Plasma or LCD screens – Which is the best display option for your event?
18 April 2010
Keywords: plasma, screen, LCD, hire, rental, corporate, event, display, audio, visual, AV
There is much debate over which type of display technology, plasma or LCD, is better for use at corporate events. This article discusses the pros and cons of both and makes recommends that a decision be made on the basis of which is most suitable for specific environment in which it will be used.
When you are deciding on the best display options for your corporate event, plasma screens and LCD screens may have been at the forefront of your thoughts. The image quality and clarity displayed by such screens will ensure you make the ultimate impact at your event. But what is the difference between plasma screen and LCD screen technology and can the differences have a bearing on which is the best option for your corporate event?
Despite the external similarities, the technology within plasma screens and LCD screens is significantly different and has implications for their suitability for different types of use. Plasma screens incorporate a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create the picture. LCD screens (liquid crystal display) consist of two glass plates separated by a narrow space into which liquid crystal is forced. The image is created by varying an electrical charge applied to the crystals.
But it is not what's happening behind the screen that's important but rather how the screen performs as a display that matters the most. In that regard, both plasma and LCD sets produce excellent pictures but with both outshining the other in certain aspects. For instance plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which means better contrast and detail in dark scenes. The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means it's hard for it to achieve true blacks because there's always some light leakage from between pixels. This is steadily improving with every new generation of LCD, though.
Apart from better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks, plasma screens typically have better viewing angles than LCD. Viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected. You tend to see some brightness and colour shift when you're on too far of an angle with LCDs, while a plasma's picture remains fairly solid. While this is steadily changing as new LCD models enter the market, for corporate events this may have to be a consideration depending on the likely position of the hire screen in relation to the assembled audience. If certain audience members are likely to be seated at a fairly acute angle in relation to the screen, a plasma may currently be the best option. Plasmas also have the benefit of better contrast at larger sizes so if a screen over 50” is required a plasma may be more appropriate.
A further benefit of hire plasma screens over LCDs is that they can produce brighter colours which may be of benefit if you have presentations or company logos that incorporate very bright colours. Also if you are displaying moving images such as video or active logos older generation LCD hire screens have a tendency to blur. Newer model LCD displays are now approximately equivalent to plasma screens in this respect but it is worth discussing this aspect with your audio visual hire professional to ensure the screen model you are considering is the very best for your specific requirements.
LCD screens do have some benefits over their plasma rivals such as a tendency to have a higher native resolution compared to plasmas of the same size. This means that more pixels are on screen and as such a crisper image. They also tend to be lighter than similarly sized plasmas due to them having plastic rather than glass screens. This makes them easier to manoeuvre and wall mount. The plastic screens, as well as the use of backlighting systems used in LCDs meant in the past that they were more suitable to high light environments, where as plasmas performed better in darker rooms.
Deciding on the best display option for your event can be a difficult process due to the huge array of screen types offered on the hire market. Discussing your requirements with a professional plasma and LCD screen hire company is recommended. Ensure you give them details including the size of the venue, how many people you need the screen to cater for, the light conditions in the room, what you wish to display and how many screens you require. Your chosen AV hire company will then be able to recommend the most appropriate display for your requirements. A professional AV rental company will offer a delivery and installation service, allowing you to concentrate on other aspects of your event. As well as supplying hire plasma screens many AV hire companies will offer other aspects of audio visual equipment hire such as PA system hire, lectern hire, laptop hire, microphone hire, data projector hire, projector screen hire, staging hire, set hire as well as full event management.
Also now available are companies such as http://www.audiorent.co.uk/ and http://www.avrent.co.uk/ that allow corporate audio visual hire customers to input details of their event into an on-line quote form which is then sent to suitable AV hire companies who can cater for your particular hire requirements in your specific location. These AV rental companies will then contact you with quotes allowing you to decide on the most suitable company for your event in terms of price, equipment and service without having to make numerous phone calls or waste valuable time sending separate e-mails to individual companies.
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