Polarizing plate and liquid crystal display

1. A polarizing plate comprising a polarizer comprising polyvinyl alcohol and a protective film on at least one side of the polarizer, the polarizer having a difference of 5.0% or smaller between maximum and minimum of an in-plane phase difference Rpva thereof in any area thereof measuring 39 cm wide and 65 cm long, wherein the polarizer is biaxially stretched and produced by a process comprising the steps of swelling a polyvinyl alcohol film and stretching the swollen polyvinyl alcohol film.

2. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein a difference of the in-plane phase difference Rpva between any two points 1 cm apart is 10 nm or smaller.

3. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer has a front retardation value Re(590) and a thickness direction retardation value Rth(590), both at a wavelength of 590 nm, satisfying formulae (1) and (2), respectively:

20 nm≦Re(590)≦200 nm  (1)

70 nm≦Rth(590)≦400 nm  (2).

4. The polarizing plate according to claim 3 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer has a ratio of the Re(590) to the Rth(590) of 0.1 to 0.8.

5. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer is a cellulose acylate film containing, as a main polymer component, a cellulose mixed fatty acid ester having an acetyl group and an acyl group containing at least three carbon atoms substituting the hydroxyl groups of cellulose,

the cellulose mixed fatty acid ester satisfying formulae (3) and (4):

2.0≦ A+B≦ 3.0  (3)

0<B  (4)

wherein A is a degree of substitution by an acetyl group; and B is a degree of substitution by an acyl group having at least three carbon atoms.

6. The polarizing plate according to claim 5 , wherein the acyl group having at least three carbon atoms is a butanoyl group.

7. The polarizing plate according to claim 5 , wherein the acyl group having at least three carbon atoms is a propionyl group.

8. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer is a film of a cellulose acylate having acyl groups containing at least two carbon atoms and satisfying formulae (5) and (6):

2.0≦ DS 2+ DS 3+ DS 6≦3.0  (5)

DS 6/( DS 2+ DS 3+ DS 6)≧0.315  (6)

wherein DS2, DS3, and DS6 represent the degree of substitution of the hydroxyl groups at the 2-position, 3-position and 6-position, respectively, of a glucose unit constituting cellulose by the acyl group.

9. The polarizing plate according to claim 8 , wherein the acyl group is an acetyl group.

10. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer contains at least one of a plasticizer, an ultraviolet absorber, a release agent, a dye, and a matting agent.

11. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer contains at least one retardation developing agent selected from a rod-like compound and a discotic compound.

12. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizer comprises a polymer film and an optically anisotropic layer.

13. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , which further comprises at least one of a hard coat layer, an antiglare layer, and an antireflective layer on a protective film disposed on the other side of the polarizer.

14. The polarizing plate according to claim 1 , further comprising a phase difference film stuck to the protective film on one side of the polarizer via an adhesive.

15. A liquid crystal display comprising a liquid crystal cell and a polarizing plate, the polarizing plate being the polarizing plate according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film on one side of the polarizing plate faces the liquid crystal cell.