Appearances are deceiving, and when you choose a flat screen TV, you are confronted with two very different technologies: LCD and Plasma. Plasma TVs have several advantages over traditional and LCD TVs, but they also have their drawbacks.
Plasma technology
The technology used in plasma flat screen TVs is based on the use of fluorescent light from lamps. The screen is a grid. Inside each cell, two glass panels are separated by a narrow opening into which neon-xenon gas is injected. During production, it is compacted to a plasma state. When the TV is turned on, the gas is recharged at regular intervals. Then the plasma starts to glow with red, green and blue fluorophores. This is how the image appears on the screen.
Each group of plasma particles of red, blue and green light is called a "pixel".
Plasma TV technology eliminates the need for a large vacuum tube, as is done in conventional televisions.
Plasma TVs have their drawbacks. They get very hot and consume quite a lot of electricity.
LCD screen technology
LCD screens are made up of two layers of transparent material, each of which is polarized. These layers are then bonded together. Pi this one of them is coated with a special polymer consisting of liquid crystals. A stream of electric current is passed through the crystals, which in turn transmit or block light. This creates images on the screen.
By themselves, liquid crystals do not give light, so an additional source is needed for its appearance: fluorescent light or LED.
The LCD screen does not emit electromagnetic waves, absorbs less electricity than a traditional or plasma TV, and practically does not heat up.
Plasma TV advantages over LCD
- deeper contrast, - more natural and saturated colors, - more accurate transmission of movement, - a wider angle of view.
Disadvantages of a plasma TV versus an LCD
The screen is not as bright, it is better to use it in dark or dimly lit rooms, the reflective surface of the screen may interfere with TV viewing. Plasma screens are prone to burn-in effects and do not reproduce static images well. Since plasma particles need light to transmit images, TVs with this technology absorb more electricity and run hotter. Their effectiveness drops at a certain height.
Plasma TVs may have a shorter lifespan. This is especially true of first generation plasma screens. The duration of their use is up to 30,000 hours, which is 8 hours a day for 9 years. However, modern plasma TVs have improved technology, and their durability does not differ from LCDs.
