What Does a Plasma TV Have to Offer?

Plasma TVs Explained

Television sets have come a long way since the old black and white cabinets that served as furniture several decades ago. Colour television sets, with their large cathode ray tube, were bulky and took up almost as much room as the old cabinets. Also, the picture on these old sets was frequently lacking in clarity. The development of plasma television has changed all that.

The growth of plasma television was made possible in 1996, when TV stations were compelled to start broadcasting digitally. Digital television (DTV) has better picture quality and resolution than was ever possible previously. Technology in high-speed digital processing has made full colour plasma displays affordable to most consumers.

The new plasma monitors are thin, usually 6 inches, and have a wide screen. The largest plasma display screen in the world so far is a 150 inch unit standing 15 feet tall and 11 feet wide.

One of the features of the new thin plasma television sets is that they can be viewed in any light. Bright light does not wash out the picture or cause excessive glare. Plasma sets also offer an excellent realistic color range not available before.

Inside the plasma monitor, the television lights up thousands of cells called pixels, which are components injected with xenon, neon and helium gasses and coated in phosphor atoms. These pixels generally are red, green and blue and combine to yield the entire color spectrum.

The pixels are positioned between two plates of glass. When the electrical current is turned on, free radicals are released into the cells and become ions. These ions bind with one another to form plasma. The gases emit an ultraviolet light which light up each pixel. This creates the image on the plasma screen.

Plasma television sets have become popular because of their space-saving slim monitors, which can rest easily on a counter or be mounted on a wall. They achieve superior colour reproduction and allow for greatest contrast ratio between dark and light colours.

Despite the enthusiastic reception of plasma television, a lingering concern has remained over the high consumption of energy required by this new technology. The new plasma televisions are quite costly to run. Consumers are demanding more efficient use of energy, not less. These drawbacks may be in the process of being solved with the introduction of a new generation of plasma television sets.

A new, more energy efficient plasma display has been developed and introduced at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. Through improved phosphors and cell design, these new plasma sets are twice as energy efficient as the current sets. This will make them considerably cheaper to use. The new plasma monitors are thinner than ever and provide even better picture quality. A wireless version will also be offered, allowing for easier installation.

People are enjoying their new plasma televisions. The increased picture quality and thin monitors add tremendously to television viewing. With prices going down and quality going up, plasma TVs are here to stay.