The Best Plasma vs. LCD HDTVs Face-Off
 Samsung LN-T5281F LCD vs. Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD Kuro Plasma 1080p HDTVs Three years ago, Sound & Vision staged the first of its HDTV technology face-offs when we put a 37-inch Samsung plasma alongside a like-sized Sharp LCD, tuned them to the hilt, then fed them the same programs to see which was king of the HDTV hill ("Plasma vs. LCD," February/March 2005). In those days, flat-panel TVs were still an expensive oddity. But even then, the question "Which is better: plasma or LCD?" burned hard in the hearts of our enthusiast readers. Not surprisingly, that's now the No. 1 question we're asked about HDTV. The results of that first battle were decisive. The Samsung plasma beat the Sharp LCD in virtually every key area, including contrast, color accuracy, picture uniformity, and picture detail. But much has changed. While plasma has continued to advance, set-makers have also worked hard to address LCD's most serious shortcomings. One of these is motion lag — obvious trails on moving objects created by the panel's relatively slow response time to the video signal. Another major issue is LCD's inability to reproduce deep blacks — a critical element for delivering natural, saturated colors and striking, lifelike contrast that adds depth and dimension to the image. By early 2007, we began seeing LCDs that could finally hold a candle to the better plasmas. New panels with fast response times, coupled in some cases with 120-Hz screen-refresh circuitry (twice the conventional 60-Hz rate), have virtually eliminated motion lag. And throughout last year, contrast seemed to improve on every LCD we tested. But none of them, frankly, suggested that they had finally caught up enough to the best plasmas to warrant another side-by-side look. Until now. Full Article @ Sound & Vision Magazine |
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