As the film industry adapts to new technological advances, consumers are getting used to seeing high-quality picture. Drab color and huge, visible pixels just don't sell anymore. As a result, there's a lot of pressure on the television industry to find new ways to deliver high quality images to the consumer. Plasma TVs seem to be at least one solution that television manufacturers have accepted in the pursuit of this goal.
While plasma TVs may seem like a newfangled idea, in reality, the technology behind them has been around for almost half a century. The concepts behind plasma TVs first were instituted by Donald L. Bitzer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1964. Developed for the Plato Computer System, the technology was held back from being widely adopted primarily by cost. However, once the computer industry had cheapened the manufacture of plasma screens significantly, the technology became viable for adoption by other industries. In 1997, Pioneer became the first television manufacturer to develop plasma TVs to the general public. This offered those who could afford the still-expensive plasma TVs many advantages.
The main advantage offered by plasma TVs is that they provide incredibly sharp color. In essence, plasma TVs (and plasma screens in general) work by exciting phosphors, gases that give off colored light when excited. Electricity is used to excite the phosphors, and most plasma TVs use neon and xenon gases for this purpose. Each pixel is divided into three subpixels (red, green, and blue). By varying the electrical current, the three subpixels can combine to form any color in the visible spectrum. This is what gives plasma TVs such a bright, vivid display.
Another advantage of plasma TVs is that they weigh significantly less than traditional TV models because they are thin, usually no more than 4 inches thick. The weight reduction due to the flat screen and slim design makes it possible to place the plasma TV in a wide variety of spaces not otherwise possible. The plasma TV can be mounted conveniently on a wall, for example, a feature utilized by many restaurants, stores, and even the stock market.
By itself, the flat screen panel of plasma TVs has a distinct advantage, as well. Normally, on a traditional television screen, the picture is somewhat distorted at different angles due to the curvature of the screen itself. The flat panel of a plasma TV, however, eliminates the picture distortion that is caused by the curve of traditional TV screens. This makes it possible for the viewer to watch the screen from a number of different angles, which is similar to the way the consumer views a film at a movie theater.
Despite the advantages of plasma TVs, there are also several disadvantages that consumers should consider before purchase. First, plasma TVs are very fragile due to the number of individual pixels, subpixels, and other delicate parts they contain. This makes it difficult to transport and install plasma TVs without damaging them. Secondly, the electric current can excite the neon and xenon gases only so many times before they eventually start to dim, and molecules of the gases inevitably escape over time-this is similar to a fluorescent light bulb burning out. This means that the display will dim after a significant amount of use (usually around the 2,000 hour mark). Third, the plasma TVs tend to emit a humming noise at higher elevations. This is likely due to the fact that the air pressure differences affect the neon and xenon gases as the electric current is passed through the pixels. Lastly, plasma TVs are still expensive. A large plasma TV can cost the consumer up to $3,000.
Fortunately for consumers, manufacturers still are improving the methods of producing plasma TVs. This means that plasma TVs likely will be less fragile and less expensive in the future. As the price of plasma TVs comes down, more consumers will be able to secure the better color and space-related advantages of the plasma TV.
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