The past decade has seen tremendous advancements in plasma TV technology. When it comes to delivering vivid colors and crisp motion, plasma TV’s have long been the preferred choice of consumers. However, despite these advancements one does not need a degree in engineering or science to understand the basic principles of how this technology works.
Plasma technology was first developed for computer monitor systems in the early’60’s and the first companies to bring this technology to the retail market were Fujitsu and Phillips. Moreover, the first units for sale in the US were more of a status symbol since they debuted with a hefty price tag of over $10,000. However, today’s refined production techniques allow plasma units to retail for a much lower and accessible price.
A plasma TV consists of thousands of individual cells that are filled with a combination of gases like helium, xenon, and neon. The gas containing cells are sandwiched between two screens and electrodes are then installed both in front and behind the cells to generate the electricity. As such, the electricity from the electrodes heats the gas into a plasma state.
The vivid colors associated with plasma TV’s are achieved by coating each of the cells with phosphors. Plasma produces photons which in turn excite the phosphor to generate the color and each cell functions as a tiny fluorescent lamp. In addition, the cells make up the pixels which are responsible for the picture quality.
Color is generated in a plasma TV by coating the back of each individual cell with a phosphor and the photons emitted by the plasma excite the phosphor to yield color. In effect, each cell operates much in the same way a fluorescent lamp works.
Each pixel in a plasma TV is then subdivided into three separate sub-pixels coated with a different color phosphor. Much like in traditional cathode ray tube televisions, the sub-pixels in a plasma unit are green, red, and blue and these colors blend together to create the overall color of the pixel. The internal process is repeated thousands of times over with each pixel and when combined they form the overall picture. Plasma displays use the same phosphors as older CRT televisions and are therefore extremely accurate in reproducing the pictures from older sets.
When it comes to contrast ratio, plasma TV’s usually offer the highest ratio in comparison to LCD and DLP televisions. Contrast ratio is the measure of the ratio between the highest white and the darkest black which is important in determining the overall quality of a picture.
Plasma television has come a long way since its inceptions in a California laboratory over thirty-five years ago. When plasma TV’s first hit the retail market the initial cost made it more of a status symbol rather than a fixture in most households. However, as demand grew production methods were eventually refined to make these devices much affordable to the masses.
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on 7 Inch LCD TV which reviews and lists the best LCD TVs to help you pick the best one for your needs.
