What exactly is phosphor lag and how does it effect the response time of a pixel?
Whenever i get into a debate with an lcd fan about response time they always say but don't plasma phosphors lag? If the phosphors make up the pixel then how does phosphor lag not equate to a slower response time?
Each pixel in a plasma display consists of 3 subpixel cells that are colored in the basic colors red, green, and blue. Different kinds of phosphors are used to create these colors, but not every phosphor reacts at the same speed, usually green is the slowest and blue the fastest. If one of the phosphors is to slow to update before the next frame hits it creates a ghosting effect during fast movement. Panasonic plasmas have been known to create a green ghosting effect that is especially visible during fast gaming, although this effect is greatly lessened on their newer 3D models.
Without post processing, LCD displays exhibit a degree of ghosting across all colors, which leads to a smearing effect that decreases the motion resolution to about 300-400 lines (as opposed to 900 lines on newer plasmas). This effect varies based on panel type, with TN based panels being the fastest (at the cost of black levels, color accuracy, and viewing angles)and VA based panels being the slowest(especially when transitioning from one gray level to another).
There are tons of videos on youtube showing both effects(somewhat exaggerated on recordings):
