Plasma TV: An Introduction

Plasma Display

It is a kind of flat-panel display where a mixture of neon and xenon gases are held between two sealed glass plates having deposits of parallel electrodes on the surfaces of these sealed glass plates. Sealing of the plates are done in such a way that pixels are created by the electrodes forming right angles. The gases break down when pulse of voltage is passed between two electrodes producing feeble ionized plasma that emits ultra-violet radiation. Each pixel emits visible light through activation of colour phosphors by this ultra-violet radiation.

Plasma TV

In plasma TV, picture is created from the gas or plasma by the collision between neon and xenon atoms and millions of atoms and electrons that are electrically charged when the power is turned on. As the plasma energy level is increased by the energy released due to such collision, light photons are released by neon and xenon. The viewing areas offered by plasma TV is quite large but thin. Picture quality in plasma TV is excellent and is a tempting factor for buying if one can afford the high cost. For people going for high definition TV (HDTV), the digital TV broadcasting format, plasma TV may be one of the best options.

New Technology

The plasma technology has outdated and made obsolete the CRT technology in television. The thickness in plasma display is one-tenth of that in CRT and average weight is about one-sixth. For example, in case of a 40-inch plasma display, the thickness is only about 4 inches and weight less than 67 pounds. Plasma display offers a viewing angle of 160 degrees and can use more than 16 million colours. LCD TV, another new technology is posing serious competition for plasma TV technology in the field of HDTV. However both technologies have advantages and disadvantages and therefore there remains the market for both kinds depending on the needs and preferences of the consumers.