Plasma Displays:
A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays (80cm or larger).
They are called "plasma" displays because the pixels rely on plasma cells, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent lamps.
The display panel itself is about 6cm thick, generally allowing the device's total thickness (including electronics) to be less than 10cm. Plasma displays use as much power per square meter as a CRT or an AMLCD television.
The lifetime of the latest generation of plasma displays is estimated at 100,000 hours of actual display time, or 27 years at 10 hours per day. This is the estimated time over which maximum picture brightness degrades to half the original value.
Plasma display screens are made from glass, which reflects more light than the material used to make an LCD screen.
This causes glare from reflected objects in the viewing area. Companies such as Panasonic coat their newer plasma screens with an anti-glare filter material.
Advantages:
- Picture quality
- Produces deep blacks allowing for superior contrast ratio
- Much wider viewing angles than those of LCD; images do not suffer from degradation at high angles unlike LCDs
- Less susceptible to reflection glare in bright rooms due to not needing backlighting
- No visible motion blur, thanks in large part to very high refresh rates and a faster response time, contributing to superior performance when displaying content with significant amounts of rapid motion
Physical
- Slim profile
- Can be wall mounted
- Less bulky than rear-projection televisions
Disadvantages:
Picture quality
- Earlier generation displays were more susceptible to screen burn-in and image retention, although most recent models have a pixel orbiter that moves the entire picture faster than is noticeable to the human eye, which reduces the effect of burn-in but does not prevent it. However, turning off individual pixels does counteract screen burn-in on modern plasma displays.
- Earlier generation displays (2006 and prior) had phosphors that lost luminosity over time, resulting in gradual decline of absolute image brightness (newer models are less susceptible to this, having lifespans exceeding 100,000 hours, far longer than older CRT technology)
- Earlier generation (2001 and earlier) models were susceptible to "large area flicker"
- Heavier screen-door effect when compared to LCD or OLED based TVs
Physical
- Generally do not come in smaller sizes than 94cm
- Heavier than LCD due to the requirement of a glass screen to hold the gases
Other
- Use more electricity, on average, than an LCD TV
- Do not work as well at high altitudes due to pressure differential between the gases inside the screen and the air pressure at altitude. It may cause a buzzing noise. Manufacturers rate their screens to indicate the altitude parameters.
- For those who wish to listen to AM radio, or are Amateur Radio operators (Hams) or Shortwave Listeners (SWL), the Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) from these devices can be irritating or disabling.
- Due to the strong infrared emissions inherent with the technology, standard IR repeater systems can not be used in the viewing room. A more expensive "plasma compatible" sensor must be used.