LCD, LED, or Plasma TVs: The Differences
Generally speaking, there is a choice of two TV technologies: liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma. LED (light-emitting diode) TVs are LCD TVs with LED backlights, and are typically higher-priced.
LCD TVs often produce a brighter picture than plasma TVs, so LCD is the better choice if you're watching in a room that has a great deal of light. LEDs will give you a slimmer machine, will consume less power, and usually come with larger screens. LCD TVs use a backlight that shines through liquid crystals to produce an image. LCD is also preferable if you tend to leave the TV on for most of the day especially if tuned to the same channel.
The bigger the TV you want, the more it makes sense to go with plasma. It's hard to find a plasma TV of less than 42 inches, because they're expensive to produce in smaller sizes. However, in larger sizes they're sometimes cheaper than LCD. If you have the room and the budget for a plasma screen TV, and if you generally watch TV in a dim or dark room, you'll find that plasma provides a better black-level performance and is viewable from most angles. Many viewers prefer plasma for watching fast sports, such as hockey. Plasma TVs use more power than LCDs, however, because plasma technology uses electricity to produce ultraviolet light, which works with phosphors to produce an image.
Rear-projection TVs are still available, and will give you a very large screen (60-plus inches) at a low price, but they're bulky and the picture quality will not always be up to the latest standards.
LCD TVs often produce a brighter picture than plasma TVs, so LCD is the better choice if you're watching in a room that has a great deal of light. LEDs will give you a slimmer machine, will consume less power, and usually come with larger screens. LCD TVs use a backlight that shines through liquid crystals to produce an image. LCD is also preferable if you tend to leave the TV on for most of the day especially if tuned to the same channel.
The bigger the TV you want, the more it makes sense to go with plasma. It's hard to find a plasma TV of less than 42 inches, because they're expensive to produce in smaller sizes. However, in larger sizes they're sometimes cheaper than LCD. If you have the room and the budget for a plasma screen TV, and if you generally watch TV in a dim or dark room, you'll find that plasma provides a better black-level performance and is viewable from most angles. Many viewers prefer plasma for watching fast sports, such as hockey. Plasma TVs use more power than LCDs, however, because plasma technology uses electricity to produce ultraviolet light, which works with phosphors to produce an image.
Rear-projection TVs are still available, and will give you a very large screen (60-plus inches) at a low price, but they're bulky and the picture quality will not always be up to the latest standards.