02-06-2012, 12:32 PM
Plasma Display Panel vs. Liquid Crystal Display Technology
[attachment=23972]
Introduction – The Flat Panel Display Market
As the flat panel television category continues its explosive growth, plasma display panel (PDP)
technology remains the benchmark and de facto standard that consumers seek when
considering the purchase of flat panel home theater display devices. To many consumers, the
term “plasma” has become synonymous with all flat panel displays – even though liquid crystal
display (LCD) products are also available.
Until recently, the market for direct-view, flat panel televisions was segmented fairly clearly, with
LCD sets available only in screen sizes smaller than 30 inches, and PDP products available in
larger screen sizes ranging from 42 to 61 inches. Today, the consumer market for these two flat
panel technologies is beginning to converge, due to mass production of LCDs in larger screen
sizes.
While PDP and LCD offer some shared benefits (their flat, thin form factor and undistorted,
fixed-pixel image rendering), significant quality differences remain. Plasma displays continue to
best fill the needs of home theater enthusiasts seeking premium-quality large-screen display
devices, due to several inherent benefits of the technology.
Under The Glass: Plasma and LCD in Simple Terms
Plasma monitors and liquid crystal displays both incorporate fixed matrix technologies, but
produce images using very different methods.
A plasma display is comprised of two parallel sheets of glass, which enclose a gas mixture
usually composed of neon and xenon (some manufacturers also use helium in the mix) that is
contained in millions of tiny cells sandwiched in between the glass. Electricity, sent through an
array of electrodes that are in close proximity to the cells, excites the gas, resulting in a
discharge of ultraviolet light. The light then strikes a phosphor coating on the inside of the glass,
which causes the emission of red, blue or green visible light. (Each cell, or pixel, actually
consists of one red, one blue and one green sub-pixel). The three colors in each pixel combine
according to the amount of electric pulses fed to each sub-pixel, (which varies according to the
signals sent to the electrodes by the plasma display’s internal electronics), to create visible
images.
Action-Ready Motion Handling.
Home theater enthusiasts enjoy watching action – whether it’s fast-moving sports or highintensity
drama. Nearly every genre of home entertainment relies on motion: sports, movies,
variety shows, reality shows, even the news. Plasmavision displays show it all clearly, without
the blurry, smearing afterimages that plague LCDs.
LCDs rely on matrix switches within the sub-pixels. These switches need time to cycle through
the on-off sequence – more than 1/30 second was confirmed in recent testing. 1/30 second is
more time than it takes to display two video fields – so rapidly moving LCD images leave trails
behind them. This means that not just on-screen footballs, racehorses and racing cars, for
example, are blurry. It also means blurry camera pans and zooms – serious problems that
undermine the clarity of motion-based content when viewed on an LCD.
Summary
The characteristics of LCD monitors – small size with high resolution, image lag, low power
consumption and ability to show static images for longer times without burn-in – make them
suitable for non-residential applications and some small-screen residential applications such as
personal computing and keypad controls. But for custom installation home entertainment
systems, LCD’s fall short in screen size, color accuracy, contrast, peak brightness performance
and motion clarity. Clearly, plasma monitors are the only choice for big-screen home theater
applications.
[attachment=23972]
Introduction – The Flat Panel Display Market
As the flat panel television category continues its explosive growth, plasma display panel (PDP)
technology remains the benchmark and de facto standard that consumers seek when
considering the purchase of flat panel home theater display devices. To many consumers, the
term “plasma” has become synonymous with all flat panel displays – even though liquid crystal
display (LCD) products are also available.
Until recently, the market for direct-view, flat panel televisions was segmented fairly clearly, with
LCD sets available only in screen sizes smaller than 30 inches, and PDP products available in
larger screen sizes ranging from 42 to 61 inches. Today, the consumer market for these two flat
panel technologies is beginning to converge, due to mass production of LCDs in larger screen
sizes.
While PDP and LCD offer some shared benefits (their flat, thin form factor and undistorted,
fixed-pixel image rendering), significant quality differences remain. Plasma displays continue to
best fill the needs of home theater enthusiasts seeking premium-quality large-screen display
devices, due to several inherent benefits of the technology.
Under The Glass: Plasma and LCD in Simple Terms
Plasma monitors and liquid crystal displays both incorporate fixed matrix technologies, but
produce images using very different methods.
A plasma display is comprised of two parallel sheets of glass, which enclose a gas mixture
usually composed of neon and xenon (some manufacturers also use helium in the mix) that is
contained in millions of tiny cells sandwiched in between the glass. Electricity, sent through an
array of electrodes that are in close proximity to the cells, excites the gas, resulting in a
discharge of ultraviolet light. The light then strikes a phosphor coating on the inside of the glass,
which causes the emission of red, blue or green visible light. (Each cell, or pixel, actually
consists of one red, one blue and one green sub-pixel). The three colors in each pixel combine
according to the amount of electric pulses fed to each sub-pixel, (which varies according to the
signals sent to the electrodes by the plasma display’s internal electronics), to create visible
images.
Action-Ready Motion Handling.
Home theater enthusiasts enjoy watching action – whether it’s fast-moving sports or highintensity
drama. Nearly every genre of home entertainment relies on motion: sports, movies,
variety shows, reality shows, even the news. Plasmavision displays show it all clearly, without
the blurry, smearing afterimages that plague LCDs.
LCDs rely on matrix switches within the sub-pixels. These switches need time to cycle through
the on-off sequence – more than 1/30 second was confirmed in recent testing. 1/30 second is
more time than it takes to display two video fields – so rapidly moving LCD images leave trails
behind them. This means that not just on-screen footballs, racehorses and racing cars, for
example, are blurry. It also means blurry camera pans and zooms – serious problems that
undermine the clarity of motion-based content when viewed on an LCD.
Summary
The characteristics of LCD monitors – small size with high resolution, image lag, low power
consumption and ability to show static images for longer times without burn-in – make them
suitable for non-residential applications and some small-screen residential applications such as
personal computing and keypad controls. But for custom installation home entertainment
systems, LCD’s fall short in screen size, color accuracy, contrast, peak brightness performance
and motion clarity. Clearly, plasma monitors are the only choice for big-screen home theater
applications.