The Plasma TV Blog

If you are like most people that love television, then you have probably dreamed about buying a Plasma television. There are so many choices in sizes and brands that it may be hard to know which ones to choose. There are actually only a handful of companies that manufacture Plasma televisions, but they all tend to produce televisions with good picture quality and a wide range of options available.

Japan has three of the largest companies. They are considered to be the “Big Three”. Most likely you have heard of them, or even bought something from them. They are Panasonic, Pioneer, and Hitachi. Panasonic produces about 100,000 panels a month, with the new 65-inch model coming to the market very soon. Pioneer and Hitachi are also large producers in the United States, cranking out various Plasmas that range in size from 37-inch to 61-inch. Panasonic has just released the largest plasma TV available on the market as of October 2006. The TH-103PZ600U has a diagonal display of 103-inches and a suggested retail price of $69,999.99.

Korea is the clear leader in manufacturers overall with the company Samsung DSI. They have an unbelievable 250,000 panels flying off their assembly line, per month. They start with the 42-inch and go up from there. They even have a remarkable 80-inch model, set to debut shortly, that would astonish even the most die-hard television watchers.

Another notable is NEC, which has recently been acquired by Pioneer. Sony is another large manufacturer, but only manufactures their own boards and not the screen. Any of these companies would give you a quality television;just choose the one that is best for you.

When you think of televisions nowadays, HDTV is usually what comes to mind. High Definition televisions are hugely popular because of the amazing resolution and colors. It gives you a sense that you are part of the action by showing you a much clearer picture than regular standard televisions. This is due to the amount of pixels, a million or more to be exact, that combine to create images that appear so realistic you think you’ve gone to heaven.

When looking for an HDTV, you have a few things to consider. There are actually two types of HDTV. The first is what you probably already know of the integrated HDTV. It already has the tuner inside the television so that you can just hook it up and you’re ready. The other is HDTV Ready. It basically means that you can see your shows in high-definition, but you need to connect them to a separate HDTV tuner. The tuner, which is sold separately, can be pretty pricey, but you can rent one from your HDTV provider, whether it is cable or satellite.

Integrated televisions are more expensive the HDTV Ready, so really you just have to decide what is best choice for you. The Government now is mandating that the HDTV’s over a certain size already be integrated, so if you are looking for a large television, you may not have a choice on which one to buy.

The major difference between LCD and DLP TV is the manner in which the image is transferred from the electronic video signal to the screen. The CRT (cathode ray television) was the first method, and had served well providing a very high picture quality and contrast, but it had the disadvantage of size. As the demand increased for larger viewing areas, the CRT became a less attractive option as the larger the screen size, the more depth that was needed in the cathode ray tube. LCD and DLP were two of the new technologies that were developed to address this problem.

The LCD uses two polarized flat panels made up of small liquid crystal cells. They are placed in such a manner that light is blocked from passing from one cell to another unless an electrical charge is applied to the crystal which in effect, twists the light to pass through to the next panel, and light the pixel on the screen. Color is provided by what is basically a matter of subtraction. Various color wave lengths are blocked from pure white light, which contains all colors, until the right color is all that is left. This method provides a great variety of color possibilities.

The DLP is a rear projection type of television that uses a large number of micro mirrors to reflect light toward the pixels. The tilt of the mirrors is controlled by the incoming video signal. The color is provided by passing the light through a rapidly spinning color wheel.
The major advantage of the LCD is the reduction in size. LCD TV loses a bit when the screen size is enlarged to the popular Home Theatre sizes, but at smaller sizes it is comparable with the CRT, although the monitor can be almost flat. The major advantage of the DLP is that it is capable of being utilized in large screen applications with a considerable decrease in depth, and very little loss of picture quality.

High Definition Television (HDTV) is a new way of broadcasting television signals in a digital, rather than analog, manner. In order to view HDTV programs, you must own a television that is HDTV compatible. The television will either come equipped with an HDTV tuner or you will have to purchase one separately.

HDTV is valued because of its crystal-clear images and its high quality sound output. HDTV was originally designed because studies showed that people who sat up close in a movie theater and were able to see the images displayed in a wide, close format enjoyed the movies more and felt more immersed in the show.

HDTV has copied that premise. It provides pictures that are sent in a 16 by 9 aspect ratio, compared to the 4 by 3 aspect ratio that regular analog TVs have. Another important aspect of HDTV is the picture resolution. An HDTV will provide you with at least double the picture resolution that a regular TV offers. This is why the picture looks so crisp. Also, HDTVs provide a higher quality sound than a regular TV.

HDTV works in a somewhat similar manner to a digital camera. It takes an image and transforms it into a digital signal. The digital signal is actually made up of a combination of 1’s and 0’s. This digital signal is then transmitted to the television through the broadcast station. An HDTV works like an analog TV in the sense that it receives the signal from the broadcast source. However, an HDTV is made to pick up digital signals, not analog. There is a definite advantage because digital signals stay crisp and strong no matter how far they travel.

If you are looking for a television that will provide you with a very clear picture and excellent sound quality, you might want to consider purchasing a HDTV. The number of television shows being broadcast in HD increases all the time.

The DLP TV is a rear projection television that uses a small digital micro mirror device known as a DMD to tilt more than 1.3 million very, very small mirrors. Each of the small mirrors represents one pixel. As the image changes the mirrors tilt very quickly. This produces what is known as the grayscale of the image. It lacks color. The color is added by passing light through a rapidly spinning color wheel. The light is then reflected by the micro mirrors and controlled by the fact that they either tilt toward or away from the colored light source. The image is then reflected off a large single mirror and projected onto the screen.

Some of the advantages of DLP technology is the production of a very clear picture with a high degree of color accuracy. It also has low power consumption, and high contrast. It is also housed in a very low profile cabinet differing from the bulky rear projection devices of the past.

DLP stands for Digital Light Processing. It is the name for one of the new television technologies that have recently exploded on the consumer market. A DLP TV is a rear projection television, but it is not as awkward or bulky as the older model rear projection models. The technology that makes it possible was invented by Texas Instruments in 1987, and Texas Instruments remains one of the major suppliers of DLP televisions. The DLP is growing in popularity. In 2004 they accounted for almost ten percent of all new television sales.

The DLP is available in both wide screen and traditional sized screen models, and they are being produced by virtually all the major manufacturers. As with many new technologies, the features and quality of the various models differs sharply from brand to brand, and careful shopping is recommended. Although not everyone prefers the wide screen format, preferring the more conventional sizes, most of the newly emerging HDTV technology is being geared for the wide screen versions, and this should be considered if an upgrade is planned for the future.

A Plasma TV works because of the unique properties of plasma. When a gas is in a plasma state it is said to be ionized. It has a positive electric charge due to the fact that a number of the negative electrons have broken loose and are moving around freely. The screen of the Plasma TV is made up of thousands of tiny dots called pixels. These pixels are tiny fluorescent lights, normally made up of three colors: red, green and blue which are evenly distributed over the screen. When a video signal is received it triggers a high energy beam of electrons that lights the pixels in the required color pattern to produce the image.

The thing that makes the fluorescent lights work is the plasma. The gases used in the plasma screens are xenon and neon. When these gases are excited by an electronic current passing through it, the negatively charged electrons begin to be drawn to the positively charged protons, and vice versa. There is a mad rush of particles toward each other, and collisions occur. When the particles collide they excite the gas atoms in the plasma. In the case of xenon and neon, the excitement and release of energy causes a release of light photons. The light photons released consist of ultraviolet light which is invisible to the human eye, but the UV light can be used to excite visible light photons producing the image.

Although an LCD TV is similar to a plasma TV, the technology behind them is different.

LCD stands for liquid-crystal diode. LCD displays are found everywhere. They are used in calculators, displays on microwaves and stoves, in your car’s dashboard, and in thermometers.

The same principles behind other LCD items are used in the LCD TV.

An LCD TV somewhat resembles a sandwich. In the middle of two panes of glass are liquid-crystal cells. The liquid-crystal cells are called liquids because of their ability to twist and move. They are actually solid structures. These cells are hit with electricity by thin-film transistors (TFTs). Behind the screen is a lamp that produces white light. Although the light appears to the eye to be white, it actually contains all colors.

When the TFT sends an electric charge to the liquid-crystal cells, they untwist to a precise degree. Once there, they work not to produce color, but to filter it. The white light hits the liquid-crystals and only the intended color is allowed to pass through.

The liquid-crystals are used because they twist and untwist predictably depending on the nature of the electrical charge. This allows the TV to show bright, vivid colors.

LCD TVs are also used quite often as computer monitors and they are used in airplanes because they are not affected by altitude.

An LCD TV is a TV that uses liquid-crystal filled cells to control how much color is transmitted to the screen. LCD TVs are similar to plasma TVs. An LCD TV will provide you with bright, vibrant color images. The picture quality is excellent. LCD TVs are thin and flat.

In the past, LCD TVs were very small in size. However, they are now being made much larger and at a similar price to a plasma TV.

Although the technology behind television in general and the new generation models in particular is quite complex, it is the properties of a matter known as plasma that are the key to the improvement in design and quality. Plasma, which is sometimes called the fourth state of matter, is a term given to gases that have been ionized, that is given a positive electric charge. This positive charge exists because when the atoms of the gas are acting upon by an energy source such as heat, the negative electrons that orbit an equal number of positively charged protons break loose and begin to move freely. Stimulating these “plasma” gases with a flow of electrons causes the negative electrons and the positive protons to rush toward each other, and the resulting collisions produce a burst of light energy.

There is much that remains the same, and quite a bit that is different between the old CRT TV and the new types of Plasma TV, but it is actually the plasma and its properties that make possible the improvements It is little wonder that this remarkable and versatile substance has lent its name to the new technology.