Plasma Televisions Filling Wall Space In American Homes
Back in 1983, IBM sandwiched neon and xenon gas between two plates of glass and excited the gas with electrical impulses, creating the first plasma display. This 19-inch screen glowed orange on a black background and was the beginning of the flat panel television revolution. Fujitsu introduced color monitors in 1992, but it was not until 1997 that Pioneer began selling plasma televisions to the public.
Although originally designed in 21-inch televisions, plasma televisions showed many advantages over the then-popular projection screen televisions, including brighter pictures with very little distortion when viewed from the side. The popularity of plasma televisions quickly grew along with the screen size and during their first years on the market dominated the over-40-inch monitor business. Plasma technology could be designed easily for screens 37-inches and larger and the market was rocked with the introduction of a 103-inch screen in 2006.
Plasma televisions had the color intensity and clarity needed for high definition television viewing and quickly became the most popular choice for high definition viewers. The thought at that time was that LCD technology would not be able to advance beyond the 37-inch size television and the large screen market belonged to plasma televisions.
Liquid Crystal Refused To Give Up
Fortunately, for the buying public, LCD television manufacturers refused to give in. While happy to have the computer monitor business and that of television consumers who were satisfied with the smaller screens, the technology and manufacturing techniques improved, allowing larger screens to work their way into the market. Today, the price of plasma televisions has fallen to keep them competitive with the LCD market.
Some of the first large screen plasma televisions commanded high prices of $10,000 or more and today are half that, or less. They are also slightly heavier than their LCD counterparts, but still light enough and thin enough to easily mount on the wall. Floor stands are typically included with plasma televisions for standing on tables or stands with the hanging hardware being optional for most manufacturers.
Another advantage of high definition plasma televisions, is they are already set up for digital images as well as sound, making them ideal for use with surround sound systems. The 13:9 aspect ratio of plasma televisions also allow for a better theater-like experience for in-home viewing of movies. Plasma monitors also have a better dark room black level that makes black appear real black instead of a dark red or brown found with many LCD televisions.
