Plasma TVs have become increasingly available, and their cost is lowering all the time. We have all heard about plasma TVs, and advertising campaigns are constantly telling us that they are the status symbol to have. Adverts are extremely effective at glorifying the benefits of having a plasma TV, so much so that it appears that even our pulling power and popularity will be improved. The one thing that these adverts don't really tell us is what a plasma TV actually is. Here is a brief guide to plasma TVs to help you appreciate this apparent miracle of modern technology.

Plasma TVs have a higher resolution than other conventional display devices which means that they can display the high definition signals of HDTV and DTV. Also, plasma TVs are compatible with the computer signals SVGA, VGA, and XGA.

Unlike other display devices, plasma TVs have a transistor electrode for every pixel cell which means that there are none of the scan lines that are visible with regular TV sets. The whole image is evenly lit across the display by these electrodes, and not produced by an electron beam which is the cause of scan lines.

Top-of-the-range plasma TVs have display capabilities of over 16 million colours. This ensures that the picture has far more realistic colour than that shown on a conventional TV screen. This is because they are able to show far more shades of colours compared to the lesser quality TV screens.

Plasma TV screens are completely flat which has two benefits. There is no edge distortion, unlike on more curved conventional TV screens, and also there is a far wider viewing angle. The viewing angle of a plasma TV is 160 degrees, and allows the image to be seen properly from more areas of the room where the TV set is situated. This makes plasma TV screens ideal for large groups to view, and lessens the need for more than one TV set to be placed.

Of course, the main benefit that most people are aware of with plasma TVs is their space-saving quality. They are extremely shallow, and can therefore be installed in many more locations than a conventional TV set. The depth of a 50 inch screen is approximately 4 inches, and it can therefore be hung on a wall.

About the author:

John Rivers is the owner of TV Home Center. Find out what you need to know before you buy a plasma tv or video projector.