See Television in a Whole New Light with Plasma HDTV
by Gideon Laston
Plasma is injecting new life into the way that we watch TV. The term "plasma" was once restricted to a description of blood cells and ionized gases. Today, "plasma" is the stuff that seems to give modern television a life of its own.
The television industry has evolved at an alarming rate over the past fifty years. Television sets have morphed from small screens with rabbit-ear antennas, to wall-sized flat screens. The media has grown as well, taking North American viewers from three main networks to countless satellite programming choices.
Buying a television is no longer as simply as making a trip to the local department store. There are many points to consider when choosing a new set. Analog, or digital? HDTV ready, or HDTV enabled? LCD or plasma screen? The decision can be overwhelming, so it helps to understand a few basic points about modern day televisions.
Analog
The television you've known and loved for all these years is an analog TV. With this tried-and-true technology, signals are sent and received in analog format. Analog televisions are very competitively priced, and can offer good quality for your relatively small investment. The disadvantage of this format is that analog TV signals can only accommodate a limited amount of data for the screen and sound, and analog signals can be easily and immediately corrupted. Don't worry, though, if you have an analog television. The service will be available and your set will work just fine, even years after other formats dominate the market.
Digital Television
Digital television signals allow stations to send dense data that has more definition, with less degradation of the signal. Therefore, viewers are able to enjoy an increased level of quality in both the picture and the sound. This enhanced quality is particularly clear while watching DVDs.
HDTV (High Definition Television)
Thanks to traditional digital television, new standards of high definition programming are becoming more readily available. Television stations can now provide customers with the highest level of audio and video quality by transmitting HDTV, or high definition television. With HDTV, your set can receive and process these specialized signals and display them on a high definition-enabled screen. When all of these elements are combined, the visual and sound results are simply stunning.
Even though digital television and HDTV are now commonplace in our modern television industry, viewers can't appreciate the pristine levels of sound and picture if they don't have proper equipment. The recent advancements like DTV, DVD-Video, HDTV, digital satellite broadcasts and computer video have placed us in the midst of a digital video revolution, but we need to keep up with the technology in order to enjoy and appreciate it. One giant leap forward in the way we're able to enjoy modern television technology is with plasma display technology.
Plasma screens entered the US market toward the end of 1999, but the concept was initially put into place at the University of Illinois in July 1964. These first displays were nothing more than points of light formed in laboratory experiments. From this starting point the technology began to improve, and by the late 1960s it had advanced to the point where scientists were able to put up geometric shapes. Today, thanks to the development in high speed digital processing, materials and advanced manufacturing technology, brighter full-color plasma display screens are widely available.
Plasma televisions have taken technological leaps and bounds ahead of other television technologies, making them the fastest-selling 'new' television technology on the market. Plasma television screens provide a higher resolution compared to conventional TVs, and many new plasma televisions are capable of displaying HDTV signals. In addition to superior picture quality, plasma televisions can be wall mounted, saving valuable floor space and offering a theater-like display.
Watching HDTV television programming displayed on a plasma screen really is a unique experience. In fact, it's like you'll be seeing your favorite movies and television programs for the very first time.
Author Gideon Laston writes for several Internet sites, on home entertainment systems and shopping advice issues. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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