What Do You Prefer: Plasma or LCD TV?

Clear Favor for Plasma

The Synovate study, conducted this summer in the UK, France and Germany, asked consumers which screen provided the best overall image quality for the following criteria: sharpness, colour, response speed, contrast, black quality and resolution. The study was commissioned by Panasonic and Pioneer



By ALEKSANDAR TODOROVIĆ
from Belgrade, SERBIA


Consumers have a clear preference for plasma display screens (PDP) over liquid crystal displays (LCD), findings from a recent survey show. The study, conducted by the global market research company, Synovate, is the first ever European research into consumer preferences in medium to large-screen television sets. The margin was almost two to one in favor of plasma screens, with 73 per cent of respondents who viewed a side by side comparison rating plasmas as providing the "best image quality" ahead of LCD (27 per cent).

The Synovate study, conducted this summer in the UK, France and Germany, asked consumers which screen provided the best overall image quality for the following criteria: sharpness, colour, response speed, contrast, black quality and resolution. The study was commissioned by Panasonic and Pioneer.

The results reveal a clear favor for plasma. Sixty-one per cent of consumers felt plasma screens provided the best sharpness experience, compared to 21 per cent who preferred LCD. When it came to consumer perception of colour, response speed and contrast, 65 per cent of consumers deemed plasma screens to have the best colour quality compared to 24 per cent who favoured LCD. Similarly, plasma screens were voted as providing the best quality for response speed by 62 per cent of consumers, with LCD scoring 15 per cent. Nearly a quarter of respondents believed both technologies provided a similar performance.

Plasma Screens - the best sharpness experience for 61% of consumers

Plasma screens once again lead the way with contrast quality. Sixty-one per cent of consumers tested believed plasma had the best contrast performance, compared to 26 per cent for LCD. Before seeing the video sequence, plasma was deemed to have a slight lead (37 per cent to 30 per cent for LCD), while a third of people felt that both formats provide similar black performance. After seeing the comparison, the majority of people who felt that the best black quality is created by plasma shot up to 72 per cent.

Synovate canvassed 603 consumers and executed the study under certified home viewing conditions. Two groups were established. The first, with no prior knowledge of plasma and LCD, were simply asked to express their preferences after watching a 90 second video sequence played side by side on LCD and plasma displays (with their brand names covered) in three presentation suites. All respondents rated the experience using TVs in the 37-inch, 42-inch and 50-inch categories.

The second group, who claimed to have knowledge of plasma and LCD, were asked before the comparison to reveal which format they believed provided the best overall quality and to reveal their initial preferences for plasma or LCD in several feature categories, including resolution, image depth, colour and black tone. These benchmarks were used to track changes in perceptions after the video sequence had been viewed.

Two to one in favor of Plasma Screens

Initially, no preference was expressed in either Germany or the UK for overall image quality though French respondents expressed a preference for plasma. After watching the content, however, the whole group was asked the same question. Sentiment swung sharply in favor of plasma: 73 per cent of people rated plasma as the superior performer in image quality compared to 27 per cent for LCD.

Synovate set up identical tests in London, Paris and Cologne to measure consumer television viewing preferences. The comparison suites were set up to replicate typical viewing conditions: the screens were viewed from two to three meters, from a point at the centre of the two TVs in each room while the maximum light intensity was 50lux. Viewing conditions were certified by an external consultant. Respondents were asked about their viewing environments at home and 75 per cent of respondents agreed that the conditions were identical or very similar to their home environments.

The interviews, performed in central locations in each city, were almost equally spread between male and female and almost equally split between the 18 to 44 and 45 to 65 age groups. The plasma and LCD television sets used in the viewing tests were set up by Synovate technicians using the factory default settings. The brand names and any identifying styling were covered.

Source: ITM Serbia