PlasmaSync Technical White Paper

Version 1.1, Issued _1/03

Subject: Why choose plasma over large screen LCD? With large screen LCDs already in the marketplace and larger diagonal sizes to appear this year it is now more important to be educated on why plasma should be the only choice for any application requiring a large flat screen display. The comparison below of the two different technologies shows clear advantages of plasma and dispels advantages that LCDs claim to have. Application Use:

Both plasma and LCD offer fixed resolutions which result in excellent clarity and definition when used in their native resolutions for data. For more accurate color reproduction and better motion handling, plasma is the better choice. Plasmas capability of producing a higher percentage of the NTSC color spectrum and the ability to handle fast motion provide a more film like experience. All of NEC Solutions plasmas produce a range of colors much greater than the 70 to 75% for LCDs. This is important when not only viewing video but any other application that requires accuracy in color reproduction. Capsulated Color Filter and AccuCrimson Filter technology enable the NEC plasma line to accurately display colors and create true whites. The diagram on the following page shows the range of colors that both the plasma and LCDs are currently capable of. The black line represents the NTSC standard, brown represents NEC plasma and yellow represents large screen LCDs. You will notice that plasma can produce a much truer green than LCDs.

Power Consumption:

Some of the initial literature/articles on the subject assumed that power consumption between plasma and LCD are very different. All plasma displays are assumed to be power hungry, while LCDs are assumed to have very low power consumption. Some plasma displays do have higher power consumption than others, and large screen LCDs are not as energy efficient as their desktop brothers. NEC plasmas strive to be as efficient as possible. The result of this efficiency is some of the lowest power consumptions in the plasma industry. When comparing the NEC 42VP4 to 40 LCDs, it is very competitive as it falls into the range of the LCDs power consumption. What this results in is comparable operating costs between the two different technologies.

Power Consumption: PlasmaSync 42VP4: 270 Watts, .37 Watts per Sq. inch 40 LCD: 240 280 Watts, .35 - .40 Watts per Sq. inch

Operating cost per year based on .10 per kilowatt @ 8 hours use each day: PlasmaSync 42VP4: $78.00 40 LCD: $70.00 - $82.00

Brightness, Contrast & Glare: Even though the two technologies are different, both have to be able to handle the above to be able to be placed into areas that do not have controlled lighting. Without controlled lighting, brightness, contrast and anti glare screens play important roles in displaying an image with clarity and definition without appearing washed out. If just one of the three is sub par the image quality will not hold up well. Contrast is also very important when displaying images or video playback. Without high contrast ratios there is no depth to the image or video being displayed. When you compare LCD technology to NEC plasma it is evident that the NEC plasma displays have equal brightness with higher contrast ratios and an option for an anti glare screen coating. NEC offers an anti glare solution with its 42VP4D model which has an anti glare filter instead of the typical anti reflective filter found in most plasma models.

PlasmaSync 42VP4: Brightness: 440cd/m2 Contrast Ratio: 1500:1

40 LCD: Brightness: 450 500 cd/m2 Contrast Ratio: 600:1 Fan Noise: Depending on where the display will be used fan noise could be an important specification in the purchasing decision. With LCDs having no fans it appears that they would have the clear advantage. This is not the case though. With NEC plasma having lower power consumptions and better ventilation paths we are able to completely eliminate fans in the 42VP4 and have intelligent fans in our 42MP4 that only come on when the unit reaches high operating temperatures. This allows our plasmas to be operated in areas where noise is an important factor.

Altitude Limitations:

When an application requires the unit to work in altitudes over 6500 feet your only choice is large screen LCD. This statement is not accurate. The complete NEC plasma product line is capable of operating at altitudes up to 9180 feet. This makes NEC one of the only plasma lines that publish an altitude over 9000 feet in its specifications. Brightness and Color Uniformity:

Because LCDs are trans-missive and have a back- light that consists of many fluorescent bulbs, when it comes to brightness and color uniformity, LCDs they will generally not perform as well as plasma will. LCDs will tend to have brightness and color shifts due to the back light ageing resulting in a lower center to edge brightness uniformity. Plasma displays do not exhibit this problem resulting in even brightness and color from center to edge over the life of the product. The image below shows the occurrence of hot spots due to the placement of the backlight. Because many bulbs are responsible for the backlight, obtaining even brightness uniformity is difficult. Because each manufacturer has different backlight methods the image below is just one way to illustrate the uniformity issue.

Screen Size:

NEC currently has three screen sizes in their plasma line. These sizes are 42 inch, 50 inch and 61 inch. LCDs currently are still limited in size and do not have anything that can compete with a 50 inch or larger plasma. Currently the largest LCD that is shipping is a 40 inch diagonal screen. Image Retention (Phosphor Burn-in):

Like every other phosphor based display device, plasma monitors can be susceptible to phosphor burn. Under certain circumstances and operating conditions, such as the continuous display of a static image over a prolonged period of time, phosphor burn can occur if proper precautions are not taken. What is not commonly known is that LCDs can also be susceptible to image retention. When a pixel is left in the on state for a period of time then switches to an off state, the pixel may not completely turn off, giving you the same result as phosphor burn. This partially off state is caused by a small voltage that is still applied to the pixel. This voltage prevents a full off state. Countermeasures to minimize the effects of phosphor burn are built into NECs PlasmaSync monitors with AccuShield phosphor protection, but the responsibility for protecting your hardware investment also lies with you, the user, through application of several common sense operating procedures and the creation of phosphor-friendly content for display on your plasma monitor. Please see the white paper titled Preventing and

reducing phosphor burn. It explains in detail the ways to help eliminate or reduce the chance of image retention caused from phosphor burn. To remove image retention from LCDs the unit must be powered down for a period of time to let any residual voltage dissipate from the unit. Unit Cost and Total Cost of Ownership:

Unit costs for plasma and LCDs differ greatly. The street price of a 40 inch LCD is priced similar to 50 inch plasma. It is obvious to see that plasma currently has a huge price advantage. Looking at large projects that will incorporate hundreds of units this cost difference can be substantial. The comparison below shows the pricing between plasma and LCDs and also total cost of ownership numbers. The total cost of ownership numbers consists of price per unit, quantity of units and power consumption for a period of 3 years. The below information is for general comparison purposes only, and is not a guarantee of any specific savings. 42 inch VGA plasma: $6.76 per square inch $119.00 per diagonal inch 30 inch LCD: $11.46 per square inch $145 per diagonal inch 42 inch XGA plasma: $8.11 per square inch $143.00 per diagonal inch 40 inch LCD: $11.55 per square inch $200.00 per diagonal inch 42 inch VGA plasma vs. 40 inch LCD TCO Manufacturer Brand X Brand Z Model Number Model X Model Z Description 42" VGA Plasma 40" LCD Number of Units 200 200 Purchase Price per Unit $5,000 $8,000 Total Acquisition Cost $1,000,000 $1,600,000 Life Expectancy 3 3 Power Use / Unit* $78.62 $69.89 (in $ per year) * - 8 hours, 365 days per year Total Cost of Ownership $797,174 $1,241,933 Acquisition Cost Difference $600,000 Actual Difference (TCO Model) $444,758

42 inch XGA plasma vs. 40 inch LCD TCO Manufacturer Brand X Brand Z Model Number Model X Model Z Description 42" XGA Plasma 40" LCD Number of Units 200 200 Purchase Price per Unit $6,000 $8,000 Total Acquisition Cost $1,200,000 $1,600,000 Life Expectancy 3 3 Power Use / Unit* $101.92 $69.89 (in $ per year.) * - 8 hours, 365 days per year Total Cost of Ownership $961,152 $1,241,933 Acquisition Cost Difference $400,000 Actual Difference (TCO Model) $280,781

The opinions expressed in this White Paper are those of NEC Solutions (America), Inc., and are based on the current state of general LCD and plasma technologies as of 1/03. The assumptions and specifications in this White Paper are subject to change without notice. Copyright 2003, NEC Solutions (America), Inc. All Rights Reserved

Technical White PaperVersion 1.1, Issued _1/03