Plasma TV's

Plasma TV's begin at 42-inch screen sizes. For sizes smaller than that your looking at an LCD monitor. The two technologies are different although they both offer high resolution and clear pictures.

Plasma Is Emissive, LCD Is Transmissive

With LCD, a liquid crystal display solution is sandwiched between two sheets of glass that make up the front panel. A bulb behind the glass lights up the display whenever a current is passed through the LCD solution. Plasma screens also have two sheets of glass but between them is a layer of phosphor pixels. When UV rays strike the pixels, the gas in them glows. Essentially, each pixel is its own fluorescent light bulb.

On large TV screens, such as those in the 60 to 63 inch range, plasma displays typically outperform LCD displays with plasma units displaying a brighter, crisper image even at large sizes. Top LCD's have gotten close in performance, however, it will cost you.

A major selling point and advantage to both types of monitors is their thin, flat size. This not only reduces eyestrain, it also takes up less space. Both types offer micro-thin monitors that average about 4" deep and can be wall mountable.