A Plasma screen operates by exploding millions of small plasma bursts (a bit like a plasma torpedo in Star Trek) to light the various pixels on the screen. The theory is, when the plasma runs out, the picture won't illuminate any more so a plasma has a more limited life.
The old fluro LCD was lit all the time and even shone a bit through the black parts of the picture. The new LED LCDs either light up along the edge (hence Sony's "Edge" TVs) or multiple LEDs behind the LCD screen. In some LED LCDs, if the screen is supposed to be black, the LEDs turn off in that part, giving blacker blacks.
Although newer plasmas are much more energy efficient than the older plasmas, LED LCDs run much cooler than any other large-screen TV.
In general terms … if you want deep blacks and movie-like reproduction in a darkened room, get a plasma. If you want to watch TV in normal lighting, get an LCD.
Suggestion:
A Plasma makes light in each element directly, by discharging a gas which excites the phospor. for the cell.
Becasue of that, the cell can be fully dark.
An LCD element just gates the light coming from the backlight, the backlight being on all the time (as long as the TV is on). The LCD element isn't perfect, so will show not total black when called for.
Things are getting better though, for LCD.
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