The displays therefore have deep contrast, textured images, and rich colours. Pricier LED-backlit LCD screens with local dimming, for instance, have black levels comparable to those of plasma displays.ĭue to how plasma displays work, they can provide precise control of the relative level of brightness and intensity for red, blue, and green subpixels. Plasma displays have been known to boast better black levels than many LCD screens, although LCD technology has greatly improved in recent years. The technology is the same, just on a smaller scale. Just think of of each individual subpixel on a plasma display as a tiny neon light or florescent tube. The plasma then emits ultraviolet light, and once that light hits the phosphor coating lining each cell, it causes the phosphor to glow a visible light. When an electrode applies an electrical current to a small cell filled with a noble gas mixture (like neon and xenon), it excites the gas, then ionizes it, and transforms it into a plasma. Plasma displays are classed plasma because each pixel in the screen is illuminated by a tiny bit of plasma. Plasma displays are thinner than cathode ray tube displays, a technology used in the first commercially-made electronic television sets.

What is a plasma display?Ī plasma display is a flat-panel display once-commonly used for televisions 30 inches in size or larger. So, in memory of plasma, we've rounded up a brief history, complete with hallmark moments, of the technology.

Plasma displays have many advantages and are even more affordable than current LCD screens, but that still hasn't been enough to curb public perception and boost sales.

First flat screen tv