Recent media attention has relegated the plasma television to the "ugly step sister" position in relation to LCD TVs. Criticisms of plasma televisions include lower energy efficiency, lower picture resolution, and life span concerns. Armed with better information, a television wholesaler is best equipped to handle sales of both wholesale plasma televisions and wholesale LCD sets. When considered against real world applications of a wholesale plasma television, is it really an inferior product to an overstock LCD television, or is it simply a television for a different type of home entertainment consumer? Here is a different spin on the facts concerning the match up between the much maligned plasma television and the media darling LCD TV.



Energy Efficiency

"LCD is more energy efficient." This was true when LCD monitors were much smaller. Now that it has caught up in size, energy use is about the same. Standby mode energy use, when the TV is off but still plugged in, varies depending on the manufacturer, not the television type. Plus, LCD television sets rely on fluorescent lighting sources, which contain mercury. While not a concern for consumers now, as these sets fill our landfills that toxin will eventually be released into the food chain. Once LCD sets are illuminated by an LED source, this won't be an issue.

Creating an Image

"LCD images no longer 'ghost.'" There is always going to be a bit of "ghosting" for images on an LCD screen, simply because of the technology used to produce the color is a set interval of back-lit colored cells plus a refresh rate. The refresh rate is what causes some fast-moving objects, like a quick moving mouse pointer, to have a trail or "ghost." Current technology is advanced enough now to reduce the refresh rate beyond a human eye's notice. As picture quality continues to improve in pixelation, this may again become an issue for some viewers. Plasma television sets are almost direct improvements on picture creation of tradition CR and projection televisions, and never need a refresh period.

Life Span

"LCD televisions last longer." Both plasma and LCD televisions last anywhere between 30,000 and 60,000 viewing hours. At that point, a plasma television set will be at half of its original brightness, and the LCD television will have a burned out bulb. The LCD light is replaceable, but assuming 8 hours of viewing time a day, either television will be over 10 years old. At 10 years, which are you more likely to do: spend the money for labor and parts to replace a bulb in the LCD, or move the half as bright but still functional plasma TV into the kids' room and buy yourself the latest in television technology?

Color

"Color on an LCD is better because of the ambient lighting." First, most LCD television sets are not back lit for ambient lighting. Also, what the advertisements don't tell you is the ambient lighting is necessary to try to match plasma televisions for contrast capabilities. On an LCD monitor, light is always shining, so black isn't really black, or an absence of light. Plasma televisions actually have pixels that are either on or off, so black IS black. The gray "black" makes LCD television far less susceptible to glare, but this can annoying when trying to achieve a true home theater experience.

For the wholesale market, this information is very important in selling to an end consumer. Retail chains tout the supposed benefits of LCD screens because the larger sets sell for far more than a plasma counterpart. It is also a different consumer usually looking for a wholesale solution to expanding the home theater. Energy efficiency isn't really going to be a concern in sets over 42", and the life span is about equal for both sets. The biggest selling point for a wholesale plasma television set is that it closely mimics the picture styling of older televisions, only in better quality and size. Viewers used to a true black out are going to notice a screen only giving a dark gray. Consumers truly attached to traditional television picture attributes won't appreciate how some LCD resolutions can make a familiar movie look a little "cartoonish" in comparison. The tech elite won't understand this, because after all "the picture is so clear," but to an older consumer looking to replace a broken or analog set, the improvements might be too much.

One benefit to the downplay by media on the plasma television is that there are more sets available for liquidation. It is true that plasma television sets do not function as well at high altitudes, but those sets work perfectly fine as a customer return in regions closer to sea level than mountain high. Concentration by retail sale staff on LCD televisions will also mean plasma televisions just sitting on the shelf will move to the wholesale market as new models come in. Finally, for an inch by inch comparison, wholesale plasma television sets are still much lower than wholesale LCD sets, so as a wholesale retailer you can offer what looks to be an even better deal to the consumer.