How Plasma TVs Work

Operation

Plasma TVs are a form of flat-panel television primarily used for high-definition viewing. These TVs are usually larger than the average television and take up less room due to how thin they are. Plasma TVs use a panel that consists of thousands of cells called pixels. These pixels are broken down into three sub-pixels that represent the colors red, green and blue. Each of these sub-pixels is filled with gas. As the television is powered, it electrifies the sub-pixels with different levels of energy, which causes the gas to emit red, green or blue light. When the light is mixed, it will produce different colors and, when looked at from a distance, will form an image. Depending on the size and resolution of a plasma TV, there can be more than six million sub-pixels working together to create an image.

Advantages

There are several advantages to buying a plasma TV. One of these is the price of the television itself. While both LCD and plasma televisions can be expensive, plasma televisions are usually cheaper than their LCD counterparts. Also, plasmas have been said to have deeper colors than an LCD screen, especially black. Having a deeper black can add to the viewer's experience by making any dark scenes in the programs more suspenseful and causing the other colors on the screen to stand out more. Finally, the life span of the television is a huge factor in purchasing one. A plasma television has a half-life of anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 hours, which, if used every day for six hours, is 12 years.

Disadvantages

There are several disadvantages, however, to plasma TV ownership. Plasma TVs can contract "dead pixels." A dead pixel is a pixel that has somehow malfunctioned and will show up either as a black spot or as a brightly colored pixel. As your set ages, dead pixels will ultimately occur. A single pixel that has died is not usually noticeable, but a large number of them will make watching your television difficult. Also, plasma TVs can be subject to burn-in. A burn-in occurs when an image is left on the TV too long, like a DVD menu that doesn't change and is left on the screen. After a period of time, an outline of that image will begin to be "burned" into the screen, which will cause you to see parts of it every time the unit is turned on. The best way to avoid this is to make sure you do not leave an image on the screen for too long. Finally, a plasma TV gives off a lot of heat. They have a natural internal cooling system that keeps the unit cool, but if there is anything placed in front of the vents, the unit will heat up and may get damaged. Be sure to keep the vents clear from any debris or blockage.

References

• Plasma TV FAQs (and Answers)
• Plasma Display Technology Explained