Plasma TVs, like LCD and OLED TVs, are a type of flat-panel TV. While these TVs look the same on the outside, there are differences on the inside. Find out how plasma TVs work and whether they are worth keeping.
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Plasma TV technology is similar to that of a fluorescent lamp. The display panel consists of cells, each with two glass panels separated by a narrow opening. Neon xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the plasma set is in use. The charged gas touches red, green and blue phosphors, creating a TV image.
Plasma TV technology differs from its immediate predecessor, the traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) TV. A CRT is a large vacuum tube in which a beam of electrons emitted from a single point in the neck of the tube rapidly scans the surface of the tube. Red, green, or blue phosphors on the surface of the tube are then illuminated to create an image.
Plasma TVs, which use a sealed cell of charged plasma for each pixel, eliminate the need for a scanning electron beam. This eliminates the need for a large vacuum tube. This is why CRT TVs are shaped more like boxes, and plasma TVs are thin and flat.
