LCD vs LED vs Plasma? Which TV technology to choose?

The first question that comes to mind when we go to buy a T.V. is “Which display technology T.V. to buy? LCD, LED or Plasma?”

This entry seeks to help future buyers in deciding this.

Let us take a look at different factors of each of the above technologies.

Brightness

Comparison: LED>LCD>Plasma

Explanation: LED TVs are the brightest of the lot followed by LCD and then Plasma T.Vs. When all the three are placed side by side we can tell which is which based on the brightness.

Black Levels

Comparison: Plasma>LED>LCD

Explanation: Plasmas have the highest black levels followed by LEDs and LCDs respectively. Contrast ratio is affected by this (Contrast ratio explained below).

Contrast Ratio

Comparison: Plasma>LED>LCD

Explanation: Contrast ratio is the difference between the darkest part of the image and the brightest. Plasmas have the better Black levels hence they have better contrast ratios also followed by LEDs and LCDs. Though some LEDs having different technology might have the same contrast ratio as Plasmas or even better than them but that is not true for the general lot of TVs.

Viewing Angle

Comparison: Plasma>LED,LCD

Explanation: Plasmas have the best viewing angles and both LEDs and LCDs lose out on this quality.

Energy Consumption

Comparison: LED(least consumption)<LCD<Plasma(most consumption)

Explanation: When we talk about saving the environment and consuming less energy, the TV to go for here is the LED as it consumes the least energy of the lot. While Plasmas on the other hand consumes the most energy. LCDs lie somewhere between the two.

Price

Comparison: LED(most expensive)>Plasma(best price/size ratio)>LCD(least expensive)

Explanation: Now we are talking. Price is the most important factor for some buyers. When companies place their products in the market, LCDs form the lower end section while LEDs are the ones in the higher end section. One can always get a Plasma for the best price for the perfect screen size kind of deal.

Winner

Well clearly all factors are still not able to define a clear winner as they differ from person to person. LCD have their advantages like they come in all sizes starting from few inches to well over 100 but they miss out on other factors like the brightness and the black levels. Plasmas have the better black levels, contrast ratios and viewing angles but miss out on energy consumption and size as they start from 42 inches. LEDs have everything good but they miss out on the price front as they are most expensive of the lot. So to sum up, every display technology has its Pros and Cons and it is up to the end user to decide which one works for him/her