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LCD has better contrast than plasma

post #1 of 4
Thread Starter 
Okay, before you all start flaming me, lemme explain I was at CC taking a final look at various sets before I bite the bullet. I was (and probably still am) planning to get a plasma. However, I believe that, in well-lit rooms, the glossy screen on plasmas lowers their 'effective' contrast, due to the reflection of ambient light, whereas LCD's don't have this problem to nearly the same degree, with their matte screens.

I was comparing a Panny 50PX75u right next to a Sony LCD. The former has 15,000:1 CR and the latter something like 7,000:1. Yet, the blacks on the Sony looked better, since the Panny screen reflected quite a bit of light. This was also the case for several other LCD's on display. The 42PX77U, with its anti-reflective coating was a little better, but the Sony still looked better.

If you'll be using the tv in a dark room, I'm sure plasmas look better, as far as CR. But if you have a lot of ambient light (even if it's not directly in back of you), you might want to consider this. The CC store was not very brightly lit and probably was similar to many residential rooms, as far as light.
post #2 of 4
here is the subforum for comparing plasma to lcd (general flat panel):

post #3 of 4
Well more no than yes.

See even more important is the level of light they admit. If they admit more light they do "over shine" the ambient light and its look more distinct. What you describe with the blacks is not really the case. In a bright room black is not so important. The black just looks black because the contrast to the bright enviroment is to high. Simply spoken it just looks black because the rest is to white (light).
All this comes down to your eyes. In very bright rooms the light oversaturate your rods in the eyes so you basically look with cones. Those are not so light sensitive but see colors that why you have the felling that the brighter more colorful (more colorful only under high light!) LCD looks better and has even better black. But cones are not light sensitive enough to really so black its just darker than the rest.
But in movie environment or just darker rooms the rods are not light sensitive enough and you mostly (not only of course) look with the rods. In those conditions you can really judge black because rods are light sensitive and see even grayish black. Try to compare the contrast here. The Sony has a static contrast of ~ 1:1000 and the Panasonic I would say 1:4000 (both not ansi contrasts).
Okay that was the no part. What you say about reflections is right BUT don't forgett that glossy/glass screen also gives you that 3D "real" picture when its darker. TO make my point under good condition to watch movies the plasma wins and with A LOT OF DISTANCE in contrast. But yes since LCD are brighter they don't loose so much contrast in ambient but not because of dark ... because whites. (in my PH.D. opinion).
post #4 of 4
You are correct that reflection of ambient light makes a difference to perceived contrast in the real world that's usually ignore in lab tests, but Magic's response has the counterpoint to that.

I have a Panasonic plasma, and I did look very closely at some of the recent LCDs with very dark non-reflective screens before I bought it. It's true that these LCDs have screens that are even blacker than a Panny plasma, and do a great job of killing reflections in a brightly-lit environment. Very impressive! Until you try to see some shadow detail, that is. It turns out that they achieved this dark background by filtering so strongly that they crush blacks horribly and kill all the shadow detail. I've since read test reports saying that the newest generation of LCDs are doing better, but I've yet to see it myself.
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