¿Qué es Plasma TV?

As plasma TVs become more affordable, demand is skyrocketing. That’s because plasma TVs offer amazing picture quality (most models are HD-ready, at the least), super-thin designs that can be mounted right on the wall and screen size options that will satisfy virtually any couch potato.

Without getting too technical (hey, it’s all about the picture, right?), here’s a quick breakdown of what makes plasma TV tick: inside of the slender display are hundreds of thousands—and sometimes millions—of tiny glass, plasma-filled chambers. When the TV is turned on, the electricity excites the plasma and causes the chambers to glow. That’s a plasma picture in a nutshell.

Now that you know a little more about the technological magic behind plasma displays, what about the perks? Aside from an amazingly focused, realistic picture, here are some of the key features of plasma TV:

• Slim design: Most plasma displays are no more than 4-5” thick, which means you can place them virtually anywhere, no matter the screen size. Just add a wall mount and you’re ready to go.

• Intense color: New plasma TVs can display up to 68 billion colors. How’s that for a realistic picture?

• Wide viewing angles: With many projection TVs, the picture quality changes as you shift around the room. Not so with plasma, which offers some of the widest viewing angles in the industry, next to LCD (not to mention a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio). This means you can enjoy an amazing picture no matter where you’re sitting.

• PC compatibility: Most plasma TVs also feature a PC input, which means you can hook up your PC or laptop with ease, then surf the web on a cool big-screen TV. If your TV also has a picture-in-picture function, you don’t have to miss your favorite shows to do it, either.

Concerns over issues like the lifespans of plasma TVs are quickly becoming outdated. Many new models boast a lifespan of over 60,000 hours (as measured by the display’s “half life”), which is comparable to—and often better than—that of many CRT and LCD TVs. For those of us not versed in terms like “half life,” that generally translates into well over 10 years, depending on your viewing habits. And nope, you don’t have to worry about the gas leaking out, either.