Difference Between Plasma and Flat Screens

Plasma vs Flat Screens

With a TV nowadays, it is no longer how wide it is, but also how flat it is. The Cathode ray tube TV is now a thing of the past, as it is bulky and very cumbersome. New technology gave birth to types of displays that not only provide better visual quality, but that also consume less space. Thinner and lighter are ‘in’ these days, and TVs are an excellent example of this. We are now in the age of flat screen TVs.

There are actually various kinds of technologies involved which enable capabilities of showing videos on a relatively flat surface. Not all types of flat screen TVs are using the same technology. In the old days, if you wanted a TV, you had to get a cathode ray tube. Today, when you want to buy a flat screen TV, you are asked which type!

Flat screen TVs can be of either two general types ‘“ volatile or static.

Static displays make use of materials that have bistable color states. Static types operate on less energy; however, they tend to have slower rates of refreshing. Therefore, they perform less desirably as an interactive display. Such displays are not well known. Examples of static displays are: Electrophoretic displays, bichromal ball, and Interferometric modulator displays.

The more commonly used flat screens are the volatile ones. These types of displays have faster refreshing rates. Even in static images, the pixels present in the image are refreshed periodically (many times in a second), so the image won’t fade.

There are many volatile types of flat screens to choose from as well ‘“ Plasma, LCD, OLEDs, LEDs, ELDs, SEDs, FEDs, and NEDs. Wow! That’s a lot of EDs! The last three types are relatively new technology and are not yet commercially available. If they are, they may be hard to come by as of yet. The first four however, are already in the market making waves worldwide.

Plasma displays are the more popular, if not the most, of the volatile types. Plasma displays have countless of tiny cells between two glass panels. These cells hold noble gases and when electrically stimulated, they turn into plasma. Plasma emits UV light which, in turn, excites or stimulates phosphors to radiate visible light. Many people confuse plasma displays with LCDs which are very different in the type of technology used.

Summary:

1. Flat screen displays are collections of displays that do not use the CRT technology which allow them to be flat and lighter. A plasma display, on the other hand is a type of flat screen that uses plasma emission through mixtures of noble gases to show visible light.

2. Flat screen displays can be categorized into two general types ‘“ static and volatile. Plasma display is a type of volatile display.

3. LCD is also a type of flat screen display which is often confused with plasma display.

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