Disadvantages of Plasma Television

Plasma televisions, also commonly called flat screen TVs, are very thin and sleek display monitors, that can be easily mounted on the wall for viewing. Towards the end of 1999, plasma televisions were introduced as the latest technology in the world of television, and offered amazing features like better picture quality, big sizes and sleek design. The display of a plasma television consists of thousands of tiny cells, which are individual glass compartments, injected with neon-xenon gas suspended in plasma. These cells function in an unified manner, when the gases in them are electrically charged, they produce the picture or images we see on the screen.

Disadvantages of Plasma Television
As with all technologies, plasma television sets have some of the following disadvantages, as compared to other television technologies.

Burn-In: Plasma television has the potential for burn-in, caused due to the use of phosphor technology in them. Traces of images can be burned into the display if they are static, or if displayed for too long. Burn-in can occur in as little as 20 minutes of static image display. Hence, it's advisable to constantly change the image on the screen, either by changing the channel, or turning the television off.

High Price: As these sets are high quality, and employ latest technology, they come at a high price. Presently, they are the most expensive television sets in the market. Although prices are dropping due to advances in technology and greater availability, one usually pays considerably more for a plasma display as comapred to regular televisions of the same size.

Brightness: Plasma televisions have low levels of brightness. Although technological advances have been made to correct this disadvantage, it still remains a major issue with most users. Viewed in a room with bright sunlight, plasma televisions do not bring out the contrast and sharpness associated with the good picture quality advertised. Owners of plasma TVs should avoid placing them in rooms that receive direct sunlight.

Shorter Lifespan: Plasma televisions have a much shorter life span when compared to regular television sets. Also, depending on the brand, they have a half-life of 50,000 to 60,000 hours. Half-life refers to screen burns at half of the original brightness. Besides the half-life, there are also no repair options for fixing a burnt-out tube or backlight.

Fragility: Plasma televisions are very fragile and the units are highly susceptible to damage. They need extreme care while handling and moving. They need to be shipped by special carriers and should be mounted by professionals, as even laying the plasma display on it's side can cause adverse damage to it.

Altitude: Plasma televisions do not perform well at higher altitudes. They have natural gases compressed inside, that don't compress optimally when operated above 6000 feet, thus resulting in poor pixel performance. Basically, the charged gases differ in their pressures in different altitudes.

Other Disadvantages:

• Not the Lightest or Slimmest: Although they are marketed as the lightest or slimmest displays, they are other technologies like LCD TVs that are available in the same specifications.
• Screen Size: Plasma display monitors aren't usually available in less than a 42-inch screen size, hence for anyone looking for a smaller size, the options are limited.
• Optional Tuner Feature: Most plasma screens do not have tuners in-built and have to be upgraded, if using it with satellite, digital cable or external HD boxes. These up-gradations are fairly expensive.

Despite the disadvantages associated with plasma television sets, they are popular due to the superior picture quality, large size, and as part of contemporary décor.