Plasma TV Terms

Geek to English dictionary

First we need to explain how Plasma TVs work. A Plasma screen has two glass layers that have one layer of pixels sandwiched between them. Plasma TV pixels consist of three sub-pixels that represent the three primary colors of light; red, green and blue. Each of these sub-pixels operates like a tiny neon light illuminating, at various levels of intensity, in patterns to form the larger picture.

ALiS

ALiS (Alternate Lighting of Surfaces) is a new type of Plasma panel that is optimized for displaying HDTV. In contrast to conventional Plasma, where all pixels are constantly lit, ALiS sets alternate between rows of pixels. This creates a more efficient and longer lasting display, which is also resistant to burn-in.

Burn-in

Plasma televisions use a phosphor coating to create images. Because of this Plasmas, like CRTs, can be prone to burned-in images caused by holding an image over a prolonged period of time. Images such as static channel logos can be problematic. Most manufacturers have addressed this problem; especially Sony, Samsung, LG and Pioneer Plasma TVs. Always check other Plasma TV reviews to see if burn-in has been a problem for the set you are interested in.

De-interlacing (also called line-doubling)

This is a way that digital TVs and DVD players convert older signals into clearer, sharper DTV type signals. Traditional, or interlaced, signals showed only half an image at a time, alternating between picture lines. Now, signals are shown as whole sequential, aka progressive scan, images. Whether a top of the line set or a cheap Plasma TV all of them are De-interlacing capable.

DTV (Digital Television)

DTV is the new standard for American Television. It comes in two distinct styles: HDTV or High-Definition Television, and SDTV, which means, you guessed it: Standard-Definition TV, which is of middling quality.

DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

This is the new way to hook up an HDTV antenna, DVD, cable and HDTV satellite receiver to some of the best HDTV systems. Kind of like a computer monitor cable. If you had a Dish Network HDTV receiver or DirectTV HDTV, this new style of cable and multi-pin socket is how you would hook them up.

Flat-panel TV

Any ultra-thin, relatively lightweight TV. This means you can use a Plasma TV wall mount, or retain the flexibility of using a Plasma TV stand or Plasma TV furniture.

Magnetic Field Immunity

This means that unlike conventional televisions, you may place speakers anywhere in the proximity of a Plasma TV and suffer no problematic effects.

Pixel

This is a contraction of the word picture and element. Think of a pixel as the smallest component of your television's picture.

Widescreen Aspect Ratio

A Plasma TV is almost twice as wide as tall, like the screen at a movie theater or the letterboxed image area of a DVD. This means the elimination of the black masking at the top and bottom of the image when watching films and widescreen television shows.

More information on Plasma TV's