PLASMA Multi-system TV

While TV as a carrier of information and an instrument of entertainment occupied the prime place in the field of electronic appliances, consumers were finding it inconvenient to accommodate the bulky CRT TV sets in their sitting or living rooms. It is a settled principle of marketing that supply is always regulated by demand. Manufacturers started looking for an alternative to the traditional TV sets that would be both space economic and attractive in appearance.

Apropos to the popular demand, manufacturers started designing thin, flat TVs. Thus the concept of PLASMA TV came into offing. Plasma screens are flat and thin and display produce very dark blacks making images easily visible even in dimly lit environments. Moreover, these screens are particularly suitable for displaying video in quick motion. The screen composition and resolution is till date the best for action packed display like sports and action movies.

It was Pioneer Electronics that brought up the first Plasma display panel in the year 1997. The product received immediate response and high appreciation from the customers. A thin and flat television that could even be hung on the wall and was not only space economic but also attractive looking, caught the imagination of the people well. For home theater and for larger screen display a Plasma TV is the ideal device. Add to it the recent fall in prices of Plasma TVs and the proposition becomes even more appealing for the common mass.

Today's Plasma TV can display very dark blacks. As a result they are very well suited for viewing of movies or other programs even in low lights. For fun and action, where the display is much lively than normal, Plasma is till date, the best option for the viewer. The flat panel TV is also very friendly as it strains the eyes substantially less compared to the old days curved display screen. A plasma panel provides for a smooth transition between finely graduated light and dark details. One aspect a viewer may check up is, whether the black bars appearing in a letterboxed movie is displayed as inky black or not. If not, the TV display panel may not be up to the mark.

A common buyer will be concerned not only with the quality of display and service but also with the issues of affordability and longevity. A device may not be good if it provides service for a couple of years and then goes faulty, causing the user either to fix or replace it, causing a large expense in the process. Therefore, one has to look the life span aspect while opting for a Plasma TV. The ordinary life span of the latest designs of plasma TV is sixty thousand hours and that is as good as any of the old day CRT or other TVs.

One reason why Plasma TV and screen were invented is that it requires less space compared to traditional TV. However, one must look at the space requirements and affordability while buying a Plasma TV. Ordinarily a Plasma TV will have screen sizes 37 inches to 65 inches (94 cm to 165 cm). The larger the screen the higher is the cost. A potential buyer becomes happy when he knows that a LCD TV of the same measurements will cost twice that of the Plasma TV.

A Plasma television is a pixel based display device. The resolution for a Plasma TV screen is determined on the basis of the number of horizontal display pixels and vertical axes. We can compare a 50 inch or larger Plasma display to a native 720 pixel HDTV broadcast signal. The pixels are important because the density of the pixel determines the distance from which a viewer can observe a program without being aware of the pixel elements. More the number of pixels, closer the viewer can sit to the Plasma TV.

Integration of audio-video input is essential for any modern TV. For Plasma TV, the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is the most popular standard. In earlier days Digital Visual Interface (DVI) technology was used in TVs. But the basic advantage with HDMI is that a common connection can handle DVD players and HD set-top boxes. Most of the new Plasma TVs have a couple of HDMI inputs and that is the accepted standard of the day. You can also have an integrated over-the-air TV tuner or Cable card slot if you desire to have in addition to the HDMI inputs in a Plasma TV.

HDMI is an all digital audio/video interface, which is capable of transmitting uncompressed stream of digital audio/video signals, such as, set-top box, DVD player, and A/V receiver, including an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). DVI is a standard video interface designed for maximum visual quality of digital display devices such as flat panel LCD computer displays and digital projectors. It is partially compatible with the HDMI standard.

Again, while most of the Plasma TVs in the market provide for audio video inputs at the back of the set you can also have external boxes with such audio video inputs basing on what you actually prefer to have. The advantage of an external box for audio video input is that they bring up a reduction in the number of cables connected to the back side of the display. This makes management of cables easier for the viewer. The only concern here would be the extra cost of having an external A/V box involved.

Plasma TVs ordinarily come with inbuilt stereo speakers. You can have some external speaker sets like surround-sound set up system for better sound. However, the system packed with a new plasma TV set is quite handy and easy to handle. Plasma TVs that are less expensive have permanently fixed speakers while those with a bit of higher price have removable speakers.

The traditional TVs or CRTs (Cathode Ray Tube TVs) shoot an electronic beam at a phosphor coated glass screen to display pictures. LCD TVs passes light through a layer of liquid crystal that is placed within two thin polarized glasses and displays images on their flat panel. In contrast to these two types of TVs, the Plasma TV has colored phosphors that are illuminated by electrically charged gasses. Plasma has the unique characteristic of upgrading lower resolution signals while downgrading higher resolution signals to fit in the native resolution of the TV. A perfect display will appear on a plasma screen when the contrast ration is 1000:1 and not otherwise. Similarly, a brightness of 550cd/m2 or higher will be good for the display.

When a TV displays brightly lit programs or displays programs in well lit rooms, the level of luminance of such TVs comes to a test. Here of course LCD TV that contains VikuitiTM optical films in both areas, come topper. Plasma TV can highlight the bright parts of any image but cannot make the entire screen bright. In case of natural absorption of light also Plasma falls short of LCD TVs since Plasma tends to reflect lights. LCD TVs are also much more economical in terms of power consumption compared to plasma.

A comparison reveals that while LCD scores better in terms of contrast and display in bright light, Plasma ranks higher in case of moving images and viewing angle. The viewing angle of plasma TV ranges from 80 to 160 degrees and is good for side to side viewing. A Plasma TV works with any existing video component with standard audio-video, s-video, or component video outputs. High definition devices can be attached to a Plasma TV using the HDMI. There are Plasma TVs with VGA input connections and they can be used as monitors for a Personal Computer.

Plasma TVs can be hung on the wall or put on the table. If its put on the wall, you need to keep it away from sources of heat like fire place or oven and if on table, the table measurements should be right to fit the TV, leaving couple of inches all around. Ventilation is required as Plasma TV generates heat.

Despite a few shortcomings, Plasma TVs are extremely popular with the viewers. The two premier reasons are that a Plasma TV is much faster than its LCD or CRT counterpart and the price has become quite affordable, even for a common viewer compared to the high-costing LCD TV. Its attractive features also score a point over the traditional CRT TV.

About the Author:

John Dulaney is an international traveler and an expert in overseas audio video equipment and cell phone communications when traveling abroad. His website Planetomni, carries thousands of multisystem TVs, VCRs, region free DVD players at deeply discounted prices. Planetomni also offers a large selection of prepaid cell phones, cell phone rental and satellite phones for rent or purchase.

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