Anyone who has shopped for a new TV has heard of plasma and LCD screens. If you've researched ratings for flat screens or browsed new television reviews, you've been inundated with information. So, what is the difference between the different types available? What are the advantages and drawbacks for plasmas and LCDs?

The concept behind plasma and LCD TVs are identical. An image is divided up into many smaller pieces called pixels. In a single second, the pixels are flashed on the screen twenty to thirty times a second creating the illusion of motion. The difference between plasma and LCD are the ways in which they create their images.

The plasma television works when small amounts of gas are superheated with electricity to create a picture. The plasma pixels can show brighter than LCDs because they actively throw off light and in turn are better for seeing the screen during daytime hours. The contrast in the image ends up being greater because the pixels shut off completely causing the blacks to be blacker.

In LCD TVs light is passed through a grid of red, blue, and green color crystals (one each per pixel) which become selectively opaque when electrical current passes through them. As compared to Plasma TVs which are susceptible to burn over a period of time LCDs do not burn since the pixels do not emit their own light. In plasma TVs one can observe a permanent image on the screen if the same image has been on screen for a longer time. However in modern plasma TVs this takes considerable period of time.

The resolution is not any different between plasma TVs and LCD TVs. So this means that both can offer the same level of detail. Additionally, they both offer high definition resolutions as well. Typically, the prices for these TVs are comparable. However for either very large screens or very small ones, an LCD tends to be the less expensive choice.

It becomes a matter of compromise when you choose one or the other. If are looking to use the television as a computer monitor your best bet is the LCD. If you are looking for the brightest screen for an area brightly lit the plasma television is best. The LCD can be used to create rear projection televisions that allow for a very large screen. If you are looking for a monitor to create professional video work you can choose either type of screen.

If you're in the market for a new television, you've undoubtedly researched flat screen TVs. You've surely came across the comparison of plasma vs LCD TV. However, have you looked into the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the flat screen TV ratings? Read the new television reviews, and you will discover it becomes a matter of compromise when you choose one or the other. If are looking to use the television as a computer monitor your best bet is the LCD. If you are looking for the brightest screen for an area brightly lit the plasma television is best.