full-HD Panel, so it can hardly be said to lag behind its plasma counterparts. Importantly, it also receives Freesat in readiness for the digital switch over and as such has a digital TV `tick`.