How Does a Plasma TV Work?

Have you ever wondered, "how does a plasma TVcurrent to flow through the pixel cell - and therefore
work?" Well, it is because of how it works that athrough the gas. This current stimulates the gas atoms
plasma TV has an advantage over other televisionand causes them to release ultraviolet photons.
types.The photons that are created then interact with the
The plasma screen TV has been around for a fewphosphor coating on the walls of the cell to create light
years now, and the technology is going from strengthwhich can be seen by the human eye, and it is this
to strength. Despite increasing competition from othercolour which makes the image we see on our screen.
flat screen TV technologies such as LCD and LEDIn actual fact, each individual pixel in a plasma screen is
TVs, the plasma screen is more than holding it's owndivided into three smaller pixels, each with a phosphor
with it's competitors.that creates red, green or blue light. As you are
So why is it still in such a strong position in todaysprobably aware, by mixing red, green and blue in
television market? Because it is still very strong in thedifferent amounts we can create all the colours in the
main area where it has always performed better thanspectrum. Therefore, each pixel can be accurately set
its rivals. The picture quality.to the exact colour required for the picture as a whole
Plasma TV technology has always excelled when itby varying the level of electrical charge in each pixel.
comes to producing a fantastic picture - and it is forBy doing this across all the pixel cells in the plasma
this reason that it is staying ahead of the competitionscreen, it is possible to create an image with an
from other television technologies.excellent picture quality and colour accuracy.
So what makes a plasma screen TV produce such aIt is the fact that each pixel is individually lit throughout
good picture? Well, it is down to how it is made. So letthe plasma screen which makes a plasma TV picture
us take a look at how a plasma TV works.stand out from the other technologies such as LED
A plasma screen TV is similar to an LCD TV in that itand LCD TVs.
is a type of flat screen TV, and the screen is madeSo now we can see why the way a plasma screen
from a large grid of small pixels - but that is where theworks results in a superb picture quality. It is an area
similarity ends.where all the other television types are still trying to
The pixels in a plasma TV are filled with a gas, andplay catch up, as they are limited by the different way
these pixels are positioned between two electrodes.they produce an image.
Keeping all this together are two glass plates at eitherThat isn't to say a plasma TV doesn't have its
side. Each pixel is also coated with a phosphor materialdisadvantages too, but you can follow the links below
and it is this phosphor that interacts with the gasto find out more about the strengths and weaknesses
particles to create colour.of plasma TVs, plus many other buying tips for flat
The two electrodes at either side of the pixel arescreen TVs.
charged with a voltage and this causes an electric