Plasma TV Guide:

Tips for buying a Plasma TV's

What is a Plasma TV?
Why are Plasma TV's better?
Plasma TV's as a solution.
What to look for when buying a Plasma TV?

What is a Plasma TV?
A Plasma TV is the newest innovation in display technology. Ranging anywhere from 32" to 65" diagonally and only 3" to 4" in depth, plasma TVs provide a superior viewing experience. Plasma screen TVs consist of almost 3,000,000 pixels that are illuminated in a specific order to create the on-screen image. Because there is no "beam", the on-screen image has perfect focus, uniform light output and the highest degree of picture clarity on a Plasma Screen TV.

Each pixel on plasma TVs consist of 3 cells of red, blue, and green light which are combined to form the image. By combining these cells, plasma TVs are able to display more than 67 billion colors.
Why are Plasma TV's better?
VS. Rear Projection - Traditional rear projection TVs use cathode ray tubes with an electron beam to stimulate phosphors thereby creating the image on screen. Because the "beam" originates from a point behind and in the middle of the screen, the on-screen image is not uniform in focus, light output and picture clarity. The structure of a plasma screen TV eliminates these problems and provides you with a clear, uniform picture that can be viewed at 160 degrees.

VS. LCD - Similar to plasma TVs in depth and quality are LCDs . What makes plasmas superior to LCDs is their viewing angles and size. Most LCD screens only provide a 140 degree viewing angle from side to side and sometimes even less from above and below. Plasmas provide a 160 degree viewing angle on all sides meaning they can be viewed clearly from almost anywhere within the room. The Size of an LCD is limited in relation to Plasma TVs, even though it has grown to 46". To compensate for this, bigger LCD screens are often combined with rear projection technology and are more than one LCD panel pieced together. Combining these technologies usually increases the depth of LCDs to 18" to 20". Plasmas on the other hand are made up to 65", are one piece, and are able to keep their depth limited to less than 4".

Other Advantages - Plasma TVs have greater resolution capabilities than stan da rd TVs thus enabling them to display HD, digital, SXG, SVG A , and VG A signals. Plasma TVs are also already in widescreen format (16:9) which enables them to work well with widescreen DVDs and HDTV .

Plasma TVs as a Solution.
One shouldn't think as plasma TVs as the latest and greatest technology, but as a solution to your display problems. The size and weight of plasma TVs allows them to be used in any number of applications. Using various types of mounts and stands, plasma TVs can be placed almost anywhere and can be used for home, office, and industrial purposes.

Because Plasma Concepts is a member of CEDI A (Custom Electronics Designers and Installers A ssociation) we can put you in touch with certified installers all over the US to help you with the custom installation of your plasma TV. A l so, since we are members we have installation expertise for all those do-it-your-selfers.

What to look for when buying your Plasma TV.
Size - Plasma TV screens range in size from 32" to 84" (multiple panel) and are measured diagonally. For a number of people the size of their plasma depends on where they want to place it. If you are constricted by wall or cabinet space, it is important to select a plasma TV that will fit these needs. Even plasma TVs with the same diagonal screen size may vary in overall width and height from manufacturer to manufacturer. In cases where the unit is going to sit on a desk stand, the height may be increased by 2-4" and you want to leave some space for airflow on each side of the plasma. A l l measurements are in the product details on our site or you can call us if more exact measurements are needed.

A nother determining factor of what size Plasma screen you need is the distance you will viewing the plasma from. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference, but there are some guidelines for Plasma TV viewing.

Inputs - A plasma TV should include the inputs you need to plug in your various video components. The various inputs include composite, S-Video, component, DVI, HDMI, and RGB. RGB is a stan da rd 15-pin computer input. Composite is a single line video output that is typical on VCRs and is also present on cable/satellite receivers and DVD players. The next step up in quality is S-video. This can be found on DVD players and most cable/satellite boxes. Component, which is of a higher quality than S-Video, divides the video signal into red, green, and blue and is on progressive scan DVDs and some newer cable/satellite boxes. DVI is a purely digital connection on some new high-end electronics and is capable of up to 1,000 lines of resolution. Similar to DVI is HDMI, but carries audio on the same line as the video signal.

Resolution - Resolution is a determining factor when it comes to selecting a plasma TV . Where there is really no bad picture when it comes to plasma TVs there are some plasmas whose resolution allows them to display certain signals better than others. When this becomes an issue is when watching an HDTV signal on your Plasma TV. To be considered true HD, the plasma must have a resolution of at least 1024x720. However, plasmas with a lower resolution will display an HD signal after doing some internal scaling. These plasmas tend to be at a resolution on 852x480. This resolution is actually what progressive scan DVDs and Digital Television are in and looks as good as any plasma with a higher resolution when displaying these signals. The only visible difference between plasmas with a resolution of 1024x720 and 852x480 is when watching HD.