Plasma televisions are an innovative new technology that provides flat screen displays. Using a variety of noble gases encased in small compartments (pixels), plasmas work by converting the gases into plasma. This plasma radiates light and forms an extremely clear picture. Liquid crystal displays (or LCDs) are also flat screened TVs. However, these use liquid crystals with backlighting to form pictures.

Plasma televisions (and flat screen TVs in general) are extremely easy to handle. Due to their very nature, plasmas are flatter than traditional televisions (also called CRTs) and thus, are lighter as well. Currently averaging 5 inches in width and 100 pounds, their size will soon be reduced to an inch in width and 45 pounds. This lack of bulk has heralded in a new era of television placement; consumers can now mount their plasmas on the wall without worrying about ruining the wall.

Flat screen televisions cover a range of much higher resolutions than do traditional televisions. High definition plasmas and LCDs have resolutions from 1024×768 pixels per square inch to 1920×1080 pixels. The ceiling of resolution for CRTs stands at a mere 480 lines, providing a much more muddled picture than plasmas or LCDs do.

Flat screen televisions also have a longer life span than CRT televisions. Most plasma manufacturers now assert that their televisions have a life span of up to 60,000 hours, where CRT televisions have a life span of at least 5 years. Assuming that a consumer watches 3 hours of television a day, a plasma TV can last up to 55 years!

Plasmas surpass LCDs in both colour quality and contrast and conventional televisions in colour quality. Plasma TVs generate more vivid colours and blacker blacks than LCD TVs do, allowing for a clearer, more intense image. LCDs are limited by their backlighting, which escapes out through pixels that should be black. However, conventional TVs are the only ones capable of producing true black.

The image of both LCDs and plasmas is comparable when viewed directly in front of the screen. However, plasma televisions have a wider viewing angle than their counterparts. Backlighting causes this problem in LCDs; the image on the screen degrades as the viewing angle increases. Plasmas can be viewed from the sides or top and bottom.

Plasma TVs have been criticized because of the possibility of burn-in images. The burn-in effect happens when a still image is shown on the plasma’s screen for long periods of time (for example, when a DVD is paused and the plasma is left on, burn-in might occur). A ghost of the image may remain on the screen after the image has been changed. However, this effect has almost been negated in the newer models of plasma televisions.

Unlike tube or LCD TVs, plasma TVs are not limited in size. Consumers (with large enough budgets) can order plasmas up to any size. However, CRTs and LCDs are usually restricted to about 52 inches in diagonal.

Tags: audio visual, consumer electronics, electronics, gardening, home improvements, home-and-garden, plasma tv, television, televisions, tv, tvs

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