Comparing Plasma TV Ratings
History of Plasma Technology
The very first plasma television was invented in 1964 at the University of Illinois by professors Donald Bitzer and Gene Slottow, and a graduate student who was assisting them with their research. These gentlemen had been using regular televisions as computer monitors, but they knew that a cathode-ray display, used on a regular television, has to constantly refresh, making it an unacceptable long-term solution for displaying computer graphics. After countless hours of research, they built the first plasma display panel with one cell. In contrast, plasma TVs today use millions of cells to display an image.
How Plasma Works
Plasmas break pixels into sealed red, green, and blue sub-pixels, or cells that contain an inert gas. When an electrical current produced by a video signal excites the gas, it causes the colored phosphors in each sub-pixel to glow. By energizing each sub-pixel to the desired level, the signal determines the pixel's exact color and brightness. By putting enough of these brightly colored pixels close enough together, an image is created.
Plasma TV Ratings - Plasma Vs. LCD
Looking at a plasma TV and an LCD TV sitting next to each other, you would not have even a hint that they were different, because they look identical. In addition to looking alike, they both have around 2 million pixels that constitute a "full" HD 1080p image. These are about the only things that are similar between the two.
A few years ago, plasma TV ratings were far superior to LCDs in virtually every key area, including contrast, color accuracy, picture uniformity, and picture detail.
Plasma TV Ratings - Pioneer Kuro
Pioneer's newest plasma televisions are called the Kuro series. Kuro means black in Japanese. This product delivers the deepest blacks of any television on the market. Rated at the top in picture quality, these sets produce lifelike figures on the screen. Although they retail at twice the price of Kuro's competition, these sets deliver cinematic image quality.
Plasma TV Ratings - Vizio
Almost every review written about Vizio's plasma TVs rate them as absolutely the best value. They receive very high marks in accurate color, good black levels, picture detail, and features.
Plasma TV Ratings - Panasonic
Black levels are among the best available, although not quite as deep as on the more expensive Pioneer Kuro. Colors are first rate, and there is plenty of contrast and shadow detail.
Plasma TV Ratings - Samsung
These plasmas, price wise, are positioned between the less expensive Vizio and the very expensive Pioneer Kuro. The picture comes to life with crisp, clear visuals, and the design is very innovative.
Plasma TV Ratings - Sony
Always known for its quality of products, Sony does not disappoint here. There plasmas deliver high image quality, accurate color reproduction, and long panel life.
