Think Big! Think Plasma!

Published in the Deepavali special supplement
October, 2006

By Francis P Barclay

Are you giving thought to an ideal compliment to your home as the festival oomph has set in? Imagine a whole new audio-visual experience with theatre quality. Bring home the next generation Plasma or the LCD television.
These television sets are big enough to take you to the world of breathtaking realism. The CRT televisions (the normal picture-tube ones) are slowly giving way to their successors: Plasma and LCD.
In a couple of years from now, only the Plasma and LCD sets would be in the market, says Jagannathan, a television showroom sales assistant.
``These television sets have an edge over the ordinary ones in many aspects. They are slim and sleek, broad and big, durable....Picture comes alive even in darkness, brighter and more detailed, with style and sophistication and with theatre effect,'' he points out.
LCD and Plasma television sets give flawless and realistic images in about 500 billion colours. They bring a vivid living picture whatever the kind of input signal may be.
At the heart of the Plasma TVs are chemical compounds called phosphors. In a plasma TV, each pixel is made up of three phosphors -- one red, one blue, and one green. These phosphors emit light when struck by beams of electrons. The intensity of the electron beam determines the amount of light emitted. It is the phosphors that create the light you see on a plasma screen.
LCD TVs use millions of crystals, which are suspended in a liquid that is sandwiched between transparent panels. Behind this liquid crystal sandwich is bright fluorescent light. The crystals are instructed to either let the light pass or not. Filters are used to determine the colour.
Plasma television sets don't come in smaller sizes. They come in sizes larger than 42". You have a wider selection of larger sizes with Plasmas. The size range of LCDs is 20" to 42" in the local market. Many who have a smaller living room go for LCDs. LCDs are lighter than Plasmas. LCDs produce sharp and lively colours while Plasmas come out with warmer and more accurate colours. LCDs tend to do better in bright-light conditions. Plasmas, technically, have a higher contrast range.
One more advantage of having these television sets is that they can be used as a monitor for your PCs.
Swaminathan, another sales assistant in a television showroom, quotes Plasmas at from Rs 1.5 lakh. LCDs are available from Rs 35,000 (20") and the price changes with the size. In a few more years, only LCD sets would be for sale. Even the Plasmas would be outdated.
LCDs are fast-moving than Plasmas. Only those with bigger living space go for Plasma. ``It's no more a rich man's entity. LCDs are becoming cheaper day-by-day. We also arrange loans for the purchase of these televisions,'' he adds.
Local showrooms come out with discounts, gifts and special offers, making this festival season an ideal time to buy Plasmas and LCDs.
On the after-sale service, he points out that there are manufacturers' service centre available in the city. Also, when a person buys such a television, the details of the customer reaches the television company. If there is any problem with the product, the company would send its people to set it right.
So, why don't you turn your living space into a mega entertainment centre with the home theatre systems?