Buying a new TV was once a simple task. However, now you have a range of options including Plasma, LCD and LED, making that selection more challenging.
I thought that I would try and offer some assistance so I took to the internet to research what the different websites had to say about each kind of TV technology.
Some of the advantages of Plasma are more clarity in terms of the picture when viewed from the side.
They are cheaper than LCD and LED TVs.
Plasma has top refreshing rate, which gives a better performance for fast moving video playback and less motion lag for rapid moving images.
Plasma TVs are better in darker rooms.
Disadvantages of Plasma are, they are heavy, consume more power, are more prone to screen burn-in from static images and can produce glare in well-lit rooms.
Some of the advantages of LCD (Liquid Crystal Displays) are that the colours of images look more realistic.
LCDs also look better when the room is bright. LCD gives a better performance than Plasma in smaller screen sizes.
LCD has a longer life span than Plasma and some claim that the expected life of an LCD TV is 30 years.
LCD consumes less power than a Plasma screen TV but is not as efficient as an LED TV.
Disadvantages of LCD are that they can have poor contrast level and respond slower to fast moving images, creating blur.
LCD screens cannot produce true black.
Some of the advantages of LED are that instead of using fluorescent lamps to light the display image they use light-emitting diodes (LED) as the light source.
There are two categories of LED, edge lit and full array.
Full array lighting is when the diodes are spread evenly across the back of the screen and can be controlled independently allowing a very sharp picture that can be dimmed or brightened with precise control.
Edge lit lighting is when the diodes sit along the exterior of the screen producing light across the display when lit.
Edge lighting allows for very slim designs.
LEDs are more energy efficient, have lower power consumption than Plasma and LCD TVs and will save your electricity bill.
LED TVs are still considered to be an LCD TV but with LED as the light source.
They are lighter, have a longer life than Plasma and produce sharper images and deeper blacks. LED TVs have been designed for the future, which is digital TV.
The disadvantage of LED is the current market price, but with all technology that should decrease in time.
Another point that should be mentioned is that make sure you get all the connection options that you will need for now and the future, for example you may need an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port in the future so if buying a TV now, its something to check for.
* James Trusler is the director of Foneology. For queries, suggestions please contact fijitechchat@gmail.com.