Flat panel tv technology
Date: July 30, 2004
A flat panel tv that uses plasma tv technology displays the picture by electrically charging gases that are sandwiched in thousands of small chambers between two panes of glass. Depending on the nature of the charge, the gas in each chamber will glow red, green or blue in color. When thousands of these cells are charged in this way, a picture is formed that is exceptionally clear and bright. In contrast, a flat panel tv that uses lcd tv technology forms a picture by electrically charging thousands of liquid crystals each in its own chamber, also sandwiched between two panes of glass.
In general, a flat panel tv that uses plasma tv technology can be much larger as compared to one that uses lcd tv technology. This is because a liquid crystal display always has a few imperfections--crystals which are burned-in--in the production process for any given size. Therefore, as the display's size is increased, there are more imperfections visible, which negatively affects viewing quality. Liquid crystal displays today are thus generally limited in size to a maximum of 37 inches.
The advantage a liquid crystal flat panel tv holds is that it doesn't suffer from burn-in and has a longer life span. In contrast, a plasma tv generally comes in a larger size than an lcd tv--in excess of 60 inches. In addition, the plasma display refreshes at a faster rate than a liquid crystal display, resulting in smoother action scenes. Unfortunately, plasma televisions suffer from burn in if you are not careful (e.g. pausing for a long period of time) and are heavier and thus more difficult to install.
More articles at our Flat Screen TV Articles page.
