Making the Right Choice

What’s the difference between LCD and Plasma TV

If you’re looking to buy a large flat-screen TV, you no longer just action from movies to sport, we recommend you choose a big
need to decide which brand to choose. You also need to pick screen Plasma TV so the whole family can enjoy the experience.
between two very different technologies: Plasma and LCD. So in
this document we hope to make your decision easier by putting Panasonic VIErA LCD TVs with screen sizes of 32” are ideal for
the case for why we think Plasma is the way to go for large screen personal viewing in smaller, brightly lit environment set-ups such as
sizes over 42”. in the kitchen or bedroom.

Since Plasma & LCD use different methods to display images But why should you listen to us? Well, for starters we actually make
on the screen, they produce different results. With powerful large LCD TVs and Plasma TVs. LCD TVs are ideal for small screen
screen images, Panasonic VIErA Plasma TVs in big screen sizes of sizes under 42” and Plasma for larger screen sizes over 42”, and
42”, 46”, 50”, 54”, 58” or 65” are ideal for the ambient lighting this is based simply on our experience of which technology
conditions of your living room. For viewing big impact,fast moving works best.

Different Technologies
Facts you should know before buying a large screen TV
TECHNOLOGY If you are a movie buff and love the cinema experience, we
Plasma technology is relatively new (1964), having been originally recommend that you choose a big Plasma TV to deliver a more
developed as a full colour screen at the time of the Winter Olympics cinema-like experience in your home with deeper and truer
in Nagano (1998) as a means of showing sporting events on larger blacks which enhance depth and richness of colour.
screens than is possible with CRT technology. It was thus
developed from the ground up for showing video as opposed to RESPONSE TIME
static pictures. Plasma technology works on the rapid electrical discharges in
the individual cells to produce an image, which can react almost
LCD Technology is actually an older technology dating back to 1904 instantly to changes in picture content. This makes a Plasma
and was primarily developed to display static images on digital screen’s response time practically zero. Moving objects are
calculators and watches, before being adopted by the IT industry rendered vibrantly and crisply.
for computer monitors and eventual development into TV sets.
With LCD TVs, response time describes the time it takes for a liquid
COLOUR REPRODUCTION crystal cell to go from active (white) to inactive (black) and then
With Plasma technology, every individual pixel (3x cells or back to active (white) again (the LCD molecules have to physically
sub-pixels) contains all the elements necessary to make colours move). Because this whole process can take considerably longer
which helps Plasma produce a wider colour palette with more than a Plasma cell to refresh itself, LCD TVs may blur moving
natural tones. objects as the LCD cells fail to go through their active/inactive/
active cycle fast enough to keep up with the rapid changes in the
With LCD technology, colours are made by manipulating the light source image. Some large LCD TVs now utilise frame interpolation
coming from either a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) or technology in an effort to reduce the effects of monitor blur. The
Light Emitting Diodes (LED) then passed through colour filters. larger the screen, the more noticeable this motion blur may become
In the case of CCFL & LCD TVs with edge lit LED Backlight this – and this is why we recommend Plasma for larger screens.
reliance on a fixed backlight source and colour filters may make it If you’re looking for a big screen TV to view sport and action
difficult to produce consistently natural and believable colour movies, Plasma should be your choice.
uniformality and tone.
VIEWING ANGLE
Because Plasma TVs can produce more viewable colours than Because Plasma screens emit light directly from each cell, their
LCD, Plasmas are able to bring the colour of your world to TV. If you pictures retain high contrast and picture quality even when watched
want to see more vibrant colour on your TV we recommend that from extreme angles.
you choose a big screen Plasma TV.
Because pixels in conventional LCD TVs in effect merely “pass on”
INTENSE BLACKS a light originating from a single point behind them, some may lose
With Plasma screens, a pixel can be made to look almost contrast and colour if watched from different angles.
completely black by stopping any electrical current from
entering it. Panasonic are now so good at this that some of our If you often entertain groups of people for TV viewing, movie nights
Plasma’s boast a dynamic contrast ratio of 40,000:1 (native or sports events, we recommend that you should choose a big
contrast), helping to create a truly cinematic, deep image. Plasma TV so everyone has the best seat in the house.

With LCD, some unwanted light from the backlight may seep-
through pixels that are supposed to be black, meaning that dark
areas may look grey and flat.
An entirely new kind of Plasma
Why choose NeoPDP technology when buying Plasma?
NeoPDP is an entirely new Plasma design. (2,000,000+:1) Dynamic Contrast (Native 40,000:1)
NeoPDP combines breakthrough revisions in New VIErA models incorporate an improved panel production
three critical areas – materials and process and the new Real Black Drive system. A pre-discharge
processes; discharge gas and cell design; control system, the Real Black Drive system combines with
and circuit and drive technology. Together NeoPDP technology to achieve next-generation black reproduction.
these advantages bring you twice the luminous efficiency of When you’re watching movies, VIErA renders images just the way
previous displays. the director intended, even in scenes where it’s difficult to achieve
a proper balance of light and dark.
Full High Definition motion with 1080 Line
Resolution Rich graduation: 6,144 Equivalent Steps of
VIErA 600Hz Sub-field Drive technology lets you view superb Gradation
Full HD motion and still images with 1080 lines of resolution. For The equivalent of a full 6,144 steps of gradation assures smooth,
even greater clarity with motion images, Panasonic uses unique rich image expression. This superb gradation performance means
image-analysis technology. This convert the motion in each scene that even the delicate shades of colours in a sunrise are accurately
into data, then optimises the frame to display fast-action scenes reproduced.
in Full HD resolution. Each frame display is faster than previous
systems, to reduce after effects.

Panasonic Difference
Why choose Panasonic VIErA?
So now you understand some general reasons why we believe PANEL LIFE
Plasma is better for large-screen TVs than LCD. Let’s now get Panasonic VIErA Plasma panels boast a long service
specific about the extra improvements Panasonic exclusively life of approximately 100,000 hours and LCD panels
delivers in the shape of our own specific processing and approximately 60,000 hours**.
production technologies.
Long Service Life
IMAGE PROCESSING The plasma panel offers a long service life up to 30 years,
Any TV, even a full HD one, is only really as good as its picture when watched for up to eight hours a day. Panasonic is working
processing. Imagine a car with the very latest alloy wheels, to utilise resources, by developing products that maintain high
but an underpowered engine. Quite simply, even with the alloy quality for a long time.
wheels, the lack of core power means it will still under perform.
The same is true of a flat panel TV. By making the panel glass thinner, we are able to increase the
light transmission to create a brighter picture with less power.
Panasonic uses its own state-of-the-art “VIErA” processors, the
result of twelve generations of Plasma production, to balance all CONNECTIVITY
the key picture elements and get the best results possible from VIErA Link* – operation with a single remote control
your video sources. VIErA link allows you to control your VIErA
TV, Panasonic Blu-ray or DVD player/
HIGH DEFINITION recorder, Panasonic Home theatre system
Another example of the “Panasonic difference” in action can and Panasonic Full HD camcorder with a
be seen in the current “Full HD” debate. Some manufacturers single remote, from the comfort of your sofa.
emphasise that only Full HD TVs can deliver the best picture Simply connect the devices to each other with an HDMI cable.
quality - however, more resolution does not always mean better That’s Genius Connecting.
picture quality.
VIErA Image Viewer – easy viewing of Full HD Photos
Why? Because resolution by itself is just one small element and Videos
among others such as black levels, motion handling, clarity, It’s easy to view Full HD images with the SD card slot.
picture noise, and colour reproduction. Watch and show your photos and videos to family and
friends right after you take them. Simply slip your SD
Panasonic’s focus is on getting the best from ALL the different card out of your camera or camcorder, and into your
elements of a picture including, but not only, the resolution. VIErA TV, to display photos and Full HD videos on
the large screen. You can also choose from among 3
PRODUCTS types of background music and 4 display effects.
All the technology core components inside Panasonic Plasma That’s Genius Sharing.
screens are designed, developed and manufactured by
Panasonic.
* VIErA Link uses control signals from HDMI cables to interlink DVD Recorder, AV
amp and HD Video Camera operations so they can be controlled by the VIErA
The result is a totally integrated end-product and complete remote control unit. Depending on the cable used, this function may not be
quality control, ensuring that our picture quality is never possible. Panasonic HDMI cables are highly recommended.
compromised by third-party “weak links”. ** Number of hours until the panels brightness is reduced to half its initial level,
based on operation in the standard mode with dynamic content.