The benefits of Plasma TVs

Plasma TVs are now known as the best way to achieve excellent image quality combined with large screen sizes, that are viewable in any environment. They are now an affordable option for use as a home TV, with high street prices starting from under £1000 (you can also buy cheap used Plasma TVs). Plasma TVs provide incredible quality images, with wide viewing angles and up to 8.6 billion colours.

Plasma TVs work by sending electrical impulses through plasma to create the image displayed on the screen. The gas reacts with phosphors in each sub-pixel to produce coloured light (red, green or blue), the same way that conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) devices such as televisions and standard computer monitors work.

This gives rich, dynamic colours, with each sub pixel individually controlled to produce over 16 million different colours. This means that you get perfect images on a screen that is less than 6 inches thick.

This provides installation options that were never before possible, plasma screens are much slimmer than conventional TVs and can easily be mounted on a wall, or above a fireplace for extra floor space. Another benefit is that Plasma TVs have perfectly flat screens; meaning distortion and curve are no longer a problem. This also gives the benefit of increased viewing angles, offering more flexibility when using a Plasma TV at home.

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Glossary

Analogue

Historic transmission system for broadcasts.

Brightness

The brightness of a Plasma TV is measured in candles per meter, squared i.e. the equivalent of having 250 candles in a square meter. The larger the number, the brighter the picture will appear.

Contrast Ratio

This is the measure of the darkness of the darkest colours against the brightness of the brightest colours. The higher the contrast ratio, the more defined the picture will be.

Digital

Method of transmitting radio and television signals that promises better-quality picture and sound, with a wider choice of channels.

DTT (digital terrestrial television)

Broadcasts transmitted to an aerial.

DVB (digital video broadcast)

DVB appears on equipment that is ready for digital reception. For details, visit www.dvb.org.

DVD recorder

Burns any video pictures to DVD for long-term storage. Some include hard drives, so can also act as a PVR for time-shifting TV.

Hard drive/hard disk

Tape-free method of recording, borrowed from computer jargon and widely used in PVRs.

HD-ready

Europe-wide industry HDTV is a standard that ensures your screen can properly receive and display high-definition video. A minimum screen
resolution of 720 lines in wide-aspect ratio is recommended.

Home cinema

Surround-sound system with DVD player, amplifier and speakers to enhance an existing television.

Pixel Resolution

Denotes the number of horizontal by vertical pixels. The bigger the number the higher the resolution and the clearer the picture is likely to be.

PVR (personal video recorder)

Replaces the VCR; enables you to skip ads and pause live broadcasts. An electronicprogramme guide (EPG) helps to schedule recordings that are then saved to a hard disk.

Resolution

The number of pixels (points of light) in a flatscreen affects the fineness of detail: low resolution is 852x480 pixels, high resolution is 1024x768 pixels or more. Many flatscreens, even those with low resolution, will display HDTV, though not in fine detail.

Scaling

Though DVDs and standard Freeview broadcasts offer a resolution of only 720 x 576, modern flatscreens use scaling to create the illusion of higher resolutions.

Sources for digital TV

Terrestrial Freeview

5.2m homes. Up to 30 TV and more than 20 radio channels through a rooftop aerial. A good benchmark set-top box with EPG is Sony's VTX-D800, typically £110, or £79 at www.amazon.co.uk. For more informational visit www.freeview.co.uk.

Satellite Sky

7.4m homes; Freesat (www.freesatfromsky.co.uk), 450,000 homes. More than 400 channels. Basic Sky+ set-top box, £49, plus £10 per month; Freesat box, £150, otherwise free.

Cable NIL

1.4m subscribers, 160+ channels; Telewest (www.telewest.co.uk), 1.2m subscribers, 100+ channels. Both £6pm. Visit www.ntl.co.uk for more information.

Broadband Home Choice

Limited postcodes. Up to 80 channels. From £15pm; free modem/tuner, phone calls, internet. See www.homechoice. co.uk.

Choosing which screen

CATHODE-RAY TUBE (CRT)

Pros: Best picture quality; good contrast levels mean less eye fatigue; low-maintenance; longer life; low price. Cons: Bulky and heavy; maximum screen size 36in; often incompatible with a PC; not HD-ready.

LIQUID-CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)

Pros: Life span 50,000+ hours; pin-sharp resolution; less heavy than plasma, with better brightness; immune to screen burn. Industry investing heavily. Cons: Motion can seem blurred; price premium for large sizes; limited viewing angles on older sets.

PLASMA

Pros: Large-screen sizes for your money (37in-60in in UK); good contrast and colour saturation; wider viewing angles than LCD. Cons: Heavy, specialist brackets will be required when installing your plasma TV on a wall.