How does a Plasma TV Work

Whether it is about watching your favorite television show or about witnessing an international event live; watching it on a plasma TV is indeed a pleasurable experience. The kind of picture quality you experience while watching a plasma TV is just incomparable! But do you know how a plasma TV works?

How does a Plasma TV work?

The display panel of a plasma TV implements a kind of flat panel display. Several tiny cells located between two glass panels hold a mixture of noble gases. This inert mixture is converted electrically into plasma. It excites phosphors, thus emitting light. The numerous cells placed between two glass plates contain xenon and neon. Long electrodes are placed in front of and behind the cells. The control circuitry produces a charge on the electrodes resulting in a potential difference. The difference in voltages causes the gases to ionize and form plasma. When the gas ions move towards the electrodes and collide, photons are emitted.

Though plasma displays seem similar to LCDs, the contrary is true. There is a vast difference in the technologies they use. To get a clearer picture of both of the technologies, you may like to go through the plasma TV guide and read about LCD televisions. Plasma displays have a wide color gamut and a low luminance black level. The amount of power consumed by plasma displays, is comparable to that used by CRTs. However, brighter scenes take up more power than the darker ones. Plasma screens generally consume 400 watts for a 50-inch screen. The modern-day plasma displays are expected to remain functional for a period of around 27 years, assuming a daily use of 6 hours. At the end of this period of life expectancy, the picture brightness is estimated to decline to half of its original value.

The secret of the refined picture quality of plasma displays lies in its technology. A thin screen, production of bright images and a wide viewing angle are among the other advantages of plasma TVs.