Plasma TVs need to be serviced or recharged every couple
years or so.
This is most certainly the biggest Urban Legend surrounding
plasmas. It has certainly been utilized by any number of
unscrupulous TV salespeople to push extended warranties. While
purchasing some additional "insurance" against mechanical defects
might be worthwhile, using scare tactics to ring up extended-
warranty sales is unethical.
The idea that the ionized gases inside plasma displays either need
to be replenished periodically or can be refilled is simply untrue. You
simply cannot change out these phosphors. You would you want to,
because this would require you to change its entire glass display
element out. And most manufacturers will tell you that it's cheaper to
replace an entire plasma unit that it is to replace its screen alone.
Plasma TVs lives are short-lived.
Plasmas can (and generally do) last a decade, sometimes longer.
This is usually longer than a conventional CRT will last (at least in
my own experience). The useful lifetime of a plasma display is
calculated according to the amount of time it takes for the monitor to
appear half as bright as it did the day you bought it. The stated half-
life of most plasma displays is around 30,000 hours -- that's 10
years worth of 8-hour viewing days!
Owning a quality plasma TV costs too much.
In the mid-90s plasma TVs started at $10,000 and had virtually no
price limits. Things have changed. The growing demand for plasma
displays, along with advancements in production efficiency ("yield
rates"), have brought plasma TV prices down to much more
reasonable amounts. You can get larger, better performing plasma
TVs for a fraction of the price you might have just a couple years
ago.
Just because plasma TV prices have come down over the past few
years, though, does not necessarily mean that this pricing free fall
will continue well into the future.
It appears that the biggest price drops have occurred and any future
price drops will probably not be worth waiting 6 to 12 months for.
Plasma display technology has never been more affordable, not to
mention more reliable, for the average consumer.
High-definition (HDTV) is better than enhanced-definition
(EDTV) plasma displays.
HD plasma displays are more expensive than their ED counterparts.
The reason is that increasing the resolution on a plasma screen
means fitting more pixels on that screen, which common sense
should tell you is a more expensive proposition. A simple side-by-
side comparison will tell you that this is not necessarily money well
spent. Just because a plasma monitor is labeled "HD" does not
necessarily mean that it handles things like internal conversion,
contrast ratios, and interpolation well -- which are the features that
determine a picture’s displayed quality. In most cases, the quality of
the picture you get from a given plasma display (whether it's ED or
HD) actually depends on the quality of its make. A good ED plasma
TV from a quality manufacturer will always outperform an HD plasma
TV from a mediocre manufacturer.
The incoming video signal will also determine the quality of the
picture you see. A standard video signal will look no better (and
sometimes can actually look worse) on a HD plasma monitor versus
an ED one. So, before you make a purchase, consider:
• What percentage of your total television viewing involves HD
video signals?
• Will you be using your plasma monitor to display computer
graphics signals? If so, high definition plasma monitors will do much
to enhance the detail of things like Excel spreadsheets.
Do you mostly watch video content that originates from DVD, cable,
or satellite cable, i.e., content that ED plasma displays handle best?
Plasma TVs are designed to have the best possible pictures
right out of their boxes.
Few people realize that some consumer electronics manufacturers
ship their TVs preset to compensate for higher-than-average light
levels, like the ones found in most electronics stores. Most homes
are nothing like this, so it is a good idea to take a look at the various
PICTURE settings already built in to your TV and identify the right
one for your home.
You might also try your hand at calibrating the picture yourself,
using any one of a number of user-friendly video test discs. If you
are having the display installed professionally, they normally provide
this service.
Plasma TVs have problems with burn-in.
Burn-in, or image retention, is the result of a damaged pixel, whose
phosphors have been prematurely aged and therefore glow less
intensely than those of surrounding pixels. The reason is that the
damaged pixel has developed a "memory" of the color information
that was repeatedly fed to it. This phosphor color information can
actually become seared into the plasma-screen glass, and, in the
case of permanent image retention, it does. Once these phosphors
are damaged, they cannot produce the same levels of light output
as the other phosphors around them do. But pixels do not suffer
burn-in singly. Burn-in occurs in the shape of a static image that
linger on TV screens.
Plasma TV burn-in is not an issue that should cause undue concern
in the average user. With an ounce of caution, most plasma TVs will
probably never have a problem with image retention. A viewer may
experience temporary ghosting, but this is certainly not cause for
alarm. In truth, carelessness is really the leading "cause" of
permanent burn-in.
Plasma TVs are difficult to install.
Nothing could be further from the truth. No technician is necessary
if you don’t install it at all. Simply attach your new display to a
tabletop stand and place it wherever you want. Even mounting your
plasma TV on the living-room wall has gotten easier, with a growing
number of consumers opting to go it alone and hang their plasmas
themselves.
Plasma TVs give off a lot of radiation.
This rumor is just laughable. Actually, conventional CRT’s give off
more radiation than plasma displays. While plasma monitors do
generate a tiny amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, it is essentially
negligible because this radiation extends no more than an inch
outward from the screen. Lesson here is that your mother was
right…sitting too close to the TV is harmful (if you stand 1 inch from
the TV for 8 hours a day!). The radiation is "contained" to the pixels
themselves. This is not the case with tube-based TVs, which shoots
radiation toward the screen in order to illuminate phosphors
thereon. This projects small amounts of radiation more than 12"
outward from the screen. Not to worry: Both plasmas and CRTs
comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Plasma TVs are excessively fragile things.
Plasma televisions must be handled with care to prevent damage.
This sounds like common sense, but sometimes things can become
exaggerated into nonsense. Plasma monitors have been deemed so
fragile as to almost seem flimsy. It's true that these things can break
as the result of mishandling (as can any television or household
appliance). But, it's also true that travelers take these monitors all
over, without much problem. Also, remember that these products
are created overseas and they seem to make it here in one piece.
So, be careful with your plasma television, just like you would with
any other television.
