Do plasma T.v. have a shorter life span then LCD television’s?
Someone told me not to buy a plasma t.v. because of it’s short life span. That person recomended a LCD t.v. He said it would will last me longer. Is this true ? I am currently shoping for a flat screen between 46″ and 51″ and would like to know witch to purchase.
Plasma longevity is much less of an issue with current technology than it has been in the past. Plasma manufacturers now advertise 30-60,000 hour half-lives (time until the picture reaches half its original maximum brightness) as the useful life of their sets. This equates to 10-20 years of life if your TV is on 8 hours a day. If you run your set at less than maximum brightness and contrast (which you should) you can expect the higher end of these numbers. Since this is a gradual effect you can often compensate for dimming plasma by re-calibrating your settings.
LCD technology is actually more of a “sudden death” scenario than plasma in that when the backlight burns out suddenly, it must be replaced. However LCD backlights *can* be replaced (as long as they remain available) while plasma panels can’t be effectively recharged or repaired once they lose brightness.
Having said that, plasma is still a bit of a touchy technology in terms of power, heat output, and fragility. It’s one of the few types of A/V component I would buy an extended warranty for.
Beyond that, each technology has advantages and disadvantages. Plasma has deeper blacks, more accurate color and faster response to rapidly-changing pictures and is better for optimized viewing (such as a movie room), especially at screen sizes above 40 inches; LCD is lighter, less fragile, more energy efficient, can provide a brighter picture and is better for bright rooms and much other non-critical viewing.
A good link for comparisons is below
