What is the difference between a flat screen Plasma tv and a flat screen LCD tv?

Answer 1

Both types display the HDTV format which has much higher resolution and clarity than the old NTSC format.

LCD and plasma are two different types of display. Plasma screens are more expensive to buy and maintain. LCD screens have a backlight that has to be replaced when it blows out. Plasma screens, if they fail, generally have to be replaced completely. Quality varies widely so shop around before committing your dollars.

Wide-screen is another question. Movies are displayed much wider than the old NTSC TV format. New TVs have lots of wide formats. A lot of new formats seem to be cropping up. Is HDTV a widescreen format? I think it is but am not sure.

The above used to be true. A comparable size/ resolution Plasma will often be less expensive than it's LCD counterpart. Plasma and LCD are both going to be more cost effective to replace than to repair.

HDTV is by definition broadcast in widescreen. When watching a TV show that is in HD it should fill your TV completely. With movies or blu-ray discs there are two different widescreen formats: 1:1.85 and 1:2.41. The first is the 16:9 format that will fit your widescreen TV, the second is used for movie theaters' formatting. Most blu-ray discs will keep the original aspect ratio so it is normal to see black bars on the top and bottom of your screen.

Answer 2

A plasma TV is what is known as an emissive technology. Each pixel is like a tiny picture tube TV. They are coated with phosphor and glow when electricity is applied. Each pixel has a minute amount of plasma gas in them. The picture comes right off of the surface of the screen. Contrary to the many myths out there the gas DOES NOT leak out of the plasma and they DON'T need to be recharged. The entire TV contains less than a thimblefull of gas. The downside of Plasmas is that you can get phosphor burn if the picture freezes for a long period of time or if you play a lot of Video Games where there are things like score boxes that are in the same place on the screen all of the time. Plasmas are best viewed in dark rooms. I have one in my basement which has very small windows and my friends frequently comment on the picture. It's a low end Element TV. 42 inch that only cost me $699. An LCD TV is what is know as a transmissive technology. The panel is made up of pixels of liquid crystal (LCD = Liquid Crystal Display). They have wires running to them and lights around the perimeter of the screen shine from the back allowing you to see the picture. If the lights didn't come on the picture would still be there, you just wouldn't be able to see it. The downside of an LCD is only if it is in a very bright room. The picture can get washed out. Samsung TVs have a much brighter picture because they had developed flat flourescent lights which they run behind the screen rather than having perimeter lighting. Also, Samsung makes all of the LCD panels that Sony put in their TVs. No, I don't work for Samsung, I just like their TVs and have researched their technology.

The downside to plasma displays is that they suck up a LOT of power as compared to an LCD display of comparable size, and they produce a lot of heat (which is wasted energy). Some communities have even banned the sale of plasma screens because of their power usage.

Answer 3

A Plasma TV is created buy using a neon-xeon gas in glass that is sealed by plasma. To create an image, electric current is passed through the gas to make it light up. An LCD TV has two layers of a clear material that has the liquid crystals locked between the layers. A light source is need for the LCD to work since the crystals do not hold light. The light actives the crystals and the crystals emit colour.